God’s Kingdom for our politics and the hope of the nations

Stop me if you have heard this one:

A woman in a hot-air balloon is lost, so she shouts to a man below, "Excuse me. I promised a friend I would meet him, but I don't know where I am." "You're at 31 degrees, 14.57 minutes north latitude and 100 degrees, 49.09 minutes west longitude," he replies. "You must be a Democrat." "I am. How did you know?" "Because everything you told me is technically correct, but the information is useless, and I'm still lost. Frankly, you've been no help." He retorts," Well you must be a Republican." "Yes. How did you know?" "You've risen to where you are due to a lot of hot air, you made a promise you couldn't keep, and you expect me to solve your problem. You're in exactly the same position you were in before we met, but somehow, now it's my fault."

That may or may not have sat well with you depending on how serious or not you take American politics.

It is important to be able to laugh about the politics of our nation. Not only to be lighthearted, but because God laughs at them as well. We just read in our text that “He who sits in the heavens laughs” at all the things that the nations, and peoples and kings of the earth (that includes presidents!) plot thinking that they are destined to rule the world through their policies and might.

Politics is power. Politicians know this and some of them seek office because they want the power. This does not mean they want to become emperor Palpatine or something like that (although our doctrine of Total Depravity expressed in Romans 3:10-18 definitely says that the capacity for the misuse of power is in all of us). Most politicians want power to try to fix things that they and others perceive as wrong in the world. That is, they want to do a measure of good with it. But questions like “good, for who?” start to reveal different sides of the story. Who are they willing to crush to exalt their plans? Who benefits from what policies and laws? Have the nations every stopped to consider that they are willing to crush God in order to get what they want?

The Bible reveals that God has a plan for the nations. He has had this plan since the beginning and the fall has not changed it. Rather, the fall was the opportunity for God to reveal his covenant plan to Abraham as being a “blessing for the nations.” Yes, God’s plans for the nations are to bless them! This is good news! According to Galatians 3:8, that is the gospel message!

This semester in my seminary class, I’m taking ethics and my textbook has been a good reminder that theology is the application of the Word of God to all of life. Hence, we must know the Word of God and this includes understanding how to apply it to all of life, including our political lives. Political season is upon us again and Christians have not faired very well in the last few years. In fact, Christians have clung to politics as if this world was their only home and hope. What does the Bible have to say about our politics? It actually has a lot to say, and one could even argue that the gospel itself is a political statement to the nations, including our own.

Psalm 2 is connected to Psalm 1. I wrote a paper on the unity of these Psalms and I can only say that the “blessed man” of Psalm 1 is David. It is not a formula for how we are to be blessed. The Psalms have a Davidic-shape that helps to connect the wisdom literature of the Old Testament to the plot of redemptive history, but that’s another sermon in itself! Psalm 2, is actually how everyone else is blessed as we read in 2:12.

We need to talk about the gospel and our politics. We need to have a Biblical perspective that shapes and informs our thinking. This sermon cannot be exhaustive but there are many great resources that can be plumbed including David Koyzis’s Political Visions & Illusions as well as The Religion of American Greatness by Paul D. Miller. But we need to talk about politics as Christians from a Biblical perspective. If not, our information will come from the world through its own lens without the critical lens of Scripture.

Before we get started, I want to give a couple of “what the sermon is not” and “what this sermon is” points to hopeful set ourselves at ease.

First, this sermon is not an attempt to lift one’s political party over another.Biblically speaking, we must recognize politics through the Biblical categories of worship and idolatry. That is, political parties (factions in general) tend to want to use God’s good created things in ways that divide humanity. For instance, humanity has used things like skin color, to divide each other and, when combined with power, creates oppression and dehumanizes those who are created in God’s image as much as they are. God has not made the divisions of skin color, rather he made a variety of skin color. It is not God who values one color of skin more than the other, it is the idolatrous worship of self and those like us, that leads us to demonize and exclude what we value the highest. We do this with sports teams. We do this with our jobs. The Corinthian church was doing this with the gifts of the Spirit in 1 Corinthians 12-14. Politics is no different.

In the United States, freedom is a huge idol but there are varying visions of what this “freedom” is. Some say it is a positive “freedom to” do whatever I want which means guns and football. Some interpret that freedom to have an abortion. Some think it is a negative “freedom from” tyranny, or a freedom from the terror of automatic weapons in the hands of citizens, freedom from the fear of mass school shootings, or freedom from over taxation and freedoms from paying for other peoples livelihood. Respectfully, these are historically recognized in the Liberal and Conservative views of American politics. Again, I am not advocating here, I’m just relaying moods and opinions as publicly and historically expressed. All of these value something in the creation that they are willing to demonize others to get. Liberals value the sovereign self and Conservatives value the preservation of something in particular, be it morals or a particular “golden era” of policies. When something other than God can tug the strings of your heart or wallet more than the mission of God to the nations, idolatry close by. By this understanding, both Republicans and Democrats - and anything in between or outside those - are all exalting something in creation to levels of idolatry. Hence, this is not advocating for a particular party. Christians must recognize the idolatry present in both views.

Second, This sermon is not an attempt to sway your vote. You vote your conscience, of course. However, as Christians our conscience must be informed by Scripture and its perspectives. Christianity is not just a Sunday-religion. It is an all of life religion. It is a worldview as well as a supernatural gift of God through the Holy Spirit. It is about complete transformation of our hearts and way of thinking so that we are fully submitted to God, not our country or the vision of what we want our country to be. 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, “So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” That little phrase, “or whatever you do,” includes your politics. You must do them to the glory of God. No party has all the answers to all the problems. I think the joke at the beginning was an attempt to make that point! One party always includes some into its benefits and excludes others. That’s what false divisions of humanity do. The Bible does not recognize the categories of political parties as legitimate divisions of humanity. They are created by the sinful and idolatrous aspects of our cultures. When Christians can recognize these things, our consciences are free from the opinions of men who would like to hold our consciences captive. This is a prerogative that belongs to God alone through His word.

So what is this sermon? It is meant to inform you about a perspective on the world as it relates to human politics. Kingdoms come and kingdoms go. Since the inception of nations, they have sought to rule the world in domineering manners. The great kingdoms of the world did not become “great” by love. They became great through warfare and conquest. Through murder and stealing. Political season is in full swing already, and Christians are more prone to let CNN or FOX determine their perspective as if God has nothing to say about our situation or circumstances. God’s people have had to sit under wicked rulers before and have needed wisdom in how they relate to their leaders and the state and the culture they find themselves in. Daniel and his friends are a good example who served Babylon but only to a certain point. Where the state demanded worship, they did not bow even if it meant their death. Joseph is another who served Egypt but also served God’s purposes to preserve his people (Gen. 50:20). This perspective is a perspective that is eternal. That is, God has decreed from the foundations of the world what all nations will be, he has allowed their rebellion against his plans, but God’s plan will be the one that all nations will bow to. No nation, including the United States, is exempt from God’s plan.

With that said, let’s look our text and discover three things: 1) Our plans and politics, 2) God’s plans and politics, 3) God’s warning to our plans in light of His politics.

“Why do the nations rage and the people’s plot in vain?”

The first way that God describes the nations is that they are engaged in activity. But this activity has a moral quality about it. They are “raging” and “plotting.” They are making plans. Every nation has a plan. Every nation wants to sustain its people and rule. Most nations would like to not simply exist, but to expand. In short, nations desire rule and dominion.

This is not a bad thing in itself. Remember that when God made humanity, he made them to rule and to have dominion. In a sense, ruling is built into our humanity. We want to be in charge because that is the original covenant that God gave to humanity: to rule the world as co-rulers with and for God. Adam, however, decided that he wanted to rule without God. He wanted to be able to determine good and evil for himself. Since then, his way of thinking has infected all who came after him. Instead of being made in God’s image, humanity wants to be its own image as ask God to bow to their image of self. We do this individually, but was also do it corporately.

In Psalm 2, we have an image of how God sees the efforts of humanity to live in such a fallen condition. Notice that God says these plans are “vain.” That is, they are hebel; This same word is translated as “vanity” in the book of Ecclesiastes. They are but a mist that is here and then gone.

Note particularly that it is kings and rulers who “set themselves…against the LORD.” Now in America, we like to think that one party is for the Lord and the other is for Satan. However, this text gives us a lens that we might not like – that all our leaders are actually plotting against God. How so?

The issue is not morals. The issue is rulership. Who does the world belong to? Who gets to make all the political decisions that will affect the lives of those who are living under the kingdoms of the world? This text is not saying that leaders in government are immoral. No, they might be the most moral. But the fact is, that the plans of the nations for establishing their versions of who gets to rule and what the “good life” might look like is not what God has in mind, In particular, it is WHO God has in mind.

Notice in verse 2 that it is not just the Lord that people have a problem with but with “his Anointed.” Who is the Anointed? In short, its David, and particularly his lineage culminating with Jesus Christ, the Son of David as he is referred to rightly in the Greek Scriptures. God’s covenant with David was that one of his sons would be on the throne eternally. God’s covenant with David was in fulfillment of an earlier covenant with Abraham to bless the nations (Gen. 12:1-3). Remember in renewals of the covenant with Abraham that he was told that he would bless the nations and that kings would come through him. That king was David and in 2 Samuel 7, God furthers his covenant of grace with Abraham to include the adoption of one from David’s line to be a son of God, which is to say that God will adopt one of David’s descendants to be a Son of God. This one was to be the ruler whose dynasty would know

Why is this so threatening? Because nations fear they could end when certain leaders come to their end. In ancient times, it was kings and their sons who ruled. If you cut off a bloodline, you lost the right to rule. Don’t we feel that way? Our politics in America is often played as if an entire way of life can be lost without the right person in leadership. In fact, politicians are smart to play off these fears because fear controls. We hear the rhetoric of “if you vote for that person, you might lose X,Y and Z….” “If our party loses control of the Senate, etc… then X, Y and Z…” You know, Star Wars was on to something when Palpatine gave his talk to Anakin about Sith fearing to lose their power. They want their rule to extend.

The inner thoughts that God perceives of the nations is that they want to “burst the bonds” of Yahweh off them. That is, they don’t want to be ruled by God’s chosen ruler. They don’t want to admit that their rule is not ultimate. That their nation might not even make it!

So, the issue here is who is in charge. Who gets to make the policies of the world. It is God’s Anointed, his chosen ruler.

To bring this home, the United States of America is NOT God’s chosen. No president of the United States has ever been chosen by God to be his “anointed” whose rule and policy should govern the world. Some Christians in America like to use that language and title to apply it to certain leaders, but it is not Scriptural to apply it to anyone other than Jesus Christ. Rather, the establishment of nations of sinful humanity are contra to the only kingdom that will last because God wills it: the kingdom of God. That is what is going on in verses 1-3. Man has many plans for ruling, but God has already made up his mind and revealed his ruler to the world when he made a covenant with David whose lineage would be the only never-ending dynasty the world will ever know. Corporate humanity expressed through the nations are attempts to undermine the rule of David through the Christ, the anointed.

Our plans and politics

“Why do the nations rage and the people’s plot in vain?”

The first way that God describes the nations is that they are engaged in activity. But this activity has a moral quality about it. They are “raging” and “plotting.” They are making plans. Every nation has a plan. Every nation wants to sustain its people and rule. Most nations would like to not simply exist, but to expand. In short, nations desire rule and dominion.

This is not a bad thing in itself. Remember that when God made humanity, he made them to rule and to have dominion. In a sense, ruling is built into our humanity. We want to be in charge because that is the original covenant that God gave to humanity: to rule the world as co-rulers with and for God. Adam, however, decided that he wanted to rule without God. He wanted to be able to determine good and evil for himself. Since then, his way of thinking has infected all who came after him. Instead of being made in God’s image, humanity wants to be its own image as ask God to bow to their image of self. We do this individually, but was also do it corporately.

In Psalm 2, we have an image of how God sees the efforts of humanity to live in such a fallen condition. Notice that God says these plans are “vain.” That is, they are hebel; This same word is translated as “vanity” in the book of Ecclesiastes. They are but a mist that is here and then gone.

Note particularly that it is kings and rulers who “set themselves…against the LORD.” Now in America, we like to think that one party is for the Lord and the other is for Satan. However, this text gives us a lens that we might not like – that all our leaders are actually plotting against God. How so?

The issue is not morals. The issue is rulership. Who does the world belong to? Who gets to make all the political decisions that will affect the lives of those who are living under the kingdoms of the world? This text is not saying that leaders in government are immoral. No, they might be the most moral. But the fact is, that the plans of the nations for establishing their versions of who gets to rule and what the “good life” might look like is not what God has in mind, In particular, it is WHO God has in mind.

Notice in verse 2 that it is not just the Lord that people have a problem with but with “his Anointed.” Who is the Anointed? In short, its David, and particularly his lineage culminating with Jesus Christ, the Son of David as he is referred to rightly in the Greek Scriptures. God’s covenant with David was that one of his sons would be on the throne eternally. God’s covenant with David was in fulfillment of an earlier covenant with Abraham to bless the nations (Gen. 12:1-3). Remember in renewals of the covenant with Abraham that he was told that he would bless the nations and that kings would come through him. That king was David and in 2 Samuel 7, God furthers his covenant of grace with Abraham to include the adoption of one from David’s line to be a son of God, which is to say that God will adopt one of David’s descendants to be a Son of God. This one was to be the ruler whose dynasty would know

Why is this so threatening? Because nations fear they could end when certain leaders come to their end. In ancient times, it was kings and their sons who ruled. If you cut off a bloodline, you lost the right to rule. Don’t we feel that way? Our politics in America is often played as if an entire way of life can be lost without the right person in leadership. In fact, politicians are smart to play off these fears because fear controls. We hear the rhetoric of “if you vote for that person, you might lose X,Y and Z….” “If our party loses control of the Senate, etc… then X, Y and Z…” You know, Star Wars was on to something when Palpatine gave his talk to Anakin about Sith fearing to lose their power. They want their rule to extend.

The inner thoughts that God perceives of the nations is that they want to “burst the bonds” of Yahweh off them. That is, they don’t want to be ruled by God’s chosen ruler. They don’t want to admit that their rule is not ultimate. That their nation might not even make it!

So, the issue here is who is in charge. Who gets to make the policies of the world. It is God’s Anointed, his chosen ruler.

To bring this home, the United States of America is NOT God’s chosen. No president of the United States has ever been chosen by God to be his “anointed” whose rule and policy should govern the world. Some Christians in America like to use that language and title to apply it to certain leaders, but it is not Scriptural to apply it to anyone other than Jesus Christ. Rather, the establishment of nations of sinful humanity are contra to the only kingdom that will last because God wills it: the kingdom of God. That is what is going on in verses 1-3. Man has many plans for ruling, but God has already made up his mind and revealed his ruler to the world when he made a covenant with David whose lineage would be the only never-ending dynasty the world will ever know. Corporate humanity expressed through the nations are attempts to undermine the rule of David through the Christ, the anointed.

God’s plan and politics

What is God’s response to the nations? What does God think about all of our human politics? One response is laid out for us in verse 4: “He who sits in the heavens laughs…” God laughs at the plans of men that think their kingdoms and their nations and their people are the best and have the best plans for the world. “The Lord hold them in derision…” That is, God sneers at them with his laughter.

Now, we Americans tend to think that our nation is – or at least was – a godly nation. In fact, the thinking about the founding of the United States was that this land was “God’s new promised land” and that it was given to those seeking religious freedoms from England. If I use the Bible to evaluate the plans of our nation -and I could say other nations but God’s word meets us here in this nation – God laughs. He laughs. He mocks. God’s “new promised land” is too small if it’s the United States! From a Biblical perspective, God did not promise a new continent for his people to dwell upon ever. He promised a New Heaven and New Earth. God laughs and he has every right to laugh and mock. A people cannot misuse God’s name and decrees to justify things in the name of God that God has not said. That is taking God’s name in vain and, thus, a violation of the third commandment.

What has God done? God’s response goes forth in verse 5: “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.” God says essentially, “You guys have all these plans about your rule and rulers and you don’t like the fact that I have made a covenant with David and one of his descendants to whom has been given the dominion that you all rejected in Adam.” Remember that originally, all of us were created to be kings and priest according to Genesis 1 and 2. All of humanity was given this function. In God’s kingdom, all humanity were kings and priest. That function was not lost, but perverted through sin. Instead of sharing rule with one another and in full submission to God, we crave power and we misuse power to get what we want in domineering manners. That’s why nations go to war (See James 4:1-3; cf. Gen. 4:1-16).

The Psalmist, who is David the King, reminds the readers, “I will tell of the decree: The LORD said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you.” It is important to note that David mentions that God only spoke to him regarding this decree. He did not make a covenant with any other king. God is not in any other national covenants. We will see this in a moment. What is important is the singular and special promise that was made to David and his descendants. David is, of course, referring to the Davidic Covenant found in 2 Samuel 7 in which God promised David a everlasting lineage of rulers through his offspring. God promised to adopt this son of David and make him the legal son of God. This is an image of adoption in the Hebrew Scriptures. The phrase in verse 7 is what a person would essentially say to the one they are adopting to make the relationship legally binding: “You are my Son; today I have begotten you.” This is not to say that the person is a newborn; but rather that the relationship is ratified and it is as if the person is a newborn with all the rights and privileges that come with the relationship of a son from the father.

No other nation, no other ruler has ever nor will ever receive this promise. No other ruler or nation has a right to rule all the nations except the Davidic ruler. We see that in verse 8 as God tells his new son, “Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the end of the earth your possession. You shall rule/break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” These are fighting words! No wonders the nations are raging and plotting! They do not want to lose their perceived status and so they make plans so that they can endure and even destroy God’s king and kingdom.

Let’s apply that to American politics. Right now, two parties are getting ready to ramp up their efforts to elect the person that they feel is best qualified to sustain the life of the United States and fulfill their own visions of “the good life.” People who buy into the versions of the “good life” that each side presents are going to be transformed into images of their respective parties and possibly attempt to destroy those who get in their way. Whatever party wins, feels that they have won or even that they are blessed by God. The party that loses begins to lose hope or may redouble their efforts for the next election. Either way, both parties are forgetting that the nation of the United States does not belong to them. It belongs to Jesus, the long-awaited Davidic Son who fulfilled the Davidic covenant. The nations belong to Jesus. The United States belongs to Jesus, not the Republican or Democrat parties or any other parties in between or further outside.

Note also that the Davidic ruler will “break” (ESV) or “rule” them with a rod of iron. That is, the only policies that will ultimately rule the nations will be those of King Jesus.

Now let me assert something that may sound odd in some ears, but give me a moment to explain and I think it will help you understand the Hebrew Scriptures and the Greek Scriptures a bit better. Verses 7-9 is the gospel. Some of you are saying, “Hold up, Moses! Where is the mention of the cross? And Faith alone? Etc…” But let’s think through the big picture of the whole Bible from Genesis to Revelation.

Jesus’ first words in his public ministry are recorded by Matthew as “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt. 4:17). According to Matthew 4:23, Jesus began to teach and preach about “the gospel of the kingdom of God.” Most of us tend to say that the gospel is ONLY the life, death and resurrection of Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins. However, that is not the whole thing. In fact, if that’s all there to the gospel, its not enough. Consider also that Jesus began preaching “the gospel of the kingdom of God” before he had concluded his ministry with a perfect life, with his sacrificial death and glorious resurrection. In other words, Jesus did not going around preaching, “I love you and I died for you, repent and believe.” It was a message about the kingdom. He was claiming to be a king! Jesus’ message that was the gospel was about the kingdom of God. It was about a king, a willing people and land. Let’s look at a few more passsages together:

· Matthew 24:14 (the gospel of the kingdom that Jesus proclaimed is to be proclaimed throughout the world)

· Mark 1:15 (Jesus’ content of the gospel was the kingdom of God)

· Luke 4:43

· Luke 8:1

· Acts 8:12

· Acts 19:8

· Acts 28:23, 31

· Revelation 12:10 (the kingdom of God as the final state)

The point of these is to say that the gospel of the kingdom of God is what Psalm 2:7-9 is about. It is the reason why Jesus was hailed as the “Son of David” (cf. Mark 10:47,48). In fact, the title “Christ” is the Greek word that translates the Hebrew word massiachin Psalm 2. Jesus “the Anointed” is the anointed king!! That is part of Peter’s speech in Acts 2 when he proclaims the gospel and Jesus as the “Lord and Christ.” Peter is connecting Psalm 110 and Psalm 2 with Jesus so that the Jews understand the gravity of their response to the Anointed and the wrath they have kindled. That is why they cry out, “what shall we do?” because the blessing their own Scriptures spoke of is about to be the wrath of the Son of David!

This is the gospel message according to the Hebrew Scripture. That God’s king and kingdom will reign despite the plans and raging of the nations who seek to live according to their own wills and rules (2:3). The gospel is more than just the forgiveness of our sins. It is more than the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. These are core components, but we must resist the urge to reduce the gospel only to a part. Rather, we should the perspectives of the kingdom that was promised. It was the death of the king of the kingdom who died for his subjects so that he could make them willing through regeneration. There is no kingdom of God without Jesus and what he did. There is no kingdom if there are not willing and forgiven people. There is no kingdom without the cross. The kingdom is the whole package. It is the reminder that the gospel is for the entire renewal and restoration of creation to return the earth to humanity who will enjoy perfect fellowship with God and each other as a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. “Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage…” The New Heaven and New Earth is the fulfillment of this. It all belongs to Jesus. Concerning the nations, “You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” Don’t you see? The kingdom of God means judgment on the nations! That is why the nations rage! They get it. In Acts 4, the Jewish persecution of the Church is interpreted through the lens of Psalm 2 and the raging of the nations. The religious leaders of the Jews would lose all their power and place in their culture and society if Jesus is who he said he was and did what he said he would do. They would be without a job!

Just go out and say that right now in the political climate. I hope I can say it in the church and nobody get offended that the United States will be judged by God and it will be dashed in pieces one day. And as Christians, we should say, “that’s okay because God has already selected the best possible ruler and has a better kingdom in store for us!” Now, I am not saying there is something wrong with being patriotic. Citizens of their respective countries should be. I do think there is a Biblical warrant for that. But Patriotism is an idolatrous level of commitment toward one’s own people and nation and its ideologies above others (like a racism for nations, which is what nationalism is).

God’s warning to our plans in light of His politics

We certainly want our nation blessed and the Bible says that the blessing of God is available, but now how we think. Most of us are probably familiar with Lee Greenwood’s “God bless the USA” song. Some people sing that with tears in their eyes. We are familiar with “God bless America, land that I love…” and many other patriotic songs. Our tendency is to think that the blessings of God are available for us to command or for simply asking. We are not blessed simply because we say so or our patriotic songs use references to God.

If God’s kingdom is coming and, if it means the judgment of all others kingdoms (see Daniel 2 and 7!), then how do we survive that coming judgment? Let me quote the Psalmist, give some comments and then give a Biblical example. The Psalmist says in verses 10-12, “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…”

In light of the inevitable rule of the Messiah, how should the nations respond? What should our outlook on politics look like? First, we need wisdom. “Be wise.” The warning is particularly to kings and rulers, because they have more control over the direction of a nation than ordinary citizens do when it comes to policy and such. However, the people also require wisdom because they must choose who they will give their allegiances too. Be wise about your politics. Be wise about where you put your political hopes and dreams. I’m not saying anything about voting, everyone has their values in each party that leads them on the ballot. What I’m saying is, be wise about how lasting you think the effects of a political party have in light of God’s kingdom. If the kingdom of God is inevitable, then it is foolish to think that one’s own country will or must prevail or endure.

Conservatives try to put a “hold” on a time period or policy to keep a status quo. That is, conservatives tend to idealize (idolize) something in God’s creation and their policy is to preserve that. Progressives tend to idealize change but sometimes are not clear what they want to change into except that we must always be changing/progressing. Both parties idolize something and adjust policies and ideologies to achieve their ends. But God has already told us what is coming. He has already revealed his kingdom as it is both now and coming. Be wise. Which world are you living for?

Second, and considering what was just said, “be warned.” God’s word warns us already. God has a king and kingdom. Be warned. Are the politics you are playing today demonstrating commitment to the kingdom of God or to the kingdoms of this world? Nothing goes unnoticed. The king is watching.

Third, is “serve” and “rejoice.” Serving God is the only response to the only lasting and enduring king. No other ruler will outlast the Messiah. Let me give you a Biblical example that puts all of this together.

In Joshua, the people of God are about to enter into the Promised Land but there is one city in their way: Jericho. Joshua sends spies into Jericho. The policy of Jericho is to put spies to death. However, they find refuge in the house of a prostitute named Rahab. When the Jericho FEDS show up at her door to demand that she give up the spies, she says they had already left and if they hurry they might be able to catch them. She lied [and that’s a whole other ethical issue!] but listen to her reasoning why she turned her back on her own people and nation from Joshua 2:8-11.

“Before the men lay down, she came up to them on the roof and said to the men, “I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you. For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction. And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for the Lordyour God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath.”

Rahab switched sides. Rahab was not living out the policies of Jericho anymore. Rahab was wise. Rahab heeded the warning. Rahab believed God more than she believed her nation and people. She secured her safety, and the safety and salvation, of her household by serving the Lord by hiding the spies. Rahab repented. She changed her mind about God. She changed her mind about her allegiance to her nation. When it came to God’s kingdom or Jericho, she “saw the writing on the wall” and her politics reflected the agenda of the kingdom of God.

I said earlier that the blessing of God is available and this is good news. “Blessed are all who take refuge in him.” That is, the blessing of God for the nations is only for those who “switch sides” by “kissing the son.” What does this mean? Well, a kiss is usually a sign of intimacy between lovers especially on the lips. A kiss is not something you just give to anyone. A kiss on the cheek can be a sign of friendship in some cultures today as it was in ancient times as well. It was a sign of fellowship and commitment to it. In the political sphere, it could be a sign of veneration or honor. Think of a subject kissing the hand of their king. To “kiss the Son,” the Davidic Messiah, is to demonstrate all of these to him. That is, in our politically charged world and culture, remember the gospel of the kingdom of God and be deeply committed to Jesus. “Seek ye first the kingdom of God…” Think of the kingdom parables in the gospels. A person might sell all they have just to get the kingdom! It is to be desired above all other earthly commitments! That is the only way to live if we want God to bless us.

I want to be clear: according to the Bible, you just heard the gospel message. God has secured a kingdom and a king for his people. How did he secure it? Through the perfect life, death and the resurrection of the Anointed one, Jesus. His death secures all the blessings of God for the citizens of the kingdom. That is the gospel. It is a perspective of the gospel through the lens of Psalm 2. It is the fulfillment of the covenants of the Hebrew Scriptures! The gospel confronts our politics! The gospel reshapes and transforms our politics because politics often represents ultimate commitments and the desires for a good life. Politics hide our idols. Psalm 2, when we think through it like we are today, asks us to repent and to believe the good news of God’s kingdom and the king that he has selected.

It’s been said many times with this text: There is no refuge FROM the Son, there is only refuge IN the son. Our politics wants us to look a certain way. Vote a certain way. Parties are making use of spiritual tools like guilt and shame to make sure that people come on board. None of these parties have the only blessing that you need. Only Jesus does.

As we close, I want to make it abundantly clear that the gospel of Jesus is political because it is the good news of the Kingdom of God. That is bad news for the nations. It is abundantly good news that God has a plan for the entire world, not just our souls. God has chosen the best possible ruler to give the nations to. All nations are his. There is no nation that will not survive the wrath of the Son. G.K. Beale wrote a book titled “You Become What You Worship” which is based on passages like Psalm 115:4-8. Even though our idolatry does not look like little statues and such, a television can be a functional priest that is delivering the teachings of the gods to our hearts which in turns shapes and molds us into the images of what we worship. That is how we were created. We were created as images to image what we were created to worship. Sin makes us worship other things and, in turn, dehumanizes us and makes us dehumanize others. Kiss the Son. His kingdom is already going forth. He has already revealed his ethics and politics of his nation in places like the sermon on the Mount. When God is your king, then it doesn’t matter which party is in office because there is a greater and deeper kingdom already here that will be revealed when the King returns. “Blessed are ALL who take refuge in him.” In the name of the King of kings and the Lord of lords, Jesus the Messiah, the Anointed. Amen.