Latest / Reformed Thinking / Psalm 2: The Reign of Christ the King | Charles Spurgeon
Transcript
- 0:00Welcome to Reformed Thinking. Today we're doing a deep dive
- 0:02into a really foundational piece of scripture.
- 0:05We are. We're looking at Psalm 2.
- 0:07And specifically through the lens of Charles Spurgeon's
- 0:10insights. He gave it quite a title, didn't
- 0:12he? He did the Psalm of Messiah, the
- 0:14Prince. That designation itself tells
- 0:16you a lot about Spurgeon's focus here.
- 0:18Absolutely. So our mission today is really
- 0:22to get into the structure, this four part structure Spurgeon
- 0:25highlights, and you'll see that contrast the fury of human
- 0:29rebellion versus, well, God's unshakable plan.
- 0:33Right. It's a Psalm packed with drama
- 0:35theology. It's got it all.
- 0:36But to really get it, we need to understand it's sort of dual
- 0:39nature first. OK, dual nature.
- 0:42You mean how it talks about David but also someone else?
- 0:45Exactly. On one level, the literal level,
- 0:48it's about King David. You know, him being established
- 0:50on his throne in Zion, facing opposition from neighboring
- 0:53kings. History backs this up.
- 0:55We see that struggle in Samuel and Chronicles.
- 0:57It makes sense historically. It does.
- 0:59That's the type, you could say. But then the language, it just
- 1:02escalates, doesn't it? Spurgeon notes.
- 1:04It becomes too bold and glaring for just David.
- 1:08How so? Well, the promises, the scope of
- 1:11dominion. It points beyond an earthly
- 1:14king. It ascends, as Spurgeon puts it,
- 1:16to the person and concerns of the spiritual David who is Jesus
- 1:20Christ. That's the anti type, the real
- 1:22subject. So David's experience being
- 1:24attacked but divinely installed. It's like a shadow, a preview.
- 1:28A perfect preview. You have the human king,
- 1:30established by God's decree, facing rebellion, and this
- 1:34points directly to the ultimate king, the Son of God,
- 1:36established eternally, facing the rebellion of the whole
- 1:39world. And Spurgeon says these two
- 1:41meanings, the literal and the allegorical, they work together.
- 1:44Yes, perfectly, he says. They conspire in perfect
- 1:47harmony, their distinct one human, one divine.
- 1:49But they show this wonderful resemblance.
- 1:52It shows God's plan unfolding, moving from David's Kingdom to
- 1:55the Messiah's ultimate reign. It's really the story of Christ
- 1:58the Prince. OK.
- 1:59That makes sense. And this focus, this messianic
- 2:01focus gives us the structure for our deep dive today, right?
- 2:04You mentioned 4 parts. Exactly.
- 2:06Spurgeon saw, and it's quite clear in the text that the Psalm
- 2:10unfolds in four stanzas, 3 verses each.
- 2:12It's very neat, very deliberate. Like acts in a play sort.
- 2:15Of Yeah Act 1 verses one to three, the conflict starts.
- 2:18The nations are raging. OK Act 2 verses 4 to 6, the view
- 2:22shifts to heaven. The Lord derides them.
- 2:26Right, the divine reaction. Act 3, verses 7 to 9.
- 2:29The king speaks. The son proclaims the decree his
- 2:32authority. And his inheritance.
- 2:34And his inheritance, yes. And finally, Act 4 verses 11:50,
- 2:38the practical application advice is given to the rebellious
- 2:41kings. A warning, really.
- 2:43So it moves from Earth's chaos to Heaven's decree to the Sun's
- 2:47authority, and ends with a call to submit.
- 2:49Precisely A logical, powerful progression.
- 2:52All right, let's jump into act one.
- 2:53Then verses one to three, it kicks off with that incredible
- 2:55question. Why do the heathen rage?
- 2:59It sounds almost perplexed, like why would anyone do this?
- 3:02It is an astonished question, isn't it?
- 3:04And that word rage, the Hebrew regash, It's very graphic,
- 3:08Spurgeon points out. It means this outward furious
- 3:11agitation, like a storm tossed sea.
- 3:14Roaring waves. Total chaos.
- 3:16Exactly. Tumultuous commotion.
- 3:19Public, visible unrest aimed against God's order.
- 3:23And I remember you mentioning the Greek translation used in
- 3:25Acts adds another layer. Yes, the word used there,
- 3:28fruasso, apparently suggests the snorting and restiveness of a
- 3:32high metal warhorse. Think of a powerful animal
- 3:35straining against the rains, rushing into battle
- 3:37uncontrollably. So it's not just quiet
- 3:39disagreement, it's active, proud, violent opposition.
- 3:43Fierce enmity. It's visceral.
- 3:46But importantly, it's not just mindless violence.
- 3:48The Psalm says the kings of the earth set themselves and the
- 3:51rulers take counsel together. This is organized.
- 3:53Oh, absolutely. This isn't a random mob,
- 3:55Spurgeon emphasizes the determined malice.
- 3:57They are deliberately planning, strategizing, pooling their
- 4:00resources, their political power, their wisdom.
- 4:03Such as it is specific against the Lord and against His
- 4:06anointed. They're setting themselves in
- 4:07battle array. With careful planning, they take
- 4:11counsel. It's calculated.
- 4:13It's leadership directing the rebellion.
- 4:15This is high treason against the King of Heaven.
- 4:17And what exactly is their goal? What's their rallying cry?
- 4:20It's right there in verse three. Let us break their bands asunder
- 4:24and castaway their cords from us.
- 4:27Bands and cords, What do they think those are?
- 4:29They see God's laws, his good righteous life, giving laws, the
- 4:34sweet laws of Christ's Kingdom as Spurgeon calls them, as
- 4:37chains, as signs of slavery. So they want freedom.
- 4:40They want what they think is freedom, which is actually
- 4:42lawlessness. They want to be their own gods,
- 4:45basically to throw off any divine restraint, any
- 4:48accountability, Spurgeon says. The yoke of Christ is
- 4:51intolerable to a graceless neck. It's the age-old desire to be
- 4:55autonomous, isn't it? Like in the garden.
- 4:56Precisely rejecting God's rule to establish their own.
- 5:00But right away the psalmist dismisses all this planning and
- 5:03fury. He calls it a vain thing.
- 5:05Why vain? Why is it doomed from the start?
- 5:07Because the outcome they imagine, overthrowing God's
- 5:10anointed, is impossible. It's successless.
- 5:13Their plotting is futile. Spurgeon uses the image of
- 5:16weaving a spider swab. Intricate.
- 5:18Maybe. Clever looking.
- 5:19Why? Fine threads, lots of effort,
- 5:21but ultimately it provides no covering, achieves nothing
- 5:25lasting, and it's just going to be swept away.
- 5:28They're laboring for nothing because they're fighting against
- 5:30an established divine reality. History seems to bear this out
- 5:34constantly. You mentioned Diocletian before.
- 5:37That's a stark example. It really is Diocletian Roman
- 5:41Emperor, late 3rd early 4th century.
- 5:44He unleashed this massive systematic persecution.
- 5:48His goal wasn't just to suppress Christianity, it was to
- 5:51extinguish it, wipe it off. The map.
- 5:53Completely. And he thought he'd succeeded.
- 5:55Around 3O3AD he was so confident he actually struck medals and
- 5:59put up monuments. Monuments declaring victory over
- 6:02Christianity. Yes, inscriptions basically
- 6:04saying Christianity is finished, the name of Christians being
- 6:07extinguished, he declared mission accomplished.
- 6:09But well, you know the history. Within about 10 years,
- 6:12Constantine issues the Edict of Milan.
- 6:15Christianity is legalized not long after it becomes the
- 6:19dominant religion of the empire. The very thing Diocletian
- 6:23claimed to have destroyed was on the brink of its greatest
- 6:26earthly triumph. So his victory monument becomes
- 6:29a. Monument to his own failure to
- 6:30the psalmist point. It was a vain thing.
- 6:33No human power, no matter how organized or malicious, can
- 6:36overturn God's decree concerning His Son.
- 6:39That futility provides the perfect transition to Act 2
- 6:41verses 4 to 6. The scene shifts dramatically,
- 6:44doesn't it, from Earth's noisy council rooms.
- 6:47To the serene majesty of heaven. A complete change of atmosphere.
- 6:50So while the kings are plotting and raging, what's God's
- 6:54reaction? How does he respond to this
- 6:57pathetic rebellion? His posture tells you
- 6:59everything. Verse four.
- 7:00He that sitteth in the heavens. He's seated, calm, secure,
- 7:04infinitely above it all. No piercing anxiously.
- 7:06Not at all. He's viewing their frantic
- 7:08efforts, their armies, their councils from a position of
- 7:11absolute, untroubled sovereignty.
- 7:13It's all insignificant from his vantage point.
- 7:15And his first reaction isn't fury, it's laughter.
- 7:20He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh.
- 7:22The Lord shall have them in derision.
- 7:24That can sound a bit harsh. Maybe it?
- 7:27Can if we misunderstand it? Spurgeon clarifies.
- 7:29This isn't malicious Glee. It's the laughter of absolute
- 7:33confidence. It flows from knowing how
- 7:35utterly absurd, how irrational, how futile their attempts are.
- 7:39Like an adult watching a toddler trying to push over a brick
- 7:41wall. Exactly.
- 7:42There's no threat. God doesn't need to exert
- 7:44himself. His breath alone could dissipate
- 7:46their plans. The laughter signifies the
- 7:49rebellion's complete powerlessness before him.
- 7:52It's divine scorn for their foolishness.
- 7:54OK, so first the derision, the laughter of certainty, but then
- 7:58he speaks and as Spurgeon calls as a very galling sentence, what
- 8:02does he say? Right when their fury is at its
- 8:04peak, God drops this bombshell in verse 6.
- 8:07Yet have I set my king upon my holy hell of Zion?
- 8:10Yet that word is doing a lot of work there.
- 8:12It's everything it means, despite all your plotting,
- 8:15despite your rage, despite your counsel.
- 8:17I've already done it. Precisely.
- 8:18I have set past tense while there's scheming to prevent it.
- 8:23God declares the appointment is already made.
- 8:25The matter is settled. His eternal counsel stands.
- 8:29Jehovah's will is done. Man's will just frets in vain.
- 8:33That's the core message. Christ is king, His reign is
- 8:36established. That's the security of the
- 8:38believer, the security of the church.
- 8:40It's a done deal and the. Location is specific.
- 8:43My holy hill of Zion. Literally, that's Jerusalem,
- 8:45David's capital, but spiritually.
- 8:47Spiritually, Zion is the preeminent type or symbol of the
- 8:51Gospel church. So when God says he said his
- 8:54King there, it means Christ reigns in and through his
- 8:57church. In what way?
- 8:58Spurgeon sees A2 fold reign from Zion.
- 9:01First, the throne of grace, Christ ruling in the hearts of
- 9:04his people by love. Second, the throne of power,
- 9:06Christ ruling as head over all things for the Church, governing
- 9:10the universe for the good of his chosen people.
- 9:12Zion is his headquarters, his special dwelling place.
- 9:15So the. Church is where his kingship is
- 9:17particularly manifested and administered.
- 9:19Right. It's where his people are
- 9:20gathered, protected and ruled. You also mentioned an
- 9:23interesting etymological point about the word Zion itself from
- 9:27the Hebrew. Yes, Sion one possible route
- 9:30meaning relates to speculum, a watchtower or a place offering a
- 9:33distant view. A vantage point.
- 9:35Exactly. And Spurgeon draws a spiritual
- 9:38application. The Church is called Zion
- 9:40because it's the place from which believers by faith view
- 9:44heavenly realities, things that are afar off.
- 9:46So members of the church are meant to be Watchmen seers.
- 9:49In a sense, yes. True viewers, Watchmen in the
- 9:52Spirit, Spurgeon says their role residing in Zion is to keep
- 9:56watch, understand the spiritual landscape, guard against sin,
- 10:00and see reality from God's perspective, the perspective
- 10:03that the King is on his throne no matter what the world looks
- 10:06like. So being in Zion, in the Church,
- 10:09gives you that high ground, that heavenly perspective on earthly
- 10:12events. That's the idea.
- 10:13You see the settled decree, you see the king, and that site
- 10:16becomes your security, your fortification, even amidst the
- 10:19raging of the nations. OK, that brings us to Act 3,
- 10:22verses 7 to 9. God the Father spoken from
- 10:25heaven, confirming the decree. Now who speaks?
- 10:27Now the Son himself steps forward, the anointed 1 the
- 10:30Messiah, the Prince. He declares the decree from his
- 10:33own perspective. And the New Testament writers,
- 10:36especially Paul in Acts 13, directly link this moment to
- 10:41Christ's resurrection. The resurrection is the public
- 10:43declaration of His sonship and kingship.
- 10:45Precisely. It's the ultimate vindication.
- 10:48And what does he declare? Verse 7?
- 10:50I will declare the decree the Lord has said unto me, Thou art
- 10:54my son. This day have I begotten thee.
- 10:56That's a foundational text for Christ's divinity, isn't?
- 10:59It absolutely. Spurgeon calls it a noble proof
- 11:02of Emmanuel's glorious divinity. It speaks to that unique,
- 11:05eternal relationship between the Father and the Son.
- 11:08The phrase this day have I begotten thee has generated a
- 11:11lot of theological discussion. Eternal generation.
- 11:14The Resurrection. It has, and Spurgeon rightly
- 11:17cautions us here against intrusive prying.
- 11:19We're dealing with the mystery of the Godhead.
- 11:21We affirm what's revealed. Christ is the eternal Son, and
- 11:25his resurrection publicly declared that status.
- 11:28We stand on that without trying to peer too deeply into the
- 11:31unrevealed aspects of the divine nature.
- 11:33The key point for the Psalm is his sonship confirms his right
- 11:37to rule. And because he is the Son, he
- 11:40has this incredible access to the Father.
- 11:42Verse 8 Ask of me, and I shall give thee.
- 11:45The heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost
- 11:48parts of the earth for thy possession.
- 11:50It's an astonishing grant of authority.
- 11:52Ask and the world is yours. It emphasizes the sheer scale of
- 11:56his Kingdom. It's not just Israel, not just
- 11:58the church. It's global universal dominion.
- 12:01Every nation, every person falls under his rightful ownership and
- 12:04authority. He inherits it all.
- 12:06Crucially, this inheritance includes even those who are
- 12:09currently his enemies, the heathen nations who are just
- 12:12raging against him. So they belong to him whether
- 12:14they acknowledge it or not. Exactly.
- 12:16They are his possession, either as willing subjects or as
- 12:18conquered rebels. Which leads directly to the next
- 12:21verse, verse 9. What happens to those who don't
- 12:23submit, Those who resist this universal king?
- 12:26He rules them with a different instrument, not the golden
- 12:30scepter of grace, but the rod of iron.
- 12:33A rod of iron? What does that symbolize?
- 12:34It symbolizes judgement that is severe, unbending, irresistible,
- 12:39and ultimately destructive for those who persist in rebellion.
- 12:42Iron doesn't yield. It breaks whatever stands
- 12:45against it. So the choice is to bend
- 12:48willingly or be broken forcibly. That's the stark reality
- 12:51presented. Verse 9 continues, Thou shalt
- 12:54break them with a rod of iron. Thou shalt dash them in pieces
- 12:57like a Potter's vessel. Like pottery shattered
- 13:00instantly, completely, utterly. Think about smashing a clay pot.
- 13:03There's no putting it back together, Spurgeon says.
- 13:06The ruin inflicted by Jesus on impenitent sinners will be
- 13:08complete and hopeless, irrecoverable.
- 13:11It's a terrifying image of the finality of judgment against
- 13:14those who refuse the Son. It guarantees the ultimate
- 13:17triumph of his reign. No opposition can finally stand.
- 13:20None, all anti Christian forces, all rebellion will eventually be
- 13:24crushed under that iron rod. OK, that image of shattering
- 13:27pottery is pretty sobering. But then, remarkably, the Psalm
- 13:31shifts gears again in Act 4, verses 11:50.
- 13:36The tone changes completely. It really does.
- 13:39After establishing the certainty of judgement, it turns to this
- 13:42urgent, almost pleading exhortation, and it's addressed
- 13:46directly to the rebels. Specifically to the leaders
- 13:48right be wise now, therefore, O ye kings, be instructed, ye
- 13:53judges of the earth. Yes, the very kings and rulers
- 13:56who are just taking counsel together.
- 13:57It's a direct appeal to them. Stop your foolishness.
- 14:00Your war is hopeless. The only rational course, the
- 14:03only wise course, is to submit. So wisdom equals submission
- 14:08here. Infinite wisdom, Spurgeon calls
- 14:10it. Continuing the fight is dreadful
- 14:11folly. The Gospel doesn't mince words
- 14:14even before earthly rulers. It demands they listen and obey
- 14:17the true King. And what does that obedience
- 14:19look like? What are the terms of surrender,
- 14:21so to speak? Verse 11 gives the core
- 14:22commands, Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling.
- 14:26Serve and rejoice, but both qualified with fear, with
- 14:30trembling. Why that combination?
- 14:33It's crucial. Spurgeon calls it a sacred
- 14:35compound. Fear without joy leads to
- 14:38despair, to just being terrified of God.
- 14:41But joy without fear, without reverence, can become flippant,
- 14:45presumptuous, careless. Like taking God's grace for
- 14:47granted. Exactly.
- 14:49So you need both. The holy fear keeps the joy
- 14:51humble and reverent. The joy keeps the fear from
- 14:54becoming slavish terror. You rejoice because you're
- 14:57serving the King of grace, but you tremble because you know he
- 15:00is also the holy Judge with the rod of iron.
- 15:03How might that trembling joy actually look in a believer's
- 15:06life? Well, think about prayer.
- 15:08We rejoice that we can approach God, that we have access through
- 15:11Christ. That's amazing joy.
- 15:13But we approach with reverence, with humility, maybe even awe.
- 15:17That's the trembling. Or consider obedience.
- 15:19We rejoice in pleasing guard, but we tremble at the thought of
- 15:22sinning against such majesty and love.
- 15:24It keeps you spiritually balanced, vigilant.
- 15:26That makes sense. Now verse 12 gives the ultimate
- 15:29symbolic act of submission, Kiss the sun.
- 15:32What does that signify? In that ancient Near Eastern
- 15:34context, kissing the king, or perhaps his feet or the hem of
- 15:38his garment, was a clear sign of loyalty, homage and subjection.
- 15:43You are acknowledging his authority over you.
- 15:45So it's the exact opposite of breaking his bands asunder.
- 15:49It's willingly accepting his rule.
- 15:51Willingly, lovingly, submissively, it's yielding your
- 15:55heart and allegiance to the Messiah.
- 15:58And the command comes to this incredible urgency.
- 16:00Kiss the son, lest he be angry. Why the rush?
- 16:04Because the consequences of delaying, of not submitting, are
- 16:07catastrophic. The verse and you perish from
- 16:11the way when his wrath is kindled but a little.
- 16:13Kindle but a little even a small spark of his anger is enough to
- 16:17destroy. That's the terrifying
- 16:19implication, if just the start of his wrath, just a little
- 16:22flicker, can bring about utter ruin.
- 16:24Perish from the way sudden destruction in the midst of your
- 16:26life, your plans. Imagine the full force of his
- 16:30anger against persistent rebels. It underscores the seriousness
- 16:33of rejecting Christ. God's wrath isn't something to
- 16:36trifle with. Not at all.
- 16:37Spurgeon calls it a consuming fire.
- 16:40The warning is stark. Submit now while there's time
- 16:44before that fire is fully kindled against you.
- 16:46But thankfully, the song doesn't end on that note of wrath.
- 16:50It closes with a promise, a blessing.
- 16:52Yes, the very last line offers the alternative, the path of
- 16:56safety and peace. Blessed are all they that Pineir
- 16:59trust in him. From perishing in the way to
- 17:02being blessed. It's the great contrast.
- 17:04You either face the iron rod of judgment because of rebellion,
- 17:07or you find blessing, safety, and life by taking refuge in
- 17:11Him, by trusting the Son. It beautifully summarizes the
- 17:14choice presented not just in this Psalm, but throughout
- 17:17Scripture. Trust Him and be blessed.
- 17:19A perfect conclusion, really setting the stage for the whole
- 17:22Psalter is a book about finding refuge in God in its life
- 17:24storms. OK, so let's try to wrap up this
- 17:27deep dive. We've traced the drama of Psalm
- 17:292 through Spurgeon's framework. We saw the almost comical
- 17:34futility of the nation's rage. Yeah, their organized chaos,
- 17:37their desire for lawlessness, wanting to break God's cords.
- 17:40Contrasted with God's calm, sovereign derision from heaven,
- 17:44He's already accomplished his purpose.
- 17:45Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.
- 17:49The decree is settled. Christ reigns.
- 17:53We saw that dual aspect, David foreshadowing the true King, the
- 17:56divine Son whose resurrection confirms his identity and his
- 18:00universal inheritance. An inheritance that includes
- 18:03ruling the rebellious nations if necessary.
- 18:05With that rod of iron dashing them like pottery, his Kingdom
- 18:08will prevail. And yet, out of that certainty
- 18:11of judgement comes this merciful call to wisdom, to the kings, to
- 18:15everyone. Be wise, serve the Lord with
- 18:17fear, rejoice with trembling, kiss the Son, Submit willingly,
- 18:21immediately. Because the the alternative is
- 18:23perishing when his wrath is kindled, even just a little.
- 18:27But the final word is blessing. Blessed are all they that put
- 18:29their trust in him. Safety is found and surrendered
- 18:32to the Prince. So reflecting on all this,
- 18:35especially Spurgeon's points about the King's hating Christ's
- 18:38laws, seeing them as slavery, it really brings a challenge to us,
- 18:41doesn't it, For you, the listener.
- 18:43Absolutely. The provocative thought might be
- 18:45this If those powerful rulers found God's loving restraints,
- 18:49his sweet laws, intolerable, how do we react to divine authority
- 18:53in our own lives? Do we genuinely embrace Christ's
- 18:57yoke with that mix of fear and joy?
- 19:00Do we kiss the Son in submission?
- 19:01Or are there areas where we're maybe subtly trying to break his
- 19:05bands, where we resent his authority and are in effect
- 19:09plotting our own little vain thing against the king?
- 19:12It forces a personal inventory. Are we finding blessing by
- 19:16trusting him, or are we setting ourselves up, however
- 19:18unintentionally, against that iron rod?
- 19:21That's the question Psalm 2 leaves us with.
- 19:23Yield to the Prince, find blessing, resist, and face the
- 19:26consequences. A powerful challenge indeed.
- 19:29Well, thank you for joining us on this deep dive into Psalm 2,
- 19:31the Psalm of Messiah, the Prince.
- 19:33Keep seeking knowledge, keep perfecting, and we'll see you
- 19:36next time on Reformed Thinking.