Thoughts On the Psalms: Psalm 2

The second Psalm is the first prophetic Psalm, and it is a prophecy of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The first of many Messianic prophecies in the Psalms, we get into some major elements that later Psalms will address more fully, and it also raises some interesting questions. Something to keep in mind is that while this is poetry, it is poetry that tells the truth. Not every flowery element of poetry is literal (a vault of snow in heaven, for example), but the image it paints is the truth. A vault of snow is an analogy for the clouds and utilizes poetic language. Just because the language is poetic does not mean that it is not describing something very real; it is not the language itself that is literal; it is the thing being described. I bring this up because as we move through the Psalms, we will run into a lot of poetic language (it is a book of poetry, after all), but the picture or prophecy being painted is still very real. 

Another thing of interest is that this whole Psalm is Synonymous in nature, which is simply the rhyming of ideas that we talked about in the first Psalm. We will see it in every verse as the Psalmist says the same idea twice using different words. 

Psalm 2:1 NKJV Why do the nations rage, And the people plot a vain thing?

This Psalm starts out with a rhetorical question as if we, the reader, should know what the Psalmist is talking about. Obviously, it’s a setup for the Psalmist to launch into the rest of the Psalm, but it is an exciting way to start out. It grabs our attention and draws us in to hear what he says. Again, we see the use of rhyming ideas in the opening lines of the Psalm. 

Psalm 2:2-3 NKJV 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." 

Now we see why it is a vain thing that the nations plot, and if we read a little more, we will know exactly why they rage. The nations are plotting against God and setting themselves in opposition to Him. Continuing with the theme started in the first Psalm, and in great contrast to the view of a godly man, they seek to cast off the bonds and cords of God. They consider His law to be burdensome and to be chains holding them back. Quite different from the writer's own views in these two Psalms, but quite common in our own day and age. How arrogant is it that these kings, who are mere men, can set themselves against God and do away with His law?

Something of very great interest that sets the tone for the whole rest of the Psalm is the phrase, "His Anointed." "Lord" is obviously YHWH, but "Anointed" is Masiah, which does mean anointed. It is also the word Messiah in English. I’m sure you will recognize this word because we use it as a proper title in reference to Jesus. It could simply be a reference to the King God has set up, but as we go a little further in the Psalm, it will become abundantly clear that this is indeed a reference to Jesus. 

Psalm 2:4 NKJV He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; The Lord shall hold them in derision.  

In verse four, we see how God responds to their arrogance and vain plotting. He laughs in amused disbelief, the same way we would if our toddler said that they were going to cast off the rules we had given them. God holds them in derision; that is, He looks at them as ridiculous. Who are these mere worms to plot against the Most High God? 

Psalm 2:5 NKJV Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, And distress them in His deep displeasure:

His laughter doesn’t last long, quickly followed by wrath and deep displeasure. It is not a good thing to make God angry, least of all to plot against He and His Son. The Father is about to speak, but what He says doesn't seem to be that angry at first glance.

Psalm 2:6 NKJV “Yet I have set My King On My holy hill of Zion.”

The full implications of what the Father says here hit home as we read the rest of the verses, but even on its own, it is quite ominous in nature. He has set His King on His Holy mountain, and that unequivocally means judgment.  

Psalm 2:7 NKJV “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.’ ”

Now, the Son speaks and tells us what the Father has said to Him. The Father sets Him up, and He has a mission to fulfill. The Father claims the Son as His own, which gives Him authority, especially as we move into the part of the statement. Here, the Father says that this day, He has begotten the Son, but since the Son has existed since before time began as God, that seems unlikely. Rather, the Hebrew word can also mean to give pedigree to, and that is exactly what the Father has done right here. He has given the Son authority and claimed Him as His Son, which gives Jesus the pedigree of God. 

What makes this rendering even more the likely rendering of this word is what the whole thing starts with. “I will declare the decree.” Decree is the same Hebrew word for law, statute, ordinates, and commandments. A law is being declared and recorded here in the second Psalm, a law that will lead to salvation for all mankind.  

Now we see why what the Father said is so terrifying! The Son has been given a rod of iron, and that means not just judgment but harsh judgment. The Father has declared that He is His Son, and He has given Him the nations for judgment. The Son has the authority to judge the nations and execute that judgment upon them. We see this prophesied again in Revelation 12:5 and 19:15 in direct reference to Jesus. There is only one whose inheritance is the nations, and that is our Lord and Saviour Jesus. 

We need to go back a bit here, and look at some other verses to back up what is being said here. This is absolutely without a doubt a description of Jesus, because we are told it is such. Not just here, but in the New Testament as well. 

Hebrews 1:5 NKJV For to which of the angels did He ever say: "You are My Son, Today I have begotten You"? And again: "I will be to Him a Father, And He shall be to Me a Son"?  

Acts 13:33 NKJV "God has fulfilled this for us their children, in that He has raised up Jesus. As it is also written in the second Psalm: 'You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.'

Clearly this Psalm is directly speaking of Jesus. Not Jesus with His temper reigned in, but the warrior who will return on a white horse with a sword to wage war and and judge the nations. 

Psalm 2:10-12 NKJV 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.

The Psalmist picks up the narrative again at this point to finish out the Psalm. The fate described in the previous verses is not final, as we see in verse ten. The kings of the Earth, those who judge now, are supposed to take warning from this and serve the YHWH with fear. They are supposed to turn back to God and seek Him, for their fate is not written. They can change the outcome of their judgment by turning to God. As the Psalmist says in the last verse, pay respect to Jesus, or you will perish when His wrath is small, let alone when it is full-blown. The Hebrew word translated as kiss here is a word that means to pay respect as of two armed warriors. 

The Psalm finishes out with a final admonition that blessed are all those who put their trust in Jesus. A beautiful way to finish this Psalm, and full of hope. We are not doomed to a forewritten end, and just as these kings could, we can turn back to God and remove the judgment He has placed upon us. 

A point to notice is that this Psalm seems to indicate that the Father-Son relationship between the two YHWHs existed before Jesus came in the flesh. Perhaps this is the case, but it is also possible that this Psalm is simply speaking of a time when Jesus was born into the flesh. I find that latter explanation unlikely, but take from it what you will. 

I greatly enjoyed going through this Psalm, and it is quite beautiful in its own way. There is a striking contrast made between this Psalm and the one prior, of a man who loves God’s law versus one who scorns it and in doing so sets himself against God. At the same time, there is a turnaround within this Psalm as it finishes with a message of hope for those who scorn God’s law, but only if they turn back to Him.