Jesus is the only One True King
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Psalm 2
Psalm 2
Why are the nations in an uproar And the peoples devising a vain thing?
The kings of the earth take their stand And the rulers take counsel together Against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying,
“Let us tear their fetters apart And cast away their cords from us!”
He who sits in the heavens laughs, The Lord scoffs at them.
Then He will speak to them in His anger And terrify them in His fury, saying,
“But as for Me, I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain.”
“I will surely tell of the decree of the Lord: He said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.
‘Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, And the very ends of the earth as Your possession.
‘You shall break them with a rod of iron, You shall shatter them like earthenware.’ ”
Now therefore, O kings, show discernment; Take warning, O judges of the earth.
Worship the Lord with reverence And rejoice with trembling.
Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way, For His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!
Let’s Go back in history, 3,400 years ago.
“When you enter the land which the Lord your God gives you, and you possess it and live in it, and you say, ‘I will set a king over me like all the nations who are around me,’
you shall surely set a king over you whom the Lord your God chooses, one from among your countrymen you shall set as king over yourselves; you may not put a foreigner over yourselves who is not your countryman.
“Moreover, he shall not multiply horses for himself, nor shall he cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses, since the Lord has said to you, ‘You shall never again return that way.’
“He shall not multiply wives for himself, or else his heart will turn away; nor shall he greatly increase silver and gold for himself.
“Now it shall come about when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself a copy of this law on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests.
“It shall be with him and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, by carefully observing all the words of this law and these statutes,
that his heart may not be lifted up above his countrymen and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, to the right or the left, so that he and his sons may continue long in his kingdom in the midst of Israel.
Now, let us travel forward about 400 years into Israel’s history
Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah;
and they said to him, “Behold, you have grown old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint us a king to judge us like all the nations.”
But the matter was displeasing in the sight of Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed to the Lord.
And the Lord said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people regarding all that they say to you, because they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being King over them.
Like all the deeds which they have done since the day that I brought them up from Egypt even to this day—in that they have abandoned Me and served other gods—so they are doing to you as well.
Now then, listen to their voice; however, you shall warn them strongly and tell them of the practice of the king who will reign over them.”
So Samuel spoke all the words of the Lord to the people who had asked him for a king.
And he said, “This will be the practice of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and put them in his chariots for himself and among his horsemen, and they will run before his chariots.
He will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to do his plowing and to gather in his harvest, and to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots.
He will also take your daughters and use them as perfumers, cooks, and bakers.
He will take the best of your fields, your vineyards, and your olive groves, and give them to his servants.
And he will take a tenth of your seed and your vineyards and give it to his high officials and his servants.
He will also take your male servants and your female servants, and your best young men, and your donkeys, and use them for his work.
He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his servants.
Then you will cry out on that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the Lord will not answer you on that day.”
Yet the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel, and they said, “No, but there shall be a king over us,
so that we also may be like all the nations, and our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.”
God chose Saul knowing he would fail. God rose up Saul for His purposes and to show the people their need for Him as their Savior. After Saul, God chose David, one after His heart.
King David, Solomon, then no more kings would speak to God. Not until Jesus.
God used prophets to deliver His message.
John Frame “The prophet becomes the mediator of the divine word whenever the king ceases to embody covenant fidelity.”
Bruce Waltke, “the monarchy forfeits the privilege of direct revelation because it has itself become the object of judgment.”
Tremper Longman III: “Prophets were raised up because kings, almost without exception, failed in their covenant responsibilities.”
D.A. Carson: “stand above the king because they speak the Word that judges the king.” Prophets become the mouthpiece of God, not kings.
Three passages dealing with earthly rulers:
Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.
Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.
For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same;
for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil.
Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience’ sake.
Remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed,
to malign no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing every consideration for all men.
Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority,
or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right.
For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men.
Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God.
Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.
Earthly rulers are:
Allowed by God to be in authority
There to punish evil doers, those who break the law
God’s role in earthly rulers:
Established by God.
Used for God’s Purposes, not ours.
Our response to earthly rulers: Honor, not fear. Respect, not blind obedience.
There had been about a Millenia since God spoke directly to a king. And about 600 years without a king of their own. Then Jesus entered!
But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.
Jesus answered, “You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above; for this reason he who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.”
Christians do not excuse evil
Christians do not give blind loyalty
Christians do not place hope in politics
But we:
Speak truth without hatred
Resist sin without violence
Submit where conscience allows
Disobey where obedience to God is threatened
This sets up the expectation for the coming of a perfect King–Prophet
From this point forward, Israel starts looking for:
A King who will hear God perfectly
A Prophet who will speak God perfectly
A Priest who will intercede perfectly
This prepares the way for Jesus.
After Solomon:
Kings were unfaithful
Priests were compromised
Prophets were persecuted
When they had approached Jerusalem and had come to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,
saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied there and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to Me.
“If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.”
This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:
“Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold your King is coming to you, Gentle, and mounted on a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’ ”
When they had been released, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them.
And when they heard this, they lifted their voices to God with one accord and said, “O Lord, it is You who made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and all that is in them,
who by the Holy Spirit, through the mouth of our father David Your servant, said, ‘Why did the Gentiles rage, And the peoples devise futile things?
‘The kings of the earth took their stand, And the rulers were gathered together Against the Lord and against His Christ.’
“For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel,
But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared,
He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we did in righteousness, but in accordance with His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,
whom He richly poured out upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior,
so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
John Calvin: “Christ gathers into himself the offices that had been shattered among men.”
Christ becomes:
The Perfect King for He reigns with righteousness!
The Perfect Prophet because He is the Word!
The Perfect Priest who intercedes forever!
John Goldingay: “Jesus stands where the kings failed. He is the king who does not need a prophet, because he is the Word of God made flesh.”
And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war.
His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself.
He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.
And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses.
From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty.
And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”
Pray.
