It’s hard to believe it has been a full month since I last posted.
Thank you, readers, for your patience as I took this past month to care for both my parents. One parent, who had fallen the month prior, came home from rehab a day after the other one came home from knee replacement surgery. Thus, having someone in their apartment around the clock was wise.
It was an honor to serve my parents in their time of need.
Now, as I settle back into my home and personal routines, it is time to finish our study of Psalm 2 with a focus on verses 1-6 and some final thoughts.
Review Psalm 2.
The Reign of the Lord’s Anointed
2 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. [1]
Study Questions Psalm 2:1-6
What is the desire described in verses 1-3 by the nations, peoples, kings, and rulers of the earth?
Against whom do they wish to be freed?
Psalm 2:1-3 describes all who conspire or plot to be free of the Lord and his Anointed One as foolish and impossible.
Psalm 2 is describing everyone who can influence other people who seek to rebel against the Lord of Heaven and Earth and His Son, the Anointed One. This includes not only well-known leaders but anyone anywhere who has influence over another human being.
Read through some of the following definitions of freedom found at www.merriam-webster.com:
- 1: the quality or state of being free: such as
- a: the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action
- b: liberation from slavery or restraint or from the power of another : independence
- c: the quality or state of being exempt or released usually from something onerous, freedom from care
- d: unrestricted use, gave him the freedom of their home
Which of these definitions do you think the rebellious seeking to get freedom from the Lord and His Anointed One would claim as their reason for rebelling?
Are there any reasons given in Psalm 2:1-3 to explain their desire to rebel?
What is the Lord’s response to those who rebel against His authority according to Psalm 2:4-6?
This laughter here is not one of joy but one of derision and scoffing. Also, the Lord is angrily rebuking and terrifying those who rebel against Him.
Further, the installation of the Lord’s King on Zion, his holy hill, is firmly determined, with no other possibility presented.
Taken out of context, verses 4-6 might initially seem to justify people’s rebellion from a capricious and onerous overlord.
But in reading Psalm 1 and all of Psalm 2, we see that obeying the Lord is a path of wisdom and blessed refuge. And in contrast, rebelling against the Lord is a path of folly and destruction.
(See previous posts for more on these two Psalms: Do You Enjoy God? (Part One), Do You Enjoy God? (Part Two), Do You Enjoy God? (Part Three), Where Do You Seek Refuge? (Part One -Psalm 2), Where Do You Seek Refuge? – Part Two Psalm 2.)
Consider the words of the Apostle Paul from the Book of Acts:
24 The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, 25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.[2]
30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”[3]
Paul’s words remind us that the Lord created us. Further, because the Lord is our creator, all people need to know that a day is coming when His Anointed One will righteously judge and rule.
Reflection Questions for Psalm 2.
Do you believe that the Anointed One, also known as Jesus Christ, is the world’s true King? (See Revelation 11:15) Why or why not?
Have you placed your trust in the Lord and His Anointed One with active obedience?
What does active obedience to the Lord and His Anointed One look like in your daily life?
Do you pray for those you know who actively rebel against the Lord and His Anointed One? Why or why not?
Heavenly Father, those of us who know you, desire your kingdom and will to be done on Earth as it is in Heaven. Our hearts break along with yours for those who actively seek to rebel against You. Grant us the daily wisdom needed to interact with the people You place in our lives so that they see You through us. Help us trust that You are the source of all our blessings and the most precious refuge.
Share in the comments below what you learned from this study of Psalm 2 that was new to you today.
Blessings,
Barbara Lynn
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[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ps 2:1–12.
[2] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ac 17:24–25.
[3] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ac 17:30–31.