WORD From The Woods
Psalm 2
“Why do the nations rage
and the peoples plot in vain?
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.”
He who sits in the heavens laughs;
the Lord holds them in derision.
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.”
I will tell of the decree:
The LORD said to me, “You are my Son;
today I have begotten you.
Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,
and the ends of the earth your possession.
You shall break them with a rod of iron
and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.”
Now therefore, O kings, be wise;
be warned, O rulers of the earth.
Serve the LORD with fear,
and rejoice with trembling.
Kiss the Son,
lest he be angry, and you perish in the way,
for his wrath is quickly kindled.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him.”
We looked at this passage last year, but I think it’s important to be reminded again about the reality of who is really in control. Lately, I’ve been talking to a lot of folks who are very distraught over the political situation in the US right now. There’s no question that our country is in a real mess. Corruption is deep and rampant, and the most abominable kinds of sins are celebrated as virtues. I think this Psalm is a great reminder for us in times like these. Verse 1 asks a question that most of us have been asking for a while now, “why do the nations rage and plot in vain?” If you haven’t noticed, there has been a lot of raging in the world over the last few years. And, it seems that there are some pretty evil things being plotted out by world leaders. It’s almost as if they read Psalm 2:2 as a directive on what to do! It really looks like the kings of the earth are setting themselves purposefully against The Lord and His people! It looks like that because that’s exactly what is happening. But, we read on in verse 4, He who sits in the heavens laughs and makes a mockery of those evil leaders! You know why God laughs at the vain and evil plots of these earthly leaders? Because verse 6! God says “as for Me, I have set My King on My holy hill.” Remember this was written 1,000 years before Christ came as a baby in a manger, and 3,000 years before our day now. Verse 7 speaks of God’s begotten son, which points us to Christ in John 3:16 “for God so loved the world, that he sent His only begotten Son.” This King that the Lord would set upon His holy hill, Mount Zion, would be the promised messiah, the coming King of the world! At Christmas time, we like to say that “Jesus is the reason for the season,” but we really just tend to think of Him as the baby in a manger that came to be our invisible sidekick that we call on when things get tough. We need to be reminded that Jesus didn’t just come as a baby for our nativity display, and He is no “sidekick!” He is our Savior and the reigning King of the world! The Jews knew that the Messiah was coming as the King, they just thought it was to rule from an earthly throne in Jerusalem. But the holy hill, Mount Zion, was something far greater! Verse 9 tells us that this King would break the kings of the earth with a rod of iron like clay pottery. That should point us to Daniel chapter 2, where Daniel interprets King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. Daniel saw 4 successive world kingdoms, ending with the Romans and the apostate Jewish nation mixed in with the Roman kingdom, represented by the feet of clay. There’s a lot more to say on that, but you can go read Daniel 2 yourself. The important part is the Stone cut by no human hand that comes crashing in, destroys the statue, grows into a great mountain, and establishes a Kingdom that will never end. That Stone would be the same King that David wrote about in Psalm 2 and that great mountain would be the Lord’s holy hill, Mount Zion. What’s really incredible about all of this, is that now under the new covenant in Christ, we know that we as followers of Christ are that holy mountain of God, Mount Zion. We are as Christians, each a part of the mountain of God! We are the Kingdom, and we know that Christ’s Kingdom will never end. It will never fail, and King Jesus will accomplish everything He intends to, on time and in His order, according to His plan! So, even with everything going on with evil tyrants acting like they rule the world, there is one who sits enthroned in Heaven, who rules with a rod of iron, whose Kingdom cannot be shaken, Christ Jesus, the King of kings! Blessed are those who take refuge in Him!
God bless and have a great week! -Terry-
Psalm 2
“Why do the nations rage
and the peoples plot in vain?
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.”
He who sits in the heavens laughs;
the Lord holds them in derision.
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.”
I will tell of the decree:
The LORD said to me, “You are my Son;
today I have begotten you.
Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,
and the ends of the earth your possession.
You shall break them with a rod of iron
and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.”
Now therefore, O kings, be wise;
be warned, O rulers of the earth.
Serve the LORD with fear,
and rejoice with trembling.
Kiss the Son,
lest he be angry, and you perish in the way,
for his wrath is quickly kindled.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him.”
We looked at this passage last year, but I think it’s important to be reminded again about the reality of who is really in control. Lately, I’ve been talking to a lot of folks who are very distraught over the political situation in the US right now. There’s no question that our country is in a real mess. Corruption is deep and rampant, and the most abominable kinds of sins are celebrated as virtues. I think this Psalm is a great reminder for us in times like these. Verse 1 asks a question that most of us have been asking for a while now, “why do the nations rage and plot in vain?” If you haven’t noticed, there has been a lot of raging in the world over the last few years. And, it seems that there are some pretty evil things being plotted out by world leaders. It’s almost as if they read Psalm 2:2 as a directive on what to do! It really looks like the kings of the earth are setting themselves purposefully against The Lord and His people! It looks like that because that’s exactly what is happening. But, we read on in verse 4, He who sits in the heavens laughs and makes a mockery of those evil leaders! You know why God laughs at the vain and evil plots of these earthly leaders? Because verse 6! God says “as for Me, I have set My King on My holy hill.” Remember this was written 1,000 years before Christ came as a baby in a manger, and 3,000 years before our day now. Verse 7 speaks of God’s begotten son, which points us to Christ in John 3:16 “for God so loved the world, that he sent His only begotten Son.” This King that the Lord would set upon His holy hill, Mount Zion, would be the promised messiah, the coming King of the world! At Christmas time, we like to say that “Jesus is the reason for the season,” but we really just tend to think of Him as the baby in a manger that came to be our invisible sidekick that we call on when things get tough. We need to be reminded that Jesus didn’t just come as a baby for our nativity display, and He is no “sidekick!” He is our Savior and the reigning King of the world! The Jews knew that the Messiah was coming as the King, they just thought it was to rule from an earthly throne in Jerusalem. But the holy hill, Mount Zion, was something far greater! Verse 9 tells us that this King would break the kings of the earth with a rod of iron like clay pottery. That should point us to Daniel chapter 2, where Daniel interprets King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. Daniel saw 4 successive world kingdoms, ending with the Romans and the apostate Jewish nation mixed in with the Roman kingdom, represented by the feet of clay. There’s a lot more to say on that, but you can go read Daniel 2 yourself. The important part is the Stone cut by no human hand that comes crashing in, destroys the statue, grows into a great mountain, and establishes a Kingdom that will never end. That Stone would be the same King that David wrote about in Psalm 2 and that great mountain would be the Lord’s holy hill, Mount Zion. What’s really incredible about all of this, is that now under the new covenant in Christ, we know that we as followers of Christ are that holy mountain of God, Mount Zion. We are as Christians, each a part of the mountain of God! We are the Kingdom, and we know that Christ’s Kingdom will never end. It will never fail, and King Jesus will accomplish everything He intends to, on time and in His order, according to His plan! So, even with everything going on with evil tyrants acting like they rule the world, there is one who sits enthroned in Heaven, who rules with a rod of iron, whose Kingdom cannot be shaken, Christ Jesus, the King of kings! Blessed are those who take refuge in Him!
God bless and have a great week! -Terry-