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Psalm 2:1–12 — The Nations and God’s King · A Tithe of Time Podcast

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to a tithe of time, rooted in wisdom, growing wiser, one passage at a time.
• 0:06
  SPEAKER_00: Today we'll be looking at Psalm 2, 1 to 12, reading from the ESV.
• 0:11
  SPEAKER_00: Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?
• 0:15
  SPEAKER_00: 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.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_00: He who sits in the heavens laughs, the Lord holds them in derision.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_00: 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.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_00: I will tell of the decree.
• 0:44
  SPEAKER_00: The Lord said to me, You are my son, today I have begotten you.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_00: Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_00: You shall break them with a rod of iron, and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_00: Now therefore, O kings, be wise, be warned, O rulers of the earth.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_00: Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_00: Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled.
• 1:17
  SPEAKER_00: Blessed are all who take refuge in him.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_00: Psalm 2 begins with a world in rebellion, nations rage, peoples plot, kings organize, and rulers join together against the Lord and against his anointed.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_00: But who is his anointed?
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_00: The word means someone set apart and appointed by God for a special role.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_00: Here, Psalm 2 is speaking about God's appointed king.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_00: And who is that king?
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_00: Psalm 2 never gives us a personal name.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_00: In its original royal setting, this is the king from David's line, ruling from Zion, Jerusalem.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_00: God is the one establishing him.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_00: That is why verse 6 says, As for me, I have set my king on Zion, my holy hill.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_00: Then the king speaks in verse 7.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_00: The Lord said to me, You are my son.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_00: So the anointed, the king, and the son are all describing the same royal figure within the Psalm.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_00: And this is where the passage reaches beyond one earthly king.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_00: The New Testament repeatedly applies Psalm 2 to Jesus, presenting him as the ultimate anointed king, the Messiah.
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_00: In fact, Messiah means anointed one.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_00: Keep this in mind, it matters later.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_00: Now notice the contrast between earth and heaven.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_00: Earth is in turmoil, but heaven is not threatened.
• 2:39
  SPEAKER_00: The rulers talk as though God's authority is something they can throw off.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_00: Yet their plotting is called vain before God even responds.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_00: God is seated, he is not scrambling to defend his throne.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_00: He laughs at their rebellion, then declares that his king is already established.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_00: The psalm then describes the authority given to that king.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_00: The nations become his heritage, and even the ends of the earth are his possession.
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_00: His rule is not presented as weak or temporary.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_00: Then Psalm 2 turns directly to the rulers.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_00: Be wise, be warned.
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_00: And there is another phrase here that can sound unusual to us.
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_00: This is not talking about an affectionate kiss.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_00: In the ancient world, a kiss could be a sign of honor, loyalty, and submission to a ruler.
• 3:28
  SPEAKER_00: So the idea is recognize the son's authority, honor him as king, and submit to his rule.
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_00: The exact Hebrew wording of this phrase is debated, so we should be careful not to build too much on the wording alone.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_00: But in the ESV, kiss the sun fits the movement of the psalm.
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_00: The nations resist God's king, and now they are being warned to stop resisting and acknowledge him.
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_00: Psalm 2 ends with both warning and refuge.
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_00: The king has authority to judge, but the final line says, Blessed are all who take refuge in him.
• 4:03
  SPEAKER_00: Here's the picture Psalm 2 leaves us with.
• 4:22
  SPEAKER_00: Next, we'll continue with Proverbs 1 8 19.
• 4:26
  SPEAKER_00: And remember, tithe your time.