Psalm 2
1 Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? 2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying, 3 “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.” 4 He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. 5 Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, 6 “As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.” 7 I will tell of the decree: The LORD said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you. 8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. 9 You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” 10 Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. 11 Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. 12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.
Psalm 2 often gets some bad press because of the violent nature of the wording. Often, we talk about these things as “Old Testament” and yet the New Testament writers quote Psalm 2 more than any other Psalm. It’s a little one, but packs some deep meaning.
So, how does this 3000 year old Psalm inform us about our vote on 23rd June? Well I want to show you that not only is the message of the Bible relevant to the our current day, but I want to also suggest that there isn’t anything as relevant as the Bible. because it is the only book that holds out any hope for any one of us in this world.
King David is writing (Acts 4:25) this four verse “song” that focuses on God’s relationship with the nations. Here’s a brief outline with commentary:
Verse 1 – “Questions about the Chaos”: 1 Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? 2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying,
Chorus 1 : 3 “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.”
In the first two verses Kind David is perplexed by the arrogance of the nations and leaders around him. The leaders of the world are setting themselves against God – that’s the picture in this Psalm, and David’s response to this is one of astonishment and amazement. He says, “Why are things as they are?” That’s a good question for us to consider: why is the world in so much trouble? Augustine would answer that and say “Thou hath made us for Thyself and our hearts are restless, until they find their rest in Thee!”
David is amazed because their schemes and plotting and futile in the face of God’s sovereignty. Just think about all of the schemes and plans that have failed .. both morally and politically. The schemes of men are vain and futile and empty. Shakespeare agrees: “Life is a tale told by an idiot. Full of sound and fury – signifying nothing!”. Historian Edward Gibbon also agrees: “History is little more than the register of the crimes; follies; and misfortunes of mankind.” (Christians and the Fall of Rome). The philosophy of Nietzsche agrees too: “when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you.” (Beyond Good and Evil).
In verse 3 we read the nations sing together in one chorus of rebellion because of the constraints of God’s law placed upon them. Spurgeon said rightly (found in “The Treasury of David”) that ““To a graceless neck the yoke of Christ is intolerable, but to the saved sinner it is easy and light”. But are God’s law a constraint? When God said “You shall not kill”, is that a constraint? Is it wrong to ask the nations to offer life, rather than death? When God said “You shall not steal, or commit adultery, do the nations want to have freedom to take someone else’s property or take someone else’s heart? Well, David says, to those constraints the nations sing: “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.”
and the whole tragedy of this world is that it doesn’t keep the commandments God gave in order to make life possible. Paul says: “For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God” (Romans 8:7)
Verse 2 – “God is one the Throne”: 4 He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. 5 Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying,
Chorus 2 : 6 “As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.”
As Robert Browning said in his famous poem: “God’s in His heaven—All’s right with the world!”. Where David is troubled, God is not troubled. Where David is perplexed, God is not perplexed. Where David is fearful, God laughs. We might be fearful of what awaits us on June 24th but God is not. He knows completely and we must trust in His good care, whatever the outcome. Though the nations rebel against God, He is sovereign.
Verse 3 – “God’s Anointed Speaks”: 7 I will tell of the decree: The LORD said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you. 8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.
Chorus 3 : 9 You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”
The Bible promises that one day Jesus will stand as judge over the earth and on that day the host of heaven will declare that “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.” (Revelation 11:15).
Verse 4 – “Closing appeal”: 10 Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. 11 Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. 12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled.
Chorus 4 : Blessed are all who take refuge in him.
“Be wise”, David says. This is the whole purpose of the Bible: to stop and make us think and then to call is to follow God. We must submit to God whilst there is time.
Those who deny God are broken by Him, Those who depend on God are blessed by Him.
The lesson from this Psalm is that God is on the throne and still ruling and still reigning. Whilst this does not remove our responsibility to think and pray and vote according to our conscience, we must put our faith and trust in God.
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