Bible Commentaries
Psalms 2

Verses 1-12

Psalms 2

Verses 1-12:

The Righteous Messiah-King

Verse 1 indignantly inquires, just why do the heathen (Gentile nations) rage, assemble in a tumultuous insurrection? And why do the mixed multitudes imagine, plot, plan, or meditate on a revolt that will come to naught? The revolt against the Messiah is to be a revolt, against Jehovah Himself, as shown in parallel passages, Isaiah 8:8-10; Psalms 22:1-18.

Verse 2 adds that the "kings of the earth" (Gentile rulers) "set themselves" as for battle array, and the rulers "take counsel together," enter into collusion, devious agreements, "together," or in affinity with each other, for ulterior purposes, in array against the Lord (Jehovah), and against His anointed, the Messiah, Luke 4:18; John 3:3; Acts 10:38; Isaiah 11:2-3. This is prophetic, revolving around both our Lord’s first and second advents, as foretold and described, Luke 19:14; John 1:11-12; Jesus was that anointed one, John 1:41; Hebrews 1:9; See also 2 Thessalonians 2:7-10; Revelation 16:14; Revelation 17:12-14; Revelation 19:16-20. These Gentile ruling anarchists against Christ are described as repeatedly saying, inciting one another and the masses, as follows:

Verse 3 expresses their antichrist appeals "Let us break their bands asunder," break loose from their restraints, that of the Messiah and His holy people, against the ways of the wicked, as described Luke 19:14. And they added "let us cast away their cords from us," get rid of anything that would bind or restrict us morally or ethically from, "doing our own thing," as we please. The end of such way is "the ways of death," Proverbs 14:12; Proverbs 16:25.

Verses 4,5 assert that he who sits continually in the heavens, in sovereignty, overseeing His people, His universe, and His property, "shall laugh." The Lord shall hold these conniving, colluding, heathen-ruling anarchists in derision, in scorn, as He prepares to execute judgment upon them. It is added v. 5, that "Then, at that time, as they plot His demise, He shall speak to them in His wrath, at His sore displeasure, with heated anger at their insolent anarchy against Him. It is much as the conniving of the builders of the tower of Babel, when judgment fell, as they imagined themselves in triumph, Genesis 11:6; and similar to the Jews seeming triumph at the death of Jesus, Acts 4:27-28. But they advanced the purpose of God.

Verse 6 asserts that "yet," in spite of the efforts of a Gentile ruler confederacy to dethrone, destroy the Messiah, Jehovah God has emphatically "set up or anointed" the Messiah as His king in His holy mountain of Zion, as set forth Zechariah 13:7; Psalms 48:1-2; Psalms 132:13; Jeremiah 3:17-18; Isaiah 2:2-3.

Verses 7-9 pledge that Jehovah God would disclose the ultimate decree of eternal redemption and restitution and of all things through His begotten (only) Son: Finn, by the virgin birth to be a sinless redeemer, Luke 1:30-32: John 1:14; John 3:16; and Second, as the first begotten, first-fruits from the dead, to be granted and certified as the coming anointed prophet-priest-king to rule over all the earth. from the Holy Hill (mount) of Zion, Luke 4:18; 1 Corinthians 15:23-29: Acts 13:33.

Verse 8 requests the Son to ask of the Father the heathen, His enemies for His inheritance of the earth, as a locale of His administrative, kingly dominion, as prophesied Daniel 7:9; and certified John 17:4; Luke 1:33.

Verse 9 assures the first begotten Son from the dead that He would be empowered to break the ruling power of rebellious heathen rulers with a sceptre, not of ivory, silver, or gold, the ordinary kingly sceptre, but with one of iron, an instrument of destruction, crushing the antichrist forces, v. 2, 3, as also described Matthew 21:44; Daniel 2:34-35; Daniel 2:44. They are said to be crushed in his judgment as a potter’s vessel is broken into unnumbered pieces, rendering such without usefulness for its original intent or purpose.

Verse 10 is a call from Jehovah God for all kings and judges of the earth to become instructed and be wise. For apart from God there is no high order of wisdom, Proverbs 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:25; 1 Corinthians 3:18-19.

Verse 11 calls upon them to serve the coming Messiah, to be ready to receive Him and yield to His kingship at His second advent, instead of taking subversive, entrapment, counsel against Him, as they did at His first advent. They are called on to be ready to hail Him with joy and trembling when He comes, Numbers 23:21; Psalms 139:15-16; Matthew 21:9.

Verse 12 calls upon all heathen, unregenerate, or unsaved of the earth to "kiss the Son," meaning, receive Him as Saviour and be at peace with Him, not war against Him, Psalms 34:8; Isaiah 30:18; Jeremiah 17:7; Romans 9:33; Romans 10:1; 1 Peter 2:6. Else He will be angry and the unbelieving shall come to perish in the coming of His righteous day of wrath, when it is kindled, "but a little," in tribulation-termination fury, to take such unbelieving rebels into a place of His eternal wrath, as set forth Psalms 1:6; Ecclesiastes 12:12-14; 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10; Revelation 6:17.

The verse concludes, "Oh how happy are they whose trust is (exists in) Him," as expressed Psalms 1:1; He is to be trusted as the Divine, Sovereign King, as contrasted with human kings, Psalms 118:9; Psalms 146:3.

Psalms 3