Latest / Reformed Thinking / Why Do the Nations Rage? The Reign of God’s Anointed King (Psalm 2) | Charles Simeon

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Why Do the Nations Rage? The Reign of God’s Anointed King (Psalm 2) | Charles Simeon · Reformed Thinking

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So conquerors usually demand taxes, right?
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They demand your land, they want your weapons, and they demand
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absolute submission. Yeah, they want total,
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unquestioning compliance. Right.
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But they almost never demand a kiss.
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So welcome to reform thinking. Today we are taking a deep dive
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into the theological weight of that really startling reality.
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It's a pretty shocking concept when you actually stop and think
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about it. It really is, and our mission
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today is to unpack Charles Simeon's rigorous exposition of
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Psalm 2. We're looking at the 5th volume
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of his massive work. Horry Homiletic.
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Yeah, and his analysis is just a master class and reformed
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theological synthesis. I mean, we are going to look at
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Simeon's insights on the cosmic universe rebellion against God's
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anointed king, and we'll see the utter futility of that
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resistance and that startling intimacy required in our
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submission to him. Which is such a relevant topic
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because Simeon doesn't paint a picture of, you know, a distant
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deity. He shows us a reigning sovereign
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who claims absolute authority over the entire globe.
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Yeah. So whether you are catching up
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on historical theology or, you know, seeking A clearer
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understanding of divine sovereignty for your own life,
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this text provides A bracing, unyielding view of reality.
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It really does, and that concept of a conquering king demanding a
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kiss is just, well, it's the perfect lens for examining this
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text. So let's look at the boundaries
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of the text, because Simeon approaches this by acknowledging
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its immediate historical context first, right?
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Right, he does. He points out that this Psalm in
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its primary sense relates to King David.
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Like the actual historical figure.
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Yeah, the literal king. It describes the massive,
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coordinated opposition to David's establishment on the
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throne of Israel. Because that historical reality
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actually happened. The Philistines, the Moabites,
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the Ammonites, they all raged against the Davidic monarchy.
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They did, but Simeon refuses to let the readers stay there.
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He quickly directs our attention to the boundaries of the text,
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showing us how the language just bursts at the seams if you try
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to confine it to a mortal king. I mean, he identifies specific
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phrases that absolutely cannot apply to the historical David.
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Absolutely like the Declaration. Thou art my son, This day have I
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begotten thee. Right.
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Or that staggering promise of the uttermost parts of the earth
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for thy possession. I mean, those are not the
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credentials of a local Middle Eastern monarch, no.
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Not at all. And this brings us right into
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the heart of a reformed understanding of covenant
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theology. Where the Old Testament types
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and shadows inevitably point forward to the objective reality
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found in Christ. Spot on.
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David is a type like a prefigurement, but the substance
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is the eternal Son of God. Plus, Simeon makes a crucial
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point about the command to trust in this king.
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Yeah, because to put that kind of absolute trust in a human
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being like David would be blatant idolatry.
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It would be. So the text itself demands a
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divine subject. But wait, let me ask you
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something about that. Sure, go ahead.
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You are saying the text demands a divine subject because
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trusting David would be idolatry.
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But wouldn't an ancient Israelite just view trust in
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this context as, you know, political loyalty to their king?
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That is a phenomenal question. It strikes right at the heart of
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biblical hermeneutics. Because I have to wonder, did
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the original audience actually realize they were dealing with a
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text that extended so far beyond their local political situation?
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We often assume ancient Israelites read their texts with
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a flat, purely political lens, but the historical evidence
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suggests otherwise. Really.
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So they didn't just think they were singing a particularly
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enthusiastic, patriotic song about David's military
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victories. No, they absolutely understood
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that this was pointing to someone greater.
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Even pre Christian Jewish scholars interpreted this Psalm
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as a messianic text. Oh wow I didn't know the pre
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Christian scholars saw it that way.
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Yes, Simeon notes that when you look at the Targums, which are
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the ancient Aramaic paraphrases of the Hebrew Bible, they saw
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it. Right, and the midrashic
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literature too. Yes, the Rabbi's consistently
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associated the King in Psalm 2 with the coming Messiah.
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Even modern scholars of that tradition who reject Jesus are
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constrained to acknowledge the Messianic language.
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So it was universally understood that a divine anointed ruler was
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being promised someone whose reign would eclipse the borders
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of Israel. Entirely.
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And of course, the apostles aggressively applied this text
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to Christ in a way that assumed their Jewish audience would
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follow the logic. Like in the book of Acts, right?
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Yeah, immediately after the dates Hentecost in Acts chapter
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4, Peter and John quote this Psalm.
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They use it to explain the persecution they are facing from
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the Sanhedrin. And then the Apostle Paul uses
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it too, right in Antioch. He does in Acts 13.
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Paul uses it in his preaching to prove the resurrection.
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They saw the decree, Thou art my Son this day have I begotten
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Thee as being definitively fulfilled when Christ conquered
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death. When he walked out of the tomb.
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Right, the resurrection was the Father's public declaration of
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the Sons eternal kingship. It was the moment the hidden
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reality of His Divine Sonship was manifested to the world in
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undeniable glory. It was so.
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We have this divine King installed by the decree of
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heaven itself. And the reaction from the Earth
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is just pure, unadulterated rage.
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It is. Simeon traces this universal
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opposition to Christ across all demographics and all eras.
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It starts the moment he is born, really, with Herod slaughtering
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the innocents in a paranoid attempt to destroy him.
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And it continues throughout his earthly ministry, culminating in
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the Cross. What stands out to me here is
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the strange unifying effect of this cosmic rebellion.
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Oh, the unifying effect is fascinating.
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Right you have the scribes, the self-righteous Pharisees, the
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unbelieving Sadducees, the Roman authorities, groups that agreed
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on absolutely nothing else. They had completely different
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theologies and political agendas.
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And deep seated historical animosities.
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It feels like being at a Yankees versus Red Sox game.
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That is a great way to put. It I mean, these fans absolutely
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despise each other. They are shouting insults, ready
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to come to blows over their differences, right?
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But the second the umpire makes a terrible call that affects
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them both, they drop their rivalry.
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They instantly unite to scream at the Empire.
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They unite to scream at the Empire absolutely, because the
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umpire represents an authority imposing limits on their
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autonomy. That is it.
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That sports analogy works perfectly.
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Herod and Pilot were essentially the Yankees and Red Sox of 1st
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century Judea. They were historical enemies
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competing for jurisdictional control.
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But the text tells us they became friends on the very day
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they conspired against the gospel.
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They did, and Simeon points out that this is not just an
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isolated historical phenomenon, it is a present, ongoing
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reality. We see the exact same thing
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happening in the modern era, don't we?
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We really do. People with entirely contrary
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political sentiments and opposing moral frameworks will
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seamlessly unite in their hostility toward the gospel.
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And from a Reformed perspective, this perfectly illustrates the
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doctrine of total depravity. Doesn't.
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It it does because we hold the total depravity, we know the
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intellect isn't neutral. Right.
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The mind, the will, the emotions.
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Every faculty is tainted by a fundamental aversion to the
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Creator's absolute authority. The natural human ego possesses
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an innate survival mechanism. It violently rejects any
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sovereign who claims total ownership over its existence.
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Which explains why the Pharisees and Sadducees united.
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Yeah, the Sadducees were wealthy aristocrats collaborating with
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Rome to maintain their temple monopoly.
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While the Pharisees were strict populists who despised Roman
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occupation. Right, but Jesus threatened the
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Sadducees economic structure by cleansing the temple.
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And he threatened the Pharisees sociological boundaries by
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eating with sinners and redefining the Sabbath.
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So he was an existential threat to the autonomy of both groups.
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That answers the why behind the hatred in such a clarifying way.
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It is the mechanism of human pride reacting to an existential
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threat. It really is, Simeon argues,
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that if we just bring forward the truths of the Gospel in a
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speculative, argumentative way, no one is really offended.
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Like you can have polite debates about intelligent design or the
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historical manuscript evidence for antiquity.
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Yeah, or the sociological benefits of religious community.
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And the world will applaud your intellectual curiosity.
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Because the Romans were happy to add new gods to their pantheon,
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right? And the Greeks love debating new
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philosophical ideas at the Areopagus.
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Sure, because you remain in control when you're just
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debating ideas. But the world raged against
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Christ and continues to Rage Against His Church.
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The gospel demands absolute, unreserved submission.
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It is. Not an invitation to add Jesus
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to your life as a helpful life coach or an.
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Ethical paradigm. It demands that you surrender
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your entire soul to be washed in His blood and renewed by His
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grace. It demands.
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That you no longer belong to yourself, so for.
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You listening right now? If you have ever wondered why
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true biblical Christianity faces such intense, almost irrational
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cultural pushback, this is the reason.
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True. Faith dismantles human autonomy,
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and the natural mind violently rejects that loss of control.
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It is. Not a matter of lacking
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evidence, is it? No.
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It is a matter of the will refusing to bow, but Simeon is
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quick to point out the absolute futility of that rebellion.
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He really? Draws our attention to the
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immense irony in the text. Yeah.
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He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh.
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The Lord shall have them in derision, I mean.
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You have the highest levels of human authority, the kings of
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the earth, the rulers taking counsel together, marshalling.
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All their military might, their political influence, and their
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intellectual arguments to break God's bands asunder and heaven.
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Views it as a joke. Now we have to be careful here,
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because we are using anthropomorphic language, right?
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God does. Not literally laugh in the way
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humans do, no. But the text uses this imagery
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to convey infinite superiority. I am.
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Really glad you brought that up, because I have to admit, an
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infinite God laughing at human rebellion sounds a bit, well,
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petty or vindictive to the modern year.
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I can. See how it sounds that way to
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some people? It almost.
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Sounds like a Greek deity mocking mortals from Mount
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Olympus. How does Simeon justify this?
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It is a. Vital distinction to make.
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It is not the malicious, petty laughter of a tyrant who enjoys
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watching people suffer. OK, so.
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It's not malicious laughter. Then what is it?
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It is the laughter of infinite, unassailable security.
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Think about the scale of the conflict.
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It is like a single Ant standing on a railroad track, threatening
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to derail a speeding freight train by holding up its front
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legs. Oh.
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Wow. Yeah, if you were watching that,
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you wouldn't feel threatened at all.
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You would. Laugh at the sheer absurdity of
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the disproportionate forces so. God's laughter is the expression
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of the sheer absurdity of finite dependent creatures attempting
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to overthrow the self existent Creator, the Creator.
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Who holds their very atoms together?
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Think of the crucifixion, right? The enemies of Christ thought
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they had won. They.
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Rolled a massive stone in front of the tomb, sealed it with the
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Insignia of the Roman Empire, and posted a heavily armed guard
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they used. Every ounce of human and
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political strength to keep the Son of God in the grave, but at
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the. Appointed hour.
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It was all entirely useless. Christ rose triumphant.
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This connects. Directly to the Westminster
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Confessions teaching on the eternal decrees of God, doesn't
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it it? Absolutely does the Confession
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states that God, from all eternity did, by the most wise
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and holy counsel of His own will, freely and unchangeably
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ordain whatsoever comes to pass. So when?
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God says I will declare the decree.
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It means the outcome is settled before the foundation of the
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world. Yes.
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What Jehovah ordains will come to pass unstoppably, regardless
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of human resistance that. Means the rulers of the earth
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were actually fulfilling God's predetermined plan, even as they
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actively rebelled against Him. They thought they were
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destroying the king, but they were actually providing the
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atonement that would establish his Kingdom forever.
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That is the genius of divine Providence, and that is why
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heaven laughs. It is when you actually stop and
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think about that it was incredible, incredibly
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comforting it really. Is and the imagery Simeon uses
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here is vivid and undeniable he. Likens the spread of the gospel
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to a stone cut out of the mountain without hands, which
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is. A reference to the book of
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Daniel, right? Describing a Kingdom not built
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by human engineering or military conquest, right?
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This unhewn stone rolls down and shatters the great image
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representing the massive, intimidating empires of the
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world. The.
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Babylonians, the Middle Persians, the Greeks, the
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Romans, and that. Stone expands across the globe
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to become a mountain that fills the whole earth meanwhile.
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The very nation that opposed him, the religious leaders who
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orchestrated his crucifixion, face swift divine displeasure.
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Culminating in the utter destruction of Jerusalem and the
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Temple in 8070. You know.
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We look around at our current cultural landscape, we see the
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rulers of our day taking counsel against the Lord, and it is
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incredibly easy to feel intimidated or pessimistic.
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It is easy. To get defensive, but Simi's
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application to this text is that the Kingdom is constantly
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extending every. Enemy will eventually be put
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under his feet or broken like a Potter's vessel.
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The. Victory does not depend on our
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political savvy or our cultural influence or our marketing
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strategies. The.
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Outcome is predetermined by the decree of Jehovah, which sets up
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the central, most shocking command of the Psalm.
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Yes. Since resistance is futile, and
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since the king will conquer all opposition, the text pivots to a
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universal ultimatum. And it is here that we find the
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most surprising phrase in the entire text.
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It commands a specific posture of surrender, kiss the.
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Sun, lest he be angry. Simeon.
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Breaks us down meticulously, doesn't he?
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He does. He explains that it required a
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submission to his authority, love for his person, and
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devotion to his cause. But you.
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Know, as we highlighted in the opening of our discussion, the
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nature of this command completely subverts human
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expectations of a conquering monarch.
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It subverts. Everything I mean.
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If a conquering king breaches the walls of your city, destroys
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your defenses, and defeats your army, you expect him to demand
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tribute. You expect?
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Him to demand that you lay down your weapons, bow your head to
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the dirt, and swear a legally binding oath of allegiance.
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And you? Comply because he has a sword to
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your neck. You offer a.
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Begrudging resentful submission just to keep your head attached
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to your shoulders, but. This king demands a kiss.
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It implies a level of affectionate devotion that goes
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far beyond reluctant compliance. It is not.
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Enough to just grit your teeth and follow the rules because you
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are afraid facing judgement. He wants your.
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Heart. He wants your affection.
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He wants you to actually delight in his rule, to understand.
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The weight of this Simeon provides some essential
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historical context regarding the ancient Near east because in
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that. Cultural setting.
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A kiss was a recognized formal symbol of profound allegiance,
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wasn't it? Yes.
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A symbol of religious devotion. When the prophet Samuel anointed
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Saul to be the first king of Israel, he kissed him as a
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token. Of submission to the new
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authority vested in him by God, Furthermore.
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Idolaters were known to kiss their idols in total unreserved
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devotion like the. Prophet Hosea talks about those
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who kiss the calves, referring to the golden calves set up for
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false worship. Exactly.
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We also see this in the New Testament when Mary wept and
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kissed the feet of Jesus, expressing A fervent,
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overwhelming attachment to him. Therefore to.
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Kiss the Son means giving Christ the exact same faith, honor, and
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reverential affection that is due to the Most High God the
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theological. Implication here is staggering,
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and it cuts to the core of reformed superiority.
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Because Simeon. Points out that a constrained,
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forced obedience is entirely unacceptable to God if you view.
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His commandments as a heavy yoke or if you were only obeying Him
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to a avoid punishment while your heart secretly longs for the
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things of the world that is. Not true submission, no.
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True obedience must spring from a regenerated heart.
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It requires the inward work of the Holy Spirit changing our.
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Fundamental desires so that the law of God becomes a delight
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rather than a burden. The Stoic.
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Philosopher is taught that you should do your duty because it
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is logical even if you hate it. But Christian?
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Theology demands that you do your duty because your heart has
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been changed to love the lawgiver and when you.
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Read Simeon's breakdown of what this kiss actually entails.
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It forces you to look in the mirror.
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I know for me. It makes me ask, am I just
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resigned to God's sovereignty, or am I actually delighted by
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it? That is the real.
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Question for you. Listening.
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It forces a direct evaluation of your own posture toward God.
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Is your religion a heavy duty? Is it a?
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Checklist of moral behaviors you perform to appease an angry
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deity. Or is it?
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Characterized by the affectionate devotion Simeon
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describes, because offering outward compliance while your
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inward disposition is hostile is a dangerous game.
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Think of Judas. Iscariot.
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He approached Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane and offered
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a kiss. He used the.
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Exact symbol of affection and loyalty, but it was a kiss of
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betrayal. It was an outward.
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Show of devotion masking a heart of Trovin.
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Suggests that such a hypocritical display only
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aggravates our condemnation. The demand is for absolute
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sincerity. Sincerity.
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Is required and no one is exempt for the requirement because the.
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Psalm specifically addresses the kings and judges of the Earth.
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Be wise now therefore, O ye kings, be instructed, ye judges
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of the earth, Simeon. Dismantles the common delusion
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that religion is only a crutch for the poor, the weak or the
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uneducated, he points out. The great leveling effect of the
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gospel in the sight of God all men are completely equal in
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their dependency and their accountability no amount of.
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Wealth, no elevated social status, and no level of advanced
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education Shields a person from their responsibility to the
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creator, the monarchs. The tech billionaires, the prime
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ministers in the Supreme Court justices, are just as obligated
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to bow the knee and kiss the sun as the most obscene, obscure,
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impoverished peasant. And the warning.
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Attached to this command is severe, isn't it?
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It is. Kiss the son, lest he be angry,
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and ye perish from the way when his wrath is kindled.
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But a little Simeon points. Out that Christ, precisely
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because of his infinite holiness and love, is susceptible to a
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holy indignation against those who slight his grace, the phrase
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kindled. But a little is absolutely
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terrifying. It really is.
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It means that even the smallest fraction of divine wrath is
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enough to result in eternal ruin.
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There's no. Escaping it through human
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strength, clever philosophical arguments, or vast wealth.
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I want to. Ask about reconciling that wrath
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with the blessing that follows. OK, let's look.
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At that, how do we? Hold those two realities
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together. The text does not leave us in a
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place of sheer terror. No it.
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Shifts immediately to a magnificent promise.
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Blessed are all they that put their trust in Him to kiss the.
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Son is synonymous with putting your trust in him, and trusting
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him makes a person inconceivably blessed.
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We reconcile. Them by recognizing that the
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wrath is the just response to rejecting the only source of
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life, while the blessing is the natural result of hiding in the
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appointed refuge, I. See Simeon.
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Explains that to put your trust in him brings peace to the
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conscience. Complete justification for all
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offenses and sufficient grace for every single day in
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Reformed. Terminology.
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He becomes our wisdom, our righteousness, our
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sanctification, and our redemption.
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You cannot. Stand before the wrath of the
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King on your own merit. You must take refuge in the King
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himself, his atoning. Sacrifice is the only shield
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against his own righteous judgment.
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That is the. Pastoral assurance that Simeon
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leaves us with, and it is the culmination of his entire
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discourse, he stresses. That no matter what your past
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sins have been, or what heinous acts of rebellion you have
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committed or what. Present doubts you are wrestling
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with no creature that possessed this genuine trust in Christ
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ever perished if you take. Refuge in him you are guaranteed
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and incorruptible inheritance. You are protected.
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By his might, preserved by his grace, and enriched by his
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bounty, the world may. Rage.
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The cultural elites may mock, and the rulers may take counsel
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together, but the person who? Has kissed the Son is eternally
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secure. We have.
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Covered a massive amount of theological ground today we
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really have we started by looking at the world's futile
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coordinated rebellion against God's eternal decree, we
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examine. The psychological mechanism of
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total depravity seeing how human autonomy naturally despises
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divine sovereignty, we looked at.
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The laughter of heaven, the absolute certainty of Christ's
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predetermined victory, and finally the.
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Glorious, startling invitation to affectionately submit to the
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King of Kings. We leave.
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You with this final thought to Mull over since Simeon.
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Makes it entirely clear that forced, grudging obedience is
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rejected by heaven. What needs to change in your own
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heart, Right What? Needs to change so that your
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daily submission feels less like signing a restrictive contract
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and more like kissing the sun. Think back to.
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That royal hall, the king is on the throne.
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The decree is declared. How will you approach him?
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Thank you for joining. Us on this rigorous theological
21:01
deep dive. Until next time, keep thinking.