Psalm 2-God's Reign in a Restless World

Key Elements

In Psalm 2, the Psalmist emphasized the sovereignty and rule of Jesus over all things and pointed to His established kingship for His followers to look to in the midst of rebellious times.

Main idea of the message: In a world that seems chaotic and out of control, God is still on His throne and calls us to stop seeking control and to submit to the loving authority of Jesus Christ who reigns with power and purpose.

I want my audience to realize that true peace and security are not found in resisting God’s rule but in submitting to Jesus’ authority in our lives.

Intro

In our household, I have a saying that I go to a lot when we encounter problems or situations and it this, “Everything’s going to be alright.” In fact, I though about that being the title of the message today. And I’ll say that and my family will go “if you say so.” And there are times that I don’t even have to say it. I’ll start to say it and my family will go “we know, we know.” And being honest and transparent, there are sometimes I make that statement with the greatest confidence and then there are times I’ll say it and I look so confident on the outside but in my heart and my mind, I’m like “I’m not sure it’s going to be?” But I’ll say it and I’ll believe it because I know, mainly from past experiences, that in the end, because God is on the throne and He is sovereign in every situation, that no matter what happens and no matter how things work out, ultimately, “everything’s going to be alright.”

And as we continue our series in the Psalms entitled ANTHEM, and as we turn our attention to Psalm 2 today, ultimately, what we see is that because God is sovereign and because God is on His throne, everything’s going to be alright. For those who place their faith and trust in Him as Savior and Lord, we can rest assured that no matter what it looks like in the world around us, God is reigning and ruling. And that is so important for us to remember in the times that we live in. Because when we look around us, it seems like the world is out of control. It seems like we are standing on the edge of chaos most of the time. There’s such a restlessness that exists in this day and time and there’s the temptation to look at all of it and be fearful and anxious when comes to the current state of things in the world and when we think about the future our children and grand children will walk into. But the Psalm we are looking at today brings comfort for us. It brings peace to our souls. It calms our hearts and minds in the midst of these restless times because ultimately it shows us that God reigns in the midst of a restless world.

Message

Look with me at Psalm 2, the Psalmist writes...

So, as we dive into this Psalm today, here’s our main idea: In a world that seems chaotic and out of control, God is still on His throne and calls us to stop seeking control and to submit to the loving authority of Jesus Christ who reigns with power and purpose.

Background: The author of this Psalm is not identified immediately in the Psalm itself, but in Acts 4:25, the writer of the Psalm is identified as David. It’s classified as a Royal Psalm or a Coronation Psalm and it was read, beginning with the rule of King David, every time a king was coronated or installed in Israel. So, the Apostles believed that David wrote the Psalm about himself and that he has this prophetic vision of the kings that would follow him and ultimately that God would sit the Messiah on the throne to rule and reign forever. So, ultimately, this is a Messianic Psalm because ultimately it points its readers and us to the coming of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. And so every time a king was crowned in Israel and Psalm 2 is recited by the people, they are looking forward to the ultimate King who would reign forever. This Psalm is also quoted a great deal in the NT and it’s been used all throughout church history as a way for the early church to remind itself of God’s rule and reign during persecution and times of uncertainty.

You see, the great point of Psalm 2 is that its fulfillment is ultimately found in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. And what I really hope we walk away realizing today is that true peace and security are not found in resisting God’s rule but in submitting to Jesus’ authority in our lives.

So, let’s walk through this Psalm today and as we do, there are four principles we will see that reassure us of God’s Reign In A Restless World:

1. Human hearts are bent towards rebellion. (vs. 1-3)

We all resist God’s rightful rule over our lives. That’s just naturally how we are wired. It is not natural for us to submit or relinquish authority to anyone else. It’s in us naturally to push back against anyone or anything that tries to rule over us or subject us to a certain way of living or doing things. The truth is that no one wants to be told how to live their life. And it’s been that way since the beginning of time in the Garden of Eden. When Adam and Eve were presented with what they thought was a better way of living, with a false freedom where they thought they could rule their own lives, they made that choice. And we see the same thing in the culture today. I don’t think it has actually gotten any worse, because it’s always been there, but I think there are different tools more readily available to advance it into reality more quickly. We see rebellion on a global scale, we see it on a national scale, and we see it on a local scale. And this rebellion is what the Psalmist is putting into words here at the beginning of Psalm 2. Look at vs. 1-3...

Why? David asks. Why do the nations rebel against God? It’s really a rhetorical question he is asking because he’s amazed at the stupidity of the Gentile nations surrounding Israel and their anger and rebellion against God expressed in their violence towards Israel. You see, in that day and time, any time a new king came to the throne in Israel, the surrounding Gentile nations would try and test the strength and the leadership of that king by attacking and trying to overthrow their rule. This was a political move to defeat the king but it was also a spiritual move as well to prove the weakness of Israel’s God. And the reason they did this was Israel was seen as a blessed people, Israel was always attributing their success and their victories to the strength of God; and the surrounding nations rage in anger and plot and scheme for the ruin of the nation of Israel and for the humiliation of their God. But all of this is in vain, the Psalmist says. All of this is to no end because there is nothing they can do to stop the plan and the purpose of Israel’s God. And look at what they specifically say in vs. 3, “Let’s tear off their chains and throw their ropes off of us.” This is the attitude of the nations surrounding Israel who see their way of life and their serving of their God as bondage and imprisonment and oppression and being held back by laws and rules that keep them from living how they want to live. They think of God as a bondage-bringer. They think of the way He is calling them to live as a removal of their freedom.

As David writes this description of rebellion at its worse, he is painting the picture for his readers and for us of the desire of all human beings to come against God and rebel against His rule and reign in our lives. You see this harsh picture of humanity has to be understood for us to eventually realize the amazing grace shown to us by God through Jesus Christ His Son.

And the truth is we are all guilty of this. We are all rebellious in nature. I know that’s not what you want to hear today and the news does get better for us in just a moment but again, to realize the massive goodness and the grace of God in our lives we first have to come to terms with the fact that we are all rebellious sinners at our core. We are all bent towards rebellion and hatred of God. We all, as the Psalmist says here, live lives that “rage against God” at times. That desire to be free of what we would consider bondage and chains and ropes God has placed on our lives. And the reason that is is the same reason Adam and Eve made the choice they did in the Garden of Eden in Genesis, it’s that we think we know better how to live our lives than God does. Deep down, most of us think that God’s instruction to us, His Word that we talked about last week in Psalm 1, is ropes and bonds that are meant to restrain us. Just like the nations in vs. 1, we rage and we rebel against God and His Son Jesus. Jesus tells us to “love our neighbor and forgive those who hurt us” and that feels like ropes and chains to us; Jesus says “live with holiness and purity” and that feels like He’s taking all the fun out of our lives; Jesus says “give and serve and live with generosity” and we’re like “I can’t do that. That’s crazy.” And every time we resist, we are actually saying to God, “I know better than You. My way looks more free and I know better how to live my life than God does.” And in doing that we rage against God in our own lives.

Charles Spurgeon said this, “To a graceless neck the yoke of Christ is intolerable, but to the saved sinner it is easy and light…. We may judge ourselves by this, do we love that yoke, or do we wish to cast it from us?”

And I think we all at times live this way. We desire to cast off the yoke of Jesus on our lives for something that seems lighter but it ends up being a burden that is way too heavy for us to carry. All of our hearts are bent towards rebellion to the point that we all resist God’s rightful rule over our lives.

But....

2. God’s rule is unshaken by our rebellion. (vs. 4-6)

He has established Jesus as King and His plans cannot be stopped. (the crucifixion and resurrection)

How does God respond to our rebellion? Look at vs. 4...

I love that. He laughs. This is not like in a comical sense. God is not stressed out by our rebellion or the chaos and restlessness that He sees going on in the world. He is so powerful that He simply looks at the arrogance of humankind and laughs.

James Boice in his commentary on this says, “He does not even rise from where He is sitting. He simply laughs at these great imbeciles.”

And we see the reason why in vs. 5-6...

What is God’s response to our rebellion? His response was to send His Son Jesus Christ to be established as the eternal king and ruler of all things. You see, God has a plan and God has a purpose. And it doesn’t matter what happens in this world because there is nothing that can shake or unseat Jesus as King. God is sovereign and because of His sovereignty He is confident no matter who or what rises up against Him. And it’s not that He is laughing at our sin and rebellion because He thinks it’s funny. Sin is no laughing matter, in fact, sin is what evokes the wrath of a Holy God, because He cannot be in the presence of sin and rebellion. Our rebellion brings on the wrath of God and instead of responding with judgment, what does God do? He responds with grace. He laughs in confidence but He not only laughs, before He acts against our rebellion, He speaks a word of warning to all humankind. You see, God, who is holy, hates our sinfulness and rebellion. But in His mercy and grace, He offered His Son Jesus Christ who took on His wrath for our sin. Judgment is waiting for the unrepentant but grace is available to all who repent and turn to Jesus as Savior and Lord.

You see, God, in His love for us, knowing our sin and rebellion, sent His Son Jesus to be born as a human being. He lived a perfect sinless life. He set the example for all of us of what it means to live for the glory of God. The Bible said He came to His own but they rejected Him. In their sin and rebellion they raged against God and instead of crowning Jesus as King and submitting to Him, they crucified Him, which was all part of God’s plan. He died and was buried and on the third day was raised from the grave. And because of all of that, sin and death and the grave and the power of hell has been defeated; and Jesus is King. And nothing can defeat Him, because God’s rule is unshakeable. He is more powerful than our sin and He is more powerful than our rebellion.

How does our raging and rebellion affect God? Is He panicking? Is He calling an emergency session in heaven to try and come up with a solution? No. Because He already provided the solution. He sent His Son Jesus to eradicate the power of sin and to absorb the wrath of our rebellion on the cross.

Spurgeon again says this, “While they are proposing, He has disposed the matter. Jehovah’s will is don and man’s will frets and raves in vain. God’s Anointed is appointed, and shall not be disappointed.”

God has done what needed to be done, He has responded to our rebellion with grace. Jesus is King and His plans cannot be stopped.

Which leads us to the next principle...

3. Jesus reigns with divine authority. (vs. 7-9)

He has power over all things in heaven and on earth.

God sits enthroned in heaven as the sovereign Lord over all creation. What does he say in vs. 7-9...

In the original context of this Psalm, the kings of Israel, especially those in the line of David, used the language of adoption to communicate that their installation as King placed them in a unique relationship with God who had sovereignly put them there. On a grander scale, these words are pointing to their ultimate fulfillment in the eternal King Jesus Christ and His coming as the Messiah.

And in this language used here, we see authority, the authority of King Jesus. This is a king like no other. This is no ordinary king. This is a King with divine origin and divine inheritance as the Son of God. The NT writers quote this Psalm a lot. We see it in the Book of Hebrews, we see it in when the apostles preach, it’s in Acts 2 and Acts 4 and Acts 13. God Himself affirms Jesus’s divinity and authority during His baptism speaking for all creation to hear saying “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” All for the purpose of proving the divinity of the Messiah Jesus Christ and that Jesus is who He says He is. Jesus is the Son of God with all authority over all things in heaven, on earth, and under the earth. God has given Him all authority and He has the ultimate power over all things. And this power is emphasized even more in vs. 9, where he says… So, in ancient times in Israel, as a part of the installation of the king, they would set the crown on his head which symbolized his anointing, they would give him an orb which symbolized his wisdom, they would place a scepter in his hand which symbolized his authority, and then they would have servants come in a place vessels of baked pottery at his feet with the names of all the king’s enemies inscribed on them. And in a symbol of power, the king would take his scepter and smash the pottery into pieces. That’s the image of King Jesus here. The King who is so powerful and mighty and has all authority, so much so, that His enemies are like fragile clay pots before Him. What a powerful image.

So, if this is our king, if this is who Jesus is, what are we afraid of? Why are we so overcome with stress and anxiety and worry all the time? Why do we look at the restlessness in the culture around us and get overwhelmed? When our God reigns supremely in this restless world?

You see, because God’s rule is unshaken by our rebellion and because Jesus reigns with divine authority, we have nothing to fear.

Pastor Ross Lester gives us a great reminder, “When you are distressed by the rebellion of the world, look to Zion’s holy hill; when you are defeated by the rebellion of your own heart, look to Zion’s holy hill; for on that hill stands a rugged cross and on it the king of the world was set and established.”

He also says this, “Some of us, as followers of Jesus, are operating out of fear in our lives because we have declawed the Lion of Judah.”

You see, when we see Jesus as He truly is with all authority and all power, the things of this world get really small. Even though they are real and true, they pale in comparison to the power and authority of King Jesus.

Which is why this last principle is so key for all of us...

4. Wisdom is found is surrender to King Jesus. (vs. 10-12)

We submit and take refuge in Him.

Only one response makes sense to the Psalmist in light of all of this, it’s total and complete surrender. Look at vs. 10-12...

Because rebellion against the Lord is in vain, submission and surrender to the Lord is the wisest thing anyone can do. Basically, the Psalmist says there is no hope for those who resist the Lord, and offers a merciful invitation for the Gentile nations to turn to God and worship Him.

But this invitation is not just for those in that context, it is for all of us as well. It is for all people. What does he say? In light of the authority and the power of God, he says, “Be wise,” really think things through and reason things out. Truly consider who God is and who we are and do the wise thing. He says, “serve the Lord with awe and rejoice with trembling,” that’s a call to worship Jesus as King and to devote our lives to Him. And, “pay homage to the Son,” some versions read, “kiss the Son.” That’s the image of total submission. In that day it was bowing to the king and kissing his ring as the ultimate sign of surrender.

What’s the alternative? Psalm 2:12 “or he will be angry and you will perish in your rebellion, for his anger may ignite at any moment. All who take refuge in him are happy.”

Life lived in continued rebellion leads to death but total surrender and submission to Jesus is the way to life.

Application: What does it look like for us to live out Psalm 2?

1. We live in humility not resisting God’s authority but surrendering our lives and will to Jesus.

2. We live with confidence in God’s sovereignty not panicking but trusting that no matter how restless the world gets God is reigning.

3. We live under Jesus’s authority choosing Jesus as king.

4. We live with urgency approaching life with a mindset of sharing the Gospel with everyone.

5. We live taking refuge in Jesus not trying to control outcomes but resting in the security of God’s Son.

Closing

Does it seem like the world is out of control? Does It seem like we are standing on the edge of chaos most of the time? Yes. But we know everything is going to be alright because God reigns in the midst of a restless world.