“Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.” (Psalm 2:1–3)
When Jesus came into this world, many people hated Him and opposed Him because they loved darkness rather than light. In darkness, uncleanness can remain hidden, but before Jesus, the “true Light” (John 1:9), every sin and every act of unrighteousness is exposed. Therefore, Jesus said:
“For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.” (John 3:20)
Yet the purpose of bringing sin into the light is not to destroy the sinner. Those whose sins are exposed, like the woman caught in adultery, may instead receive His grace and be delivered from the condemnation and bondage of sin, entering into true freedom. Jesus Himself said:
“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10)
As these words declare, Jesus did not come to bind us, but to set us free from the bondage of sin and give us true life and freedom.
Nevertheless, those who love sin do not want Jesus to reign over them, because they want to live according to their own desires. To such people, Jesus appears not as a Saviour but as One who would bind them and restrict their freedom. That is why they say, “Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.”
The Pharisees and scribes were like this. They loved themselves more than God. They refused to acknowledge their sins and come into the light. Instead, seeking to preserve their own positions, they opposed Jesus and sought to put Him to death.
“He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.” (Psalm 2:4–6)
Because God is infinitely great and exalted, it is only fitting that humanity should stand in awe of Him. Yet people unite with one another to oppose Him. This reveals in a striking way how lightly human beings, who are merely creatures, regard their Creator and how contemptuously they disregard His authority.
But God laughs at them because He knows that all their schemes will come to nothing. No matter how united people may become in their opposition to God, their rebellion cannot overthrow His will. People rejected Jesus and eventually crucified Him, yet even that could not frustrate God’s purpose to establish Him as King.
At Pentecost, Peter proclaimed to the Jews gathered in Jerusalem:
“Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.” (Acts 2:36)
People thought they had eliminated Jesus by crucifying Him. But God raised Him from the dead and exalted Him as Lord and Christ. What humanity intended as an act of opposition became the very means through which God’s purpose was accomplished.
The expression “he that sitteth in the heavens” is also significant. Humanity dwells on the earth, while God sits in the heavens. This is not merely a difference in location; it reveals God’s absolute sovereignty and transcendence. Human beings may resist and oppose God’s will, but they cannot frustrate or alter it. God does not change His purpose because of human rebellion. Rather, He accomplishes all things according to His own good pleasure and sovereign plan.
“I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” (Psalm 2:7–9)
God established Jesus as King, and now Jesus proclaims the words that God has spoken to Him.
God declared to Jesus, “Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.” This does not mean that Jesus first became the Son of God at that moment. Jesus has been the Son of God from eternity. The Apostle Paul connected these words with the resurrection of Jesus:
“God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.” (Acts 13:33)
Paul also wrote in Romans 1:4 that Jesus was:
“Declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:”
Therefore, the words “this day have I begotten thee” do not mean that Jesus became the Son of God for the first time on that day. Rather, through His resurrection from the dead, His identity as the Son of God and the Messianic King appointed by God was powerfully manifested and proclaimed.
God also said to Jesus, “Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.” God promised to give Jesus not only the people of Israel but all nations as His inheritance, extending His reign to the ends of the earth. Jesus, therefore, is not merely the King of one nation. He is the King who rules over all peoples and the whole world.
Furthermore, God declared, “Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel,” granting Jesus authority to rule and judge. Just as an earthen vessel cannot withstand a rod of iron, no matter how powerful the kingdoms of this world may become, they cannot ultimately prevail against the King whom God has established.
Therefore, Jesus is not only the Saviour who came to save sinners. He is also the King who rules over all nations and judges those who persistently reject and oppose His reign.
“Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.” (Psalm 2:10–12)
These words, beginning with “Be wise now therefore,” bring the preceding passage to its conclusion. Proverbs 1:7 declares:
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
There is no greater folly than opposing God and the King whom He has established. God now calls people to turn away from their foolish opposition to Him and His Christ, to gain wisdom, and to receive His instruction. Since God has already established Jesus as King, He calls people to stop resisting Him, turn back, and submit to His reign.
God also says, “Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.” To fear God does not mean to flee from Him in terror and keep our distance. Rather, it means to acknowledge His greatness and exalted majesty and to come under His rule. God desires us to experience true joy under His reign as we worship and serve Him with reverence.
God further commands, “Kiss the Son.” In the ancient world, kissing a king was an expression of respect, loyalty, and submission. Therefore, these words may be understood as a call to receive Jesus, whom God has appointed, as our own King and to submit to Him.
If people refuse to repent and continue to reject and oppose Jesus, they cannot escape God’s judgment. Human beings may reject the King whom God has established, but they cannot overthrow His authority.
Yet a wonderful promise is given to those who turn away from their rebellion, fearing God’s wrath, and take refuge in Him:
“Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.” (Psalm 2:12)
The Hebrew word translated “Blessed” here is Ashrei, the same word used in Psalm 1 to express the blessedness of the righteous. Psalm 1 begins with the words “Blessed is the man,” while Psalm 2 concludes by declaring that all who take refuge in God are blessed.
We can therefore see that Psalms 1 and 2 are closely connected. The truly blessed person is not one who turns away from God to follow his own way, but one who takes refuge in God. He is not one who opposes Christ, the King whom God has established, but one who receives Christ as his King.
Such a person abides in the Word of God and, like a tree planted beside streams of water, receives life and nourishment from God and enjoys the true blessings that He gives.
[Scripture quotations: King James Version (KJV).]