Latest / Reformed Thinking / Why Do the Nations Rage? God’s Anointed King Reigns (Psalm 2) | Matthew Poole

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Why Do the Nations Rage? God’s Anointed King Reigns (Psalm 2) | Matthew Poole · Reformed Thinking

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Imagine discovering that a respected historical scholar,
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you know somebody with a massive reputation, literally took a
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knife to their own ancient manuscripts.
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Right, just physically scraping away the ink.
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Yeah, erasing their own historical traditions and all
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because they're political or theological rivals started using
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those very texts to win arguments.
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It is a wild thing to think about.
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It really is. Well, welcome to Reform
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Thinking. You are listening to a brand new
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deep dive into a historical landscape.
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It is just covered in deliberate redactions and honestly
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ideological. Cover ups which makes it such an
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incredible subject to investigate.
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Oh, absolutely. So today we were digging into
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Matthew Poole commentary on the Holy Bible.
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Specifically, we were looking at his analysis of Psalm 2.
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And the mission for you today listening to this is to uncover
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how a text written millennia go by a king operates on so many
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different levels. Yeah, there's a lot going on
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beneath the surface. Right, you are going to see
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hidden historical admissions, startling cover ups and some
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really stark urgent warnings. So jumping right in, the core
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argument that Poole establishes right out of the gate in this
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commentary is about the authorship.
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OK, so while King David is the penman of the words, like he
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physically wrote them down, the primary intention of the Holy
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Ghost was never to describe David.
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Wait, so David writes it but it's not about him?
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Yeah, that is the main point here, the true subject.
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The complete scope of the text was designed from the beginning
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to describe the Messiah and his Kingdom.
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But proving that is where the whole historical cover up comes
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into play, right? Yeah, because Poole doesn't just
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quote the New Testament to validate this.
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No, he doesn't. He brings in a massive admission
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from ancient Hebrew writers, which.
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Is fascinating. It really is.
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Specifically, he brings up Rabbi Solomon Jarchi.
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OK, let's unpack this guy a bit. So if we look at the textual
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validation first, David is confirmed as the author over in
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Acts chapter 4, verse 25. Right, the early church is
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praying and they quote it. Yeah, and the text is proven to
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be about Christ using testimonies like Hebrews 1.5 and
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Acts 13.33. But the undeniable proof of how
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the ancients viewed this text before the controversy started
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comes from this rabbi Solomon Jarchi.
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So what did he actually say? He explicitly stated in his
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writings that the ancient doctors unanimously expounded
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the Psalm as being about the King Messiah.
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Unanimously. Unanimously, it was their
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accepted orthodox position. There was no debate about it.
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They read the text and the consensus was total.
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This is about the Messiah. Correct.
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But then Jarchi makes this blatant, staggering admission.
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This is the part that blows my mind.
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He writes that in order to answer the heretics, and by that
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he means the early Christians, it became expedient for them to
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interpret the Psalm literally about David's person instead.
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OK, let me make sure I am understanding the mechanics of
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Yeah, go ahead. They knew the text was about the
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Messiah. Yes, they taught it was about
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the Messiah. For generations, yeah.
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But because the Christians were using this very text to prove
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their case, the opposition decided it was like more
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convenient to just alter their interpretation.
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Pivot entirely. Say.
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Oh, actually it is only about David.
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Yep. That is the admission.
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I mean, if someone alters a historical document to win an
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argument, does that not just prove they know they are losing?
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It definitely shows their hand. It is like a modern political
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campaign quietly deleting old web pages that contradict their
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current platform. Oh, that's a great comparison.
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Right, like they know the old page exposes their hypocrisy, so
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they just scrub it from the Internet and pretend it never
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existed. And.
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Here is the kicker. If you look at the later
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editions of Jerky's book, this entire admission it's missing.
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You're kidding. They deleted the admission of
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the deletion. Yeah, it was completely removed.
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Now, whether this happened by the fraud of editors or just the
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carelessness of others, we don't know for sure.
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Of the older ones have it. Right.
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The ancient editions preserve the original confession, So what
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you are observing here is a conscious, deliberate shift in
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theological interpretation. Driven entirely by opposition.
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Exactly. Driven by opposition to another
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group rather than fidelity to the text itself, they abandoned
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what they knew to be the primary intention of the words simply
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because those words validated the Christian claim.
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So think about the implications of that for you, the listener.
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It's convicting it. Really is a stark look in the
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mirror. How often do you project your
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own biases onto a text, or how often do you alter your
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understanding of the situation simply to avoid agreeing with
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someone you view as an opponent? We all do it to some degree, we
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don't want to concede a point to the other side.
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Yeah, but to literally erase your own history to do it, it's
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wild. And what is brilliant about
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Poole's commentary is how it connects this historical
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resistance, this desperate attempt to cover up the true
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king directly to the very first verses of the Psalm itself.
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Oh wow, so the commentators are doing the very thing the text
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describes. Yes, the commentators fighting
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the text are perfectly mirroring the characters described within
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the text. Because the text itself opens
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with a massive furious resistance, right?
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The first question asked is why do the heathen rage and the
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people imagine a vain thing? So you have two distinct groups
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combining forces here. Let's break those groups down.
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The identification is very clear in Poole's analysis.
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The heathen refers to the Gentiles, OK, and the people
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refers to the Jews or the Israelites, Got it.
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Now both groups combined against David historically, but more
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significantly, both groups combined against Christ.
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So this plays out in the New Testament.
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Yeah, you had Herod Pilot and the Roman authorities
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representing the heathen, and they were standing right
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alongside the Jewish leaders who represented the people.
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And what are they putting all their mental and physical energy
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into? The text says they are imagining
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A vain thing. They are plotting a coup.
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Right, the text says, the kings of the earth set themselves, and
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the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against his
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anointed. Notice the specific phrase
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there, Kings of the Earth. Why point that out?
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It is used to show contempt for their madness.
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I mean, these are finite earthbound rulers trying to
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oppose the God of heaven. It's absurd on its face.
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And their hostility is deliberate.
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The phrase set themselves indicates a firm, stubborn
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purpose. It's not accidental.
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They aren't just dumbling into a rebellion.
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No, this is a calculated combination of councils and
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forces against the Lord and against his chosen King.
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And their stated goal is fascinating to me.
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They say let us break their bands asunder and castaway their
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chords from us. This is where the psychological
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insight of the commentary is just staggering.
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Yeah, why are they actually fighting?
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The psychological motivation behind this global rebellion is
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entirely about autonomy. Autonomy, OK, The bands and
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chords refer to the laws of God. Now these laws are in themselves
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easy and pleasant. Well, to some people.
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Right to good men they bring joy, but they are grievous and
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burdensome to a corrupt nature. I want to focus on that
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mechanism for a second because the rebellion is not against
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tyranny. No, not at all.
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They're not fighting an evil dictator, they are fighting
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against holy constraint. That's a great way to put it.
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Think of a toddler fighting against being strapped into a
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car seat. Oh, perfect analogy.
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Right. To the toddler, those straps are
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grievous cords. They're limiting freedom.
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The toddler screams, thrashes around trying to break the bands
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of Sunder. Because they just want to move
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around freely. Exactly.
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But to the parent, those straps are life saving bands.
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They are there for protection and safety.
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And if that toddler actually manages to unbuckle themselves,
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the immediate result is not freedom, it is catastrophic
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danger. Yes, the toddlers attempt to
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break the seat belt. Is the very definition of
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imagining A vain thing. Yes.
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First, it is essentially impossible for the toddler to
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achieve by their own strength. Thankfully, yeah.
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And 2nd, if they succeeded in breaking the cords, the result
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would be disastrous for them. The freedom they are demanding
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is the thing that would destroy them.
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And the kings of the Earth are acting like toddlers in the
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backseat here. Yeah, they really are.
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They are raging against the restraints of a holy God,
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thinking that throwing off His laws will bring them liberation.
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They want to cast the cords far away so they can never be
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recovered. They want permanent autonomy.
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Which brings into sharp relief the absolute madness of the
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situation. Yeah.
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When you look at who is actually rebelling.
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You have dust and ashes, rulers confined to a tiny rock in
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space, shaking their fists at the Eternal Sovereign, demanding
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that he's stopped telling them what to do.
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It is lassible. They take counsel together,
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thinking they can outsmart omniscience and overpower
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omnipotence. So if all the leaders of the
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earth are plotting this massive coup, how does heaven react?
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Yeah, are the Angels barricading the doors?
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Not quite. The text gives the sovereign
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reaction from the heavens and it is a massive contrast to the
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raging on earth. He that sitteth in the heavens
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shall laugh, the Lord shall have them in derision.
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Down below you have the kings of the Earth running around taking
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counsels, sweating, plotting, setting themselves in battle
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arrays. Total chaos.
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Right, and up above you have He that sitteth in the heavens.
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Sitteth Yes, Sitting implies a posture of total rest and
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absolute authority. This is a judge upon a tribunal.
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Unmoved. Unmoved.
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This is a king upon a royal throne who does not even need to
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stand up to crush his enemies. Wait, I need to stop you there
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though God is laughing. Yeah, it says.
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He laughs. That feels incredibly out of
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character for how most people view him.
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People usually picture a gentle deity maybe looking down with
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mild disappointment. Or just sadness.
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Right. A laughing, mocking deity sounds
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petty or vindictive to modern years.
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How do you reconcile that? It is startling, sure, but you
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have to look at the mechanical difference in authority here.
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OK, this is not humor. God is not amused in a
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lighthearted way. This laughter is the supreme
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expression of unassailable sovereignty facing absurd
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arrogance. It's the sheer ridiculousness of
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the rebellion, yeah. Poole's commentary notes that
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God despises and derides their crafty devices.
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The laughter is the act of manifesting to the whole world
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that the plots of these earthly kings are ridiculous,
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contemptible follies. It is the laughter of a
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steamroller looking at an army of ants declaring war on it.
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Well, OK, that puts it in perspective.
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It exposes the massive gap in capability absolutely.
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And the reaction does not stop at laughter.
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The next verse says, Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath,
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and vex them in his sword displeasure?
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The timing here is key. The word then.
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Meaning what? Meaning, right in the middle of
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all their plots, right when they are most confident of their
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success. That is when God speaks.
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But God speaking in his wrath is not just a verbal rebuke, right?
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No. In ancient texts, God's speaking
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is often put for his actions. So he speaks by acting.
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Yes. He speaks by executing dreadful
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judgments. He pronounces a terrible
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sentence against them, and the execution of that sentence is
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what vexes them. Think about what this conveys to
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you regarding modern anxieties. Oh, this is so relevant today.
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You look around and the world often seems chaotic.
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Leaders make reckless decisions, nations rage, and it can feel
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like everything is spiraling completely out of control.
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It easy to get caught up in the panic.
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Very easy, but this text insists that the heavenly posture
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remains totally secure and unbothered.
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The throne is not shaking. It provides immense stability
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for the mind. When you realize that the
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ultimate authority is seated and unthreatened, it reframes every
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earthly crisis. It shrinks the crisis down to
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its actual size. Exactly.
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The raging of the nations is loud, but it is not effective
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against the decrees of heaven. So if Heaven is totally
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unbothered by this global rebellion, how does God actually
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counter the plot? Does he send a massive army?
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No, he does something far more definitive.
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He aggressively plants his chosen monarch right in their
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midst. The text says Yet have I set my
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king upon my holy hill of Zion? The word set here means
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anointed, designed or constituted.
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So it's an official appointment. Yes, and this king is set in a
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singular manner. He does not receive his Kingdom
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by succession from former. Kings.
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He didn't inherit it from a dying father.
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Right. And he does not get his position
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through a democratic election by the people.
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No voting involved. His authority comes by special
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and extraordinary destination, directly from God.
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He is a king who rules in God's stead.
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He executes perfect justice. And look at the Word yet.
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Yet have I set my king? Notwithstanding all the
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artifices, all the powerful combinations of the earth, all
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the raging and plotting, yet. It is such a dismissive word to
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the rebels. It makes me think of a chess
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game. How so?
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Well, imagine a novice player spends half an hour plotting
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this elaborate 10 move trap. Oh, I know this feeling.
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They're sweating, calculating every angle, totally convinced
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they've cornered the opponent, and the Grandmaster just looks
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at the board, slides one piece forward a single square, and the
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entire scheme is ruined instantly.
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Yet. That is brilliant.
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All the counsel of the rulers is dismantled by the singular
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action of God installing his King.
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And the geographic location of this installation is crucial to
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it. Right upon my holy hill of Zion.
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Yes, Cool traces the shifting, expansive definition of thy and
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throughout the historical text. Because it does not just say a
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literal hill forever. No, it starts strictly as a hill
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on the north part of Jerusalem. There was a strong Fort there,
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and when David took it, he called it the City of David.
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It became the political center. It became the head of his
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Kingdom, but the concept expands over time.
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It becomes a term for the whole city of Jerusalem, then for the
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temple built on Moriah. So it moves from a military Fort
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to a religious center, right? Eventually it represents the
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entire Church of the Jews, and finally it comes to symbolize
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the complete Christian Church. So when God says He has set his
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King on Zion, he is establishing Christ's authority over his
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entire people across all of time.
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The scope is massive. Think about it, if you are a
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leader elected by a fragile majority, you have to constantly
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worry about toll numbers and opposition parties.
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Your rule is tenuous at best. Exactly.
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But a leader placed by eternal decree on the holy hill of Zion,
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that is absolute permanence. And because God has firmly
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established this King, the King himself now steps forward to
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speak. The textious voice is here.
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Yes, the King publishes the legal decree of his own
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legitimacy. He says, I will declare the
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decree. The Lord has said unto me, Thou
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art my son. This day have I begotten thee.
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Promulgation is essential to all laws.
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A law is not binding on the public until it is officially
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declared. People have to know about it.
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Right, so the sun is standing up and saying here is the official
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decree of my kingship, take notice.
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And this verse cannot merely be about David.
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Going back to Poole's main argument.
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Yes, while David was the Son of God in a general sense, as
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believers are, the specific exalted title of Thou art, my
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Son belongs properly to Christ. The New Testament writers make
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that abundantly clear. The Holy Ghost appropriates this
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title exclusively to Christ in the New Testament.
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But the phrase this day have I begotten thee demands massive
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unpacking. The breakdown of this day in
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Poole's commentary is absolutely mind bending.
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It really stretches human comprehension.
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Because how can there be a today in eternity?
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It is a remarkable piece of theological deduction regarding
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eternal generation. The phrase this day can refer to
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all eternity because in a eternity there is no succession
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of time. There is no yesterday and there
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is no tomorrow. Eternity is all one continued
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moment without change or flex. There is no ticking clock.
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Wow. Therefore, the eternal
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relationship between the Father and the Son is always this day.
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It is a constant unending present.
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That is staggering to wrap your mind.
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Around, it really is. We are so bound by the passing
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of seconds and minutes that trying to conceive of an eternal
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now feels impossible. It defies our entire
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understanding of causality. Because we live in a linear
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reality. Right, but the commentary also
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offers a second interpretation about the manifestation of
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Christ's eternal sonship in time.
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Yes, while Christ is eternally the Son, there was a specific
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day in human history when this was manifested or publicly
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demonstrated to the world. And what day was that?
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The commentary identifies this day primarily as the
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resurrection. The resurrection, not the
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nativity in Bethlehem, but the day he rose from the dead.
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Exactly. Acts 13.33 directly links this
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verse in Psalm 2 to the resurrection.
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The Apostle Paul writes that Christ was declared to be the
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Son of God with absolute authority by the resurrection
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from the dead. So the resurrection proves the
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sonship. Yes, the resurrection is called
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a regeneration or a second birth.
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It is a restitution of life by the peculiar and mighty working
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of God. There is a striking analogy used
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here from Roman history that I think clarifies this.
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Oh, the double birthday. Yes, the Roman Emperors
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celebrated a double birthday. They had the literal day of
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their physical birth, and then they have the day they were
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advanced to the Empire, the day they took the throne.
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Their inauguration. Right.
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Their inauguration was treated as a new birth into royal
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dignity. That Roman custom illustrates
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the concept perfectly. The resurrection was the
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inauguration day of Christ's Kingdom in its full manifested
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glory. He was begotten from the grave,
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stepping into his exalted state. But you might ask, why does the
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text say things are done when they are being declared or
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manifested to be done? Yeah, if he was already the Son
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from eternity, why say this day have I begotten thee at the
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resurrection? It sounds like it just happened.
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This is a consistent linguistic pattern in ancient writings.
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When a truth is hidden or obscured, and then it is
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suddenly brought into brilliant, undeniable light, the text
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speaks of it as if it just happened.
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I see. The public vindication is so
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absolute that it serves as the official establishment of the
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fact in the eyes of the world. So the resurrection did not make
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Christ the Son of God. No.
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It was the ultimate, irrefutable public manifestation of a
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pre-existing eternal reality. It is the final pulling back of
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the curtain and once the King has declared his identity, the
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father invites him to claim his rightful inheritance.
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The coronation gift, essentially.
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God says, Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine
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inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for that
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possession. The sheer scale of this promise
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is vital. There is a geographical contrast
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that proves this cannot be limited to David.
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Because David's Kingdom was pretty small.
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Exactly. The literal land of Canaan was a
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very narrow, small Kingdom. It cannot accommodate the
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magnificent expressions used here.
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You cannot look at a tiny strip of land and call it the
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uttermost parts of the earth. The language demands a global
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scope. The inheritance includes the
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whole world incorporating the Gentiles.
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The father tells the son to ask of me.
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So the son has to request it. He is to claim or demand it as
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his right by promise, by birth, and by purchase.
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It is an inheritance to be possessed constantly, surely and
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perpetually. But this global expansion is not
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just a peaceful spreading of borders.
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No, there is severe judgement attached.
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The King brings absolute authority.
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A terrifying image for the opposition is introduced that
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shall break them with a rod of iron that shall dash them in
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pieces like a Potter's vessel. This addresses those people
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mentioned earlier, the ones raging and imagining vain
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things, the ones refusing to quietly submit.
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The toddlers trying to break the chords, yes.
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The rod of iron signifies irresistible might.
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It is a strength that human rebellion can never withstand.
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Let's examine the specific physics of the Potter's vessel
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imagery. Why clay and iron?
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It's a very specific pairing A. Potter's vessel is made of baked
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dirt. It is fragile, brittle, and
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easily shattered. When you strike a clay pot with
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a heavy rod of solid iron, it does not just crack.
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It disintegrates. Exactly.
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It shatters into 1000 useless fragments.
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That physical reality is the point of the metaphor.
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It illustrates the utter fragility of human resistance
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against divine authority. They think they are strong.
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The kings of the earth view themselves as powerful, like
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mountains of stone own, but heaven views them as fragile
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clay pots. And when the iron rod of divine
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justice strikes, the destruction is total and irreversible.
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You cannot glue a shattered clay pot back together.
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It is ruined permanently. It forces you to consider the
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dual nature of this king. He's not one-dimensional.
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On one hand, he offers a vast, inclusive inheritance
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encompassing all nations and all peoples.
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He brings light to the uttermost parts of the earth.
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But on the other hand. On the other hand, he maintains
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absolute, crushing justice against those who stubbornly
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rebel. He is a savior to his subjects,
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but he is an iron rod to his enemies.
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Because the resistance is as fragile as a clay pod, the
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logical next step in the text is a direct, urgent warning.
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A chance to change course. The text pivots from describing
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the conflict to addressing the rebels directly.
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Be wise now. Therefore, O ye kings, be
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instructed you judges of the earth.
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Be wise. It means understand your true
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interest. Look at the reality of the
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situation. You are clay, he is iron.
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Stop imagining vain things. Notice the urgency in the Word
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now. Now while you still have time
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and space for repentance. Now before the iron rod.
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Falls and this warning is addressed specifically to kings
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and judges. Why them specifically?
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Because. They are the ones most prone to
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pride. They presume upon their own
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greatness. They are used to being at the
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top of the food chain. They are accustomed to giving
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orders, not receiving them, so they think it is below them to
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submit to anyone. It is hard to tell someone who
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holds the highest office in the land that they are actually
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subordinate. Furthermore, their authority and
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example carry massive weight with the general population.
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So as the king goes, so goes. If the kings repent, it
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influences the people by addressing the highest earthly
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authorities. The text establishes that this
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Messiah is truly the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
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No one is exempt from the command to submit.
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And what does that submission look like?
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The instruction is given. Submit to the Lord with fear,
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and rejoice with trembling. This introduces an incredible
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emotional paradox. Rejoice with trembling.
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How do you hold joy and terror in the same hand?
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It seems contradictory at first glance.
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I think of standing on the very edge of the Grand Canyon.
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If you have ever been there and walked right up to the rim, you
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know the feeling. Oh, absolutely.
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The view is absolutely breathtaking.
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You're thrilled, elated, and filled with joy at the immense
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beauty of it all, but your knees are shaking.
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Because the drop is massive. You have a very healthy,
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trembling respect for the mild deep drop right in front of your
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toes. The joy and the terror exist at
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the exact same moment. The sheer scale of the Canyon
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creates the trembling, just as the infinite majesty of God
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creates reverence, right? Submitting with fear means
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having an awful sense of His great and glorious majesty.
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It means being very careful to please Him and deeply afraid to
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offend Him. You rejoice in the beauty, but
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you do not act recklessly on the edge.
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You maintain your carefulness. You do not treat the Canyon
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lightly, just as you must not treat the king lightly.
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The commentary says do not esteem his yoke, your dishonor
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and grievance. That goes back to the bands and
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chords. Full circle.
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The rebels thought the yoke was grievous, but true wisdom
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realizes that being a subject of this king is a greater glory and
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happiness than being an emperor of the greatest earthly empire.
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The joy comes from recognizing the inestimable grace and
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benefit of being in His Kingdom. However, this joy must not
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devolve into carnal security. It shouldn't make you casual.
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It must not become presumption or licentiousness.
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That is why the trembling is added.
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The trembling qualifies the joy. He keeps you grounded.
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It ensures that the grace of God is not turned into launiness.
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It maintains a healthy dread of God's tremendous judgments
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should one ever consider revolting against Him again.
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This asks a hard question of you listening to this How do you
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respond to authority? Are you willing to be
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instructed? Or do you like the kings of the
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earth, Think your intellect or your status makes it below you
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to submit. It's a very personal question.
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Do you approach the divine with that trembling joy, or do you
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demand casual autonomy? That internal attitude of
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rejoicing and trembling must translate into an external
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action of ultimate loyalty. Which brings the text to its
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final ultimatum. Yes, kiss the sun, lest he be
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angry, and you perish from the way when his wrath is kindled.
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But a little blessed are all they that put their trust in
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Him. Kiss the sun now.
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This is an Eastern sign of subjection and adoration.
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You see in the historical records of First Samuel and 1st
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Kings. It is a physical demonstration
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of yielding your autonomy and giving your allegiance.
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You are submitting to his person and his government.
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Here, Poole provides a brilliant logical proof to solidify the
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argument that the son cannot be David.
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All of this is the nail in the coffin for that argument.
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Throughout the Psalms, David constantly explicitly warns
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people not to put their trust in Princess or in any man.
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Over and over again. Jeremiah states clearly that
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cursed is the man, man who trusts in man.
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David points away from himself. He says some trust in Chariots
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and some in horses, but we will remember the name of the Lord.
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Therefore, it would be utterly contradictory and inappropriate
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for David to conclude this Psalm by inviting people to put their
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trust in him. He would be inviting them into a
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curse. The Son must be Christ, the only
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proper and legitimate object of human trust.
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He is the divine King. The text says lest he be angry
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when his wrath is kindled but a little, that phrase kindled but
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a little really stands out. Why is a little anger so
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terrible? Because of the nature of the
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provocation, rebelling against the rightful Divine King is such
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a desperate offense that even a fraction of divine fury results
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in utter ruin. A tiny spark of infinite wrath
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is still infinite. Alternatively, it means his
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wrath will be kindled shortly or suddenly.
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His patience is immense, but it will not last forever.
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It will shortly be turned into fury against the unrepentant.
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And the consequence is severe. Ye perish from the way.
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This means losing the right path and dying in your fins while in
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the very act of plotting rebellion.
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It is a terrifying. Thought to face judgment while
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your hands are still full of the weapons you forged against
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heaven. It highlights the fleeting
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nature of patience and the intense urgency of the command.
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The warning is to take heed that you neither deny nor delay
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subjection. Don't put it off.
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You must speedily comply with his offers and commands before
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the door closes and the iron rod falls.
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But it does not end on the note of destruction, no.
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It ends with hope. It ends with a benediction.
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Blessed are all they that put their trust in Him.
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Underneath that blessing is the implied truth that those who
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oppose him are miserable creatures, but the explicit
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final word is a promise of immense safety and happiness for
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those who put themselves under his protection.
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It resolves the tension introduced in the very
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beginning. The heathen rage and plot vain
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things leading to their own shattering.
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But those who trust the installed king find an
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unshakable blessing. You are shown the human history,
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despite all its chaotic raging, is not spiraling out of control.
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A king has been firmly set on Zion.
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The safest, most rational place in the entire universe is in
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joyful, trembling submission to His rule.
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We have covered massive ground today.
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We really have. You saw the shocking revelation
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of ancient commentators scratching out their own books
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to hide the truth about the Messiah.
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You watched the futile, raging rebellion of Earth's leaders
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trying to break the cords of holy law.
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You heard the sovereign unthreatened laughter from the
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throne room of heaven. You witnessed the unshakable
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installation of the sun on Zion, His decree of eternal
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generation, and the terrifying promise of the iron rod
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shattering the clay pots of human resistance.
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And finally you heard the urgent, gracious invitation to
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kiss the sun, to trade vain rebellion for trembling joy, and
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to find blessing by trusting in Him.
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It brings the conversation right back to where it started.
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Full circle. You judge those ancient
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commentators for scrubbing their texts, for refusing to
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acknowledge the true king because it contradicted their
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established agenda. But here's a final thought for
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you to Mull over a long after the audio stops.
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If those ancient scholars were willing to doctor their own
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history books just to avoid yielding to this king, what
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rationalizations are you currently constructing in your
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own mind to avoid yielding the uttermost parts of your life to
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his rule? Are you trying to white out the
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demands of the sun, or Are you ready to kiss the king?