Psalm 2: Bow the Knee and Kiss the Son Have you ever been in a situation that caused you to ask the question, “What is going on here?” Maybe it was a humorous moment of confusion, or maybe it was a serious moment of exasperation. Often in situation where it seems like chaos is in charge, we find ourselves wondering “what is going on?” As we look at Psalm 2, we must remember the role that Psalm 1 and 2 play in the Psalter. Both of these act like two great pillars, introducing and providing the support and theme of the Psalter. Psalm 1 introduces the road of the righteous in contrast with the way of the wicked. As we turn to Psalm 2, we see a picture of what it looks like for individual wickedness to be magnified. Psalm 1 tells us that the most important truth for us today is that we be found in the congregation of the righteous.
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Psalm 2 tells us that we must understand where history is going. We must understand that the world has been promised to the Messiah. Psalm 2 tells us what exactly is going on in our world. In this Psalm the Psalmist revealed God’s definite answer to a sinful and rebellious world. The entire canon of scripture reveals to us that God Almighty responds to the sinful and rebellious world with judgment and grace. Today as we examine this passage, I want us to find refuge in the LORD’s Anointed, by faithful serving and rejoicing in him. As we approach the text, we will notice four observations:
1) The Dysfunction of the World:
The Psalmist begins by bringing forth an accusation: “Why do the nations rage and the people plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers counsel together against the Lord and against his Anointed saying, “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.” Notice first the attitude of the nations. They are raging and plotting against the Lord. From white supremacy in Charlottesville to the nuclear threats in North Korea. The nations are raging. But this is the root attitude of all the nations! It has always been this way. When we see these great internal issues in our nation and in the world we are tempted to think that the youngest generation is out of control. But the nations have been raging since the fall of man. From Desert Storm to the Red Scare, from 9/11 to the Oklahoma City Bombings, from Jim Jones to Wako, the nations have raged. From the chattel slavery triangle to the trail of tears, presidents, kings, dictators have raged from Napoleon to Nebuchadnezzar. From Babel to Babylon; the nations have been raging since Cain killed Abel, and the Pharisees cried out, “We do not want this man to reign over us!” But notice as they plot, as they seek to reject the authority of God himself, the Psalmist declares that they do it in vain! Their plotting is in vain because of who they are raging against. The Psalmist declares that they have set themselves against the LORD and his Anointed. The scriptures make clear that this is not just any earthly anointed king. This word for anointed is translated from the Hebrew word “Messiah” and the Greek word “Christ.” Indeed, this is how the early church interpreted this passage in Acts 4:23-31. From the beginning the Serpent has been leading the sons of Adam to cry out, “Crucify him!” This is deliberate rebellion against the Most High. This not only is the default attitude of the nations, but this is the default attitude of every man. The unconverted man lives every day with the words “Crucify him!” in his heart and on his lips. You may say, “Not me! I would never raise myself against the Lord and against his Anointed,” but the law accuses you! Every sinful thought and action is not just a little fault in our otherwise perfect life. It is deliberate rebellion against the King of the universe. It is only the Spirit that can change this rebellious heart. 2) The Declaration of the Lord: Next, we must observe the declaration of the Lord. What is God’s response to this uprising against him? The church may look around at the growing darkness and become increasingly disturbed, but the one who cares for us is
Psalm 2 tells us that we must understand where history is going. We must understand that the world has been promised to the Messiah. Psalm 2 tells us what exactly is going on in our world. In this Psalm the Psalmist revealed God’s definite answer to a sinful and rebellious world. The entire canon of scripture reveals to us that God Almighty responds to the sinful and rebellious world with judgment and grace. Today as we examine this passage, I want us to find refuge in the LORD’s Anointed, by faithful serving and rejoicing in him. As we approach the text, we will notice four observations:
1) The Dysfunction of the World:
The Psalmist begins by bringing forth an accusation: “Why do the nations rage and the people plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers counsel together against the Lord and against his Anointed saying, “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.” Notice first the attitude of the nations. They are raging and plotting against the Lord. From white supremacy in Charlottesville to the nuclear threats in North Korea. The nations are raging. But this is the root attitude of all the nations! It has always been this way. When we see these great internal issues in our nation and in the world we are tempted to think that the youngest generation is out of control. But the nations have been raging since the fall of man. From Desert Storm to the Red Scare, from 9/11 to the Oklahoma City Bombings, from Jim Jones to Wako, the nations have raged. From the chattel slavery triangle to the trail of tears, presidents, kings, dictators have raged from Napoleon to Nebuchadnezzar. From Babel to Babylon; the nations have been raging since Cain killed Abel, and the Pharisees cried out, “We do not want this man to reign over us!” But notice as they plot, as they seek to reject the authority of God himself, the Psalmist declares that they do it in vain! Their plotting is in vain because of who they are raging against. The Psalmist declares that they have set themselves against the LORD and his Anointed. The scriptures make clear that this is not just any earthly anointed king. This word for anointed is translated from the Hebrew word “Messiah” and the Greek word “Christ.” Indeed, this is how the early church interpreted this passage in Acts 4:23-31. From the beginning the Serpent has been leading the sons of Adam to cry out, “Crucify him!” This is deliberate rebellion against the Most High. This not only is the default attitude of the nations, but this is the default attitude of every man. The unconverted man lives every day with the words “Crucify him!” in his heart and on his lips. You may say, “Not me! I would never raise myself against the Lord and against his Anointed,” but the law accuses you! Every sinful thought and action is not just a little fault in our otherwise perfect life. It is deliberate rebellion against the King of the universe. It is only the Spirit that can change this rebellious heart. 2) The Declaration of the Lord: Next, we must observe the declaration of the Lord. What is God’s response to this uprising against him? The church may look around at the growing darkness and become increasingly disturbed, but the one who cares for us is