I am a car guy. I always have been. Some of my earliest memories are of steering our family car while sitting on my dadâs lapâwhich today would get you in trouble, but back in the seventies in the Blue Mountains, it was pretty normal! I often tell Nonie about different cars and point them out on the road. I tell her all sorts of things about cars: how much power and torque they have, or what they drive like. Youâd think Iâd know after 23 years of marriage, but sheâs totally uninterested in cars. She goes to sleep.
I know itâs a bit embarrassing, but I memorised power outputs of V8 Falcons and Commodores when I was younger. Then I got interested in fast European cars. Iâm obsessed with Porsche 911s. Normal people think Iâm quite mad, and theyâre probably right. But I canât help it. I love cars.
I have two cars, which I know sounds a bit much, but theyâre both old, so donât get too excited! I have a little Golf thatâs about ten years old and falling apart. The headlining is all saggy, and when Iâm driving, it rests on my head, which is incredibly annoying! And I have a 27 year old Land Cruiser that I use for camping and 4WDing. I use the Golf nearly every day, but only use the truck when I get away for a camping trip or something like that.
When Iâm driving the Golf, Iâm like everyone else in Sydney traffic. Itâs a small car, so no one lets me in. I have to wait at intersections like everyone else. I have to dodge other cars driven by people who are texting or looking out the window or whatever else theyâre doing apart from concentrating on driving. Like everyone else, I get to where Iâm going, and Iâm stressed and giving thanks to God that I made it through another slog to work or wherever through Sydneyâs chaotic traffic.
But then the Golf goes in for a service and I use my truck for a day or two. All of a sudden, driving in Sydney traffic is different. The Golf is small and no one cares about it. No one lets me in. No oneâs terrified of a Golf. But the âCruiser is a massive thing. It weighs nearly 3 tonnes and is pretty imposing. Itâs got a big steel bull bar. Iâve lifted the suspension and put huge tyres on it. Small children point at it and go, âOooohhh! Look at that big truck, mum!â That makes me feel good! Parking is a nightmare, of course, and it has the turning circle of an oil tanker. But itâs heaps of fun in traffic, because everyone gets out of my way. Merging is easy. I just indicate and move over, and the rest of the traffic stops! People see me coming and they think, âIâm not pulling out in front of that thing! Iâll get squashed!â So they let me through. Itâs awesome!
When Iâm driving it, I feel like Psalm 2 is about my âCruiser.
âWhy do the Camrys merge and the Corollas indicate in vain? The Daihatsus of the earth rise up and the Astras band together against the Land Cruiser and against its driver, saying, âLet us break their bull bar and throw off their lifted suspension!â The One enthroned behind the wheel laughs, the driver scoffs at them. He rebukes them in his merriment and terrifies them in his joy, saying, âI have installed 35â tyres on my âCruiser, my politically incorrect Land Cruiser!â
OK, so Iâm hamming it up a fair bit, but you get the point, hopefully.
Psalm 2 isnât about a lifted Land Cruiser. Itâs about something, or rather someone, much more impressive. On first reading, itâs about what God has done for Israelâs greatest king, David, but as you read it a bit closer, you realise that what itâs saying has to be about someone much more powerful than just a normal human King, however great David may have been. Psalm 2 is ultimately about what God has done for and through the Lord Jesus.
Iâve split this Psalm up into 3 sections: First, verses 1-6 are about the challenge to Godâs king. Second, verses 7-9 are about the coronation of Godâs king. Third, verses 10-12 are about the celebration of Godâs king. Weâll see what this psalm is saying about David in its immediate context. But as we go through it weâll also see how the New Testament writers use it as they apply it to the Lord Jesus. So letâs get into it the first section.
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 âLet us break their chains and throw off their shackles.â
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 âI have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain.â (NIV)
The immediate context is that David has been crowned king of Israel. It would be around 960 BC. Saul was the first king of Israel, but he was unfaithful to God, so God took him out and replaced him with David, a man after Godâs own heart most of the time. Davidâs journey to the throne was pretty rough. Saul tried to kill him a few times, the Philistines had a crack at him, and a bunch of other people tried to make another bloke king, but ultimately, Godâs will prevailed like it always does, and David was anointed by the High Priest of Israel as Godâs king.
That word âanointedâ is key to this psalm. You know the word, âMessiahâ? Well, itâs the same as the word, âChristâ. Messiah is Hebrew, Christ is Greek, and they both mean the same thing, âthe anointed oneâ, literally, âthe one smeared with oilâ.
In the Old Testament, three types of people were anointed with oil: prophets, priests, and kings. They all had oil poured on their heads. This symbolised Godâs âseal of approvalâ, if you like. The prophets spoke Godâs word to Godâs people. The priests mediated between God and his people at the temple. And the king led Godâs people. So here Psalm 2 is telling us that David has been anointed as Godâs messiah, the man responsible to lead Godâs people as their king.
That helps us realise that the question in verse 1, âWhy do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain?â isnât a request for information. Itâs really an exclamation of astonishment! If David is Godâs anointed king and God has installed David on his holy mountain, then why on earth would anyone challenge this king? Itâs crazy! Itâs like a little Honda Jazz thinking itâs going to pull out of an intersection in front of my âCruiser. What are you doing, you maniac?? Youâre going to get destroyed. Youâll be like a little speed hump!
God has put David on the throne of Israel. The nations around Israel are mad if they think they have any chance of defeating David in battle. They challenge Godâs king, and God laughs at them first, so verse 4, âthe One enthroned in heaven laughs, the LORD scoffs at themâ. But then it gets serious in verse 5: âHe rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath. I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain!â The challenge to Godâs king is serious, but in the end, it is sheer lunacy and it amounts to nothing.
Now, look at how Jesusâ disciples use these verses in Acts 4. The context is that Peter and John were going to the temple to pray. They met a bloke out the front of the temple who was paralysed and so was begging people for food or money. The risen and glorified Jesus enabled Peter to speak words of healing to this man and up he gets! He runs through the temple jumping and dancing and leaping about like I did when Tottenham scored the winning goal in the last second of the game against Ajax to get into the Championâs League Final last Thursday morning. I was going completely berserk, but you guys just know I had to get it this sermon somehow!
Anyway, in Acts 4, Peter and John get dragged in front of the Jewish religious leaders to explain themselves, which they do. Then theyâre threatened by those same religious leaders that they are not to speak ever again about the Lord Jesus. Then you get to Acts 4 verse 23-30, and notice how Jesusâ followers use Psalm 2:
23 On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them. 24 When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. âSovereign Lord,â they said, âyou made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them. 25 You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David:
ââWhy do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?
26 The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together
against the Lord and against his anointed one.'
27 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. 28 They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen. 29 Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. 30 Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.â (NIV)
Jesusâ followers know this psalm is originally about king David and that David wrote it, but they also know that it points forward in history to the Lord Jesus himself, Godâs ultimate great king and messiah. They know Herod and Pilate and most of Israel conspired and plotted against Jesus, but they also know Jesusâ death wasnât a shock to God. The cross was always Godâs plan, and so was the resurrection!
So the nations around Israel were a challenge to king David when he wrote Psalm 2, but ultimately that challenge amounted to nothing. In the same way, Herod and Pilate and most of Israel were a challenge to Jesus, but ultimately, that challenge also amounted to nothing! God scoffs at his enemies. He laughs at them. Then he rebukes them and terrifies them in his wrath. And Jesus walks out of the tomb!
We see the same thing happening all around us today. In the 1960s in the Cultural Revolution in China, Chairman Mao tried to wipe Christianity out of China altogether.
âWhy do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The Kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the LORD and against His Anointed One, saying, âLet us break their chains and throw off their fetters.â The One enthroned in Heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them.
God says, âThere are now more than 130 million Chinese Christians, Chairman Mao. Your challenge to me is arrogant lunacy and you will spend eternity in hell understanding the consequences of it.â
Today, you and I see immense injustice in our world. We see governments opposed to God oppressing and persecuting Godâs people. Closer to home, each of us experience similar things, even if not on that sort of scale. Psalm 2 reminds us that opposition to God is lunacy and that ultimately, God and therefore Godâs people will have the last laugh. Godâs justice will prevail.
7 I will proclaim the Lordâs decree: He said to me, âYou 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.â (NIV)
So in the first section, itâs David speaking. Now here in the second section, itâs God speaking, and itâs God speaking to David, but only in a limited way. Thereâs a sense in which at Davidâs coronation, God becomes his father. The king of Israel was often referred to as âGodâs sonâ. But the nations arenât Davidâs inheritance. The ends of the earth arenât Davidâs possession. Heâs the king of Israel, not the king of the world. Thatâs why this can only be about David in a limited way. So we have to go to the New Testament to figure out what this is really talking about.
So hereâs a few parts of the New Testament, and listen to the echo of Psalm 2 in these verses. The first is Matthew 3 when Jesus is baptised:
As soon as Jesus was baptised, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, âThis is my Son, whom I love; I am well pleased with Him.â (NIV)
We hear that, and weâre reminded of Psalm 2:7: âYou are my Son, today I have become your Father.â
Then youâve got Matthew 17, when Jesus goes up this mountain with Peter, James, and John, and is transfigured. Thatâs not a word we normally use or are familiar with, but it means that for a moment, Jesus peeled back his human body, as it were, and allowed his disciples to catch a glimpse of what he really looks like. Have a go at this:
After six days, Jesus took with Him Peter, James and John, the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.
While he (Peter) was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them and a voice from the cloud said, âThis is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased. Listen to Him!â (Matt 17:1-2, 5 NIV)
Again, weâre back in Psalm 2:7, âYou are my Son.â
Then youâve got Acts 13. This time itâs Paul preaching in a synagogue in Antioch. Hereâs verses 32-33:
âWe tell you the good news: What God promised our ancestors, He has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus. As it is written in the second Psalm: âYou are my Son; today I have become your Father.ââ (NIV)
So, yes, Psalm 2 is about Davidâs coronation but only partly. These words of Psalm 2 are totally fulfilled in the Lord Jesus, Godâs true Son.
OK, so weâve got a challenge to Godâs anointed king thatâs ultimately completely pointless. Weâve got the coronation of Godâs king, and God calls the king his Son. Then lastly, weâve got the celebration of the king.
The last few verses of Psalm 2 are where we are invited to take refuge in Godâs great king.
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. (NIV)
This really is an Old Testament version of Phillip Jensenâs âTwo Ways to Liveâ. At first this sounds like a warning and sure, thereâs a fairly blunt warning here, but I think that the overall tone of these last few verses is a gracious offer of mercy. The whole earth is invited to seek refuge in Godâs king.
In king Davidâs time, God had made a covenant with his people. A covenant is like an agreement. He rescued his people, adopted them as his children, he promised them that as long as they kept their side of the agreement they made with him, he would protect them from their enemies and bless everything they put their hands to.
Unfortunately, as you read through the Old Testament, it quickly becomes clear that Israel didnât often keep their side of the covenant they made with God. They kept doing the wrong thing. They worshipped false gods. They treated the poor and vulnerable in their society miserably instead of looking after them as they were meant to. They ignored all the people God sent their way to call them back to being faithful to him. And after a few hundred years of God being patient, his patience ran out and he punished them for their rejection of him.
We need to look at the end of Psalm 2 through everything God did through the Lord Jesus. See, weâre not living in Jerusalem under the Old Agreement God made with his people. Weâre not Old Testament Jews who go to the temple to make sacrifices to God when we sin.
No, itâs different for us. Itâs different for everyone now. âGod shows His love for us in this: it was while we were still sinners that Christ died for us.â Jesus said, âCome to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.â
Jesus is Godâs ultimate great king and messiah. He lived the life we havenât lived, and died the death we deserved to die. Then God raised Jesus from death to prove that everything he did and said was true.
Therefore, let us be wise, let us be warned. We can choose to joyfully serve the Lord Jesus with reverent fear. We can choose to kiss him. That means we can choose to honour and worship Jesus as he deserves. Or, we can choose to continue in our own way. But we need to know that in the end that way leads to destruction, because at some point, his wrath will flare up in an instant against all those who reject him. The wise choice is to take refuge in Jesus as the only safe place available to us.
In the late 1700s and early 1800s as people moved to the West away from the East Coast cities in the United States, they got to the vast flat prairies in the middle of the USA. There were many dangers facing these people, one of which was that the flat ground was covered in long grass. When lightening hit the ground, the grass would burn up and be pushed along by strong winds. Their covered wagons were often just burned up and lots of people died.
After a while they figured out the only way they could be safe as they travelled west. Theyâd see and smell smoke coming their way and they knew they had to act fast. Theyâd crouch down in the grass with their backs to the wind, and light the grass in front of them. The wind would push the fire away from them and burn up all the grass. Then theyâd move their wagons onto the burnt grass and wait. Soon enough the fire approaching them would hit the already burnt grass and the fire went out because there was nothing left to burn. The only safe place to stand was somewhere the fire had already been.
Itâs the same with us. Psalm 2 tells us that Godâs wrath can flare up in an instant and I promise you it will burn up anything in its path. The only safe place to stand is somewhere Godâs anger has already been. That safe place is the Lord Jesus. He took Godâs anger on himself when he was crucified, and only in him are we safe, because Godâs anger isnât going to burn the same place twice.
Blessed are all who take refuge in Jesus, the only one who God has anointed and installed as his ultimate king.
Letâs pray.