In the first Psalm, we saw that the
wicked were driven away like chaff, in the second Psalm, we see the wicked
broken in pieces like a potter’s vessel. In the first Psalm, we beheld the
righteous like a tree planted by water, and in Psalm 2 we behold Christ the
Covenant Head of the righteous, made better than a tree planted by water, for
he is made king of all the nations, with the heathen bowing before him.
Psalm 2 is the first Messianic Psalm, meaning that the content while having
some association with the life of David the King, also is a prophetic
description of Jesus the Messiah (Christ)—his life, death, resurrection, and
future reign. Because this psalm describes the rebellion of the nations
at the coming of Christ to establish his eternal reign, it is also referred to
in the New Testament (Acts 4:25-26; 13:33; Hebrews 1:5, 6; 5:5; Revelations
2:26-27; 12:5; 19:15). Because Psalm 2 is Hebrew poetry, we find that it
naturally falls into four sections of three verses each. A different spokesman or
topic is to be found in each section. In verses 1-3, the speakers are the
rulers of this world who are in rebellion against the Messiah. In verses
4-6, God thunders his response. In verses 7-9. That response is
revealed—it is Christ himself coming to this world to bring the gospel.
In the last three verses, we have David’s advice to the other kings—and it is
the wisdom to seek God. Hebrew poetry is based on Parallelism, where the
first line is repeated in the second line in a slightly different form which amplifies
or explains the first line.
I. The Revolt Against the
Messiah (2:1-3)
A.
The Extent of the Revolt (vv.
1-2)—The sight of creatures in arms against their God amazes the psalmist’s
mind. The heathen rage, roaring like the sea, tossed to and for with
restless waves, like the ocean in a storm.
1. In all Nations—Jews, Romans, Greeks
2. In all Ranks—Kings and people
3.In all Generations—David’s day; Christ’s rejection by His
own age (Acts 4:27); and the future rejection prophesied in the book of
Revelation.
B.
The Determination by which the
Revolt is Characterized (vv.1-2)
1. It is deliberate—they take counsel
2. It is combined—take counsel together
3. It is resolute—set themselves; stand up against; ( the
same word used to describe Goliath’s attitude toward Israel’s God in I
Samuel 17)
C.
The Secret Cause of the Revolt (v.
3)
1.
It is a rebellion against God’s
love—God draws us with bands of love (Hosea 11:4)
2.
It is a rebellion against God’s law
as revealed in Christ—sacrifice and humility are the examples that Christ gives
us. Mel Trotter was the son of a saloon keeper, and he learned bartending
when his dad was too drunk to pour a drink at the bar. But he wanted to
get away from the saloon, so ran away from home and took up the trade of being
a barber. He was so successful he had the opportunity to gamble and to
drink at will. He moved to Iowa in 1890 to get away from temptation, and
stayed sober enough to get married. He was even drunk when his son was
born. And he had been on a ten day binge when he returned home to find
his wife weeping over the body of their dead son. This time he ran out of
the house and went all the way to Chicago. It was the night of January 19
when he went out homeless hatless, coatless, and sold his shoes for one last
drink before he was going to drowned himself in Lake Michigan. The
blizzard was so severe that he stumbled. A young man stepped out and
helped him into the only building with a light on. It was the Pacific
Garden Mission. The superintendent was preaching to all the derelicts
there, but stopped when Trotter came in and prayed aloud, Oh God, save that
poor, poor boy.” Well, he accepted the invitation to receive Christ, and
the shackles of alcohol fell off. He spent the next 43 years preaching to
people on the streets. He supervised a rescue mission in Michigan, and 68
of those who got saved in his mission founded missions in other areas across
the USA. Trotter became an international evangelist.
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