New Testament Reading: Acts 13:13-42

“Now Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. And John left them and returned to Jerusalem, but they went on from Perga and came to Antioch in Pisidia. And on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down. After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent a message to them, saying, ‘Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, say it.’ So Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said: ‘Men of Israel and you who fear God, listen. The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with uplifted arm he led them out of it. And for about forty years he put up with them in the wilderness. And after destroying seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land as an inheritance. All this took about 450 years. And after that he gave them judges until Samuel the prophet. Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’ Of this man’s offspring God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised. Before his coming, John had proclaimed a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. And as John was finishing his course, he said, ‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. No, but behold, after me one is coming, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.’ Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation. For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him. And though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed. And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead, and for many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people. And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm, ‘You are my Son, today I have begotten you.’ And as for the fact that he raised him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, he has spoken in this way, ‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.’ Therefore he says also in another psalm, ‘You will not let your Holy One see corruption.’ For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption, but he whom God raised up did not see corruption. Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses. Beware, therefore, lest what is said in the Prophets should come about: ‘Look, you scoffers, be astounded and perish; for I am doing a work in your days, a work that you will not believe, even if one tells it to you.’ As they went out, the people begged that these things might be told them the next Sabbath.” (Acts 13:13–42, ESV)

Old Testament  Reading: Psalm 2

“Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying, ‘Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.’ He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, ‘As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.’ I will tell of the decree: The LORD said to me, ‘You are my Son; today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.’ Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. 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, ESV)

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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church but without the benefit of proofreading.

Introduction

Psalm 2 is a very important Psalm. Of course, all of the Psalms are important. In fact, all of scripture is important. But I think you would agree with me that there are some passages of scripture that are very central to the overarching message of scripture. Psalm 2 is one of those passages. 

Psalm 2 plays a very important role in the Psalter. There is a reason why it has been placed in the second position. Last Sunday I stated that Psalm 1 is law, and Psalm 2 is gospel. The law says, do this and you shall live. But the gospel says though it is true that you have violated God’s law in thought, word, and deed, and therefore, stand guilty before God, you may live by trusting in the work that has been accomplished for you by another, namely, Jesus the Christ. The law says, do this and you shall live — the problem is that we all fall short. But the gospel says, live because of what has been done for you! Repent and believe upon the Savior. Psalm 1 is law, but Psalm 2 is gospel. They are the twin pillars that we must walk in between in order to enter the Psalms. Law and Gospel.

But how, specifically, does Psalm 2 proclaim the good news of salvation through faith in the Christ, the Lord’s Anointed? Answer: By amplifying the promises of the gospel found within the terms of the Davidic Covenant. Please stick with me here. I think this is a very important thing to recognize if we are to understand and fully appreciate Psalm 2.  

You know that God always relates to man by way of Covenant. A covenant is an agreement wherein two parties say, this is the nature of our relationship. Here is what you should expect from me, and here is what I expect from you. Marriage is a covenant. And God has always related to his people by establishing covenants with them. A covenant was made with Adam in the garden. Adam broke that covenant, but God promised to send a Savior. And covenants were also made with Abraham, Moses, and David — yes, I have skipped the covenant made with all of creation in the days of Noah, for it is a bit outside of the scope of this sermon. But the covenants made with Abraham, Moses, and David were all related. They all contained and in some ways advanced, in their own unique way, the promise concerning a coming Savior which was made in the presence of Adam as recorded in Genesis 3:15. It is helpful to think of that first promise of the gospel as a seed. In the days of Abraham that seed sprouted. In the days of Moses, it grew. And in the days of David, it grew more. With the addition of each of these covenants — the Abrahamic, Mosaic, and Davidic (together they are called the Old Covenant) — the promise of the gospel that God would send a Savior grew stronger and more clear. These covenants are all related for they carry and advance this promise. And they are related because they find their fulfillment in the finished work of Jesus Christ and the inauguration of the New Covenant through his blood. 

With that broad overview out of the way, I want for you to think specifically about the covenant that God transacted with king David. The terms of it are recorded for us in 2 Samuel 7. Please listen carefully to the promises and the stipulations of God’s covenant with King David. God spoke these words to David through Nathan the prophet: “I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people Israel. And I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies from before you. And I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more. And violent men shall afflict them no more, as formerly, from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the LORD declares to you that the LORD will make you a house. 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, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever’” (2 Samuel 7:8–16, ESV).

So, there are a lot of things going on in this covenant. There are a number of dimensions to it. God makes unconditional promises to David concerning an everlasting kingdom, but there are also terms to be kept. When David’s offspring are disobedient, they will be disciplined. Also, some things that are said pertained uniquely to David, other things pertained to the kings that will rule Israel after him, and yet other things could find their fulfillment only in the King, the Christ, the Anointed One of God. The New Testament makes it very clear that the promises of this covenant which God transacted with King David did find its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus the Christ, the son of Abraham, the son of David, the son of God. He is the King of kings, and Lord of lords, whose throne will remain forever, whose kingdom will never come to an end. The Davidic covenant is complex, as I have said. But it is very, very important to the story of redemption. It is really about Jesus and the eternal, heavenly kingdom which is now his.  

So, what does this have to do with Psalm 2? I am saying that Psalm 2 makes sense only when interpreted in the light of the covenant that God transacted with David. 

Who wrote Psalm 2? King David did. If you read that Acts 13 passage carefully — the one that I read at the start of this sermon — you will notice that verses 33-35 say that the “second Psalm” was written by David.  And when did he write it? It seems clear to me that he wrote it after God established his covenant with him through Nathan the prophet, for this Psalm is based upon the terms of that covenant. It amplifies it.

Back to my question: How does Psalm 2 preach the gospel? By urging all people to be found in the Messiah that God would in due time send in the line of David. All people must be found in him. They must take refuge in him if they wish to escape the wrath of God which he himself will administer at the final judgment.

So Psalm 2 is very important. It plays a very special role in the Psalter. It proclaims the gospel from the start, and it does also fix our minds upon the promises of God regarding his Anointed King and his everlasting Kingdom. I wonder, do you remember what I said regarding the five books of the Psalter and their themes? I will not repeat myself here, but the themes all have to do with God’s king and kingdom from confrontation to communication to devastation to maturation to consummation. I am moving very quickly here hoping that you will reflect on all of this and connect the dots.

Psalm 2 is important to the Psalter. And it is important to the promise of the gospel in the Old Testament — it amplifies it! And it is no wonder, therefore, that this Psalm is quoted (or alluded to) very frequently in the New Testament. And the New Testament does clearly teach that this Psalm is about Jesus the Christ. 

Who is the “Anointed” one of Psalm 2:2? Who is the “King” that God has set on Zion, his holy hill (Psalm 2:6)? Well, just like with the covenant that God transacted with David, it is complicated. King  David was an anointed one. The kings of Israel that would come after him were anointed ones. But as we progress through this Psalm — and especially as we read the New Testament — it becomes abundantly clear that no king of Old Covenant Israel could fulfill what is said in this Psalm. No, only the Christ could. And indeed the Christ has come! Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Abraham, the Son of David, the son of God. 

With all of that as an introduction, let us rather quickly consider this Psalm piece by piece. Psalm 2 is neatly divided into four sections. In verses 1-3 the rebelliousness of the nations and their kings is described. In verses 4-6 God’s heavenly response is described. In verses 7-9  we hear the voice of the Lord’s Anointed. And finally, in verses, 10-12 the kings of the earth are summoned to pay homage to the son and to take refuge in him. So let’s get to it! 

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The Nations Rage (vs. 1-3)

In verse one we encounter a question: “Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying, ‘Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us’” (Psalm 2:1–3, ESV).

So there are three parties mentioned here — the nations of the earth, God, and his Anointed. 

The nations consist of people and their rulers. Can you picture it? All of the peoples of the earth are grouped into nations with rulers at the head. And what are these nations doing? They rage. They are in an uproar. They are filled with commotion. The people are continuously plotting. This means that they grumble and groan. They murmur to one another. They scheme. But we are told that they plot in vain. This means that all of their raging and plotting is empty. It will accomplish nothing in the end.  

And what do the kings and rulers do? They do the same as the people. They too rage. Verse 2: “The kings of the earth set themselves…” We are to picture the kings of the earth standing in a rebellious way. And they are also plotting. The text says that “the rulers take counsel together…” 

And who are they plotting against? Not one another in this instance, but “against the LORD and against his Anointed…” (Psalm 2:2, ESV). So the picture here is not of one nation rising up against another nation, but of the nations (all of them) rising up against the LORD God. And not only do they rage and plot against God, but also against his Anointed. 

Who is this Anointed one? It may refer to David, for David was indeed anointed as king of Israel. And it may indeed refer to any one of the kings who would come after him, for they too were anointed as kings of Israel. But really we are not left to wonder who this Anointed one is, for the New Testament tells us that he is Jesus.  

Turn with me to Acts 4:23. There we read “When they [the Apostles Peter and John] were released [from custody to the Jewish leaders], they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them. And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, ‘Sovereign Lord [remember that when we return to Psalm 2], who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit, [and then they quote our passage in Psalm 2, saying] ‘Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers were gathered together, against the Lord and against his Anointed’— for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.’ And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness” (Acts 4:23–31, ESV).

So who is the Anointed one of Psalm 2 according to the New Testament scriptures? Jesus is the Anointed One. Or we might say, Jesus is the Messiah, for that is the Hebrew word translated at anointed here ( מָשִׁיחַ māšiyaḥ). Or we may also say, Jesus is the Christ — that is the Greek term. 

By the way, you probably have noticed that I rarely refer to Jesus as “Jesus Christ”. Instead, I call him “Jesus the Christ”. That is to combat the misnomer that Christ is the last name of Jesus. It is not. Christ is his title. He is Jesus the Anointed One; Jesus the Messiah; Jesus the Christ. 

So, what is described in Psalm 2 is ultimately not the nations’ rebellion against God and David (or any other king of Israel), but the nations’ rebellion against God and his Messiah, of which David and the other kings of Israel were a type. 

When did this happen? When did the nations rage and rebel against the LORD and his anointed? 

Well, we know that it happened when the unbelieving Jews conspired with the Romans to murder Jesus the Christ by hanging him on the cross. That is what Acts 4:27 says. After citing Psalm 2, the disciples said, “for truly in this city there were gathered together against [God’s] holy servant Jesus, whom [God] anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever [God’s] hand and [God’s] plan had predestined to take place” (Acts 4:27–28, ESV). 

So it certainly happened at the crucifixion of Christ. But we must also confess that it happened long before then. In fact, nations have been living in rebellion against God and his Messiah ever since the first promise of the gospel was given to Adam and Eve. Think of how Cain murdered Abel. Think of the wickedness that covered the earth before the flood. Think of Babel. Think of Israel’s bondage in Egypt and the murdering of the first-born children. And think of how the world is to this present day. Need I go  Since the fall of Adam into sin, and from the first utterance of the gospel, the nations have raged, the peoples have plotted in vain. The kings of the earth have set themselves, and the rulers have take counsel together, against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying, [verse 3] “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us” (Psalm 2:3, ESV). 

Stated differently, in sin the peoples of the earth have always said let us do away with God and his Christ, for we do not wish to be ruled by him. No, we would rather rule ourselves. Is this not what Adam and Eve said when they ate the forbidden fruit? Instead of submitting to God’s law they decided to go their own way and to be a law unto themselves. Instead of agreeing with God concerning good and evil, they made their own determination. When they ate of that forbidden tree they said, in essence, let us burst these bonds apart and cast away these cords from us, for they did not see that God’s law is in fact good.

This description of the nations of the earth raging and rebelling against God and his anointed is timeless. The nations have always raged against God and his Anointed, and they will continue to do so until Christ returns to judge and make all things new. This is what Jesus taught as recorded in Matthew 24:3-14. But verses 1-3 of this Psalm were fulfilled in a most direct way when the unbelieving Jews conspired with the Romans to put Jesus the Christ to death. You may read Psalm 2:1-3 and then open to the Gospel of John and read chapters 18 and following to see the connection.

Before we move on to the second portion of this Psalm I would like to make a connection between the first three verses of Psalm 2, and Psalm 1, which we considered last week. It won’t take long. Simply consider how Psalm 1 taught that the blessed man walks in the way of life and avoids the way of death. The blessed man does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor does he stand in the way of sinners, nor does he sit with scoffers, but his delight is in the law of the Lord. But what do we see here in Psalm 2? Are the nations of the earth walking in the way of life? Are the people and their kings found delighting in the law of the Lord? No! They are walking in the way of death. They are raging and plotting against the LORD and his anointed. They wish to cast off his law. And they are taking counsel together. Such is the condition of the human race. 

I told you that Psalm 1 is law, but no one keeps it, with the exception of one. And I told you that Psalm 2 is gospel. But here is the deal with the gospel. Before the good news can be understood, we must hear the bad news. And the bad news is this. The nations of the earth — both the people and the kings — rage and rebel against God and his Messiah. And to bring this home, this includes you and me in our natural condition. Before the LORD captivated us by his love and graciously drew us to faith in the Messiah, we too were numbered amongst the rebels.  

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The Lord Laughs From Heaven (vs. 4-6)

In verses 1 through 3 we have considered the rebellion of the nations against God and his anointed. And in verses 4 through 6 God’s response is described. “He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, ‘As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.’” (Psalm 2:4–6, ESV)

“He who sits in the heavens laughs…” He laughs at the rebels. He laughs, not because they are funny, but because they are pathetic. This is the laughter of ridicule, and understandably so. Picture it in your mind. The nations — the people and their kings here on earth — rage and plot against God who is seated in heaven. Do you remember how the disciples of Jesus spoke of God in that Acts 4 passage that I read just a little bit ago? They referred to God as the ‘Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them…” They took comfort in this truth. Though nations rage — though the people and their kings’ plot against the LORD and his anointed — God is Sovereign over heaven and earth. He is not disturbed by the tumult on earth. He is not concerned about his palace being overrun. No, “he who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision.” This means that he scorns and mocks them. He despises them to their faces. For they are weak and he is strong. Their raging and their plotting are in vain. It is pathetic. It is silly.

And in verses 5 and 6 the judgment of God is described. “Then he will speak to them [the rebels] in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury…” And what does he say? “As for me, I have set [or anointed] my King on Zion, my holy hill.”

Again, I must ask, who is this king? Who is this anointed one who has been appointed by God to judge the nations on his behalf? I suppose we may say, I was King David, the author of this Psalm. And there is some truth to that. But King David was only a prototype. Never did David judge the nations. Clearly, what is being described here is beyond David. This text is about David’s greater Son. And no, I do not mean Solomon, but Jesus the Christ.  

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David Tells Of The Decree (vs. 7-9)

In verse 7 King David speaks in the first person, saying, “I will tell of the decree…” What decree? The decree that was just described in verses 5-6. The decree of God to set his King on Zion, his holy hill. It’s as if David interrupts as says, let me explain. Let me tell you all about the decree of the LORD concerning his anointed. “I will tell of the decree: The LORD said to me, ‘You are my Son; today I have begotten you.’”

Pay careful attention here and notice three things: 

One, notice how the names used for God have been changing back and forth in this Psalm. In verse 2 God is called the LORD (יְהוָֹה yehōwāh). This name communicates that God is a gracious God — a God who draws near. He is the covenant-making and covenant-keeping God. And it is fitting that God be called yehōwāh in verses 1-3 where he mentioned alongside his anointed. But in verse 4 he is called the Lord (אֲדֹנָי ʾaḏōnāy). This name for God emphasizes his supremacy over all things and his great power. And it is fitting that God is called by this name in verse 4-6 given the subject matter — “He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision.” But here in this third section David uses the name yehōwāh again. Why? Because he is telling of the decree or command of God, and this decree was communicated to David by way of covenant. 

Two, when we read the words “The LORD said to me, ‘You are my Son; today I have begotten you’”, we are to think of the covenant that God transacted with King David as recorded in 2 Samuel 7. For it then that the LORD made this promise to David. This exact phrase, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you”, is not found in 2 Samuel 7, but the idea is there. This is clearly David’s summary and interpretation of the promise that God made to him. So what did God say to David regarding sonship so that David could say, “The LORD said to me, ‘You are my Son; today I have begotten you’”? Again, listen to 2 Samuel 7:12-14. There God made a promise to David, saying, “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, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son.” (2 Samuel 7:12–14, ESV)

This was what David was referring to when he said in Psalm 2:7, “The LORD said to me, ‘You are my Son; today I have begotten you…’”

And three, it is clear from Psalm 2 and also the New Testament that this promise was really about Jesus, David’s greater son. 

This becomes clear when we pay careful attention to what David says here. Again, verse 7: “I will tell of the decree: The LORD said to me, ‘You are my Son; today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel” (Psalm 2:7–9, ESV).

Let me ask you this, did King David or any of the other kings of Old Covenant Israel ever come to have the ends of the earth as their possession? No. Did David, Solomon, or any of the kings that followed them ever judge the nations of the earth, breaking them with a rod of iron and dashing them in pieces like a potter’s vessel? No, certainly not. David was the greatest of the kings of Old Covenant Israel. And Israel was strongest and most prosperous in the days of Solomon, David’s Son. But neither David nor Solomon came close to attaining what is described here in Psalm 2:7-9. Who is this about, then? It is about Jesus, the Son of Abraham, the Son of David, the Son of God. 

The New Testament makes this so very clear. I have cited Acts 13:33 numerous times now. But listen again to the preaching of the Apostle Paul. He said, among other things, “this he has fulfilled… by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm, “‘You are my Son, today I have begotten you’” (Acts 13:33, ESV). Who is God’s Son? Not David, ultimately. But Jesus. 

And listen also to Hebrews 1:5. Here the author of Hebrews is establishing that Jesus Christ is superior to the angels. So he asks the rhetorical question, “For to which of the angels did God ever say, ‘You are my Son, today I have begotten you’ [citing Psalm 2:7]? Or again, ‘I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son’ [citing 2 Samuel 7:14]?” (Hebrews 1:5, ESV). Now isn’t that fascinating? The writer to the Hebrews (maybe it was Paul) is here saying that 2 Samuel 7:14 (the Davidic Covenant), and Psalm 2:7 (the passage we are now considering) are related to one another, and they are about Jesus. Jesus the Christ is the fulfillment of these promises. And Hebrews 5:5 does something similar with Psalm 2:7, saying,  “So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him, ‘You are my Son, today I have begotten you…’” (Hebrews 5:5, ESV)

Brothers and sisters, I hope you see this as marvelous. Here in Psalm 2 David is teaching us about the decree of God to give the nations to his Son as his heritage. The ends of the earth will be his possession. And he will judge them. 

Brothers and sisters, connect the dots. Jesus the Christ is the Son God who has the nations as his inheritance. 

The nations will be judged by him at the end of time. Listen to Matthew 25:31 and following: “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world…. ‘Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” (Matthew 25:31–41, ESV).

It is judgment that is described in Psalm 2:7-9. We love to talk about Jesus the Savior. And he is that. But did you know that he is also Jesus the judge? God will judge all people at the end of time through Christ. So he is not only Savior, he also the judge. Indeed, he will “break [the nations] with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel”, on the day of judgment. 

But he is the Savior of all people too. And this is why he commissioned his disciples

after he was raised, saying, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…’” (Matthew 28:18–20, ESV)

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The Nations Are Summoned To Take Refuge In The Son (vs. 10-12)

So Jesus, the Son of David, and the Son of God, will have the nations as his inheritance both in judgment and in salvation. And this is how our Psalm concludes — with an appeal to the nations to pay homage to the Son, to take refuge in him, so as to be saved in him, and not judged by him. 

Listen to how David delivered the gospel call. Verse 10: “Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. 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 2:10–12, ESV)

Here the kings of the earth, and the people they represent, are urged to cease from raging and plotting against the LORD and his anointed, and to pay homage to him instead. “Be wise; be warned”, David says. “Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.” Isn’t that a marvelous description of the fear of the Lord. It is not fear that produces terror, but fear that leads to rejoicing. “Kiss the Son”. In other words, honor him. Submit to his rule, “…lest he be angry, and you perish in the way”. That word “way” should remind me of the conclusion of Psalm 1:6, which says, “for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish” (Psalm 1:6, ESV). And then finally hear, “Blessed are all who take refuge in him.” 

Friends, if we wish to be shielded from the wrath of the Son, we must be found in him.  At the judgment there will be those who are in the Son — they are those who kissed him, who paid homage to him, who feared him, and rejoiced in him. Stated differently, these are those who had faith in him. They are in him. But all others will stand outside of him, and these will endure his wrath. There are no other options. You are either in the Son, or you are not. You are either for him, or against him. There is no other way.  

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Conclusion

So you see that Psalm 1 is law, and Psalm 2 is gospel. 

Psalm 1 says do this and live. But we all come short of it, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Christ did not fall short. He kept God’s law and entered into glory. He is seated at the Father’s right hand with all authority in heaven and on earth given to him. From there he will return to judge the world and to bring his redeemed into his eternal inheritance. 

Are you in him? Do you trust in him, honor him, and serve him? If you do, he is your refuge. If you do not, he is your judge. 

Psalm 2 is gospel because it announces that though we have broken God’s law and have failed to meet its righteous demands, there is Savior. He is the Anointed One, the Messiah, the Christ. Have you taken refuge in him?

And if you have, are you confident in him today? Yes, the nations rage. They always will. Yes, the people plot in vain. They are eager to cast off the bonds of the LORD and his Anointed. But where is the LORD? He is in heaven. Though you and I are prone to grow deeply troubled at the turmoil we see in the world, “He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision” (Psalm 2:4, ESV). “Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are accounted as the dust on the scales”, before him.  (Isaiah 40:15, ESV)

Be found in Christ, dear friends. And be confident in the LORD, for he will surely accomplish all that he has decreed.