The Reign of the Anointed One

Bible Passage: Psalm 2

Summary: Psalm 2 presents a powerful declaration of the sovereignty of God and His chosen King, highlighting the futility of opposing His plan and the ultimate victory of the Messiah.

Application: This passage can reassure believers of God's control over worldly powers and encourage them to trust in Christ's authority amid chaos and challenges in their lives.

Teaching: The sermon will teach that Jesus is the fulfillment of God's promises and the rightful King, calling us to submit to His lordship and find hope in His rule.

How this passage could point to Christ: This psalm foreshadows Christ's coming, emphasizing His role as King and Savior, and aligns with New Testament declarations of His authority over all nations (Matthew 28:18).

Big Idea: Ultimately, God is sovereign, and His plan for salvation through Christ will prevail against all opposition, inviting us to trust in His kingship.

Introduction

Hello everyone, I’m very glad to be with you once again! Today we will be in Psalm 2, which is considered a Royal Psalm. Please stand if your able for the reading of God’s word.

English Standard Version Psalm 2

1 Why do the nations rage

and the peoples plot in vain?

2  The kings of the earth set themselves,

and the rulers take counsel together,

against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying,

3  “Let us burst their bonds apart

and cast away their cords from us.”

4  He who sits in the heavens laughs;

the Lord holds them in derision.

5  Then he will speak to them in his wrath,

and terrify them in his fury, saying,

6  “As for me, I have set my King

on Zion, my holy hill.”

7  I will tell of the decree:

The LORD said to me, “You are my Son;

today I have begotten you.

8  Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,

and the ends of the earth your possession.

9  You shall break them with a rod of iron

and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”

10  Now therefore, O kings, be wise;

be warned, O rulers of the earth.

11  Serve the LORD with fear,

and rejoice with trembling.

12  Kiss the Son,

lest he be angry, and you perish in the way,

for his wrath is quickly kindled.

Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

Prayer

Lord, thank you once again for the opportunity and the grace to stand up here and teach your word. Lord, I ask that your word pierce our hearts and give us an understanding of the Kingship of your Anointed and what that means for us as Christians today. Lord, many of us showed up today for different reasons and with different burdens. We ask you to remove these burdens that we may take in your Word. In Jesus mighty name, Amen.

i. Hook

We live in strange days. What do I mean by that? We seem to be living in a time where we have little control of our circumstances. We are on the brink of calamity. At the micro level, we seem to not have full control of ourselves and our families. Right? We send our children to school and hope that nothing terrible happens to them. Hopefully they don’t get hurt or picked on. We hand our children off to teachers. We hope that they are decent people who want to teach our children and care for them. At work, maybe you hate your job, maybe you fear that you won’t have a job soon.

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At a macro level, we see that this world is on the brink of war. Many of the leaders that are directly involved don’t seem to be getting closer to peace. As peaceful as we see things here in this country, many young men are being killed weekly.

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What about the issues with the economy? Is this whole tariff thing going to affect my retirement account in a negative way? Will I be able to retire when I planned to?

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Artificial intelligence? What will this mean for my future? Will it affect my job security? I remember when I was young, and I worked a clerical job for Sports Illustrated. I remember the writers and editor’s made so much money and were very well respected. And about a year ago, I remember Sports Illustrated being caught publishing A.I. generated articles. Some industries will be forever changed because of A.I. Now, I’m not saying I’m against it, but the point is that, for some, it will cause fear.

We live in a fear inducing world!

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Martin Luther once said of our Psalm for today:

Psalms 1–50 Reflection and Response

The Holy Spirit … teaches and consoles us in this psalm so that we cling bravely to this King and think of Him much more than the tumults.… For it is a condition of His kingdom that it cannot exist without tumults … because Satan and the godless world cannot tolerate this King.

What did Martin Luther mean by this? The Spirit teaches us to cling to Christ, our King, in these tumultuous times. In fact, Christ comforts us, he states in John 16:33:

English Standard Version Chapter 16

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.

So, I could actually end here. Some of you would be happy if I do. But, I want to take some time out to see how it is that we have this Psalm, which is a Royal Psalm about a Davidic King, and how we link it to Jesus caring for us.

I think it’s important to understand the historical context to this Psalm. What is it, to whom was it written and what was it’s function.

ii. Contextual Setup

So, Psalm 2 is set against the backdrop of something called the Davidic Covenant. In other words, Psalm 2 builds on the promises of the Davidic Covenant found in 2 Samuel 2.

Generally, the Davidic covenant entails the following:

Lexham Survey of Theology The Davidic Covenant

David was promised a great name (

What I want to focus on is the eternal throne that was promised to David. You see, God promises David that his line will rule as Kings. These are human kings of Judah who understood themselves to be uniquely authorized and empowered as Yahweh’s adopted sons, according to many commentaries. In fact, 2 Samuel 7:14 “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.”

It may be strange to us to hear these Kings being called the Lord’s Anointed or the Son of God. But, throughout Scripture, we see these Kings being referred to as such. As a matter of fact, the word used to describe the King in Psalm 2 is Messiach in Hebrew or Christos in the Greek Septuagint. This is interesting because we refer to Jesus with those titles.

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But, as many of you know the office of the King did not last forever. In 586 B.C. the Babylonians conquered Judah and Israel had no more Kings.

Imagine that you were a faithful follower of God and you had the understanding that the Davidic line of Kings were eternal. Then, after being conquered, they were no more.

Theologian Temper Longman states:

Psalms: An Introduction and Commentary Psalm 2. The Lord and His Anointed

Once the monarchy had ended with Zedekiah and the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple at the hands of the Babylonians in 586 BC, then questions would have arisen in regard to the promise of the Davidic covenant in

iii. Main Idea

The idea of a monarchy sounds foreign to us. The only monarchs left are in title only. But we all have something to which we submit. Whether its yourself, an ideology, or some kind of habit. So I ask, who is the King that you submit to? Psalm 2 is calling us to submit to the true King… Jesus.

As we go through this passage, my hope is that come to understand that Jesus is the fulfillment of Psalm 2 and, once again, we are to submit to him and find refuge in Him.

1. Resistance Reaches Futility

Psalm 2:1-3

Explanation

Psalm 2:1 “Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?”

The Psalm begins with a question. But, I want you to understand that this question is also making two assumptions. I’ll get to that in a minute.

In Old Testament language, “the nations” refers to all those outside of Israel. So, for the audience, it is asking the question: Why are these gentile kingdoms raging against Israel. The Assyrians, Babylonians, etc. these are Israel’s enemies.

The verse also says “the peoples,” this is restating the idea that Israel’s enemies are both raging and plotting against them.

The first assumption we have is that the enemies of actively against the Lord and that their actions are in vain. They are raging and plotting in vain, why are they doing that?

The second assumption is that the raging and plotting are in vain. The efforts of those against the Lord and his people are in vain.

Psalm 2:2 “The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying,”

As we see here their is a type of parallelism that takes a line and restates it. This is a common device used in the Psalms. We see that the nations are against the Lord.

But, what is different here is that we are given a subject. The Lord’s Anointed. We already know who this is, right?

In the Hebrew test this is the mashiach. In the Greek Old Testament, the Septuagint, he is the Christos.

But again, this is referring to the human kings.

Psalm 2:3 ““Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.””

So, we see that the nations are making a statement now. The bonds and cords they are referring to is a symbol of slavery. The nations do not want to

Illustration

Argumentation

Application

Transition

In these verses, you could focus on the rebellion of nations against God's anointed, illustrating the futility of opposing divine authority. Perhaps this can lead into a discussion about humanity's natural inclination to resist God's rule, which ultimately cannot succeed. Maybe you'll emphasize the contrast between worldly power and God's eternal sovereignty, providing assurance that chaos in the world does not undermine Christ's ultimate reign. Encouragement can be found in knowing that temporal turmoil is subject to the everlasting King.

2. Reassurance in God's Response

Psalm 2:4-6

You could highlight God's response to rebellion, where He laughs and derides the futile attempts of earthly powers. Maybe this section emphasizes His decisive action in establishing His king on Zion. Perhaps there's power in recognizing that humans cannot thwart God, and that Christ's position is secure. Reassurance can come from seeing God's authority as unshakable, which invites believers to place their trust completely in Christ's indomitable rule, instead of fearing earthly instability.

3. Regal Rights Revealed

Psalm 2:7-9

In these verses, you might focus on the declaration of God's decree regarding His Son, affirming Jesus' divine authority and right to rule. Perhaps this portion invites listeners to consider the consequences of rejecting or accepting this authority. Maybe the imagery of nations as heritage can underscore the global reach and sovereignty of Christ's kingdom, providing hope that divine justice and salvation extend to all people. You could encourage believers to reflect on their submission to Christ's regal authority and the security it brings.

4. Reverence and Refuge in Christ

Psalm 2:10-12

Maybe in the concluding verses, you'll explore the invitation to wisdom and worship, calling the rulers to submit and serve with sincere fear and joy. This section might underscore the consequences of ignoring Christ's rule versus the blessing of refuge found in Him. Perhaps it is a moment for considering personal and collective submission to God's Anointed as a source of life and protection. Encouragement could come from the promise of blessing to all who trust in Christ, culminating the sermon with an appeal to recognize His lordship in every aspect of life.