notes

Main point summary

It is futile to resist God, so joyfully submit and find enjoy blessing in the Son or be shattered in your obstinance.

An Appeal

One day my two older boys along with their older cousin were wrestling around with my father. My boys were 6 and 7 years. They interpreted my dad's gentle restraint as their superiority to him. They took it all a bit too far, seasoned it with some disrespect and soon found themselves pinned down helpless, realizing too late, that Pop is much stronger than they had thought. They ended up running off with tears in their eyes; no marks on their bodies, just a new marked respect for their grandfather. My dad told me the story with a chuckle. Human rebellion against God is illustrated well by my boys' experience. The Psalmist seems shocked by the audacity of the nations. Why would they expend so much effort to accomplish nothing?!? Do they not realize who they are dealing with? Do they mistake the Lord's patience with weakness or inability? They long to burst their bonds and cast off their cords. No longer will they allow this God and his people to tell them how they must live, whom they may worship. It's humbling to see God's response to such rebellion. "He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision." Then we speaks to them in his fury, they are left terrified like little boys who bit off more than they could chew. God not only laughs, but he responds. He has spoken, he has anointed a king in the land where his presence dwells. But though he has set his anointed One in Zion, the boundaries of Zion are not for Him. " The earth is the Lord's and the fullness there of, the world and those who dwell therein," Ps 24:1. The Lord is the Lord of the whole earth and of every person who exists. As such, he is the law giver for all. And he has declared something marvelous. This anointed king will not merely be a servant, but he says to him, "You are my son, today I have begotten you." This king becomes a son of God with all the privileges that belong to the son of a king. To his Son he says, "ask of me, and I will give you the nations, I will give you the ends of the earth as your possession." It is given to the Son the authority to bring all the rebellion nations into submission. Those who resist will be dashed to pieces like a pot of clay that meets an iron rod. This is the decree from the One who sits in the heavens. It is more firm, more sure than anything in this world. A final plea goes out in vs.10. Be wise and heed this warning! Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling. Come humble and submissive, kiss the Son while we still have the chance. For there is coming time soon when he will come in his wrath. But those who kiss the Son, will be blessed and find in him, a refuge. This was written of an earthly king anointed by God in a physical time and place with real enemies surrounding them. Though this was written thousands of years ago, things haven't changed, have they? Everywhere you look, there are people raging in vain. "I will be who I want to be, I will live as I want to live! No one can tell me what I can or can't do!" Just as in the past, the eternal word of God goes forth saying, "I have set my king, on Zion, he is my Son, begotten of me. He need only ask and I will give his the nations as his inheritance and the ends of the earth as his possession." Acts 4:25-27 points this psalm directly at Jesus. He is the Son. And there is a day coming when we will return with the rod of iron. Our culture doesn't like to think about Jesus like this. It prefers focus on the the love of God, which is great to be sure. But if we are going to know and love the true God, we have to see him for who he is. And here, he gloriously terrifying. Be wise and heed the warning, serve him with fear, and rejoice with trembling! What a strange word... Rejoice? The options are not miserable servitude or destruction, rather, " Blessed are all who take refuge in him." To kiss the Son, is to be brought under his protection. The rod that once threatened now protects and shelters. In Christ, you are offered friendship with the ruler of the earth. Have you ever seen someone offer their hand to shake, and the other person just looks at it? Eventually, the first man pulls back his hand at the offense. If the awkwardness of that picture makes you feel uncomfortable, how much worse when friendship declined was peace and joy offered by the creator of the universe? Don't delay! Come to Christ!

Arc

editing

OT

Psalms 2:1-12

esv

mine

r Why do s the nations rage 1

Why do the nations futilely expend their energy

and the peoples plot in vain?

and the peoples make plans that are doomed to fail?

series

The kings of the earth set themselves,

the kings stubbornly take a stand

and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord

and the rulers talk together as to how they might deliberately oppose the Lord

and against his t Anointed, saying,

and oppose his chosen representative, and they say,

progression

“Let us u burst their bonds apart

"Let us reject every restraint that they would place on us

and cast away their cords from us.”

and push back against any restriction upon us"

ideaexplanation

He who v sits in the heavens w laughs;

The almighty one who has established his rule over all things, laughs them

the Lord holds them in derision.

the Lord ridicules them for their vain attempts to deny him

Then he will speak to them in his x wrath,

He will speak to them with fierce anger

and terrify them in his fury, saying,

and his ferocity will leave them trembling with fear

“As for me, I have y set my King on z Zion, my a holy hill.”

"As for me, I have firmly established my King on my holy hill in Zion where my presence abides

actionmanner

actionresult

I will tell of the decree:

As the true King of all with all authority, I will declare this truth to you

The Lord said to me, b “You are my Son;

The Lord said to me, "You will be a Son to me,

today I have begotten you.

today I am your Father

Ask of me,

You only have to ask of me,

and I will make the nations your heritage,

Just as a son receives an inheritance from his father, as my Son you will become the ruler of every nation

and c the ends of the earth your possession.

and all of the earth will belong to you, because it is mine and you are my heir

conditional

You shall d break 1 them with e a rod of iron

All those who rebel you will destroy them like when something is hit with an iron rod

and dash them in pieces like f a potter’s vessel.”

and they will be utterly ruined and worthless like a peeve of pottery that has been shattered

comparison

Now therefore, O kings, be wise;

In light of this reality, you kings should show wisdom and fear the Lord

be warned, O rulers of the earth.

you rulers of the earth should take heed of this warning.

g Serve the Lord with h fear,

choose now to serve the Lord, knowing that you cannot withstand his power

and i rejoice with h trembling.

not only that but also take joy in his righteous power, always remembering that he is able to destroy his enemies

j Kiss k the Son,

submit to the Son and show him the respect due to him

lest he be angry,

otherwise, you will incur his anger

and you perish in the way,

and you will be destroyed as you stubbornly continue on in your rebellion

actionpurpose

for his l wrath is quickly kindled.

For this offer has an expiration date and soon the Son will come in to judge your rebellion

ground

m Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

alternatively, happy is the man that comes humbly to God and finds that the rod which promised destruction now gives comfort for its protection

alternative

inference

discourse

Observastions

HEAD: WHO? Nations and their kings and ruler who are living in rebellion against the Lord and against his anointed King. Almighty, unintimidated, God whose throne is in Heaven God's Anointed King and begotten Son Any king anointed by God The King Jesus who is THE begotten son (Acts 4:25-27) WHAT? The kingdoms of the earth long to throw off the yoke of God's annointed. They are in open rebellion. They have set themselves in opposition to God and his anointed ruler, and they are taking counsel and joining together so that they might throw off their obligations to him. They do not acknowledge his sovereign rule and seek to live as they like. But God is not intimidated by their feeble efforts. Like a three year old picking a fight with a grown man, it's a laughable situation. As we see, God's response is to laugh. He ridicules the futility of their attempted coup. Further, He speaks to them in wrath and will unleash his terrifying fury upon then so that the melt in terror. While they laughably set themselves up against God, he firmly sets his king on his holy hill. The psalmist then states the Word of God concerning the annointing. 2 Samuel 7:14 "I will be a father to him and he shall be to me a son." It is no small consequence to become a son of the most high! as we see below: The result of becoming a son of the most high, is to become an heir! An heir of God is an heir to all the earth. The anointed must simply ask, and God is happy to make the nations his inheritance and the ends of the earth his possission! 1 The earth is the Lord ’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, 2 for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers. Psalms 24:1-2 ESV What is the Father's will be the Sons. This is the reality and nothing will change it. Those who remain obstinate will be broke and conquered as a clay pot is conquered by an iron rod. The nations are fragile as clay, unable to bend they will be utterly shattered. They are not match for an iron rod and its weight and strength. This is the way things are, so now the Psalmist turns to how these rebellious kings and rulers should respond. They should be wise Be warned Wisdom - Proverbs defines the beginning of wisdom as fearing the Lord. They need to accept the reality God's superiority, and their obligation to submit to his righteous rule Be Warned - They should take this generous offer of peace seriously and know that it is no bluff. Submit or shattered like a pot that comes in contact with an iron rod. What does this wise heading of the warning look like? Serving the Lord with fear Rejoicing with trembling - not mere lip service, but finding joy the Lord himself Serving - Kiss the Son while you are able! This is likely an allusion to 1 Samuel 10:1 when Samuel anointed Saul as king and kissed him. It is physical sign of acknowledgement of his kingship over him and the people. Waiting is a terrible choice, they should kiss him now lest he be angry and come as the rod of iron. There is an urgency added as well, "for his wrath is kindled quickly." There is an expiration date on his offer. Like staring at an out stretched hand rather than shaking it. The key difference is found in the one you will offend. Finally, the offer is not that of begrudging servitude, but one of shelter and happiness! Blessed is are all those who take refuge in him. Refuge from what? Refuge from the just wrath of God and his anointed! Amazing! We can take refuge in the one who would have brought the wrath! The rod of iron becomes our protector! In that, we can rest happy. Psalm 1 comes to mind. Rather than be destroyed, we can be like the tree. WHEN? There is a time that God only knows when he will come in judgement. But he has established his King now. Jesus is The Anointed, the King, the Son. Today if you hear his voice do not harden your hearts! WHERE? Among every nation. In all the earth. All existence belongs to the Lord and thus to his Son! WHY? The wrath of God is unbearable, but the blessing of God is happy haven. HOW? Submit to the Son, kiss him and rejoice in him! HEART: We should be humbled and terrified! It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living god. But also peace and safety for those who love the Son. The rod becomes the refuge. How sweet to know that disaster can be averted, not be fighting but by humble submission. HANDS Tarry not any longer, for you do not know when the son will come with his wrath in the power of God! Kiss the son, bow down before him and rejoice in blessing!