About this sermon
The nations rage and the rulers plot against the Lord and his Anointed, but he who sits in the heavens laughs and declares, “I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.” The early church saw this psalm fulfilled when Herod, Pilate, and the leaders conspired against Jesus, and the Father’s words at Jesus’ baptism echo it: “You are my beloved Son.” The rage continues today, yet Christ reigns securely, and all who take refuge in him are blessed.
Sermon transcript
I’d invite you to turn in your Bibles if you’d like to follow along to Psalm 2 as we continue our new series through the book of Psalms. Psalm 2, let us hear God’s holy word. 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 sun, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way. For his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him. Once again, dear ones, the grass withers and the flower fades, but the word of our God endures forever. You may be seated.
Once again, please do join me in prayer before the Lord. Gracious Heavenly Father, we do ask that you would enlighten us by your spirit through the word this evening. We ask, O Lord, that you would grant unto me, your unworthy servant, the grace to declare and proclaim and speak forth your word with clarity and precision and power. And we do pray that this word that we consider tonight, this portion of scripture, would indeed bear spiritual fruit in our lives that brings glory to your holy name. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.
The title of my sermon this evening is The Sun King Set on Zion. Well, dear ones, to enter into a study of the Book of Psalms is to enter into a literary, devotional, and theological sanctuary. A sanctuary that is pulsating with the presence of God. A sanctuary that is filled with rich spiritual sustenance for the pilgrim people of God.
As any careful reader of the Psalms will notice, the Psalter is a collection of various individual poems, various individual Psalms gathered and organized into five books, perhaps in imitation of the five books of Moses. It is likely that the compilers of the Psalms intended for us to see Psalm 1 and Psalm 2 as introductory to the entire Psalter. Psalm 1 being a wisdom psalm or a Torah psalm with a focus on the individual and Psalm 2 being a royal psalm with a more corporate, national, and theocratic focus. Now I know I quoted this passage from Dr. Willem van Gemmeren’s commentary on the Psalms in my sermon on Psalm 1, but I think it bears repeating, as Dr. van Gemmeren says the following about the Psalms as a whole.
He says, quote, in the 150 Psalms, the Holy Spirit has given us more than a book of Israel’s prayer and praise. The Book of Psalms is a cross-section of God’s revelation to Israel and of Israel’s response in faith to the Lord. He goes on to say, the book of Psalms is God’s prescription for a complacent church because through it he reveals how great, wonderful, magnificent, wise, and utterly awe-inspiring he is.
If God’s people before the incarnation could have such a faith in the Lord, witnessing to his greatness and readiness to help, How much more should this be true among 20th century Christians? Or as the case is today, 21st century Christians. He goes on to say, the book of Psalms can revolutionize our devotional life, our family patterns, and the fellowship and witness of the church of Jesus Christ. To which again, I would say to Dr. Van Gemmeren, amen, brother.
Now it’s always important as we study the various psalms to try to get a sense of their original setting, although many of the psalms we cannot fully or infallibly discern their setting. But in its original setting, Psalm 2 can be classified as a royal psalm. After all, its subject appears to be the anointing and coronation of a Davidic king, whether that be King David himself or perhaps one of his royal descendants. It’s interesting that some Bible scholars have suggested that perhaps this psalm was used in the liturgy at a royal coronation ceremony in the temple. Perhaps it was customary in royal coronation ceremonies to use this psalm. And that is certainly a possibility, though we cannot know that for certain. That’s somewhat speculative, but it certainly would make sense.
In any case, in terms of its specific historical setting, it’s been suggested that Psalm 2 offers us a poetic reflection upon 2 Samuel chapter 7, which records God’s covenant with King David. Now, since the Davidic kings were types, pictures, if you will, of the coming Messiah, this psalm is rightly understood as a messianic psalm, a psalm which ultimately points to and is fulfilled in our Lord Jesus Christ.
In the introduction to his comments on Psalm 2, the great reformer John Calvin writes the following. He says, and I quote him, David boasts that his kingdom, though assailed by a vast multitude of powerful enemies, would notwithstanding be perpetual, because it was upheld by the hand and power of God. All this was typical, that is, it was a type, a picture. of Christ and contains a prophecy concerning the future kingdom of Christ. And I think, I find very helpful the study note in the ESV Study Bible introducing this psalm. It says, quote, at a time when the Gentile kingdoms that are part of the Davidic empire seek to throw off Israelite rule, this psalm recalls the promises made to the Davidic king at his coronation and notes that the Gentiles will find lasting joy only as subjects of this king. With its prospect of a worldwide rule for the House of David, the psalm also looks to the future when the Davidic Messiah will indeed accomplish this.
In fact, the scope of such an accomplishment calls for a ruler who is more than a mere man. So with this background information in mind, let us turn our attention to this wonderful psalm and consider what we can learn from this portion of God’s word. And the first thing that I would have us, that I would draw your attention to is in the first three verses.
Notice, beloved, the raging of the nations against Yahweh and his anointed king. The raging of the nations against Yahweh and his anointed king. It says, why do the nations rage? When you think of that term, rage, what comes to mind? Have you ever seen someone in a rage? If someone is in a rage, they are really, really angry. Their faces, a person who is undergoing a rage or in the process of raging, their face turns red, their eyes are glaring.
And this is the picture here that we get of the nations. And the question, it’s a rhetorical question of course, why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? Who is it that is raging here? Who is it that is plotting in vain? What we have here described here in the first three verses is basically what could be described as a worldwide conspiracy. for it goes on and says in verse 2 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 cast away their cords from us. Who is it that is raging against the Lord?
And you’ll notice most English Bible translations, the word Lord is in all capital letters. That is an indication from the translators that they are translating the Hebrew word for God, Yahweh, which is God’s covenant name. It’s the name of the Lord that that reflects his special covenant relationship with Israel. And so they are raging against Yahweh, the true and living God, the covenant God of Israel.
The New American Standard Bible translates verse one as, why are the nations in an uproar and the peoples devising a vain thing? As you might notice in the footnotes of the ESV Bible, that term rage could be understood as noisily assembled. This is like, picture a noisy assembly of these folks who are raging against the true and living God, the God of His people, Israel. They are raging against him. And it says that they plot, they are plotting against him. Now I believe there is a contrast that we’re meant to see here between the plotting of these raging nations and their rulers.
There’s a contrast between that on the one hand and the blessed man who is described in Psalm 1 verse 2. The blessed man, described back in Psalm 1 verse 2, how is he described? Well, it says that his delight is in the law, or the Torah, the covenant instruction of the Lord, and on his law he what? He meditates day and night. That is the godly man, the blessed man, who meditates on the ways of the Lord.
In contrast, the nations plot against the Lord. They don’t meditate upon or reflect upon the way of the Lord. They plot against the Lord. the Lord, they seek to throw off his yoke. Instead of meditating upon God’s law, as is the case of the blessed man in Psalm 1 verse 2, the wicked nations plot, they meditate upon how to overthrow the yoke of Yahweh and his anointed one, his Messiah, his chosen anointed king.
You know, the nations of the world, if you study human history, one of the things that is a common theme throughout human history is wars and rumors of wars. The nations throughout human history have been warring against each other from time immemorial. But it’s interesting, the nations come together against what they perceive as a common enemy. And in this case, that common enemy is the Lord and his Messiah, his chosen anointed king.
And so it says in verse two, the kings of the earth set themselves and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against his anointed. The unbelieving nations of the world and their rulers cooperate together in their search to overthrow the sovereign reign of Yahweh and His anointed King, Messiah. Now, how does this apply and what applications can we find from this passage in our situation today, living as we do in this new covenant era? Well, it’s interesting that the early apostolic church saw an application of this passage in the cooperation of Herod, Pontius Pilate, and the Jewish leaders in conspiring together against the Lord Jesus Christ, and also in the Sanhedrin’s threats against the apostles. I’d have you turn to Acts chapter four, And let me just read and briefly comment on Acts 4 verses 23 through 28.
And just to kind of set this passage in its context, Peter and John had been in the temple, and God had used them to heal a lame beggar. And then, of course, when the lame beggar was healed, that gathered a crowd. And what does Peter do? He preaches the gospel to them, and that’s recorded at the end of Acts chapter 3, and of course that upsets the temple authorities, the Jewish religious authorities, and so they drag the apostles, Peter and John, before the Sanhedrin, their council, and they threaten them. They basically command them, don’t you dare, don’t you dare preach Jesus and the resurrection in the temple ever again. And of course, as Peter responds, Peter and John answered them. If you look at Acts 4 verse 19, it says, but Peter and John answered them, whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than God, you must judge. For we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard. And when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way to punish them, because of the people, for all were praising God for what had happened.
For the man on whom the sign of healing was performed was more than 40 years old.” Now, how do they respond after Peter and John are let go, and they go back to the other disciples and report what has happened? Well, notice what they do. They resort to prayer. It says, beginning in verse 23, when they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them. And when they heard it, they lifted up their voices together. In other words, they had a prayer meeting.
They lifted up their voices together to God and said, sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit, and you should recognize these words here, a quote from Psalm 2, why did the Gentiles rage? and the people’s plot in vain. The kings of the earth set themselves and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and against his anointed. For truly in this city, there were gathered together against your holy servant, Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place, and so forth. And they asked the Lord for protection, and so forth. But you see, my friends, The apostles Peter and James in the early apostolic church saw in the raging of the nations against the gospel, they saw a fulfillment of Psalm 2.
Dear friends, This raging that occurred in the first century in the context of the earliest apostolic church, in the context of Jerusalem and its temple, that raging continues today, even in the 21st century. You see, today, unbelieving peoples and their leaders continue to rage as they resist and oppose the spread of the gospel of Jesus Christ in their lands. There are multiple nations throughout the world today, beloved, where Christianity, biblical Christianity, is illegal, or at least it is strongly sanctioned and frowned upon. There are parts of the world today where it is extremely difficult to profess faith in Christ, where the nations rage against the gospel.
Why is that? It is because of their rebellion against the true and living God. When sinners hear the gospel, there is something about it that rings true in their heart of hearts when they hear it. And if the spirit is not at work in their hearts, bringing them to faith in Christ through regeneration and effectual calling, they’re going to resist it. And indeed, if the claims of Christ are pressed upon them, they’re going to rage against it. That is our natural sinful fallen response to the claims of Christ who calls us to submit to him in faith and repentance.
This universal spiritual conspiracy, if you will, of mankind’s hardened declaration of autonomy from God permeates every level of human society, and it even goes to the level of kings and rulers, as we see when you compare verses one and two. In verse one, the nations in general and the peoples in general are spoken of.
Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? But then it gets more specific in verse two, 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 so forth. In other words, friends, this raging of the nations, this is not just a rebellion of the so-called common people. This is something that characterizes every strata and level of human society. Apart from the grace of God, Both paupers and princes will rebel against and rage against the rule of our sovereign God and his chosen Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. And what is the goal of the nations in raging against the Lord? Well, look at verse three. Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us. Again, to quote from Dr. Van Gameron, he says, the goal of rebellion is lordship.
In the ancient Near East, there were lords, that is, suzerains and servants, vassals. The poet, excuse me, in hyperbolic language, portrays the kings of the earth as breaking away from their required allegiance to the king of kings. Chains and fetters refer to the manner the yoke of a cart or plow was placed on the neck of animals.
Thus the yoke of God’s kingship is not merely rejected, it is insolently thrown off. It’s not just a passive rejection here. This is an act of rebellion, an act of throwing off of the yoke of Christ. What is it that we can learn from this, beloved? It should not surprise us when the unbelieving rage against and rebel against and seek to throw off the claims of Christ.
There go I, but for the grace of God. There go you, but for the grace of God. It is only the regenerating and softening work of the Holy Spirit who enables us to see that Christ is indeed God’s chosen and anointed King. He is indeed the Son of God, the Lord incarnate, who is our risen, ascended, reigning King. But we learn here that rebellion against God and his Messiah, Jesus, is vain.
Again, I remind you of what the psalmist writes in verse 1. And by the way, as we saw from that passage in Acts, the apostles ascribed this psalm to King David, even though David’s name is not mentioned in the superscription here of Psalm 2. It says, why do the nations rage and the peoples plot, what, in vain? in vain. Think of how senseless, how foolish, how stupid it is to plot against the King of Heaven, to reject the Lord Jesus Christ, who is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Rebellion against God and His Messiah, Jesus, is vain. It’s even laughable, ridiculous, as we will see in the passage that follows. One of the things, though, that’s interesting about the nations and the kings that are depicted as raging here is that they view submission to the heavenly king as a harsh slavery.
They view his yoke as heavy, as harsh, as burdensome. But to those of us who’ve tasted the goodness of the Lord and the grace of the gospel, is the yoke of Jesus burdensome? No. Jesus, remember, says in Matthew 11, I know I quote this passage often, but it is such a powerful and important passage. Jesus says, come to me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you what? Rest, take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light. The unbelieving nations and unbelievers in our lives often think that if they put their faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, their lives will become burdened down, bogged down with a heavy yoke.
But those of us who’ve tasted the grace of God know that being a follower of Jesus does not place a heavy yoke upon us. Indeed, it removes our yoke because Jesus takes that burden of sin and guilt. He takes that burden off our shoulders. He frees us from that burden. He himself took that burden in our place for us on the cross. And so let us remember that our Savior’s yoke is gentle and easy, not harsh or cruel.
But what is the Lord’s response to the rebellious nations? Well, we see that in verses four through six. And so let us, let me draw your attention to this next section of Psalm two, verses four through six, as we consider the Lord’s response to the rebellious nations.
It says this, he who sits in the heavens does what? laughs. The Lord holds them in derision. Now this is what the theologians would call anthropomorphic language, where human characteristics, human emotions are ascribed to God. God is pictured in heaven having himself a good chuckle, having himself a good laugh over the rebellion, the raging of these silly little people who rebel against him. God laughs at the scheming of the unbelieving nations. And I think the reason that this imagery is used is because, you know, though the nations in all of their power, even powerful kings and rulers rage against the Lord and seem to be so threatening against the Lord and against his people, we are to remember that this does not faze God. God is not up there on his throne, wringing his hands and saying, what am I gonna do about all these people? They’re just, they don’t like me. They’re raging against me. Oh no, what am I gonna do? He’s not like that.
He sits secure on his throne. We need to remember this, brothers and sisters, especially as we, I think you would agree, that we live in an increasingly anti-Christian culture. We live in a culture and in a time where hostility toward the gospel seems to be on the rise and it seems to be more overt than it used to be. It’s always been there, of course. There’s nothing new under the sun. It seems more blatant, more in your face today. And sometimes we feel threatened by that.
We feel like, well, what’s going to happen? What’s going to happen to the church? What’s going to happen to God’s people? What’s going to happen to the gospel? We see all of this, this rebellion, all of this raging against the Lord and raging against the truth of his word today. And we’re tempted to to get distressed and to be anxious.
We need to remember that God is not fazed by this. He sits in the heavens and He laughs. He is secure on His throne. However the nations and their leaders may rage, God is still sovereign and Jesus is still on his throne. And we brothers and sisters are still on the winning side. And that is true, even if we should all be rounded up and sent away to concentration camps and persecuted unto the death, God forbid that that should happen. But even if that should happen, Jesus is still Lord and we are still the victors in him. God is in control. He who sits in the heavens laughs, the Lord that holds them in derision.
And then what does he do? It says, he, verse five, 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. In other words, though you rulers and kings rage against me, my sovereign ruler, remains on the throne. I have set my king, my son king, I have set him on Zion, my holy hill.
The reign of Christ is secure. And God will ultimately bring the nations into submission through his messianic ruler. That is the implication of verse six. Whether they submit to his rule willingly or by compulsion. I’m reminded of what the Apostle Paul writes of Jesus in Philippians chapter 2 verses 9 through 11. where Paul writes this in this wonderful passage about the incarnation and self-emptying of our Lord Jesus Christ, who humbled himself even to the point of death on the cross. It says this in Philippians 2, beginning in verse 9, therefore, God has highly exalted him. He has set Christ, in other words, on Zion, his holy hill. God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.
Even hardened atheists like Richard Dawkins will one day bow the knee to King Jesus. I pray in God’s sovereign mercy that such a man and those like him would willingly bow before it is too late, that they would be converted in sovereign grace. Wouldn’t that be a wonderful thing? But if that does not happen, he will still bow the knee to King Jesus. Everyone will stand before King Jesus. on Judgment Day, and they will confess that Jesus Christ is indeed Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Why? Because God has set His chosen and anointed King on Zion, His holy hill.
My friends, God laughs at puny man’s sinful rebellion. His wrath will come upon the rebellious, those who persist in rebellion. Do not be among their company. Flee from the wrath to come. Flee into the arms of the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Receive and rest upon Him and Him alone for your salvation.
So we see the raging of the nations. We see the Lord’s response to their raging. And then we see Yahweh’s decree concerning the Messiah. We see that in verses seven through nine. Yahweh’s decree concerning the Messiah. Here, the Davidic king, recalls God’s decree. He says, verse seven, I will tell of the decree.
The Lord said to me, what? 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 let’s focus on verse seven. The Lord said to me, you are my son, today I have begotten you.
Now putting ourselves in the historical context in which these words originally came, the Davidic king here is described as the son of God. And indeed, King David and his royal descendants were indeed sons of God by adoption and coronation. But here, of course, Christ as God’s son is not only a theocratic or a messianic king, but he is the divine eternal king. He is the eternal son of God.
In what sense, then, does this apply to Jesus? After all, Jesus is eternally begotten of the Father. And yet this passage says, today I have begotten you, as if before today you weren’t begotten. What’s the deal here? Well, I would agree with Calvin that the language here applies to Jesus in terms of his historical manifestation as the Son of God, the messianic and also the eternal Son of God. In its original historical setting, This may be referring, verse 7, may be referring to the coronation of the Davidic king. But again, this is ultimately fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ. And you see, Jesus was openly declared to be the Son of God on a number of occasions that we read of in the gospel accounts.
One of those occasions was in his baptism. Another occasion referenced by the Apostle Paul in Romans 1 was his resurrection from the dead, which ultimately fulfills this language. Let’s turn, for example, to Mark 1 9-11. And you’ll notice in this passage, and I’ll be preaching on this in a few weeks, but just quickly, Mark 1 9-11, Mark’s account of the baptism of Jesus, you’ll notice some language that is reflective of Psalm 2.
It says, in those days, Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the spirit descending on him like a dove, and notice verse 11, and a voice came from heaven, you are my beloved son, with you I am well pleased. This language harkens back to Psalm 2.
Jesus is the eternal Son of God. He was the Son of God from eternity, but he is openly declared to be Son of God by the Father at the occasion of his baptism. It’s a public declaration of his messianic sonship. And also, Romans chapter 1, verses 1 through 4, The Apostle Paul uses similar language, especially, we notice verse four, but let me read verses one to four. Romans 1, verses 1 to 4, Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures concerning his son, who was descended from David according to the flesh, and notice verse 4, and was declared to be the son of God in power according to the spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Jesus, again, He was and is the eternal Son of God, but He was declared in power to be the Son of God by His resurrection from the dead. I believe it is in that sense that we, that verse 7 of our passage for this evening, applies to and is fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ as He was publicly declared at His baptism and resurrection.
He was declared in power and publicly to be the Son of God. So the father has coronated the Davidic king. And then what does he say in verse eight? Ask of me and I will make the nations your heritage. The nations belong not to Satan, but to King Jesus. They are his by divine right as the Messiah. The ends of the earth, your possession. Here is the father’s grant of a worldwide dominion to his messianic son.
Now this was fulfilled initially through, this is being fulfilled initially through the Great Commission and the conversion of the Gentiles. This reign of Christ is spreading as the gospel is spreading, as the elect are being gathered into the fold of Christ from the four corners of the earth through the proclamation, the church’s proclamation of the gospel. And so the reign of Messiah, his universal reign is being extended through the church and the church’s proclamation of the gospel and the discipling of the nations in fulfillment of the great commission. But this will ultimately be fulfilled at our Lord’s glorious future second advent. When Jesus returns in glory, all the nations will bow before him. And what is predicted in verse nine will occur.
You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel. Break them with a rod of iron, iron being strong and a potter’s vessel being weak. I believe that if I’m remembering my studies correctly, kings would often display their power by breaking pottery as an expression of their power. Pottery is weak. The kings are strong. Well, our King, King Jesus, is almighty and he will break the rebellious nations by his power. God’s Messiah will bring wrath upon the rebellious and thus will silence the raging of the nations.
That is what is being predicted in verse 9. So what is the conclusion? What are we to make of all of this? Well, this leads me to my final point based on verses 10 through 12. Heed Yahweh’s warning and invitation. We find here in verses 10 through 12, the Lord’s warning and invitation.
Now, therefore, O kings, here the psalmist addresses these raging kings personally. These kings and rulers who rule over these rebellious peoples. Now therefore, O kings, be wise. Be warned, O rulers of the earth. This is a solemn warning to those who rage against the Lord.
Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling. Serve the Lord with fear. How are these kings and rulers to display the wisdom that they are summoned to in verse 10? They display it by turning from their raging towards service. Serve Yahweh. Serve the God of Israel. Serve the true and living God with fear, with reverent awe, and rejoice with trembling.
This is not just a summons to these raging kings and rulers to grovel before the Lord and to be in constant, perpetual penance. No. The goal of turning from their raging to submission and service is that they might rejoice. Rejoice with trembling, yes, but rejoice nonetheless.
There is a call of grace here in this passage, and that comes out especially in verse 12. Kiss the son. This son king, this consecrated Davidic anointed king, kiss the son lest he be angry and you perish in the way for his wrath is quickly kindled. Especially rulers and kings needed to be reminded not to take for granted God’s patience. The Lord is indeed slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. But oftentimes that is misinterpreted, especially by those who do not face the consequences of their actions, as is often the case of kings and rulers, who are often above the consequences of sinful actions that the rest of us common folk are often subject to. And so there’s a special warning to them. His wrath can be kindled quickly. Don’t mess with him. Don’t mess with the messianic son. Instead, kiss the son.
Here is a picture of submission. In the ancient culture, you would show your homage, your submission to your kings and rulers by kissing their hand or kissing their ring, bowing down and kissing the hand of the ruler was a sign of submission to the royal ruler.
And this is what the nations are called to. They are called to repentance and submission in faith. to Yahweh and his chosen and anointed king. And though this psalm has focused on God’s wrath against the rebellious, it does end in a note of hope, a hope, a note of grace. Blessed are all, excuse me, blessed are all who take refuge in him.
Stop your raging. Stop your plotting and scheming. Kiss the sun, submit to him, trust in him, take refuge in him, and you will be blessed. You will be blessed. Even you who have been raging, you kings and rulers, take refuge in the sun and you will be blessed. Indeed, all, whether you be a prince or a pauper, Whether you be rich or poor, male or female, whether you be an American or from another nation, wherever you are, whoever you are, all who take refuge in Christ are blessed with the blessing of eternal salvation.
May you and I find our blessing in him and him alone. Amen. Let us pray. Our Lord and Father in heaven, we thank you that the rule and reign of King Jesus is secure. We thank you, O God, that you are indeed sovereign. Though the nations appear to be spinning out of control in their rage against you, we take comfort in knowing that you are sovereign, that Jesus is still on the throne, and that Satan and the world cannot thwart your sovereign plan and purpose. So help us, O God, to take comfort in this and to be a people of great confidence and hope as we take refuge in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the one who is the Messianic Son King. For it is in his name that we pray, amen.
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