Psalms Chapter 2

Psalm 2

The Bible says in Psalms 2:1-3, “Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.”

Psalms chapter 2 gives for us an important question and the answer to it. This question and answer provide an understanding to why the world in which we live is the way it is. Verse 1 is the question, “Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?” The word heathen means “gentile.” In the Old Testament the word gentile referred to someone who was not part of the chosen nation of God, Israel. But its truest meaning is not national but spiritual. It means a person who is not part of the family of God by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. To rage is to be violent, to rage is to be angry, to rage is to war, to destroy, to hurt others. The world is filled with these things. Why?

Verse 2 and 3 says, “The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against His anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.”

Apparently according to this verse, the rulers of this world consciously plot how to oppose the will of God and the things of God. This is the reason the heathen rage. This is the vanity people imagine, that they can oppose the will of God. You can oppose God’s will but you cannot stop it. Men cannot stop God’s will any more than they can stop the stars from shinning. Why? Notice that it says the word “LORD” and “anointed.” The word “LORD” is the Old Testament name, the Hebrew name, for Jesus. The word “anointed”, means Messiah, and Messiah is the Old Testament equivalent to the word Christ. This world is opposed to Christ. Generally speaking the powers that be, the governments of this world, are opposed to Jesus and anything that is associated with Him. This is why governments take prayer out of school, as if you can stop someone from praying. It’s vanity to imagine you can. This is why some governments outlaw the Bible in their country.

The council, the reasoning, the thinking of such people is given here in verse 3, “Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.” Man in his natural state is in a state of darkness and rebellion against God because ever since Adam and Eve sinned man has had a fallen and corrupt nature. Mankind is naturally in a state of rebellion. If you watch a small child, you will see these tendencies.

All men are servants. There are however only 3 S’s that you can choose to serve: Sin and Satan, or the Savior. The council of the world and of many of the rulers of government is to break their bands asunder. That is, they don’t want to serve the Savior, and they don’t want bands and chords which attach them to the will of God. The vain imagining is to think that they can stop God’s Word. The heathen rage, and the kings of the earth take council against the Lord, and against His anointed. This is the world in which we live.

Psalm 2:4-5 says, “He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.” In the end it is always God that has the final say. It can be easy to feel overpowered, helpless, cast down, and persecuted in a world in which there is so much evil. In a world where so many rage, and so many powerful governments seek to control everything and oppose freedom of religion and especially Christianity. The Bible says, “The eyes of the Lord are in every place beholding the evil and the good.” God is looking down from heaven and he knows what the rulers of this world are doing and what all the people of the earth are doing.

The word “derision” in verse 4 is perhaps best depicted through the story of the tower of Babel. Genesis 11:4-8 says, “And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the wholeearth. And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. And the LORD said, Behold, the peopleis one,and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech. So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.^”

The story of the tower of Babel is a repetitive story in human history. Men will always gather themselves together against God. This world is slowly heading towards a similar situation again to that of Babel. One in which all the heathen and all the kings of the earth will take council together and unite together under the anti Christ. Christians are often the outcasts in society, they are often the ones ganged up against in the work-place. But whenever you find yourself in this situation do not become impatient as is the human sinful tendency. Just remember that God is waiting too. He is waiting until the fullness of times. Perhaps He is waiting until everyone has used up their opportunities or wasted them. God is waiting until the time that every human has made their final decision regarding Jesus, who said, “Behold I stand at the door and knock.”

When we look at all this plotting and evil that is done in opposition to God and when we suffer, are ridiculed, are mocked, and are mistreated by the heathen in their rage, we should try to keep in mind what Psalm 2 says in verse 4, “He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh.” Calamity, suffering, and judgment are going to come against the wickedness of this world, and yes, just as the people of this world have laughed while they sinned and laughed while they tormented the children of God, God is going to laugh at them when their judgment finally comes. There is a saying: he that laughs last laughs the loudest. God is going to have the last laugh.

Psalm 2:6-9 says, “Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.” The name Zion refers to the city of King David, that is to say the city of Jerusalem. The importance of this city is its association with the promises of God and primarily the promise of the King of Kings. Jerusalem is where the kings of the nation of Israel ruled from. And Jesus is of that lineage.

The people of the world are always hopeful that their leaders will do for them some great justice and will make the world a better place. These are good hopes to have but the truth is that most leaders are just power hungry people who have gathered themselves in council against the Lord and against His anointed. Why is it that it seems it’s always the worst individuals, the biggest liars, the most power hungry individuals who become the leaders of the nations of this world? Because that is what they are after: power, and so they do and say whatever they can to get themselves into such positions.

The day is coming when the world will have a great leader who will rule with unlimited power over all the world. This ruler is Jesus. Revelation 21:1-7 tells us why Zion is so important: because it is the city from which Jesus, the King of Kings, will rule the world, “And I saw a new heavenanda new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was nomore sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himselfshall be with them,and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.^”

Psalms 2:10-12, “Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.” The advice that is given to the heathen and to the kings of the earth is also the same advice given to everyone, even to people who already are God’s children. It doesn’t matter who you are: a ruler of a nation, or an honest citizen. Be wise, serve the LORD. These verses say to kiss the Son. A kiss has the idea of affection of a mutual relationship. Even of some kind of intimacy. Sometimes even in older times it was custom for people to kneel and kiss the ring hand of a king to show fidelity and loyalty and submission.

Why should Jesus be ruler of all? Why is Jesus a better ruler than anyone else? These questions are easily answered. Hebrews 1:1-8, “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son? And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him. And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire. But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.”

Revelation 19:15-16 says, “And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

You can find some good things to say about most people. In fact when people die, sometimes eulogies are given at their funerals. These are times when people say only good things about the person. But there is one person who has only good things that can be said about Him, and that person is Jesus. The Bible has described Jesus as: wonderful counselor, Prince of peace, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, the great physician, and many other things. Jesus died on the cross for your sins. He also rose from the grave. Thus, He has power over death. Jesus created the world. Jesus is the one with all the power. No wonder it’s vain for the heathen to rage and the people to imagine a vain thing. We should not focus too much on these negative circumstances in the world. We should focus on who is the true king of the world, and what his plans are for the future of those that heed the advice of Psalms 2, “Kiss the Son lest He be angry. Blessed are all those that put their trust in Him.”

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