Significance of His Kingship
The Lord Has Final Authority
Psalm 2 holds a truth which overrules all nations regardless of their present world-wide influence. The Bible says, “Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the LORD and against His anointed… The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. He rebukes them in His anger and terrifies them in His wrath, saying ‘I have installed my King on Zion, My holy mountain. …Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear and celebrate His rule… Kiss His Son, or He will be angry and your way will lead to your destruction for His wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in Him.” (Psalm 2:1-12) Here we have a proclamation of celebration of the Lord’s eternal authority over all kings and every nation in the midst of their boasting and planning to ignore His universal Kingship. First, we read of God’s response. Second, we read of His warnings and exhortations. Third, we read of a nation’s sure destruction if they continue in their rebellion. Fourthly, we read of the sure blessing for all who put their trust in Him.
Notice this passage of Scripture is not God warning the Jewish people who often walk in disobedience, but an exhortation to all nations. It must be noted, nations are not land or boundary lines. Nations are the people who are the inhabitants of the land they live in.
The word “conspire” (?????? rag_aš) is an active verb meaning to rage against. This word only appears in Psalm 2:1 and it denotes the uproar and plotting of the wicked against righteousness. The image is a gathering lynch mob to act and do away with something the people hate. (Baker, W., & Carpenter, E. E. (2003). The complete word study dictionary: Old Testament (p. 1036). Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers.) All a person needs to do these days is present the Biblical truth on marriage, sexuality, or the Lord’s moral conduct on how we are to live. It is not long the mob is there to hang you. This is especially seen in social media. Instead of debating or instructing respectfully with great patients, they attack, bully, using intimidation to try to stop those who have a different or opposing view point, especially if it lines up with the Word of the Lord.
In their conspiring the text says the Lord laughs and scoffs. God is not a bit concerned. Psalm 37:13 says “but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for He knows their day is coming.” While people are electing public officials who will pass laws which allow them to indulge their fleshly desires, the Lord knows the day of paying the fiddler will come. The cost of not keeping a sober mind, living an undisciplined life and surrendering to influences of a world view will cost our society more than they wanted to pay.
Infidelity is on the rise, scoffers of the truth of God’s Word crow loudly and unrest is becoming to be the norm. The Bible teaches we are to appoint officials who live in a referent fear of the Lord. Today, for the most part, when it is time to vote, our choice is voting for the lesser of two evils. Judges are failing to hand out justice in proper season. More and more people in this nation are calling what God calls evil, good while calling what the Lord calls good, evil. When all is done which will be done, when all is said which will be said and all written that will be written, the Bible says, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow to Me and every tongue shall confess to God.” (Romans 14:11)
The best thing a people in a nation can do is “Kiss His Son.” This is a kiss of homage or rather worship. Psalm 148 makes it clear, “Kings of the earth and all nations, you princes, all rulers on earth, young men and women, old men and children,” praise the Lord! (Psalm 148:11-12) They are to praise the Lord for His Sovereignty, His provision and His available hand upon their lives. Deuteronomy 28 holds truths for a nation who truly loves the Lord. “If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all His commands… the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth.” (Deuteronomy 28:1) Verses 1-14 teach about the blessing which will come upon a nation whose God is truly the Lord. That nation of people will experience blessings in their towns and in the country. They will have descendants to carry on their heritage, their crops will flourish, while their flocks and herds prosper. A nation which lives under God’s commands will have victory in war, will lend to nations, not needing to borrow from anyone. (Willmington, H. L. (1999). The Outline Bible (Dt 28:1–14). Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.) However, Deuteronomy 28:15-68 teaches of the cruses for disobedience.
It is imperative we understand this promise is a covenant agreement. There is a Greek word for “covenant” (diatheke) meaning an agreement set up by God alone. The whole approach comes from God and man cannot bargain with God or argue about the terms. Mankind can only accept or reject the offer that God makes. It as Philo said, “It is fitting for God to give and for a wise man to receive.” This Greek Word always means the whole initiative is with God; the terms are His and man cannot alter them in the slightest. (Barclay, W. (Ed.). (1975). The letter to the Hebrews (p. 91). Philadelphia: The Westminster John Knox Press.)
God’s covenant agreement in Deuteronomy 28 is, “if you fully obey, carefully follow all His commands.” People in a nation cannot claim to believe in God and embrace laws and life styles which are clearly against the whole counsel of His word. Examples:
• Ask God for protection from evil while legalizing and enabling the shedding of innocent blood, which is what abortion accomplishes.
• Ask God to bless marriage because the wedding ceremony was done in a church while using the ceremony as a license to a drunk-fest. If a couple would spend as much time in the study of God’s Word on marriage as they do getting a high school or college degree, our divorce rate in America would decrease. Church denominations are moving to change the phrase, “union of husband and wife” with the “union of two people.” In marriage ceremonies.
• Time and time again lawyers are litigating the letter of the law, neglecting the heart of the law while having witnesses swear to tell the truth with hand on the Bible, or book of law or a book containing the Constitution and Bill of Rights. The justice we need will not be experienced in a nation with legalistic approach to law. Not being hungry for the heart of what is expected to be obeyed leads to gross misinterpretation in law and theology.
• Mankind cannot expect to enjoy God promise blessings with a Sunday morning appearance while having no desire to daily meditate upon His Word, His will or His presence in their lives.
God is not swayed with words of intimidation, threats or a view point which line up with a world perspective. The Biblical text says, “His wrath can flare up in a moment.” That wrath is at hand in America now. Romans 1: 18-31 under the heading God’s Wrath Against Mankind.
“The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God…
Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie… Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.
Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, He gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.”
Christians who trust in the Lord have this exhortation, “But let all who take refuge in You be glad.” (Psalm 5:11a) Psalm 5:11 also as a covering prayer of King David, “Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in You.” (Psalm 5:11b) Christians who take refuge in the Lord have a cheerful confidence their sins are forgiven. Their needs will be provided for and their lives are secure in the hands of God. The sins which once overcame them now have no hold on them. They are able to live for the Lord, sense His pleasure and are confident in their callings.
In Our Daily Bread devotionals, dated February 27, 1995 we read of a discussion between John and Charles Wesley talking about when God assigns a difficult task He will give us what we need to carry it out. John Wesley wrote, “Among the many difficulties of our early ministry, my brother Charles said, ‘If the Lord would give me wings, I would fly.’ On which John responded ‘If God bids me to fly, I will trust Him for the wings.’”
In keeping with the context of God dealing with nations, the trust God is looking for regarding the United States of America is, “…if my people. Who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14) God through His written Word has given us a call. Christians need to repent, pray, and preach the Word, addressing the sins which have overcome our nation and addressing the issues of our day. God bids Christians to The Great Commission, they must trust Him to make the way.
