“Why do the nations rage
and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth set themselves,
and the rulers take counsel together,
against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying,
“Let us burst their bonds apart
and cast away their cords from us.”He who sits in the heavens laughs;
the Lord holds them in derision.
Then he will speak to them in his wrath,
and terrify them in his fury, saying,
“As for me, I have set my King
on Zion, my holy hill.”I will tell of the decree:
The LORD said to me, “You are my Son;
today I have begotten you.
Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,
and the ends of the earth your possession.
You shall break them with a rod of iron
and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”Now therefore, O kings, be wise;
be warned, O rulers of the earth.
Serve the LORD with fear,
and rejoice with trembling.
Kiss the Son,
lest he be angry, and you perish in the way,
for his wrath is quickly kindled.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him.
—Psalm 2
One interesting thing about the Bible is that much of it is equally true for different time periods.
We can see this in a famous prophecy found in Isaiah 7:14: “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”
We know from the immediate context that Isaiah spoke this as a sign to King Ahaz; it applied in the 700s B.C. But we also know that this was talking about the birth of Jesus, when B.C. flipped over into A.D. “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet,” Matthew wrote, and then he quoted Isaiah (Matthew 1:22–23). This one Bible verse is equally true for two different times.
Let’s apply this same idea to Psalm 2.
In one sense, this psalm is about the past — when David wrote it, he was writing it about his contemporary concerns and situation. (So far, so good.)
But David was also writing about Jesus; in other words, Psalm 2 is a messianic psalm. For example, we know that verses 1–2 are talking about Jesus' crucifixion:
Why do the nations rage
and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth set themselves,
and the rulers take counsel together,
against the LORD and against his Anointed.
Luke cites these verses, and then writes that the rulers “were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus” (Acts 4:27; see 4:23–31) when he was crucified.
We also know from Acts that Psalm 2:7 is talking about Jesus’ resurrection:
I will tell of the decree:
The LORD said to me, ‘You are my Son;
today I have begotten you.’
Luke explicitly says that God “has fulfilled” this verse “by raising Jesus” (Acts 13:33). Moreover, Paul writes in Romans that Jesus ”was declared to be the Son of God… by his resurrection from the dead” (1:4). Psalm 2:7 is about Christ’s resurrection.
So, we’ve seen that Psalm 2 applied in David’s time when he wrote it and in Jesus’ time when it was fulfilled. But in still another sense, Psalm 2 is about the future — it will be fully realized at some future date.
We know that the promises of God are sure and certain, even if they have not yet been fulfilled. Not every king currently kisses the Son, but they will. Not every disobedient nation has been broken with an iron rod, but they will be. Not yet does every knee bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:10–11), but they will. There is a sense in which this psalm is about the future.
Alright, we’ve talked about three times: David’s time, Jesus’ time, and a future time. But we should add one more: Our time. Right now, as you’re reading it. In fact, this is one of the most natural ways to read the psalm — it’s probably how you’ve always read it without even thinking about it.
Look at the first couple of verses: Do today’s nations rage and people plot? Yep. Do rulers today set themselves against God? They sure do. Do they conspire against Jesus? You betcha.
Or the last few verses: Should today’s rulers be wise? Yes. Should we, all of us, serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling? Yes, we should do that. Are we called to kiss the Son? We are. Are we blessed if we take refuge in him? Yes, and praise be to God!
So the idea that these passages apply to us today is already assumed. It’s a normal, natural, and accurate way to read Psalm 2.
And with that in mind, look at what it says about rulers: If they reject God, he will hold them in derision. God is laughing at them. Jesus will break rebellious nations like a baseball bat through a porcelain vase. If they don’t kiss the Son — that is, if rulers and nations don’t worship Jesus and yield to his authority — he will be angry, and he will destroy them.
And notice, critically, that these aren’t Christian rulers or rulers of formally Christian nations — these are rulers who rage and plot against God, who set themselves against Jesus Christ. These are unbelieving rulers, pagan rulers, secular rulers.
What does God say to unbelieving rulers? What is God’s will for unbelieving nations? What does God require of unbelieving people — whether individuals or in groups?
Kiss the Son.
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© 2024 Josh Bishop. joshbishopwrites.com