by Samuel A. Matthews<\/p>\n
“God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee<\/em>” (Acts 13:33 KJV).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Loved ones, many of the Psalms are Messianic; they speak of Christ as the Messiah, who shall reign unto the ends of the earth. The second Psalm has been called “The Psalm of the Messiah, the Prince,” for it sets forth, in a wondrous vision, the tumult of the people against the Lord’s Anointed, the purpose of Jehovah to exalt His Son, and the reign of that Son over all His enemies.<\/p>\n
The New Testament quotes and refers to this Psalm more than once. It is a Psalm of David (Acts 4:25-26) and, according to the apostles, refers to Christ the Son of God (Acts 13:32-33). David wrote this Psalm by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit (II Samuel 23:1-2; Acts 1:16; II Peter 1:21).<\/p>\n
The Psalm Divided<\/h2>\n
The second Psalm deals with conflict: the Messiah’s power versus the sinner’s rebellion. It shows the futility of man’s opposing God. It may be best understood if it is viewed as a four-fold picture:<\/p>\n
\n
- The nations are raging (Psalms 2:1-3);<\/li>\n
- God in heaven derides them (Psalms 2:4-6);<\/li>\n
- The Son proclaims the decree (Psalms 2:7-9); and<\/li>\n
- Advice is given to the kings to yield obedience to the Lord’s anointed (Psalms 2:10-12).<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
The Psalm’s poetic form naturally divides into four stanzas of three verses each.<\/p>\n
Hatred of Human Nature Against Christ<\/h2>\n
“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<\/em>” (Psalm 2:1-3).<\/p><\/blockquote>\nThe second Psalm begins abruptly with an angry interrogation at the sight of creatures in arms against their God (Psalms 2:1). We see the heathen raging, roaring like the sea, tossed to and fro with restless waves, as the ocean in a storm. Both Jews and Gentiles “raged<\/em>” against Christ. Then we mark the people in their hearts imagining a vain thing against God.
\nThe commotion is not caused only by the people; their leaders, “the kings of the earth<\/em>,” instigate the rebellion. They array themselves in opposition against God. Rulers, governors, and the Jewish Sanhedrin, with all their mighty power, were “gathered together<\/em>” against “the Lord, and against his anointed<\/em>” (Psalms 2:2).\nIt was deep-seated hatred, for they “set themselves<\/em>” to withstand the Prince of Peace. Also, “the rulers take counsel together<\/em>,” that is, they go about their warfare craftily and deliberately. They use all the skill which man’s mind can give. They say, “Let us break their<\/em> (that is, God’s and Christ’s) bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us<\/em>” (Psalms 2:3). In effect, they say: “Let us be free to commit all manner of abominations; let us be our own gods. No bands. No cords. No controls.”<\/p>\n
Yes, here are monarchs who have spoken thus, and there are still rebels upon thrones who hate the Lord and the teachings of the true Christian faith. They say, “Let us do our own things.” Many people on earth do not love their rightful King. The true reason sinners oppose Christ’s truth today is that they hate the restraints of godliness. But nothing is more irrational than the irreligious. The same God they hate blesses them abundantly every day (cf. Matthew 5:45).<\/p>\n
God Laughs at Man<\/h2>\n
“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. Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion<\/em>” (Psalm 2:4-6).<\/p><\/blockquote>\nLet us now turn our eyes from the wicked council chambers and the raging tumult of men (as set forth in Psalms 2:1-3), to the secret place of the Most High (described in Psalms 2:4-6). What does God say? What will He do to those who reject His only begotten Son (John 3:16)?
\nHe knows how futile their attempts are against Him; therefore, He merely laughs at their foolishness. He holds “them in derision<\/em>” (Psalms 2:4). He speaks unto “them in his wrath<\/em>,” and vexes “them in his sore displeasure<\/em>” (Psalms 2:5). He then says, “Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion<\/em>” (Psalms 2:6). He did this despite the wisdom of their counsels and the power of their opposition.\nHow silly for man to think he can win in opposing God’s plan. The Lord cannot be overthrown. God has already done that which the enemy sought to prevent. Jehovah’s will was done, and men raged in vain. God’s Anointed was appointed. Jesus was raised from the dead, crowned as King, and now reigns on high. Satan’s use of man, in all of his wisdom and power, did not keep this from happening.<\/p>\n
Throughout history, men have spoken harsh things against the Most High and the church of the blessed Lord, but remember that God is saying all the while, “Yet have I set my king (that is, Christ) upon my holy hill of Zion<\/em>.” God is in control regardless of man’s opposition.<\/p>\n
Today the Lord Jesus Christ reigns in power at the Father’s right hand (Matthew 28:18; Acts 7:55). And glorious triumphs are yet to come: “For he must reign<\/em> (that is, He must continue to reign) till he<\/em> (that is, Christ) hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death<\/em>” (I Corinthians 15:25-26). Death will be destroyed when Christ comes again, and all the dead are raised (John 5:28-29; I Corinthians 15:22-29, 51-57). The so-called “one-thousand-year-reign” (Revelation 20:4-6) must therefore be before Christ’s personal coming, for He is reigning now<\/strong>.<\/p>\n
Thou Art My Son<\/h2>\n
“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<\/em>” (Psalm 2:7-9).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
The Psalm now takes a dramatic turn, for now another Person is introduced. Having looked into the council chambers of the wicked, and to the throne of God, now behold the Anointed one Himself declaring His right of sovereignty, and warning the traitors of their doom. Christ comes forward as the risen Redeemer. He was “declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead<\/em>” (Romans 1:4).<\/p>\n
Looking into the angry faces of the rebellious kings, the Lord (Messiah) seems to say: If this is not enough to make you silent, “I will declare the decree: the Lord<\/em> (God, the father) hath said unto me, ‘Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee’<\/em>” (Psalms 2:7).<\/p>\n
The decree was that Christ should be declared to be the Son of God; the promise was that He should, by His own request, have the nations of the earth for a possession, and rule over them (Psalms 2:8). The apostle Paul quoted this portion of the Psalm in his sermon at Antioch in Pisidia, when speaking of Jesus of Nazareth as the Christ, and applied it to the resurrection of Christ (Acts 13:32-33).<\/p>\n
The Messiah was to rise from the dead (Luke 24:45-46). Paul said that He did, and herein is the glorious proof of the divinity of the Savior (Acts 2:24-32).<\/p>\n
Too, the writer of Hebrews referred to this same passage (Psalm 2:7) to establish the exalted rank of the Messiah as being above the angels: “For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee?<\/em>” (Hebrews 1:5).<\/p>\n
Christ is superior to the angels, for the Father never addressed any angelic being by saying, “You are my Son, this day have I begotten thee<\/em>” (cf. Hebrews 5:5). This is a truth which the “Jehovah’s Witnesses” – who claim that Christ was a created angel – would do well to learn. So it is clear that the words, “this day have I begotten thee,” refer to Christ’s being begotten from the dead (Colossians 1:18), His resurrection.<\/p>\nImmediately after Christ’s resurrection and ascension, He entered into His mediatorial kingdom, where today He continues to reign (cf. Hebrews 10:12; Daniel 2:44; 7:13-14). The kingdom and the church are synonymous (Matthew 16:18-19). To be in the church is to be in the kingdom (Acts 2:47; Colossians 1:13-14). The kingdom of God on earth is the church.
\n“Ask of me<\/em> …” It was a custom among great kings to give favored ones whatever they might ask (cf. Esther 5:6; Matthew 14:7). So Jesus has but to ask of God and have. “Ask of me<\/em>,” says the Father, “and I shall give thee<\/em> (the Son) the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession<\/em>” (Psalm 2:8).\nChrist was to be made king over all the islands and over all the heathen lands. His enemies would become His inheritance, and His empire world-wide (cf. Matthew 28:19; Mark 16:15). Christ was not to be the Savior of one nation only, but of the whole world.<\/p>\nJehovah not only gave Christ the right to rule, but also the power to conquer. God gave to His Anointed a rod of iron with which He should break the rebellious nations in pieces (Psalm 2:9). Despite their strength, they would be as potters’ vessels, easily dashed into slivers.
\nThis was done – and continues to be done – by the power of the gospel of Christ, God’s only power to save (Romans 1:16; Hebrews 4:12). The word of God, as an iron rod, is able to break mere pots of man’s making (cf. James 1:21; Ephesians 6:17). Of course, the language is highly figurative, but it shows the power of Christ as He rules the nations of men.\nThis verse does not mean that Zion’s King shall one day come to live on the earth for a so-called “1000-year-reign,” and then with a literal rod of iron break the nations. Christ is King now. He is now reigning. He has been reigning over His kingdom since Pentecost (Acts 2; cf. Mark 9:1; Acts 1:8; 2:1-4). This is the only kingdom Christ will ever have. The kingdom is a spiritual kingdom; it is not of this world (John 18:36; Luke 17:21).<\/p>\n
The theory of a future earthly literal reign of Christ for a literal 1000 years on this literal earth is false because the spiritual kingdom of Christ has already been established and all Christians are in it (Colossians 1:13-14; Hebrews 12:28; Revelation 1:9).<\/p>\n
So the passage in Revelation 20 is figurative of the power of the Lord’s spiritual rule among the nations of men today, in this Christian dispensation. Moreover, the ruin of the wicked is certain, irresistible, terrible. How powerful Christ is and how weak the enemies of His kingdom are before Him! He will crush all those who do not submit to His golden scepter.<\/p>\n
Wise Counsel Given<\/h2>\n
“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<\/em>” (Psalm 2:10-12).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Here again, the scene changes. Counsel is given by David, the inspired writer, to those who have taken advice to rebel. They are exhorted to obey Christ Jesus, whom they have hated. It is always wise to be willing to be instructed, especially when such instruction tends to the salvation of the soul. True wisdom lies in obeying the Lord.<\/p>\n
“Be wise now therefore<\/em>” (delay no longer), “O ye kings: be instructed, ye Judges of the earth<\/em>” (Psalms 2:10). Your warfare against God cannot succeed, therefore desist and yield cheerfully to Him. O, how wise to be obedient to Jesus, and how dreadful is the folly of those who continue to be His enemies!<\/p>\n
“Serve the Lord with fear<\/em>.” Let reverence and humility be mingled with your obedience. “Rejoice with trembling<\/em>” (Psalms 2:11). There must always be a holy fear mixed with the believer’s joy. Remember, “Our God is a consuming fire<\/em>” (Hebrews 12:29). Therefore, pay reverence to the King of Glory.<\/p>\n
“Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little<\/em>” (Psalms 2:12). That is, pay homage and affection to Christ, obey Him, lest you be eternally lost. Sinners should take heed to the terrors of the Lord, for divine wrath is threatened against all those who reject Him (Romans 2:5-11; II Corinthians 5:10-11; II Thessalonians 1:6-10; Revelation 19:20; 20:10).<\/p>\n
Note the last sentence in the Psalm, the benediction with which it closes: “Blessed are all they that put their trust in him<\/em>,” meaning the Christ (cf. Ecclesiastes 12:13-14). The Lord gives a spiritual blessing to “all<\/em>” those – and to those only – who put their trust in Him; to all of every nation – kings, princes, the rich, the poor, all of every condition of life are blessed who trust and obey the Son of God (Luke 11:27-28; 6:46).<\/p>\n
Conclusion<\/h2>\n
The resurrection of Jesus Christ must be accepted as a historical fact. No fact in the history of mankind is proved by better and fuller evidence to the mind of man than that Christ died and rose again from the dead (I Corinthians 15:1-7). The apostles were neither deceived nor were they deceivers.<\/p>\nThe primary purpose of the resurrection was to demonstrate that the crucified Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God. Peter had confessed Jesus as “the Christ, the Son of the living God<\/em>.” And Christ had said: “Upon this rock<\/em>” – the rock of the fundamental truth that He is the Christ, the Son of God – “I will build my church; and the gates of hell<\/em> (Hades, the great unseen world of disembodied spirits of the dead) shall not prevail against it<\/em>” (Matthew 16:16-18).
\nThe Jewish nation declared that these gates should prevail, and that question between the words of Jesus and the Sanhedrin was at issue during the three days that the stone closed the door of the sepulcher. But on that glad morning of the first day of the week the stone was rolled away! The sepulcher was empty! The message was, the Lord is risen indeed!
\nThus the resurrection demonstrates that Jesus, the condemned, the crucified, is “both Lord and Christ<\/em>” (Acts 2:36). This truth is the bed-rock foundation of the church of Christ (I Corinthians 3:11). The second Psalm is a contrast between the tumultuous disobedience of the ungodly world and the sure and ultimate exaltation of the righteous Son of God (Ephesians 1:20-22).\nToday, Christians can joyfully sing:<\/p>\n
“Up from the grave He arose,
\nWith a mighty triumph o’er His foes;
\nHe arose a Victor from the dark domain,
\nAnd He lives forever with His saints to reign.
\nHe arose! He arose! Hallelujah! Christ arose!”<\/blockquote>\nThe Book of Psalms<\/a>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"by Samuel A. Matthews “God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee” (Acts 13:33 KJV). Loved ones, many of the Psalms are Messianic; they speak of Christ…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27],"tags":[73,516],"class_list":["post-99057","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-jesus","tag-psalms"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":31874,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/do-you-support-conscientious-objection\/","url_meta":{"origin":99057,"position":0},"title":"Do you support conscientious objection?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 19, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Do you or your church support selective conscientious objection and conscientious objection? 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