1 Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? 2 The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and against his anointed, saying, 3 “Let us break their chains and throw off their shackles.” 4 The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. 5 He rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, 6 “I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain.” 7 I will proclaim the Lord’s decree: He said to me, “You are my son; today I have become your father. 8 Ask me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession. 9 You will break them with a rod of iron; you will dash them to pieces like pottery.” 10 Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. 11 Serve the Lord with fear and celebrate his rule with trembling. 12 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. Blessed are all who take refuge in him. – Psalm 2
The Book of Psalms is the inspired song book of the Jews used in public worship. Unlike common hymns we are singing in public worship today, the theme of Psalm 2 is unusual for most of us. This psalm is about the conspiracy of the kings and peoples of the earth against the reign of God and His anointed King. Specifically, it is about the futility of man’s conspiracy.
Historically, the “nations” in this psalm are generally understood to refer to pagan countries surrounding Israel. In seeking to overthrow the sovereignty of the king of Israel, these pagan nations aim at overthrowing the sovereignty of God himself.
The author of Hebrews particularly applied the reference about the Anointed King in this psalm to Jesus. In Hebrews, we read that the psalmist applied Psalm 2: 7, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father,” (2:5a) to Jesus.
Unlike rulers today who are threatened by conspiracy theories, the Lord is not bothered by man’s conspiracy against Him. In fact, he simply laughs, rebukes man, and declares that He installed His Son as King on Zion. This shows that God despite of man’s rebellion remains on his throne. This proves the futility of conspiring against God’s reign. And since no human conspiracy can prevail against the reign of God, what should be the response of those who remain to follow Him?
I. LIKE THE LORD, THERE IS NO NEED FOR YOU TO BE WORRIED ABOUT HUMAN CONSPIRACY AGAINST HIM, VS. 1-6.
Biblical Conspiracy
There is legion of conspiracy theories today spreading all over the Internet. Some have been proven to be historically accurate, and others are too deep and difficult to prove. Examples of conspiracies, which are historically accurate include the America’s entry into WW2, formation of Federal Reserve, asbestos, and the existence of heart attack gun. Examples of conspiracies, which are difficult to prove include the Knights Templar, the Illuminati, and the Rothschilds.
Turning to the Bible, we also find references to conspiracy. Usually, when people talk about conspiracy they mean a secret plan of a sinister group of people who intend to harm the society or destroy the government. Psalm 2 talks about a different conspiracy. This conspiracy is open to the public, initiated by human governments, and directed against God and His Anointed King. Governments rebel against God and see His rule as slavery.
Such conspiracy did not only occur during the psalmist’s generation. Man has been doing this everytime they refuse to be ruled by the word of God. Last Sunday, I shared about the influence of Enlightenment, from late 17th to 18th century in removing the biblical standard of morality and replacing it with “human laws fostered by independent reason and experience (Bahnsen, By This Standard, 1985, p. 17). Francis Schaeffer confirmed this change in his 1982 speech. He said that “about eighty years ago” (that’s around 1902), US already shifted from Judeo-Christian consensus into a humanist consensus. This is the essence of conspiracy against God and against His Son.
Man thinks that to believe in the existence of God and revelation is a form of slavery. They want to be free. They want a world without God and without His word. They see the word of God as “chains” and “fetters” that they want to break.
The Lord’s Response
And what is the response of the Lord to human conspiracy? He simply laughs at the futility of such an attempt to dethrone Him. In His anger, he rebukes and terrifies the rulers and peoples of the earth. And then He declares that His Son is ruling as King on Zion, which means that the only way for the rulers and peoples of this world to escape the wrath of God is to follow the government of His Son.
At present, since the first coming of Jesus, there is no more earthly king in Jerusalem that represents the rule of God. Jesus is now reigning through the power of His word and the presence of the Holy Spirit in the Church. The governments in this world must listen to God’s word if they don’t want to see the present crises turn worse.
In fact, we are now reaping the consequences of man’s conspiracy against God. And what are the results of man’s rejection of God’s moral standard? The most popular are tyranny and anarchy or statism and lawlessness. Others include revolutions, wars, abortion, homosexuality, and the most recent, same sex marriage. Gary North added pornography, inflation, globalism, the New World Order, and New Age humanism. And if North is right, he claims that we are now witnessing the collapse of humanism. Man’s only hope in the midst of present chaos and lawlessness is the word of God, the law and the gospel of Jesus Christ.
So despite the fact that man’s conspiracy against the rule of God resulted to the present moral, political, economic, and social crises, we don’t need to rattle. And even if the larger members of the Body of Christ will not recognize this truth, still we don’t need to be worried too much. We are simply called to trust God and fulfill our responsibilities.
II. FOLLOW THE RULE OF GOD’S ANOINTED KING, VS.7-9
As I mentioned in my previous message, God delegated authority to the state, the church, family, and individuals. God has given us His word to be our moral standard. So the reason why part of God’s response to human conspiracy is a declaration of the installation of His Son as King on Zion is because He is calling the attention of the rulers and the peoples of this world that the only way to escape the wrath of God is by following the government of His Anointed King. Notice in verses 7 to 9 the content of the declaration of God’s decree. It speaks about sonship, inheritance, and government.
By declaring that the installed king on Zion is His Son, God is telling the world that His Son is the rightful ruler, and therefore the world must listen to Him. By listening and obeying His word, nations will experience blessing. Refusal to do so would mean judgment.
Another truth contained in God’s decree is the inheritance of the Son. God promised the nations of the world as the Son’s inheritance.
And the third component in God’s decree is about the government of the Son. It was described as a rule “with an iron scepter” and dashing of nations “to pieces like pottery.” For modern readers, this description of the government of the Son appears to be tyrannical. Expressions like these should be understood biblically. John Calvin shows us the biblical understanding of “iron scepter” and the comparison of nation to “broken pottery.” By these expressions, we learn that even those who hate the rule of Christ cannot escape His power and authority. Even if people will not voluntarily submit to Christ and stick in their rebelliousness, none of them is powerful enough to overthrow the government of Jesus. However, this character of Christ’s government is not inconsistent with His tenderness and kindness. He is kind and tender to His people, but severe and mighty against the rebellious.
The iron scepter here refers to the power of Jesus’ word that even though He will not lift even one of His fingers, His words are powerful enough against all his enemies, and are capable to destroy them. In the New Testament, we read this “iron rod” aspect of the gospel in 2 Corinthians 10:4 where the apostle Paul teaches that the ministers of Christ are furnished with spiritual weapons to cast down every high thing which exalts itself against Christ. However, by this expression, we have to understand that this applies only to the rebellious and those who are not willing to submit to the rule of Christ.
Another important insight we read here is the comparison that David made. Though rebellious rulers and nations think they are harder than stones, but in the exercise of God’s power, they are as fragile as “pottery” or vessels made of clay. Meaning to say, God can easily destroy them if he so wishes.
Moreover, in our ordinary observation we do not see the rebellious immediately broken in pieces. Instead, it is, as if, the Church appears to be weak and frail like earthen vessels under the iron rod of rulers of this world such as in the time of great persecution. In such a case, we simply need to trust the wisdom of God and should never allow our situation to distract our minds from the fact that Christ rules even in the midst of His enemies.
III. CONTINUALLY SERVE AND WORSHIP THE SON, VS. 10-12
Here in verses 10 to 12, we read the psalmist’s advise to kings of the earth. He is exhorting them to repentance before it’s too late. This is equally applicable to those who refuse God’s rule that later when they have proven from painful experience that God’s threat is real they would be forced to acknowledge Him.
The fact that this admonition is addressed to kings, who are very difficult to submit by virtue of their power and authority making them proud, does not make it less applicable to ordinary citizens. We see here the authority of God’s word over human government that the psalmist did not spare even those who are considered above human laws.
The call to be wise here is an indirect condemnation of false confidence and pride in human wisdom. The Bible teaches that the beginning of true wisdom is humility and submission to the authority of Christ. Therefore to refuse His rule in the name of human wisdom is great folly in the sight of God.
The psalmist further shows that serving God with fear is the way of wisdom. Of all people, fear appears to be either last or missing in the consciousness of kings for commonly they do not see the need to submit to anyone. But in serving God, they are faced with a higher authority far above themselves, and therefore fear and submission are suitable for them. Without it, no matter how wise their subjects will perceive them to be, in the eyes of God, they are fools.
In addition to fear, joy is attached to show that serving God is not tiresome and unexciting. To continually serve God without the energy that comes from joy in the Lord is a misrepresentation of Christian service. Serving God should be passionate, delightful and enjoyable.
Kiss here refers to the solemn token or sign of honor which subjects give to their sovereigns. I understand this as a pledge of loyalty to Christ and His kingdom. Governments and citizens of the world are admonished to give due honor to Christ lest they suffer punishment for contempt and departure from the rule of the King.
Conclusion
No human conspiracy can overthrow the reign of God. His people are admonished not to be worried about human rebellion, to follow the rule of God, and to continually serve and worship Him.
Only By Grace 