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August 1/2, 2015
Jason Meyer | Psalms 2:1-12
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
Introduction to Psalm 1–2
I wonder what lens you use when you watch the news. Two different people can interpret the same event in very different ways because they see through very different lenses. Take the recent Supreme Court decision legalizing so-called same sex marriage. Some were overjoyed and others were outraged. The issue seems so polarizing that people in our country are either gloating or groaning about it.
One of the things that I find interesting is how often people appeal to public opinion polls as a compass for the future. They propose that these popularity trends provide a window into where history is heading. The assumption here is that humanity controls the course of history. For example, let us return to the Supreme Court decision. Those who celebrate that decision are saying that advocates for traditional marriage are simply on the wrong side of history. We are the moral equivalent of the dinosaurs and our view will soon be either extinct or so relegated to the margins of society that no one will take us seriously (as if our view belongs in a museum).
How shall we respond to this seismic cultural shift? We could start by asking the question that seems to be on everyone’s mind: Where is history heading? We believe that God wrote a book. The part of the book we are looking at today was written to answer that question. Last week we considered Psalm 1 together and today we are unpacking Psalm 2. These two psalms provide a very clear answer to the question as to where history is heading.
Psalm 1 forces each and every individual to ask where he or she is heading. There are only two options: supreme happiness (the first word of the psalm) or perishing (the last word of the psalm). Psalm 2 zooms out further to look upon the One who controls where history is heading.
Here is the message of Psalm 2. There is a situation and a solution. The situation can be summarized simply as follows: History is heading toward a time when everyone who rebels against God will face the wrath of Jesus as God’s King. The main point is the solution of this psalm: make peace with Jesus and rejoice in the refuge he provides for rebels like us (2:10–12).
So let us look at these two points—the situation and the solution—together. Look first at the situation in verses 1–9. There are three stanzas. Let me try to summarize them: (1) The Nations that Rage (vv. 1–3), (2) The God Who Laughs (vv. 4–6), and (3) the King Who Crushes (vv. 7–9)
After hearing the lyrics of the three stanzas crescendo, we will then turn to the climax of the Psalm: the solution found in the fourth stanza. It is the climax and conclusion of the whole psalm: the Refuge for Rebels (vv. 10–12).
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.”
The nations of the earth, led by their kings and rulers, have conspired together to rebel against the LORD and his Anointed. It seems like all that the nations can really agree on is that they don’t want to be ruled by any foreign power. They want to be free to rule themselves. That is preeminently true when it comes to God as the Cosmic Ruler. The nations are passionate about their freedom (“rage”), they meditate upon their freedom (“plot”), they talk about their freedom (“burst their bonds” and “cast away their cords”).
Someone may say this at this point: "I don’t think this psalm describes our situation in the world today. I don’t hear talk of rebellion against God. Maybe some people are militant atheists or something, but I find that most people don’t even talk about God."
But hear me. That proves the point that Psalm 2 is making. Some people take God seriously and thus think of rebellion, but many people don’t take him seriously at all. How is it not rebellion, when the subjects of a King do whatever they want and treat their King as not even worth mentioning. One form of rebellion would be people who take their King seriously and want their freedom passionately so they mount an active insurrection. Another form of rebellion would simply say, “I am going to treat you like you don’t even exist. I won’t even give you the time of day. You are not even worth a second thought. I don’t really care what you think. People talk a lot about freedom to do whatever they want and have it their way. All the while—if God really is the Ruler—then he hears all of that talk as rebellion against his rightful rule as Creator.
Psalm 2 fills out the picture of the two ways referenced in Psalm 1. It does so by repeating many of the same words as Psalm 1. Looking at these repeated words is illuminating. Those who love God as their Ruler repeat (or meditate) upon his Law or rules frequently (Psalm 1:2). Psalm 2:1 says that the wicked who rebel against his rule meditate upon (“plot”) freedom from the rule of the Lord and his anointed King.
What someone loves to talk about is illuminating of who they are and where they are going. We hear about the “counsel” of the wicked in general terms in Psalm 1. Psalm 2 spells out the counsel of the wicked in specific terms in their own words. It is almost like planting a microphone at a gathering of all the nations—call it Rebellion 2015. The sessions all have the same theme and the same essential rallying cry: “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us” (v. 3). This is the language of rebellion as freedom from his rule.
This stanza raises the question as to who these “rebels” are. I won’t keep you in suspense. It is you. It is me. It is everyone in the world that has ever sinned (which equals everyone). Here we see what sin is as we stare it full in the face. Sin at its root is rebellion against God. Everyone sins every day—and each sin essentially says—I am the king of my life. I will do what I want to do. There is a rebel impulse passed down from our first parents. Watch what happens when what we want and what God wants comes into conflict? Would anyone say that you always go God’s way?
No way. We do what we do, because want what we want, because we love what we love. We are called to love the Lord our God with all our heart, and all our soul, and all our mind, and all our strength. When that doesn’t happen, sin happens. When sin happens, the devastating truth is that we don’t just choose rebellion—we love rebellion because we love our freedom to do what we love.
This is the opposite of trusting God. We go our own way in these times because we trust our own wisdom. This was the first sin of Adam and Eve. They knew what God said and they decided to go against it anyway because they thought they knew better. That initial sin has multiplied into a tidal wave of rebellion.
We all fit the picture of Psalm 2 as rebels, but the bull's eye of this Psalm is centered upon people who embrace this rebel impulse. They are not ashamed of it—they make it a mission—they revel in rebellion. The sheer scale of this rebellion seems impressive. They are all united together against God and his anointed King.
I wonder what God’s response is to this massive rebellion? The next stanza tells us that he has a hard time keeping a straight face. Here we are introduced to the God Who Laughs.
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.”
The laugh is not because God finds the rebellion so comical, but so pitiful. It is not a silly situation; it is deadly serious. This is serious scorn that God is heaping on the nations. This is a response of “derision” (Psalm 2:4). Those who sit in the seat of scoffers mock God in Psalm 1:1; we learn in Psalm 2 that God mocks them too.
It turns out that we need to modify our sense of scale. People are impressed when they see a lot of people joined together for some cause. God is not impressed because he does not share our limited sense of scale. He is not wringing his hands; he is busting a gut. He can’t keep a straight face when he sees it. You call that an insurrection? There sure are a lot of little green plastic army men there. Is that supposed to be scary? You look like a lot of chaff like I mentioned in Psalm 1. If I so much as sneeze, it is going to blow you all away.
Now He speaks something that is supposed to terrify them: “As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill” (2:6). We will have to ask some obvious questions as we proceed. Who is this King? What is Zion? When did he set his King there? I am going to answer the last two questions next week when we take another look at Psalm 2. This week we are setting our sights on answering the first question: who is this King?
The third stanza now answers that question about the identity of God’s King. We even get to hear his voice. Therefore, as we listen to what he says, we need to ask what chance the rebels have against God’s king.
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.”
God gives them all a spoiler alert: they don’t have a chance. But God is not the person speaking. The person speaking is quoting God. The decree he is quoting comes from God the Father. The “I” that is doing the telling is God the Son. We learn three things here: (1) Who He is, (2) who the nations are, and (3) what he will do with them.
First, the decree he quotes tells us Who He is:
The LORD said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you.
He is the Son of God. We will look at this text in much more detail next week as we ask when this happened—that is, when was “today”?
Second, we hear about who the nations are:
"Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession."
They are his. Period. They belong to him as his heritage. They in their totality (the ends of the earth) are his possession. But here is the problem introduced already in the first stanza. They don’t want to be his.
Third, we hear about what he will do with his rebellious possession of people. He will break them into a thousand pieces like a clay pot.
"You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”
Do you see now why God was laughing? It turns out that quantity or popularity is not a very reliable guide. Yes, one could look and say, “that is a lot of people.” But that is the problem. They are people, not God. They are like pennies. You could have a lot of pennies, but it would add up to much.
But it gets worse. The fact that they joined together just makes them an easier target. I call this the “Yak” effect. Hunters armed with guns would come upon a herd of Yaks (how do you describe what a “yak” is—they are like a long-haired buffalo) and these large animals would gather together in a herd and form a wall. That formation works well against wolves, but it doesn’t work at all against high-powered rifles. It just makes it easier to shoot them all.
In the same way, the nations are like a bunch of clay pots. Not a very terrifying image for God’s King. I know you think you are impressive. There are a lot of you banded together. Yes, you are a lot of … bowls. You are all bunched together and my King has an Almighty Sledgehammer. The fact that you are all together just makes it easier to smash all of you with one swing.
It is a pitiful picture. You have heard the expression that someone brought a knife to a gunfight—this is much worse than that. You brought a clay pot to a sledgehammer fight. You brought a marshmallow gun to a flame-thrower fight. Imagine that scenario for a moment. People gather against God armed with those marshmallow shooters. You are no match for the flamethrower. The fact that you are all joined together makes my job easier.
This should terrify the rebels. You can’t win. You will be utterly dashed and crushed to pieces. A fragile piece of clay pottery has no chance against an Almighty wrecking ball. In the same way, finite humans have no chance against Almighty, infinite wrath.
History is heading toward a time when everyone who rebels against God will face the wrath of Jesus as God’s King. The main point is the solution of this psalm: Make peace with Jesus and rejoice in the refuge he provides for rebels like us (2:10–12).
If you know what is going to happen ahead of time, then you have a chance to respond wisely. The conclusion is the solution. Notice as I read that it starts with the conclusion word “therefore.”
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.
Forewarned is forearmed. So goes the proverbial saying. That is exactly what this solution says. The situation has been spelled out so that the kings and rulers will make a wise choice. If they continue their rebellion, it is a suicide mission. They can’t win. If they continue, they will only serve to magnify the might of the Messiah when he crushes their rebellion. But there is another way. He can be glorified by their surrender when he displays the might of his mercy! The only wise choice is for them to confess that God’s King is the King of all kings and the Ruler over all rulers.
Surrendering means confessing that they are the King’s loyal servants. They serve with reverent fear, but not paralyzing fear because the parallel to fear is “rejoice with trembling.” This is a trembling joy that says, “I can’t believe you took me back. After all my treason, all my insurrection, all my rebellious talk, attitudes, and actions … can it be … you take me back.
Here is the solution in three words: “Kiss the Son” (v. 12). Kiss the Son means kiss his feet as a sign that you are laying down your rebellion, confessing him as your rightful king, declaring yourself to be his faithful servant.
But notice this is urgent and time-sensitive. It is like you are reading something like we all get in the mail that says, “urgent, your reply is needed immediately.” This is time sensitive material. Why? His anger can flare up and go from zero to 60 in a second.
... Lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled.
Many people don’t take the mercy of Jesus seriously because they don’t take his anger and wrath seriously. How many times do you hear about the Almighty anger of Jesus?
When his anger flares up you will “perish in the way.” This phrase repeats and now updates the very end of Psalm 1. The way of the wicked will perish (1:6). When you are on the road of rebellion—you can’t control when you will meet your Maker—He is in control. He decides when you reach the end of the road—not you. You have to be ready at any time. Are you ready?
Listen to the terrifying judgment described in the last book of the Bible. Revelation 6:12–17:
When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”
The miners trapped in the mine in Chile tried desperately to get out so they could be free—everyone on that day will try to get in and hide. You don’t want your life to end on this terrifying note. But the good news is that you don’t have to. Did you notice that the wrath you have to face is called the “wrath of the Lamb” (Revelation 6:16). The King is called the Lamb in the last book of the Bible. Why? This Son of God has a name. He is Jesus. The eternal Son of God, very God of very God, co-creator, co-eternal, came to earth. God is a Spirit and cannot die. So God took on flesh. He died the death we deserved in our place. He bore in his body on the cross all of our sins (1 Peter 2:24). He came as the Lamb of God as a sacrifice for sin. That sacrifice means that He is a refuge from wrath! So let us close the way this Psalm closes. Wrath is not the last word. Perishing was the last word of Psalm 1 (1:6), but Psalm 2 (2:12) ends with where Psalm 1:1 began: Blessed happiness!
Blessed are all who take refuge in him.
Do you see the good news of the Bible? One way ends with you trying to be hidden from his wrath, but it impossible. But there is another option! On that last day, you will either try to be hidden from him (too late) or you can be hidden in him! Take refuge in him. This Son provides a refuge for rebels. He in fact is himself the refuge for rebels.
What has he done? But how can you do that? Why would he receive a rebel like us? What about his wrath that is quickly kindled? He offers a refuge for rebels from his wrath. Do you see it in verse 12? How supremely happy is the one who finds refuge in him. Refuge from what? Refuge from his wrath. That is the point of my preaching. The height of his glorious mercy: the praise of his glorious grace. Let me return to the image I gave you in my first sermon as your pastor.
The significance of Jesus tasting hell and swallowing up the wrath of God can be powerfully seen powerfully in a story from the recent California wildfires. I heard Eddie Cole share the story of a family that waited too long to abandon their home as the flames quickly came upon them. The blazing fires surrounded them and blocked every escape route. The desperate dad had an idea. He had recently burned part of the field next to their home. They went to the burned area. The children laid down first, then the mother covered the children, and the father put his body on top over all of them. The fires raged around them and they felt the intense heat, but the fire stopped at the spot that had been burned the previous week because there was nothing left to burn. The family was saved from the fire.
In the same way, we are saved from the fires of hell and the wrath of God when we run to the cross and rest there, because it is the place where God’s wrath already fell. The cross is the only safe place for sinners to stay. The only refuge for rebels.
Conclusion
I wonder if we polled people today and asked them to identify the most pressing problem we face—very few would get the answer right. The most pressing, devastating problem we face is the wrath of God that his King brings. You will face that wrath at death.
Some people try to avoid the thought of death. Marvin Olasky told the story of the last days of newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst. He issued a decree—a strict rule all that his houseguests had to follow: No one could mention death in his presence. He did not have an answer for it so he tried to ignore it. That is one way to face death. Run and hide from it and pretend like it is not there.
But it cannot be ignored. For us it is unavoidable to talk about this week. God has laid us low with a blow this week that has us all thinking about death anew. It is in our face. We cannot escape it. A dearly beloved member of our flock passed away this week. Chuck & Carol Steddom’s son, Alex, died suddenly during a short-term ministry trip in Northern Ireland. Alex’s sister, Alli Steddom, was with him on the trip and she was there holding his hand as he passed away.
How shall we respond? Death is an enemy—not a friend. We feel outrage and loss. But we grieve with the singular hope that Jesus has completely conquered death. Let us personalize that promise. Jesus conquered death for Alex and so Alex is not dead. He is more alive than ever. Alex Steddom knows the blessed joy of Psalm 2:12 better than anyone here.
I have smiled through the tears when I have stopped to think about that thought. He was supposed to start classes at Bethlehem seminary this Fall, but the Lord had a better plan. Bethlehem is a good seminary, but God enrolled Alex in a perfect seminary. The only perfect seminary is found on the other side of death in heaven. There he is not studying line by line—he is seeing face to face. He does not see in part, but fully.
Why is he there? Why does he have that blessed, happy rest and refuge? Alex was a sinner just like all of us here, but he was a forgiven sinner who had taken refuge in Jesus. When he faced death and stood before the judgment seat, O how he was glad to say with more joy than ever before: " ... my sin, not in part, but the whole, is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more. Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!"
It is well. Forever well.
That is why we are going to see “It is Well” at the close of the service. The author of that hymn (Horatio Spafford) wrote it at the darkest time of his life. His wife and four daughters sailed on a ship to England and the ship ran into another ship and sank down to the depths. His four daughters drown and his wife barely survived. She wrote a heart-breaking one-word telegraph: “alone.” When he received it, he immediately boarded a ship and set sail for England himself. As they passed over the very spot where his daughters went down, he was able to say, “When peace like a river attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll, whatever my lot (even childless) you have taught me to say, “It is well, it is well, with my soul.” How – how could he talk like that in the midst of major lament. He tells us later: one blest assurance controlled—Christ had regarded his helpless state and shed his own blood for Horatio’s soul. He ends the song on the triumphant note that when Christ comes back—the clouds be rolled back like a scroll, Christ will not condemn those who have taken refuge in him—he will resurrect them like his four daughters—because he defeated death.
What will you say on that day? You will know blessed joy like never before – or you will know pain that cannot be put into words. If Jesus is your refuge, can say today what you will celebrate on the last day. It is just as true today as it will be on that day. The future is so sure we can sing about it now, celebrate it now as we remember the body and the blood and proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
Outline:
1. The Situation (vv. 1-9)
2. The Solution: The Refuge for Rebels (vv. 10-12)
Main Point: Here is the message of Psalm 2. There is a situation and a solution. The situation can be summarized simply as follows: History is heading toward a time when everyone who rebels against God will face the wrath of Jesus as God’s King. The main point is the solution of this psalm: make peace with Jesus and rejoice in the refuge He provides for rebels like us (2:10-12).
Discussion Questions
Application Questions
Prayer Focus
Pray for a grace in finding refuge in Christ. If you are hidden in Christ, pray for a grace to taste the “delight” or “blessedness” of hiding there.