I. Introduction
A. Christianity is all about Jesus, who came to earth about 2000 years ago in Palestine.
1. But hundreds and even thousands of years before He came, His coming was repeatedly promised and described in the Scriptures.
2. The first significant cluster of these messianic prophecies came during the time of King David.
3. This cluster began in 2Samuel 7 when God promised King David that after he was gone, one of his sons would reign on his throne forever, strange as that sounded.
4. More information about this promised son of David was given in Psalm 2, which David wrote (Acts 4:25). And that’s why we’re studying this psalm during the weeks leading up to Christmas.
B. 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.
C. Psalm 2 is one of the most quoted OT passages in the NT, and always as referring to Jesus.
1. E.g. Hebrews 1:5 employs verse 7 in order to argue that Jesus is superior to the angels, "For to what angel did God ever say, Thou art my Son, today I have begotten thee?"
II. Explanation of Psalm 2:7-9
A. In Psalm 2 God is not alone. God sits in the heavens (v.4), but He’s not alone there. There’s another great figure there with Him.
1. 2 The kings and rulers of the earth set themselves against the LORD and against his Anointed.
a. Remember that the Hebrew word translated here as anointed is the word MESSIAH.)
2. 3 The kings & rulers say, “Let us burst THEIR bonds apart and cast away THEIR cords from us.”
3. 6 In response, God speaks: “As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.”
4. (This is not the only psalm like this, where God has a partner of some kind. In fact, Psalm 110 is very similar to this: The LORD says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.” 2 The LORD sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of your enemies!” – Psalm 110:1-2)
B. Well, in Psalm 2:7, this other figure, this anointed one, this king-set-up-by-God-on-Zion (6), speaks, “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.’” This is a little confusing, so let’s look at it piece by piece.
C. “I will tell of the decree. The LORD said to me, ‘You are my Son; today I have begotten you.’ ”
1. Here the Messiah begins to unwrap the doctrine of the Trinity by telling us something that God His Father said to Him: “You are my Son; today I have begotten you.”
2. It has already been clearly established that this promised One would be the son of David. But, far greater than this, it is revealed here that He is also the Son of God.
3. And v.7 isn’t the only place in this psalm where He is referred to as the Son of God.
a. At the end, the psalmist says in v.12, “Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish.”
4. This picks up on God’s original promise to David in 2Sam.7:12,14 “When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, & I will establish his kingdom...I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son.”
5. So, how can a human being, who comes from David’s body, be the Son of God? Gabriel answers that question in Luke 1:35 when he said to Mary, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy — the Son of God.” This Messiah Jesus is both begotten of David and begotten of God!
6. Understanding all this makes us suddenly realize that much in the NT is actually based on Ps.2.
a. For instance, Nathanael knew Psalm 2 as well! In John 1:49 when he first encounters Jesus, he says to the Lord, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God and the King of Israel!”
7. But the confirmation of this was never more clear that at our Lord’s baptism and at the Mount of Transfiguration, where on both occasions the Father proclaimed, “This is My Son!” (Matt.3:17; 17:5; Mk.1:11; Lk.3:22 2Pt.1:17) (The wording is a conflation of Ps.2:7 and Isaiah 42:1.)
D. (The promised king)
1. Remember we have just read v.6, “I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.”
2. But now in v.8 we learn that this king will not only rule over Israel, but “Ask of Me, and I shall make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.”
3. Going from the king of Israel to the king of all nations is quite a jump! World conquest is a pretty large claim.
4. Now from the very beginning we see in the Bible the kingship of God over all the nations.
a. And then in God’s promise to David in 2Sam.7 we see the permanent establishment of the son of David as king of Israel.
b. But now in Psalm 2 we see the merging of God’s throne with David’s throne, which finally explains why David’s throne and dynasty could be spoken of as eternal and how things could be said of this promised son of David which could not refer to a mere human!
c. Yet, even though His kingdom includes every nation on earth, God has set His king...on Zion. Most of the inhabitants of the world had never even heard of the Jews, but God rooted His world-wide kingdom in Israel, for the messiah-king was Jewish. “And from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.” – Romans 9:5
E. A rod of iron
1. God adds one more thing in his statement to His anointed Son: 9 “You shall break them [the nations, that is] with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”
2. The apostle John has a strange vision of “a woman clothed with the sun” in Rev.12. And to make it clear that her child is Jesus Christ, v.5 refers to Him in language from Ps.2:9: “She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron.” (Cf. Rev.2:26-27, 19:15)
III. So, we have here in Psalm 2 this description of a promised King, who would rule over all the nations of the earth. But now, here we are, 3000 years later, this King has come in the person of Jesus. but how exactly does He rule over the nations and peoples of the earth? The answer to this is threefold. I.e. there are three manifestations of Christ’s kingship:
A. As King, Jesus rules over the earth and its rulers today.
1. This may sound strange, but even now, King Jesus rules over all the kingdoms of the world, though His rule is hidden.
2. He rules the the world with an iron rod. There is no flexibility, no negotiation, no compromise. Things do exactly what God ordains them to do.
3. His enemies may intend things for evil, but though the nations rage and the kings of the earth set themselves against Him, in response He laughs. They are powerless, they can do nothing. Ps.2:1-4
4. Nothing can happen unless King Jesus allows it.
5. How else can we face a hostile world? How can we persevere through grief, hardships and losses?
6. What do we have to hold onto to give us strength to make it from one day to the next?
7. What keeps us going is knowing that Jesus is the King of kings, who rules from His throne in heaven – even though that throne is now invisible, and knowing that when King Jesus does give permission for painful things to happen to His people, He makes sure they are for the good of His people, and just what they need.
B. (Mission)
1. In Mt.28:18-20 we’re told that just before Jesus ascended to heaven, He said this to His disciples, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” We call it the Great Commission.
2. And even the Great Commission seems to be based on Psalm 2, first acknowledging this king’s authority over all the earth and then instituting a mission to carry this kingdom and its king to all nations, that many might become His disciples.
3. And that articulates the second manifestation of Christ’s kingship. Today, people from every group, every nation, every tribe, every language are being brought into His kingdom and acknowledging Jesus as king.
4. What’s happening in the world today? What do you think is the most significant thing happening on this planet? It is this: Right now, Jesus is going through the world, from our home town to Home Island in the Indian Ocean, and everywhere in between, taking some from every people group on earth to be His own, to serve Him with fear, to rejoice with trembling, to kiss the Son, to take refuge in Him. His kingdom – our family – is getting bigger and bigger!
5. God said to His Son: “I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.” And when Jesus comes, He says to His Father in John 17:2-3, “You have given Me authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given Me. And this is eternal life, that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”
6. It’s all leading to a great climax where “A great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, stand before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and cry out with a loud voice, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’ ” – Revelation 7:9-10
C. (Last day)
1. But there is still more to how God manifests His authority over the nations.
2. When the process of gathering to Himself all the Father has given Him is over, He will return in glory to deal with the rest (Matt.24:14). This is the Judgment Day, the great day of resurrection, when every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord (Phil.2:10-11) and when He will “dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”
3. This also is a manifestation of the Father making the nations Christ’s heritage, and the ends of the earth His possession.
4. Revelation 11:15 describes the result of that day: “Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, ‘The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.’ ”
5. The very last part of this is described in 1Corinthians 15:21-26 “For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But (all be made alive) each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. 24 Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death.”
a. So, after destroying every authority and power, after putting all his enemies under his feet, King Jesus will take the kingdom He has won with His own blood, and He will present it to His Father in all its glory. “Father, I have accomplished the work You gave Me to do.” (John 17:4)
IV. (Application)
A. If Jesus is preparing to conquer all nations and destroy His enemies, do you think He cares about our little problems? He sure does. He sure does.
1. When He was here, He was walking along in the midst of a big crowd, and a woman touched his cloak, desiring to be healed. And Jesus stopped to be able to tend to the woman’s needs personally. (Mark 5:21-34)
2. One time he was walking into a town with a bunch of folks and they passed a funeral procession. A widow’s only child had died and she was left alone. So, Jesus stopped and raised him to life. (Luke 17:11-17)
3. When He was walking through Jericho with a big crowd, a blind man standing on the outside started yelling, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” So Jesus stopped and healed his eyes. (Mark 10:46-52)
B. Do we realize we have a king like this? Do we live like we have a king like this?
1. This isn’t just something we wait for, this is Someone we have!
2. True, there is much misery and distress in the world which will not end until His glorious return. We long for relief, but the truth is, we don’t really need to be freed from suffering.
3. We don’t need good health. We don’t need financial security. And we don’t need a good job or a good boss. And we don’t need a good husband or a good wife. We don’t need a good mother or a good father. And we don’t need a good president or a good Congress. All we need is a good king, a good Messiah. And that’s exactly what we have in Jesus.
C. The King of kings is our helper, our Brother, our Friend.
1. And He is our Savior! He could have summoned legions of angels to deliver Him, but instead He yielded to His crucifixion, despising the shame, all for the joy of bringing us to Himself. (Heb.12)
D. The members of the Trinity have been living in a deep, mutual love relationship for all eternity.
1. In Psalm 2 we get a glimpse of the relationship between the Father and the Son.
2. The amazing thing is that now in Christ, we have been welcomed into this loving fellowship, we have been invited to join in on Their dance of love. “Indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.” – 1John 1:3
E. We said earlier that God is not alone in Psalm 2. Well, Jesus is not alone either.
1. In all the visions of Jesus in the book of Revelation, He is not alone. Not only is God the Father with Him, but His people are with Him.
2. In the vision of Jesus in Rev.1, Jesus is walking among the lampstands, which are His churches.
3. In Rev.4-5 He is surrounded by a great multitude. And on and on.
4. Rev.17:14 They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful.” (Cf. 1Tim.6:15)
5. Christ is with us and we are with Him. Jesus ends the Great Commission with this promise: “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” He is Immanuel, God with us!
6. You know what King Jesus Himself said in Revelation 2:26-27? He includes us in Psalm 2!
a. “The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my Father.” Amazing!
F. And now, as king, He is on His throne and He invites us into His throne room. “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. – Heb.4:15-16
1. As John Newton said in the hymn (T628), “Thou art coming to a King, large petitions with thee bring, for His grace and power are such none can ever ask too much.”
G. But we must be patient. When Jesus was born, not many came to worship Him. And when He died, it certainly didn’t look like He was the King of all the kings & nations on earth. He had only a few followers, and His disciples were hiding in fear. But here we are 200 years later, and there are Christian believers in virtually every country on earth, and the NT has been translated into about 1300 languages.
1. He is the King of kings, and God has given the ends of the earth to Him as His possession.
2. "Do not despise the day of small things." (Zech.4:10)
3. “Cast all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” (1Pet.5:7)