Text: Psalm 2:1-12
1 Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?
2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying,
3 “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.”
4 He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision.
5 Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying,
6 “As for me, I have set my King on Zion,...
Text: Psalm 2:1-12
1 Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?
2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying,
3 “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.”
4 He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision.
5 Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying,
6 “As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.”
7 I will tell of the decree: The LORD said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you.
8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.
9 You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.”
10 Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth.
11 Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
12 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.
GOD LAUGHS
Pagan nations led by their rulers and kings, had opposed ‘the Lord and His Anointed’.[v.1-3] They take their stand proudly against God. They "set their counsel" here implies deliberate preparation and arrangement. It's ridiculous to think that one can overpower, undermine, or escape from the will of God, isn’t it? Why? It’s an attempt to throw off the authority of the Sovereign God and His Anointed One.[v.3]
Anointed [mashiach], from which is derived the English word Messiah or Christos in Greek, is predictive of Jesus. The opposition to God and the Messiah are inseparable. John declares, “No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also.”[1 John 2:23] Similarly Luke says, “The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me.”[Luke 10:16]
But, our confidence is in the victory of the Messiah [v.4-9] God "sits", a reference to His throne (Isa 6:1), from which He rules heaven and earth. From that lofty and majestic position, He sees the frantic and feeble nations. He laughs. Isaiah declares, "Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are accounted as the dust on the scales; behold, he takes up the coastlands like fine dust. All the nations are as nothing before him, they are accounted by him as less than nothing and emptiness."[Isa 40:15,17] Take for example the proud Nimrod who built Babel who ultimately crumbled.
Victory is certain. The sovereign Creator of the universe will set His King, the Lord Jesus Christ, Israel's Messiah on Mount Zion, His holy hill.[v.6] Let’s recall Gabriel's address to Mary. He prophesied concerning Jesus: "He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom, there will be no end" (Luke 1:32–33). As King David has ruled from Jerusalem, so King Jesus will rule from Jerusalem[Zion]! He is begotten.[v.7] Interestingly, in the ancient near east, a king was considered ‘begotten’ when he entered into kingship. He is assured that the nations of the earth would be his heritage and the earth his possession. The prophet Zechariah anticipates Messiah's possession of the nations by declaring, "And many nations shall join themselves to the LORD in that day, and shall be my people. And I will dwell in your midst, and you shall know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you."[Zech 2:11] He would smash the rebellious with a rod of iron and break them into pieces as crushed pots.
But, the Lord has offered hope to the nations.[v.10-12] God warned them to be wise and humble lest they be crushed. Pride is the recipe for destruction.[Prov 16:18] They must revere and serve Him. Serving God is the hallmark of Christianity, isn’t it?
