Psalm 2
A teacher was winding up a discussion in her fourth grade
class on the importance of curiosity.
Teacher: "Where would we be today if no one had ever been
curious?"
Child: "In the Garden of Eden?"
Introduction:
Why do people use Christ’s name as a curse?
They don’t say –
O Mohammed or O Allah
Jesus Christ’s name is upon the lips of more people who don’t know Him than on the lips of people who do know him.
Story--------------------------------
A little boy was caught swearing by his teacher.
"Jeffrey," she said, "you shouldn't use that kind of language. Where did you hear it?"
"My daddy said it," he responded.
"Well, it doesn't matter," explained the teacher, "you don't even know what it means."
"I do, so!" Jeffrey corrected. "It means the car won't start."
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Why is every cause a just cause in America
- Animal Rights
-The Environment
-Homosexuality
Why is every religion acceptable:
Hinduism
Islam
Native American
Wiccan and Pagan Religion
Mysticism
Occult
Taoism
Scientology
Unitarian
Except for Christianity?
As we Psalm 2 this evening, I think the answer to these questions will become obvious.
There is some evidence in both Jewish and Christian traditions that Psalm 2 was at one time joined to Psalm 1
This morning we considered
Two Men, Two Ways to live and Two Destinies presented to us in Psalm 1.
In Psalm 2 we have the result of the choice of continuing upon the wrong path and the consequences for doing so.
The doctrine of the two ways is continued in Psalm 2 and the way of the wicked becomes a cosmic revolt of the nations against God and His Anointed
1. Man’s Rebellion
2. God’s Reaction
3. Christ’s Exaltation
4. Holy Spirit’s Conviction
I. Man’s Rebellion
Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain
The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his Anointed One.
Let us break their chains and say, “Throw off their fetters”
The Nations here refers to the gentiles or those who don’t know the covenant keeping God of the Bible - YEHWEH
Spurgeon is quoted as saying,
“We have, in these first three verses, a description of the hatred of human nature against the Christ of God
The kings of the earth have a common enemy….Yahweh
All the nations are united in their hatred toward God.. and His Anointed One
They ascribe to the notion that
“The enemy of my enemy is my friend”
Why is this so?
Perhaps Gen 11 can shed some light on the question.
1 Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. 2 As men moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.
3 They said to each other, "Come, let's make bricks and bake them thoroughly." They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar.
4 Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth."
5 But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building.
6 The LORD said, "If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.
7Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other."
8 So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city.
9 That is why it was called Babel-- because there the LORD confused the language of the whole world. From there the LORD scattered them over the face of the whole earth.
So what was so wrong with gathering in cities and building a tower?
As always, God looks at our motivation and we discover that motivation in verse 4
4 Let us make a name for ourselves
In Is 63:11-14 we discover that the
the prerogative for making a name belongs to God.
11 Then His people remembered the days of old, of Moses. Where is He who brought them up out of the sea with the shepherds of His flock? Where is He who put His Holy Spirit in the midst of them, 12 Who caused His glorious arm to go at the right hand of Moses, who divided the waters before them to make for himself an everlasting name, 13Who led them through the depths? Like the horse in the wilderness, they did not stumble; 14As the cattle which go down into the valley, the Spirit of the LORD gave them rest. So didst Thou lead Thy people, to make for thyself a glorious name. NAS
In trying to make a name for themselves, mankind is trying to usurp divine prerogatives.
Psalm 2:3 Let us break their chains they say and throw off their fetters”
Human beings are trying to grasp at what does not belong to them and to assert that they are no longer bound by the limits which God has set!
We fail to recognize that God is God
And we try both individually
and corporately
to take God’s place.
The building of the city is an attempt to counteract the effects of the Fall.
Rather than going and filling the earth as they were commanded, they gathered in cities to create power.
Since the Fall, Man has desired to build a society that will enable him to live without reference to God
Every human institution is designed to replace dependence upon God
The root of sin is Rebellion
Rebellion against God’s Lordship and the assertion of human autonomy …
…with out the need for God
Man refuses to live in dependence upon the creator who is the Covenant Lord YAHWEH
This is where the wicked discover themselves to be….
…In a never ending confrontation with the creator of the Universe.
And what is God’s reaction to this human endeavor?
The One enthroned in Heaven laughs!
2. God’s Reaction 4-6
Who is this One who is enthroned in Heaven?
He is the Covenant YAHWEH of the OT
What is God’s reaction to man’s rebelliousness and attempts to live with out reference to Him?
His first reaction is Laughter
“This is the only place in the bible where God is said to laugh, and it is not a pleasant laugh.” – Boice
He Scoffs at them
It is understandable that men desire to repudiate God’s rule over them in favor of their own rule ,
…but the absurdity and folly of human beings is actually beyond belief.
How can mere human beings expect to rid themselves of God?
ILL. It’s like putting a dark mask over one’s eyes so that you can’t see the sunlight and therefore saying that the sun isn’t shining!
Man thinks that by defining things in his own terms, that definition becomes reality!
Men try to define God in their own terms and God becomes s weak, ignorant and powerless in their manufacture.
The god they produce is not the God of Revealed in the Scriptures
As someone once said,
“In the beginning God created man in His image and ever since man has been trying to return the favor”
Thus in our striving for independence from God, we make up a God of our own liking ..
.. and His response is derisive laughter… scoffing…
and rebuking that stems from Anger against rebellious human beings
When the scriptures speak of God’s anger, we ought to take notice.
Heb 10:31 It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
III. Christ’s Position ( Exaltation) 7-9
In response to Man’s rebellion and desire to be the King of His world,
HE who created the world and everything in it ….has declared the One who is to be
King and Sovereign over His creation
and installed Him upon His Holy Hill of Zion!
Who is the “me” in verse 7?
When we study the scriptures, we must keep in mind that the New Testament interprets the Old.
The words, “You are my Son” or
“ This is my beloved Son” were spoken of Jesus twice during his earthly ministry.
At Jesus’ baptism Matthew, Mark and Luke record that as Jesus came up out of the water And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."
Again at the transfiguration the synoptics record that God said,
“This is my Son whom I love; with Him I am well pleased
The other part of the verse in Psalm 2
“today I have become your Father”
is used by Paul in the first of his sermons recorded in Acts 13:33
Acts 13:32-39
32 "We tell you the good news: What God promised our fathers
33 he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus. As it is written in the second Psalm: "'You are my Son; today I have become your Father.'
34 The fact that God raised him from the dead, never to decay, is stated in these words: "'I will give you the holy and sure blessings promised to David.'
35 So it is stated elsewhere: "'You will not let your Holy One see decay.'
36 "For when David had served God's purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his fathers and his body decayed.
37 But the one whom God raised from the dead did not see decay.
38 "Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you.
39 Through him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses.
So who is the King who was installed upon Zion’s Holy Hill?
It is non other than Jesus, the Christ who was risen from the dead and never saw decay
Hebrews 2 quotes Psalm 8
Heb 2:7-8 You made him a little lower than the angels; you crowned him with glory and honor 8 and put everything under his feet."
In putting everything under him, God left nothing that is not subject to him.
Yet at present we do not see everything subject to Him., but there are still many who, like the rulers of the first three verses, resist him.
Verses 8 & 9 provide the great missionary challenge for the church for it is our assignment to carry the message of God’s decree and Christ’s rule to the world.
HE is sovereign over the whole world, whether the world acknowledges Him or not.
He is the Only One who has the ability to cause “nations” or “heathens” to come to him. (go-ee)
The nations refer to the godless gentiles.
Again the NT affirms in Phil 2
Phil 2:9-11
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
4. Holy Spirit’s Conviction
In John 16 Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would be sent to convict the world of Sin, Righteousness and Judgment.
In doing His work, He illumines our minds and warns us of our sin and its consequences.
It is the role of the Holy Spirit to draw us to Jesus.
In verse 10 He warns us to: BE WISE.
The seeking of Wisdom is a reoccurring theme throughout the Hebrew Scriptures
Wisdom is more than knowledge.
Webster’s says that
Wisdom is:
- the power to judge rightly and following the soundest course of action based on knowledge, experience, understanding
Illus:
Knowledge alone will not change us as any cigarette smoker can attest.
Spurgeon once said,
“Wisdom is the right use of knowledge.
To know is not to be wise.
Many men know a great deal and are all the greater fools for it.
There is no fool so great a fool as a knowing fool.
But to know how to use knowledge is to have wisdom
With the love and kindness that only God can exude, The Holy Spirit warns and directs
all those who continue to rebel
to be WISE
to turn from self and turn to Christ.
He says to each of us to be wise and heed the warning:
God’s wrath is something to fear!
Jesus said in Luke 12:4-5
4 "I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more.
5 But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him.
For as Prov 9:10 states "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
The Psalmist defines what it means to be wise:
“Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed in your way for His wrath can flare up in a moment.”
Kiss the Son… in grateful, loving submission…
That’s what the rulers will not do, of course.
That’s why they are in danger of a final fierce destruction.
Conclusion:
But the psalmist ends where he began in Psalm 1
1:1 Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked.
2:12 Blessed are all who take refuge in Him
We ended this morning by realizing that the Righteous Man of Psalm 1 is the Lord Jesus Christ.
By taking refuge in Jesus, the judgment of the wicked can be avoided.
Tonight we are going to hear from those who have kissed the Son.
Those who have come to understand that without trusting in Christ, in their own power, they would have remained among the wicked of Psalm 1 …
but tonight they are expressing the reality of their lives that they have taken refuge in the Son that God has provided