The True King | Psalm 2

Ok 4 & 5 year olds you guys are dismissed to go on upstairs. If the rest of you have your Bibles, and I hope you do, go ahead and grab them and head on over to Psalm 2.

I was on the phone with a pastor buddy of mine a couple weeks ago and he talked about how he remembers when it felt like you’d just sprint till you got to summer knowing that you’d get to slow down and now you sprint to summer so that you can pick up the pace. I don’t know if it’s been that way for you, but it definitely has been for us. And yes, we brought it upon ourselves, so I’m not complaining.

This week I needed to run out to Georgia and check on a guy who grows watermelons that I do some business with, and opportunity opened up for me to have some fun on the trip. Me & Sawyer left and went and watched a World Cup game in Cowboys stadium. If you’re not a soccer fan, you need to watch some World Cup games. I think it has become my favorite sport. We can argue over this later.

We watched England & Croatia play. We didn’t have a dog in the fight, so I really didn’t care who won. It was hard to pull for England on America’s 250th anniversary, but they did get the win 4-2. It was a lot of fun getting to experience the different cultures and see how the fans supported their teams. What was real interesting was listening to the national anthems before the game. Don’t know why that stood out to me so much but it did. I probably should’ve known this, but England’s national anthem is God Save the King and man did they sing it. Or shout it. They were proud and they were loud.

While the king of England may serve in more of a ceremonial role than a real ruling role today, the anthem still stresses the desire for the king to live a long and prosperous life. As goes the king, so go the people. And while we may look at our own form of government and believe it to be a better way, reality is that we all are living under the rule and reign of some king. Or we’re seeking a king. Someone who can decide what’s best. Someone who can lead us forward into life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Some of us think the right form of government, or as long as the right elected leaders are in the right positions that we can have and experience freedom. Others, we’re true Texans. Don’t tread on me. No one tells me what to do. We want to be kings of our own lives, determiners of our own destinies. The only king we submit to is ourselves.

Now I’m not just talking to adults. Kids, teenagers, I’m speaking to you too. I remember what it was like to be 5 years old. I didn’t like being told what to do. In fact, I still don’t really like being told what to do—ask my wife. But what Psalms 2 is going to show us today is that there is a true king, and in doing so it’s going to force us to ask the question:

Main Point: Will you take refuge in the King?

So, follow along with me as I read Psalm 2. I’ll read, we’ll respond, and then I’ll pray. Psalm 2.

Psalm 2 ESV

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.

This is God’s Word for God’s people. And we respond: Thanks be to God. Let’s go to him in prayer.

Keller was really helpful to me this week on this Psalm, and after I finished my outline I realized his wording for the points was just better than mine, so I borrowed it.

Right out of the gate, the Psalm exposes something about the human heart that we don’t naturally want to admit…

We hate the king.

Psalm 1-2 really fit together. If you’ll remember when we looked at Psalm 1 it showed us what the unblessed man looks like…there’s this progressive slope where he walks, stands, and then sits scoffing. What is shown in Psalm 1 on the private level is now taken and expounded to a public level in chapter 2. Martyn Lloyd-Jones used the illustration of the ocean. Sometime you go to the ocean and it looks glass still, but you know there’s still movement underneath. So it is in our personal lives and in the lives of the nations. Everything seems calm, everything seems ok, but sin still lingers. It still moves underneath affecting how nations live and move.

Other times you go to the beach and the waves are crashing, the wind is blowing nothing is calm. Sometimes sin seems to win. Oppression, wars, lust, power—the lure to it seems irresistible & dominating. This is what it means to rage.

But this doesn’t just happen by chance. No the peoples plot. The word used for plot in chapter 2 is the same word used in chapter 1 for meditate. The blessed man meditates on the law of the Lord. Here in chapter 2 the nations meditate or plot on how to break free from the the Lord’s anointed.

The inward working of associating, identifying and fixating has now caused kings to scoff at the Lord. They reject him, his work, and most importantly his anointed one or his Messiah. They seek to find a way to break loose from his rule & reign.

One scholar points out though, “It is not just the political powers of this world which have no desire to be ruled by him. There is scarcely a commercial or intellectual or cultural interest anywhere on earth which would not resent his claims on it.”

All you have to do is take a minute to look at your news to see this to be true. Just ask the question next time you hear a news story or read an article—who’s kingdom is this portraying? They might dress it up to make it sound good, but really they’re just promoting “the right” senator or congressman or president—arguing that if they were in office then all of our problems would be solved. Or at least we’d be on the right track to “get us back to where we used to be.” But what exists on a macro level is just a reflection of what’s going on inside our own individual hearts and minds.

We tend to be people that are more interested in our own promotion than we are the exaltation of the King. Isn’t that why we act good? We behave, we’re seemingly moral people; we do or say the right thing so that others will have a high view of us. I think it was Keller who said something along the lines of the best way for us to avoid needing Jesus is for us to be too good for him. If we just live the upright, moral life no one can say anything against us, but really that’s just the shiny way of rejecting the king. That’s the “get the right person in office so I can be my own king” mindset, and believing that you are that king.

You see, what rules and reigns us isn’t the Lord & his anointed—its our passions. It’s our emotions. It’s our desires. It’s our need to be seen in a certain light. And when our hearts aren’t ruled by the king what are we actually declaring?

But here’s what’s fascinating about Psalm 2—this isn’t just describing ancient nations. Acts 4:24-28 actually tells us that the greatest expression of humanity’s hatred for God’s King happened at Calvary itself.

Acts 4:24–28 ESV

And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit, “ ‘Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers were gathered together, against the Lord and against his Anointed’— 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, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.

The roles of kings & rulers here are filled by Herod & Pilate, and those of nations & peoples are those who stood around—both Jew & Gentile—who would yell crucify him. But their rejection of the King, their crucifixion, their bursting their bonds and casting away of their cords were all to serve the plan God’s sovereign hand had in place. Their ruling passions, emotions, desires may have led the Lord’s anointed to the cross, but our sin placed hi their too. The same rebellion that cried, “Crucify Him” still lives in the human heart. And while sin may have resulted in his death, it couldn’t keep Him in the grave. Which testifies to the reality that while we may hate the king, we still have a king. Which is our second point.

We have a king.

It’s absurd, isn’t it, to think that if there truly is a God who spoke creation into being and by the word of His power he upholds it with his right hand, that one could actually rebel against him? The God who sits enthroned in heaven, who sees all things, and rules all things has established His King. And yet humanity still hates this king.

The Lord laughs at man’s attempts to overthrow his king. But his laughter isn’t one of just pity, it’s one of action. He hold them in derision is how the ESV translates that word. It’s the same word found back in chapter 1 as the word scoff. His laughter isn’t jovial; it’s judgemental. It moves him to respond toward their feeble attempts by speaking to them in wrath.

If the giving of the law on Sinai terrified them so that they sent Moses to hear from him, how much more terrifying must it be for those who fall under the scoffing of the God of heavens and earth?

While the kings of earth seek to set themselves in places of authority and position. The Lord responds in verse 6 by saying Psalm 2:6 ““As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.””

One author points out, “The I is emphatic, and the tone must be one of cold anger: ‘You may conspire and rebel, but I, you see, have already decided who shall finally rule in your world. I have spoken, and there’s an end of it.’ You see, the Lord has established this king. No attempt to overthrow him will succeed.

And he’s proven that he is king because of where he reigns. The Lord set him on Zion. This is the place where God’s presence dwells. This is the place where all worship exists. And this is the place where Jesus currently sits. Paul points towards this in Eph. 1:20-23

Ephesians 1:20–23 ESV

that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

But he doesn’t just exist in heaven subjugating all creation. He’s actively doing something for those who know Him as king. The author of Hebrews tells us he is living to make intercession for us. He’s actively, currently praying for you. When you draw near to this kings throne he grants grace & mercy. When you stumble and fall he advocates for you. In other words, if Jesus is your King, when you sin he steps in when Satan accuses and says, no, this one’s mine & I have paid his debt. What other king works like this on our behalf? We don’t even do that for ourselves!

No, when we sin we don’t draw near to the throne of grace to receive grace & mercy, because we’re above that. We’re “ok.” We don’t need to humble ourselves to that level because of what might be said of us. That’s for other people who are worse off. We don’t need someone to advocate for us…we can advocate for ourselves but proving what we can do…by showing our own righteousness.

We have a king because the Lord established him. We have a king because of where he reigns. And Psalm 2 shows us we have a king because of what he does. He is the only king of whom God said, “this is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased.”

The Scriptures testify that the king is Jesus. and they tell us that his reign is comprehensive. The same King who intercedes for His people also judges those who persist in rebellion against him. One day every enemy will fall beneath his feet, for as Rev. 19:15 says,

Revelation 19:15 ESV

From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.

The wrath of this king doesn’t contradict the love of this king. And, “When he comes, his enemies will indeed be dashed like pieces of a potter’s dry, clay vessel. Allen Ross explains this imagery:

There was this Egyptian custom in which the name of each city under the king’s dominion was written on a little jar and placed in the temple of his god. If the people in a city rebelled, pharaoh would go and smash that city’s little jar in the presence of it’s deity. That act would stir up fear in the hearts of the people. If that’s true of pharoah and some idol made with hands, how much more swiftly and easily will the king who has all authority of heaven behind him crush whatever rebellion there is against him?

You see there is a king. These aren’t figures of speech. They aren’t platitudes. They’re statements of reality. Yet for many of us we live as if this king doesn’t exist. Or maybe his existence only affects us after death. But all that does is further prove the third point of this psalm:

We need the King.

There is some irony in this Psalm. When you elect an official you do so because you think they’re the best or the wisest choice to lead. Yet here we have the David calling for kings to be wise. The one’s who are supposed to be wise, haven’t been. The ones who are supposed to take heed are having to be instructed that they need to pay attention. But wisdom and warning doesn’t just mean to have your head on a swivel. It doesn’t mean that, as we discussed earlier that you’re watchful. No, “the Bible never drives a wedge between authority and truth, or between wisdom and obedience.”

To know the truth, to truly recognize his authority, means that you live in obedience to Him. But Derek Kinder, a brilliant Old Testament scholar points out, “[This] is an invitation rather than an ultimatum; grace breaks through completely in the closing line…The final beatitude leaves no doubt of the grace that inspires the call of verse 10. What fear and pride interpret as bondage is in fact security and bliss.” Hear this, “There is no refuge from him: only in Him.”

You see, to live outside of the rule of this King is to have to face this king. And we just spent 5 minutes talking about the grandeur of who he is. To think that we have something to say against him; to imagine that life is better outside of his rule; to assume we can break away from him or undermine or subvert his authority is foolishness. But the glory of Psalm 2 isn’t that we have to make up for our hatred of the king. By grace, through faith, we take refuge in Jesus as king. But what does that mean? The core of the last stanza shows us.

I want to work backwards through this…In order to take refuge in him you must first kiss the son. You get the idea here of one walking into a great throne room with the king sitting on his throne. As a sign of submission you bend the knee and kiss the ring of the king or maybe even kiss his feet. It’s a humbling act, but it’s the only one appropriate for the audience. To not kiss the Son is to stand in opposition to him. It’s to not recognize his authority.

But to bend the knee is to find him to be your King. And here’s what’s amazing about this…who is invited into the throne room to kiss the son? The very one’s who’ve plotted to overthrow the rule and reign of the King. You see this truly is an invitation fueled with grace. And when we receive that grace and we recognize the king we find that we have all of heaven’s authority over us which grants all of heavens blessings to us. You then have the king as your advocate, intercessor, protector.

This assumes, however, that you’ve been standing outside of the throne room. It sees you as standing in opposition to him. There is an acknowledgement that you’ve not taken refuge in him. You haven’t always existed here. So to take refuge is to Kiss the Son. It’s to bend the knee and acknowledge his Lordship over every area of your life. Not just your Sundays. Not just your morals. To receive Jesus as King is to give every square inch of your life to him.

Have you done that? Have you surrendered all to Jesus? Have you bowed the knee and kissed the son? There is no other refuge outside of him. For those in the room that haven’t truly surrendered to Jesus the call of Psalm 2 for you today is to do nothing more than bow the knee. It’s to see where you have and where you do stand. In humility cry out to Him and find him to be the ruler your heart truly needs. Find him to be the place you are safe from His fury.

But Ps. 2 doesn’t just leave us with bending the knee. These last two verses are ultimately displays of submission, but it verse 11 gives us two other action steps:

Psalm 2:11 ESV

Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

The word fear is used throughout the Scripture and one that we’ve looked at frequently. “Biblical fear is not terror that drives you from God, but reverence that draws you near to Him.” This word is found in Jonah 1:5 where the sailors were afraid of the storm. It’s also used in Ex. 18:21 to describe men who revere the Lord. Allen Ross explains what it means then here in Psalm 2 to fear. He says, “One who fears God is drawn to him in love, adoration, and amazement because of his power and glory, but because of his power and glory one also shrinks back in reverence and even fear.”

You see to serve him is to live a life that is oriented under his kingship. It’s why Psalms 1 says that the blessed man is the one who delights in his law and meditates on it day and night. It is to be drawn to him. It’s to have desires and affection, thoughts and actions, our relationships and our ambitions shaped by His word. Yet at the same time, it’s to recognize that to reject him is to face the wrath that causes us to perish. Hebrews 10:31 “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

And while it stirs up fear, at the same time the reality of a king who doesn’t reject me for my failures, but instead came to me and advocates for me doesn’t leave me in a fearful, frozen state.

This king wasn’t one that just saw our attempts at throwing off of his reign and laughed at us and banished or executed us for our high treason. This king came for us. He didn’t allow our treason to go unpunished but instead he bore the punishment for us. Now through faith in his payment we might submit to His Lordship. We might take his yoke upon us. We might find that he is the only king in which we can take refuge. We might actually rejoice.

The good news of Jesus doesn’t just save us, it carries us forward. It causes to both serve with fear and rejoice with trembling because it causes us to see who He is and who we are. We need the king to show us this and praise be to God that He has come.

He’s come now full of grace and mercy, but as this Psalm has shown us, there is a day coming in which we he will complete his reign. He will dash into pieces those who stand in opposition to him. His wrath will be seen for what it is. So this leaves us with one big question: What have you taken refuge in? What king are you trusting in to deliver you?

Psalm 2 reaches all of us this morning. It confronts the comfortable. You may know right now that you’ve never kissed the son. Others may have, but have turned away and have begun to take refuge in something else. You may functionally be living for another king. We do that when we look to Jesus for eternal salvation, but don’t allow him to save us from the every day of life. We begin trust in something else to satisfy you, grant you peace or purpose, or to give us approval.

Yet while it confronts, at the same time it comforts. We have a king. His rule and reign is establish. And you may look around at your life right now and the shambles that it feels like it is in, or be painfully aware of the uncertainty the future holds. But this King doesn’t just rule in heaven, he came to us.

So the call for all of this morning is to take refuge in the king. He is the only shelter that can protect you from the storms of life, but more than that, he’s the only one who can bear the wrath of God for you. Take refuge in the king. Let’s pray.