July 08, 2023
Psalm 2
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.
“The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their chains and throw off their shackles.” [PS 2:2-3]
If freedom of the world was truly free, when Adam and Eve ate the fruit of knowledge, they would have felt their eyes “...opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” [GEN 3:5] However, rather than the wisdom and authority satan promised they would feel, they lost their innocence and felt shame, drew away from God, and were ultimately expelled from the Garden of Eden.
Further, this psalm continues to sing that the rival nations will go against and try to break free from God and His law, attempting to gain authority and rule over God and His chosen people. They will refuse to submit to Israel’s God and to God’s anointed king. However, they will fail because our God is the Lord of the whole earth and “The One enthroned in the heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. He rebukes them in His anger and terrifies them in His wrath, saying, “I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain.” [PS 2:4-6] He warns the kings of the earth to “...be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear and celebrate his rule with trembling. Kiss His son, or He will be angry and your way will lead to your destruction, for His wrath can flare up in a moment…” [PS 2:10-12]
This psalm reminds me a lot of the world and the society that we live in today. There are so many different ideologies and labels; different groups of people trying to be awakened by the contemporary thinking of justice, breaking free and tearing down God’s “old oppressive order”, and attempting to progress into a new reformed order that fits their own ideas of truth. And frankly, I am also convicted of this sin as well: the times when I think and act like I have better judgement than God’s; countless occasions when I start to bend His words and laws to justify and satisfy my own selfish needs; and instances when I rationalize my own reasons to not obey His law. Its so easy to set myself as the my own ruler of my life and live by my own selfish beliefs and say “God, you don’t know what I am going through”, forgetting that God fully knows me and loves me—and that He is my creator, my king, and my savior.
As the psalm warns the rulers to be wise and to serve the Lord with fear, celebrating His rule with trembling, I desire to become a leader and a woman (this psalm also reminded me of [PRV 31:10-31] and Pastor Dave’s sermon on being a woman of valor) who identifies and lives out His truth as His obedient servant, someone who is “clothed with strength and dignity” and “can laugh at the days to come” [PRV 31:25] with the Lord when I see the enemy rebel against Him; someone who finds comfort and takes refuge in Him, fully knowing very well that my God has already won every battle and has already installed His victorious king on His holy mountain.
→ Next