Despite Having More Enemies Than Friends, Jesus Shall Reign! - Psalm 2

This message is primarily for those who call on the name of Jesus Christ as their own Lord and Savior from sin, and serve as a Chaplain or a gospel minister in a jail, prison or a follow-up ministry such as a rescue mission – in the United States.

All Scripture quotes are usually taken from the New King James Version (NKJV) of the Bible, copyright 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. When quoting a text, any deviation from the NKJV text is placed within parenthesis signs (). These usually occur as direct translations from the original languages, or as notes from the original setting to help apply the text to today’s culture.

ALL CAPITAL LETTERS are sometimes used to emphasize words in a text, or to make a comment about a biblical text, or emphasize a statement.

We live in a political society. If what the news media and other “polls” say is anywhere close to accurate, Jesus Christ has many more enemies than He has friends in America today. Along with a growing hatred of Jesus is a growing hatred of the Bible in America.

I was recently talking with a relative and she told me the printed form she was asked to fill out in order to be hired by a municipality, actually had a place on the form where she was told to “check one.” The area of the form was for “gender,” and it had printed on it, “male,” “female” and - “OTHER!” In an effort to be politically correct, the city in question opted to reject the Bible and God’s created order.

God’s word is very forthright as it records the following words: “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” Genesis 1:27. “He created them male and female, and blessed them and called them Mankind in the day they were created.” Genesis 5:2. With human beings, as with animals, there is ONLY “male and female” there is no “OTHER.”

I am sure you run into similar agnostic or atheistic thinking as you attempt to give sound Bible teaching as part and parcel of your gospel ministry in public, government controlled places like jails and prisons. Well, this month I want to encourage you. I want to remind you from Psalm 2 that Jesus Christ, the True God, is going to win.

Despite having more enemies than friends today, JESUS WILL ONE DAY REIGN. HE WILL PUT DOWN ALL HUMAN REBELLION AGAINST THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE TRUE GOD! When He does, He will be more than popular, He’ll be worshiped.

I am reminded of a story of a liberal church pastor encountering a janitor on his lunch break, who he was studying the book of Revelation. The pastor said something like “Oh, I see you’re studying Revelation. No one knows what it means, but I suppose you’re going to tell me you do.”

The humble janitor looked up and said, “Yes sir, I do understand it and I think I do know what it all means.” The pastor retorted, “OK, tell me, what does it all mean?” The janitor, with a smile simply said, “IT MEANS JESUS CHRIST IS GOING TO WIN!”

The great hymn by Isaac Watts, written in 1719 – “Jesus Shall Reign” puts it this way:
“Jesus shall reign where'er the sun does its successive journeys run; His kingdom spread from shore to shore, till moons shall wax and wane no more.

This even speaks of the eternal Kingdom.

With that background, look at Psalm 2 with me. The first six verses read:

1 Why do the nations rage, and the people plot a vain thing?
2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying,
3 “Let us break Their bonds in pieces and cast away Their cords from us.”

4 He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; the Lord shall hold them in derision.
5 Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, and distress them in His deep displeasure:
6 “Yet I have set My King on My holy hill of Zion.”

This Psalm is a song that has four stanzas of three verses each (verses 1-3, 4-6, 7-9 and 10-12). In verses 1-6, the first two stanzas, the psalmist speaks first about the rebellion of men and then about God’s response to men in regard to their rebellion.

Verse 1 is a commentary on the useless revolt of mankind. It puts forth a rhetorical question to show the utter foolishness of the creatures’ rebellion against their Creator.

1 Why do the nations rage (or, from the idea of snorting in anger, “make a commotion”), and (why do, implied) the people plot (or, devise) a vain (useless) thing?

Note that their rage leads to the strategizing and plotting. Nations and people first rage, then they plot. But all of their plotting is vain, useless and empty in its effect. At the same time, when verse 1 is put together with verse 2, it states the fact that mankind’s hateful rebellion is AGAINST God and especially against Jesus, the Messiah-Christ.

2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against His Anointed, (His Christ).

In verse 1, we have nations, literally ‘ethnic groups,’ and then individual people plotting. Now verse 2, widens the rebels description to include the kings or rulers of the earth, meaning the heads of human governments.

It clearly states that they oppose God and His program. The concept of “set themselves” means they prepare for battle. In ancient times, armies were set up in battle array.

So the earth’s politicians take counsel together. This corresponds to the plotting and planning mentioned in verse 1. Verse 3 gives us a glimpse at the tenor of their attitude as these politicians confer on how best to resist Jesus and His Father.

… saying,
3 “Let us break Their bonds in pieces and cast away Their cords from us.”

They will say “Let us break Their bonds in pieces and cast away Their cords from us.” This is a poetic way of saying “WE DON’T WANT GOD CONTROLLING US, WE WANT TO BE OUR OWN CONTROLLERS! This is the very manifestation of sin.

The plural “Their” used twice in verse 3, is important. It speaks of the LORD and of the Christ, distinguishing them as separate Persons. Though mankind, since his fall into sin in Adam has resisted God, and even in 1,000 BC when this Psalm was written, men resisted and opposed God’s control. Most of them at that time did not understand the triune nature of God. Yet it is here.

Even though it is taught in the Old Testament, they did not know that the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit make up one God. Even so, they opposed Them, even then. The fact of this allusion to a plurality of Persons in the Godhead in Psalm 2:2-3, SPEAKS OF A GREATER AND FUTURE FULFILLMENT. Ultimately, this is prophetic about the way it will be in this world, just before Jesus returns.

I must mention that Acts 4:23-28 is a partial fulfillment of the prophecy of Psalm 2 - but the final fulfillment is yet future. In Acts 4, the Holy Spirit through Peter said the rulers of both of the Jews and Gentiles in his time were united in rejecting Christ – so they crucified Him and opposed those who proclaimed His resurrection.

The long war against God has continued through the centuries even to our time. As it continues, men’s hatred grows worse. Is it not amazing how opposed not just to the idea of God, but especially to the Christian God and the God-Man Jesus our society has become today? Even so, come Lord Jesus!

The second stanza of the Psalm in verses 4-6, tells of God’s reaction to the rebellion of mankind.

4 He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; the Lord shall hold them in derision.
5 Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, and distress them (“terrify them” is a better translation) in His deep displeasure:
6 “Yet I have set My King on My holy hill of Zion.”

“He who sits (on His throne) in the heavens” is here a reference to God, the Father. His reaction to mankind’s rebellion is threefold. In the order of the verses, it is -

EMOTIONAL in verse 4,
JUDICIAL in verse 5,
and PURPOSEFUL and SOVEREIGN in verse 6.

Verse 4 says God laughs at His enemies. It is the height of foolishness to fight against God. It is absolutely preposterous to plot against Him. Who do men think they are to try to resist His eternal plan? The pride of mankind is laughed at by God because it is so out of place for the created thing to fight against the Creator. Man’s best is a zero with God. God is God and man is not God! God is in control, man is not in control.

Verse 5 is the reaction of God’s justice – He must judge sin. The verb tense is important here. “Then He shall speak to them in His wrath,” this refers to a definite time in the future. This is talking about the time of God’s wrath just before Jesus returns to Earth. When His judicial wrath comes, the human rebels will be terrified. Note this in Revelation 6:12-17 where John recorded his vision of the future.

12 I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood.
13 And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late (over ripened) figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind.
14 Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place.

Wow! Now note the terror -
15 And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains,
16 and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!
17 For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”

Back to Psalm 2. I love the message of verse 6! “Yet I have set My King on My holy hill of Zion.” Try as they have and will, rebels against God’s sovereign plan and purpose are going to lose. Apart from a right relationship with God men are losers! God is the winner. He is Sovereign.

We know from inspired Scripture that David was the human writer through whom the Holy Spirit gave us Psalm 2 (See Acts 4:24-26). I wonder if David wrote these words before or after he was installed as Israel’s temporary (not Eternal) king? Either way, he knew by personal experience that all the plans and plots against who God wants as king are vain and useless. God will have His way, He’s Sovereign.

In verses 7-9 God the Son speaks about God the Father, speaking to Him. It all relates to Jesus, the Messiah-Christ being installed to reign on earth from Jerusalem for a literal 1,000 years. This will happen when He returns - in the judgment alluded to in verse 5.

7 “I will declare the decree: the LORD has said to Me, ‘You are My Son, today I have begotten You.
8 Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession.
9 You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’”

We need to point out how this all echoes what was said in verse 6, where God, the Father said ““Yet I have set My King on My holy hill of Zion.”

This statement is His DECREE. When a totally Sovereign God decrees something, it happens! Nothing can prevent it from happening. Verse 8 again emphasizes that Jesus shall reign over all the earth. Verse 9 relates back to the promised judgment of God in verse 5, “Then He shall speak to them in His wrath…”

Compare this verse, Psalm 2:9, with Revelation 19:11-15

11 Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.
12 His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself.
13 He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.

He is called “Faithful and True,” His eyes are “like a flame of fire” … and finally, “His name is called The Word of God.” If you have difficulty at first identifying WHO this is, the last phrase erases all doubt. This is the glorified Jesus, the Christ, the same one spoken about in Revelation 1:12-18. Continuing the passage says:

14 And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.
15 Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations.

That’s an image of the power of his judgment through a single spoken word of judgment. The word translated “SWORD” here is not like the word translated sword in reference to the written scripture as applied by the Holy Spirit, in Ephesians 6:18. There, the sword refers to a short dagger, HERE THE WORD REFERS TO A HUGE BROADSWORD. This then is the picture of sudden, huge, devastating judgment coming from the mouth of Jesus Christ.

15 … And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

So, three thousand years ago it was prophesied, in Psalm 2:5 and 2:9, that He would speak to the rebels in His wrath, and rule them with a rod of iron.

Before I get to the final stanza in verses 10-12, (a gospel stanza) I don’t want to just skip over a difficult part of the text in verse 7. “…the LORD has said to Me, ‘You are My Son, today I have begotten You.’“ Most commentators say these words are here to stress the filial relationship between the LORD and His Christ, between God the Father and the Son. In effect, they say since the Christ is the Son, the following statements of the decree that He should judge and reign, are established by the fact of the Father-Son relationship. That may be true.

But I believe there is more to it than that. I believe the “Today… begotten” statement must somehow relate to the time of Jesus’ triumphal return. Now I’ll tell you why.

This verse (Psalm 2:7) is quoted three times in the New Testament. It’s found in Acts 13:33; Hebrews 1:5 and Hebrews 5:5. Each time it is quoted, it’s applied to something DIFFERENT. In Paul’s sermon in Acts 13, it’s applied to Jesus’ resurrection. In Hebrews 1:5, the writer applies this statement to Jesus’ deity and superiority over angelic beings. Then, in Hebrews 5:5 it is applied to Jesus’ appointment as High Priest as opposed to a self-centered seeking of office. In Psalm 2, it is applied to the decree that He should reign.

Each time the phrase “Today I have begotten You.” is used it signifies something very important. I believe it is used in the sense of God manifesting, exhibiting or declaring something. Jesus is King, Jesus is the Resurrected Savior, Jesus is God, Jesus is High Priest! The Father has declared it!

Finally the gospel part, in verses 10-12 the psalmist speaks to men. This message through the prophet-psalmist exposes the grace and mercy of the Just Judge of all the earth. Though judgment is promised in verses 5 and 9, an invitation to escape it is offered to the very leaders of rebellious mankind in verses 10-12. It says:

10 Now therefore, be wise, O kings; be instructed, you judges of the earth.
11 Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
12 Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish in the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.

This is a call to repentance and faith in the Christ who is the Son of God. The phrase “Kiss the Son” in verse 12 needs to be explained. This is not a romantic or filial thing, this is worship. In the ancient cultures, one form of worship was to fall at the feet of the one or thing worshiped and kiss the ground before them or else kiss his feet. Hence, the NASB translates this part of the verse 12, “Do homage to the Son.”

In closing, I want to draw your attention to the words of a great new missionary hymn. I think they fit together with the inspired words of the invitation to repent in Psalm 2:10-12. This new hymn by Keith and Kristyn Getty, copyright 2003, ThankYou Music, is titled, “Across The Lands.” It’s about Jesus Christ, and therefore sung to Him.

Verse 1 -
You're the Word of God the Father from before the world began. Ev'ry star and ev'ry planet has been fashioned by Your hand. All creation holds together by the power of Your voice. Let the skies declare Your glory; let the land and seas rejoice!
THIS VERSE SPEAKS OF HIS DEITY.

Verse 2 -
Yet You left the gaze of angels, came to seek and save the lost, and exchanged the joy of heaven for the anguish of a cross. With a prayer You fed the hungry; with a word You calmed the sea; yet how silently You suffered that the guilty may go free!
THIS VERSE SPEAKS OF HIS DEITY AND HIS SUBSTITUIONARY SACRIFICE AS HIGH PRIEST.

Verse 3 -
With a shout You rose victorious, wresting vict'ry from the grave, and ascended into heaven, leading captives in Your way. Now You stand before the Father, interceding for Your own; from each tribe and tongue and nation, You are leading sinners home!
THIS VERSE SPEAKS OF HIS RESURRECTION AND HIS CURRENT HIGH PRIESTLY WORK FOR HIS OWN.

The CHORUS after each verse – has these words -
You're the Author of creation; You're the Lord of ev'ry man; and Your cry of love rings out across the lands.

ULTIMATELY, Jesus is the Lord of EVERY MAN AND WOMAN! The chorus like Psalm 2, says He is Lord or Sovereign over every human. Ultimately, all shall answer to Him. BUT NOW, His cry of love counsels sinners to repent and trust in Him alone, owning Him as Savior and King-Lord. When we consider Psalm 2, it is a wonderful thing to know we’re on the winning side, no matter what public opinion says.

Rich Hines -Aurora Ministries, Minister to Chaplains