Psalm 2- An exposition

The Psalm here is written about our precious Lord Jesus Christ because in Acts 4 when Peter and John had been released from prison and went back to their brethrens, this very Psalm was quoted and Peter gives us an interpretation of solemn comfort that our Lord Jesus is the Anointed one.  ‘Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your Holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed’, Acts 4:27. Here we see the deep hatred of man against his creator because was it not the Eternal Word which was made flesh, and this Word was the light of men but men had grown to love darkness.  Yea, men would rather stay in their wickedness and plot against their Lord but how foolish are they to think that they could ever have succeeded. The rulers in view here are like Pharaoh, vain and conceited and thus Yahweh destroyed him and in this Psalm, it is so for the rulers and kings who will not draw back from their plans and beg mercy from the anointed King whom they thought they had killed.

The Psalm begins with an interrogation, a perplexing question that why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain, vs. 1. The Psalmist here is amazed and so should we because God is of no comparison to feeble man for is man not like grass and his glory like the flowers of the field. The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the LORD blows on them. And thus the Psalmist says that the people’s plot in vain but they do not see it because their foolish hearts is darkened by their suppression of the truth of God. They plan to move in rebellion against God and it is instigated by the leaders of the earth. The kings of the earth take their stand. That is in their wilful state, the kings having met together took a collective decision to stand against their God, having total contempt for his reign and seeking to dethrone him. And the rulers gather together. It is not just the kings but their rulers as well who take their stand and carefully they would have plotted their plans and see it wise in their own eyes. They are prepared for war and everyone is involved, the kings, the ruler, and the peoples. There is now a commotion in the camp and the people are ready to fight and the instructions are joyfully giving out, “Let us break their chains and throw of their fetters”. The peoples are now ready for the battle, ready to commit all manner of abomination and eagerly awaiting when they will set themselves as their own god. There is an excitement, but it is a foolish excitement because they have become deluded and forgotten whom they were up against. Would not a wise king carefully search out his opposition to see whether he can gain victory and so act accordingly but if there is no possibility of victory will he not surrender? But the rulers and kings are dull and have no understanding, they follow the paths of Pharaoh and their end is the sea of destruction. But does this not speak of your own heart? You have set up your plans and are firmly established in your ways, you reject God your creator and despise his anointed, you loathe his laws and set up your own. Is your heart not rebelling against God and as the Lord gives the kings and rulers a solemn reply so he will do with you if you continue in your rebellion.

Vs. 4. The Psalmist now turns our attention to the throne of Heaven and tells us what the LORD thinks of their foolish plans. The LORD being mighty and glorious is not at all afraid of men though their numbers be mighty, yea to be as numerous as the sand, the Lord is not all moved in panic but He sits and Him who is enthroned in heaven laughs, the Lord scoffs at them. This is a fitting response from the Lord because it is beyond comprehension that man should think that he can win against his creator, the omnipotent one who created him. Therefore God laughs at them and shows derision at them yea, a hatred for their plans and now after laughing at them, he rebukes them in his anger. Now, the Lord is angry and as a just King he rebukes the dissidents and he does it in great anger because He vs. 5 terrifies them in His wrath saying vs. 6 “I have installed my King On Zion, my holy hill”. Here the Lord rejects all the kings of the earth and speaks to the peoples that he has installed his own King. This King the Lord has chosen himself and gladly he expresses it to the kings, rulers and peoples who have gathered together to dethrone him. This is a grand exclamation! This King as we know is Jesus Christ, the Lion of Judah who is the beginning and the end, the Alpha and the Omega. He is the judge of the whole earth and all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to him. When he was on the earth and the devils saw him, they begged him not to torment them and how double will mans pleading be when they have eyes like the devil and truly see the awfulness of  his terror towards foolish rebels. But those who have beating their swords in to ploughshares and laid down their weapons of rebellion, they would indeed find a meek saviour, who clothes them in garment white and places a jewel on their neck. They will indeed find a husband, a gentle king who is about to wed his bride, that is the portion for those who have become wise and submitted to the rule and authority of God’s established King. So will you not leave the camp of the rulers and kings of the earth and swear a new allegiance to God’s appointed king? Or will you remain in the camp of death and delay your entering into the camp of life? I plea with you that the terror of the King is indeed great and Just like his Father, he will manifest a wrath and anger that your skin will want to flee from you.

vs. 7, The Psalmist once again draws our attention into the inner chambers of heaven and focuses on the particular word of the installed King and He declares, I will proclaim the decree of the LORD. Here we see a stark contrast, for this King is not marked by disobedience but by obedience, for the kings of the earth conspired and rebelled but the anointed King seek to obey and proclaim the decrees of the omnipotent one.  The decrees are not his decrees but gladly he proclaims them and with great delight He does them. Also the LORD said to his anointed that “You are my Son, today I have become your Father”. But we see from his earthly reign that men rejected God’s king and continued in their rebellion.  For Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on my own: but he sent me… you belong to your father the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire.. He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God” John 8:42-47. Jesus is the Son of His Father and for that claim many sought to kill him because he was making himself equal with God. And their conclusion was correct because we must never forget the deity of Christ and that eternally He has been by the Father’s side.  The LORD continues his solemn word to His beloved Son saying vs. 8 “ask of me”. Here Jesus could approach his Father and ask anything he wants for Jesus’ request are always according to His Father’s will and therefore it is the Joy of the Father to give it to him and the same commandment is extended to us by the Lord Jesus himself that if we should ask anything in his name he will do it. For you see that our Lord is not at all selfish but he is just like his Father. So if you do have a request, come boldly before your king and ask of him, but ask according to his will and he will do it. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance the ends of the earth your possession. The earth belongs to the LORD and everything in it, therefore, He has the right to give it to whomever He desires and here He aims to give it to His anointed king if the anointed one ask it of Him. You will rule them with an iron sceptre and you will dash them to pieces like pottery, vs. 9. Jesus is to rule with a solid hand that none of his enemies will no longer be able to stage a rebellion, for his enemies will be utterly crushed, for his hand will be heavy upon them. They would have no strength to eat let alone conspire and go to war, for their hearts will be dismayed because the Lord has smitten them and eternally paralysed them. And because of his harsh and unrelenting destruction towards his enemies, the rulers and kings of the earth are warned to be wise, vs. 10. 

Vs. 11, shows how they are now to conduct themselves which is to serve the LORD with fear and rejoice with trembling. The kings, rulers, and peoples of the earth are to delay no longer what they ought to have been doing, they ought to have been rejoicing and serving God with reverent fear and they would have felt the Love of God and never to have witnessed his terrible wrath and heavy hand upon them. It is so with us also, that we ought to believe in the gospel of God if we are to escape that day of trouble and distress for every human being who does evil, first for the Jew then for the Gentile. For it is an awful thing to perish while under sin and have not yet found a saviour, so it is of extreme importance that one should kiss the Son, lest he be angry, vs. 12. That is that one should come before the cross and kiss the feet of the saviour who died for them. One should humbly accept that Christ died for them because on that day when He comes with his holy angels and you have not yet kissed him, like it was with the Egyptians on the day of Passover, he will not pass over you but he will be angry with you for his eyes are like flames of fire and in his terror he will terrify you with his hot anger that you would have no where to flee but to the pits of hell where his anger will burn forever. So will you not kiss him today, for his kiss is the sweetest of all, sweeter than honey and more precious than gold. It is soft and gentle and it nourishes the mouth. His kiss goes deep into the heart and He does it so passionately that it is forever etched eternally into your mind. For if you do not kiss him, you will be destroyed in your way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. But now, we read this comforting, soothing words which rightly ends the psalm, blessed are all who take refuge in him. Come and share in his blessedness, it is the dearest thing of all, for just as he inherits the earth, it will be yours also for he gladly shares it with you and you become co-heirs, yea, for he has gone to prepare a place for you. He has done it all and he does all things well. The anointed of the LORD is calling you today to put down your weapon of rebellion and follow him, do not tarry any longer but come believing. Can you not hear the joy in the camp of the living, for they sing with trumpets and their feet dance so merrily. Do not stay with the wicked but be wise and come and rejoice and serve the Lord with trembling and delightful fear.

K.Oni