Psalm 2

The Victory of the Godly Man

Kingship is an important theme in the Psalms. The fact that the Lord is King over all
creation lies at the heart of the book as a whole. This is no surprise, since the supremacy
of God is indispensable to understanding the entire Old Testament. The story of the Bible
is that God set up his kingdom in the original creation, and he is re-establishing his
kingdom in the new creation. The Lord is the one true and living God, and he is the great
King. “How awesome is the Lord Most High, the great King over all the earth!” (Psalm
47:2). “For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods” (Psalm 95:3). Isaiah
said, “My eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty” (Isaiah 6:5). Jeremiah knew that
the Lord is the “King of the nations” and “the eternal King” (Jeremiah 10:7,10). After
Abram defeated the kings and rescued Lot, he encountered Melchizedek, a priest of “God
Most High, Creator of heaven and earth” (Genesis 14:18-22). Moses sang to the Lord as
King after the Exodus, and proclaimed that “the Lord will reign for ever and ever”
(Exodus 15:18). He delivered them out of Egypt to be for him “a kingdom of priests and
a holy nation” (19:6). The Lord put a message in the mouth of Balaam so that he was
constrained to say of Israel, “The Lord their God is with them; the shout of the King is
among them” and “their king will be greater than Agag; their kingdom will be exalted”
(Numbers 23:21; 24:7). Moses proclaimed that the Lord “was King over Jeshurun [a
name for Israel]” (Deuteronomy 33:5) and that when Israel entered the land of Canaan he
would choose a human king for them (17:14-22).

When they eventually entered the promised land under the leadership of Joshua, they
defeated and destroyed the kings and kingdoms that occupied their inheritance (Joshua
12). Even though God’s kingship is never specified in Joshua, the defeat of earthly kings
proved the supremacy of the Lord as King. The period when the Judges ruled was an
ongoing process of the Lord asserting his kingship over earthly kings, even though there
was no king in Israel (Judges 18:1). Abimelech was proclaimed king in Shechem, but his
was a failed attempt at establishing a kingship of human origin in Israel (Judges 9:6). The
first true king was Saul, of the tribe of Benjamin. He was more the people’s choice than
God’s choice, because they clamored for a king “such as all the other nations have” (I
Samuel 8:5). Samuel discerned that they were entrusting their security to someone who
would make them like the other nations, and in doing so, he said, “you have now rejected
your God, who saves you out of all your calamities and distresses” (I Samuel 10:19).
Saul’s reign was destined to fail because he transgressed all the stipulations Moses had
laid down in Deuteronomy 17 and flagrantly disregarded the covenant of the Lord his
God. He had “not kept the Lord’s command.” God’s purpose for Israel’s king was to
visibly represent his own kingship in the world. God’s ideal King had to be someone like
himself or, as Samuel put it, “a man after his own heart” (I Samuel 13:14).

The Lord found such a man in David, the youngest son of Jesse. He admonished Samuel
to stop mourning for Saul, because, he said, “I have rejected him as king over Israel.” In
obedience to the Lord, Samuel filled his horn with oil and found his way to Bethlehem
and the house of Jesse. When David was brought before him the Lord said, “Rise and
anoint him; he is the one” (I Samuel 16:1-13). While Saul possessed all the qualities that
men consider favorable, David possessed none of them. But David was better suited to
represent the kingship of God to his people. More than that, the purpose of God was to
establish his universal rule over the earth through David and the line of kings in his
dynasty. It was not an easy or smooth transition from Saul’s administration to David’s. It
was a turbulent time marked by Saul’s agonizing decline and David’s steady rise in
popularity. Saul became obsessed with destroying David and his followers, and when the
men of Judah formally anointed David as their king civil war was the result (II Samuel
2:4). David was finally hailed as king over the whole nation of Israel when all the tribes
assembled at Hebron “and they anointed David king over Israel” (II Samuel 5:3). God
confirmed his choice of David with a covenant of the kingdom (II Samuel 7). David
reflected on this covenant at the end of his life as the only basis of his hope of salvation.

“Is not my house right with God? Has he not made with me an everlasting covenant,
arranged and secured in every part? Will he not bring to fruition my salvation and grant
me my every desire?” (II Samuel 23:5).

God had promised Abraham that he would bless the world through one of his descendants
(Genesis 12:3; 18:18). He confirmed this same covenant to Isaac, and then to Jacob.
Jacob spoke prophetically of a ruler who would arise from his son, Judah, to whom the
nations would render obedience (Genesis 49:10). When the Lord made a covenant with
David, his purpose was to identify David as the one through whom he intended to
establish his kingdom (II Samuel 7:8-17). “I took you from the pasture and from
following the flock to be ruler over my people Israel.” The main theme of the Davidic
covenant was that Israel’s king will reign over God’s people forever. “Your house and
your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.”
This is the background against which we must read Psalm 2. This is why it is called a
royal psalm, or a coronation psalm, or an enthronement psalm (Psalms 45, 72, 89, 110,
and 132 are other examples). It cannot be understood apart from the fact that a king,
anointed by God, has been established on a throne. It reflects a deep understanding of the
Davidic covenant, recognizing the promise that through David and his sons God will
establish his universal rule over the earth. It is possible that the Psalm was recited as part
of Israel’s coronation ceremony. But even the best of Israel’s kings were only a weak and
failed preview of the ideal King to whom Psalm 2 bears witness. Whether it was ever
intended to refer to or identify any human king is doubtful, since no king of Judah ever
lived up to the ideal picture portrayed in it. Its language is fitting for no one less than the
Lord Jesus Christ.

For this reason the themes of king and kingdom were maintained by the prophets,
because they understood that the fulfillment of their hope for such a King was still future.
Isaiah spoke of him and knew that when he came he would be “God with us” (Isaiah
7:14; 8:8,10; 9:6,7); he would come from the “Root of Jesse” (11:1-10); he would be “the
Holy One of Israel among you” (12:6); his “throne will be established” (16:5); and he
will be a King who reigns in righteousness (32:1). The Lord said to Ezekiel, “My servant
David will be king over them, and they will all have one shepherd” (Ezekiel 37:24).
Daniel saw the time coming when “the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will
never be destroyed” (Daniel 2:44). In Zechariah’s view his coming seemed closer still.
“See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation” (Zechariah 9:9). From the
standpoint of the Old Testament, Israel’s hope for the ideal King was always future. This
is the hope held out in Psalm 2. But it is not a hope that some day God’s kingdom will
become a reality. It already is the reality that gives rise to the hope that it will become
visible in the world, and that God’s ideal King will actually appear in the world of men
and nations. Just as human marriage is the visible sign of the spiritual reality of Christ’s
relationship to his bride, so human kingship as the Psalm envisions it is the visible sign of
the spiritual reality of Christ’s supremacy over all men and nations. The timeless message
of the Psalm serves to encourage God’s people to trust him and look for the eventual
removal of all enemies, the enthronement of the anointed King, the universal rule of God,
and perfect peace for God’s people. This is the hope and confidence of the godly man.
The godly man is the man who sees from the perspective of this Psalm and lives in the
light of its promise.

The Godly Man’s Dilemma (verses 1-3)

The godly man is amazed that people want to live without God (verse 1).

The psalm presupposes an allegiance owed to God by the nations and peoples, the kings
and princes. It begins on a note of indignation that they do not render to God his due.
Indeed, it begins with an expression of surprise or astonishment at the pervasive spirit of
rebellion among them. The first word of the Psalm is “Why?” It means the situation in
view is unaccountable, inexplicable, irrational. Who can explain it? What can account for
it? It is not so much that it is unexpected, but that it is unreasonable, that prompts the
psalmist to ask, “Why?” The question is not informational, but rhetorical. It is like when
Eli said to his wicked sons, “Why do you do such things?” (I Samuel 2:23). The question
is similar to what the Lord asked his people in Isaiah 40:27 – “Why do you say, O Jacob,
and complain, O Israel, ‘My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my
God?’” It is the same kind of “Why?” as in Ezekiel 18:31 – “Why will you die, O house
of Israel?”

The “Why” governs not only the first verse, but the entire first stanza of the Psalm. The
whole situation as it is described here is such that it defies reason. But the complete
absurdity of it can only be appreciated from the perspective of God and heaven, as the
subsequent verses make clear. This is why it is the dilemma of the godly man. The man
who knows God wonders about such things. He is troubled and perplexed that nations
and peoples prefer to live without God. The godly man understands the foolishness of
earth asserting itself against heaven, of man rising up against God, of earthly rulers taking
their stand against the ruler of all. Verse 1 is a description of the cohesiveness of the
nations and the peoples of the earth, which is not based on a positive attraction to each
other but on a negative response to God that is common to them all. The “conspiring” of
the nations is treated as completed action. It can only be so, because nations, as long as
there have been nations, have been organized groups of men in rebellion against God. As
in Psalm 1:2 the godly “meditate” on God’s law, here the peoples “plot” rebellion. It is
the same word in both instances, a word that describes the mooing of cattle, the cooing of
the dove, or the roar of the lion. In other words, it is the peoples’ pondering or
contemplating the thing that is consistent with their nature. The godly man sees that it is
all “in vain” because it is not merely against man but God. When men have done their
utmost, it comes to nothing. When they access all the resources at their disposal, and
when they pool those resources, gathering together against the Lord, it is empty and vain.
The godly man, who knows God and takes refuge in him, is amazed.

The godly man is amazed that people are hostile to God (verse 2).

The astonishment of the writer is fully justified by the fact that it is earthly kings who
take their stand, and earthly rulers who assemble together, against the Lord and against
his anointed one. Kings in the ancient world were commonly thought to be the visible
representatives of the gods. They claimed divine authority and power. The premise of this
verse is that all earthly kings owe their allegiance to the Lord. They must exhibit that
allegiance by submission to his anointed one. The act of anointing could apply to persons
and things. It signified a setting apart for a special function or relationship to God. In
Psalm 105:15 – “do not touch my anointed ones” – the term is applied to the patriarchs.
Abraham and his descendants were set apart by God. Anointing was an indication of
God’s sovereign prerogative in the matter, even in the anointing of Saul (I Samuel 10:1).
David was anointed as God’s choice for a king, even while Saul was still reigning (I
Samuel 16). Daniel was still waiting for the anointed one to come, and saw that he would
come in his vision of the seventy weeks (Daniel 9). Matthew identified Jesus as the
anointed one in his genealogy (1:17), and Jesus himself confirmed this to the Samaritan
woman when in John 4:26 he said, “I who speak to you am he.”

The early Christians recognized that Psalm 2 came clearly into focus with the person and
work of Jesus Christ. The first two verses are quoted exactly from the Greek translation
of the Old Testament in Acts 4:25 and 26. The occasion was the release of Peter and John
from prison. They had been “teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the
resurrection of the dead” (Acts 4:2). Their message was, “Salvation is found in no one
else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved”
(Acts 4:12). It was in the name of Jesus they had healed a crippled beggar, and the
miracle was undeniable. The Sanhedrin had them locked up for a night but, failing to
come to an agreement about how to deal with them, ordered them released with a stern
warning “not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus” (Acts 4:18). The believers, far
from being disappointed or discouraged by this treatment, were grateful to know that it
confirmed in their experience what God “spoke by the Holy Spirit” through David in
Psalm 2. They saw “the kings of the earth” embodied in King Herod and “the rulers” in
Pontius Pilate. “The nations” were the Gentiles and “the peoples” were “the people of
Israel” (Acts 4:27). What is more, they confessed that God is the Sovereign Creator of
everything and everyone. They acknowledged him as the God who speaks by revelation.
And they praised him as the God who ordains all things whatsoever comes to pass,
including the fulfillment of Psalm 2 in the suffering, death, and resurrection of his “holy
servant Jesus.” Considering what God has done in Christ, the godly man is amazed at
man’s hostility to God.
The godly man is amazed that people want to be entirely free from God (verse 3).

The language of “chains and fetters” defines the world’s perspective on God’s claim to
supreme dominion. Earthly kings and rulers recognize in God’s kingship a threat to the
authority and autonomy they demand for themselves. We may see an example of this in
the harangue Sennacherib, king of Assyria, sent to Hezekiah (II Kings 18:17-25). But this
is just one example of what has always been the pattern of the kingdoms of this world.
They have consistently taken their stand against the Lord and against his anointed one.
Revelation 12 dramatically portrays it as a diabolical plot throughout human history,
inspired by Satan and executed by men. It goes as far back as Genesis 3:15. It has always
been the purpose of earthly kingdoms to obstruct the progress of the kingdom of God.
God’s kingdom will eventually destroy and replace all earthly kingdoms. God’s kingdom
is an everlasting kingdom that can never be destroyed (Daniel 2:44). Earthly powers,
animated by “the prince of this world” (John 12:31), are naturally opposed to their
inevitable destruction. This is what explains the continuing decline of the human
condition down to the time of the flood, when it seemed that the fulfillment of the
promise of Genesis 3:15 was all but a forgotten dream. But God kept the promise alive in
Noah, and in Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. In Egypt the family of Jacob could have
disappeared from the face of the earth, but for the fact that God sent Joseph ahead of
them to be a savior for them. And then whether it was the Amorite kings east of the
Jordan, or any of the various Canaanite kings, or the kings of Assyria or Babylon, they
were all unanimous in their determination to oppose the God of heaven and his anointed
one.

Isaiah saw the nations in constant turmoil as they raged against God.

“Oh, the raging of many nations – they rage like the raging sea! Oh, the uproar of the
peoples – they roar like the roaring of great waters! Although the peoples roar like the
roar of surging waters, when he rebukes them they flee far away, driven before the wind
like chaff on the hills, like tumbleweed before a gale” (Isaiah 17:12,13).

“But the wicked are like the tossing sea, which cannot rest, whose waves cast up mire and
mud. There is no peace, says my God, for the wicked” (Isaiah 57:20,21).

Daniel saw the great kings and kingdoms of the world in his vision of the four beasts
rising up out of the sea to assert themselves against the most high God (chapter 7). God’s
word to this raging sea of nations is, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted
among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth” (Psalm 46:10). The godly man is
amazed that people want to be entirely free from God. The godly man knows that the
Lord and his anointed one are not the problem, but the only possible solution to the
problem.

The Godly Man’s Defense (verses 4-6)

The godly man’s defense is the laughter of God (verse 4).

The New Testament leaves us no record of the Lord Jesus Christ ever engaging in
laughter. He was the object of laughter and scorn (Matthew 9:24 and parallels; cf. 27:39-
44 and parallels), but we do not read that he laughed, or even smiled. But here, strangely,
is a very vivid picture of the laughter of God, laughter as his response to the uprising of
the nations, peoples, kings and princes. God mocks the might of kings and the conspiring
of the nations by announcing the installation of a King of his own choosing in Zion.
There are other references to the laughter of God:

“The wicked plot against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them; but the Lord laughs
at the wicked, for he knows their day is coming” (Psalm 37:12,13).

“But; you, O Lord, laugh at them; you scoff at all those nations” (Psalm 59:8).

“Since you ignored all my advice and would not accept my rebuke, I in turn will laugh at
your disaster; I will mock when calamity overtakes you” (Proverbs 1:25,26).

This is clearly an anthropomorphism, the Bible describing God in human terms. But how
shall we understand this laughter? With men laughter can have many motivations. It is
often the product of ignorance and disbelief, as when Sarah laughed at God’s promise
(Genesis 18:12). But God’s laughter is not like that, because he is “the One enthroned in
heaven.” He has complete knowledge and perfect understanding of the situation before
him, not to mention sovereign control over it. This laughter is of the one who knows the
end from the beginning, the one whose sovereign purpose is to establish his kingship in
the earth. This is the laughter of the God who knows all too well man’s pathetic attempts
to be his own god. God, knowing that their day is coming, presently laughs at the nations
as they foolishly devise ways to frustrate his purpose. But when that day comes, his
laughter will cease, because he has no pleasure in the death of the wicked. The “scoffing”
in the second part of the verse parallels the laughter in the first part, and helps us to
understand it, as in Psalm 59:8 above. He is the one who sits in the heavens, after all, the
sovereign Lord and master of everything (Isaiah 37:16; 40:22). He is the one who says,
“Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool” (Isaiah 66:1). Adonai is his name.
Indeed, this was the word of the Lord when Sennacherib threatened Hezekiah: “The
Virgin Daughter of Zion despises you and mocks you (laughs you to scorn). The
Daughter of Jerusalem tosses her head as you flee” (II Kings 19:21). With God, sin is not
only offensive but absurd. So says the godly man.

The godly man’s defense is the anger of God (verse 5).

The laughter and derision of God are linked emphatically to his speaking in anger and
terrifying with wrath. The adverb “Then” is not sequential in the sense that one thing
follows another. It does not mean merely that God has an appointed time for judgment,
when his laughter will give way to anger and wrath. The verbs in verses 4 and 5 are in the
imperfect tense, meaning that the action is viewed as ongoing and incomplete. His
laughter and his anger go hand in hand in response to man’s rebellion. God’s attitude
toward the rebellious kingdoms of this world throughout history is always dictated by the
fact that he is enthroned in the heavens and works his sovereign will among men. When
he overthrows kings and empires to fulfill his word of promise in history, it is only a
preview of the final overthrow of the kingdoms of this world in the great day of his
wrath. The emphasis is on the invincible power of the word of the Lord, who speaks and
it is done. He is the God of word and deed, and both reveal his purpose to the nations and
peoples, the kings and princes. His kingdom purpose marches relentlessly on despite the
conflicting agendas of earthly powers. God’s laughter is aroused by the absurdity, and his
anger is aroused by the offensiveness, of human efforts to overthrow his purpose. It is
man attempting the impossible. It is man thinking he is wiser and stronger than God. To
better understand what is intended by this portrayal of the laughter and anger of God, we
need only consider some biblical illustrations.

The whole world had a common language and a common purpose not to “be scattered
over the face of the whole earth.” They proceeded to build a city with a tower that
reached to the heavens in order to make a name for themselves. “The One enthroned in
heaven laughs,” and he confused their language and “scattered them from there over all
the earth, and they stopped building the city. That is why it was called Babel” (Genesis
11:1-9).

The king of Egypt decreed the drowning of all the Hebrew baby boys in order to keep
God’s people in bondage. But “the One enthroned in heaven laughs,” and it was the
Pharaoh’s own daughter who saved baby Moses. After Moses led the people safely across
the Red Sea, the armies of Pharaoh were drowned (Exodus 1,2,14).

God commanded Aaron to throw down his staff before Pharoah, and the staff turned into
a snake. Pharaoh in turn commanded his magicians to do the same, and their staffs turned
into snakes. But “the One enthroned in heaven laughs,” and “Aaron’s staff swallowed up
their staffs” (Exodus 7:8-13).

Jericho was a city so “tightly shut up because of the Israelites” that no one could go in or
out. The city had impenetrable walls. “The One enthroned in heaven laughs.” He knocked
down the walls, not with implements of demolition or instruments of war, but with the
spoken word (Joshua 6).

“Now the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples joined forces and crossed
over the Jordan.” The Midianites had all but driven the Israelites into hiding. They
plundered their crops and terrorized the countryside. But “the One enthroned in heaven
laughs.” He sent in Gideon with his three hundred men who lapped water with their
hands to their mouths. They were equipped with trumpets, clay jars, torches, and voices
that could shout, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” (Judges 6,7).

The Philistines had captured the ark of the covenant and carried it into the temple of
Dagon in Ashdod, proudly presenting it to their god. “The One enthroned in heaven
laughs,” however, and in the morning “there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground
before the ark of the Lord!” (I Samuel 5:1-5).
Goliath boastfully presented himself as the champion of the combined forces of the
Philistines. He daily taunted the men of Israel to choose a warrior to come out and meet
him on the field of battle. The men of Israel were terrified, but “the One enthroned in
heaven laughs.” David the shepherd boy was God’s choice of a man to defeat Goliath
with nothing but a sling, a stone, and a solid trust in the living God (I Samuel 17).

Elijah the prophet declared to the devotees of Baal, the god of rain and fertility, that it
would not rain except at his word. When he confronted the prophets of Baal on Mount
Carmel, he did so in the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. “The One enthroned in
heaven laughs,” and sent fire to consume “the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil,
and also licked up the water in the trench,” precious water that was in short supply (II
Kings 17,18).

Nebuchadnezzar had a dream about a great tree. It symbolized his dominion over all
people, and it provided shelter for the animals. “The One enthroned in heaven laughs,”
however, and the tree was cut down. This master of all he surveyed was driven away
from people and made to live with the animals so that he would learn “that the Most High
is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes” (Daniel 4).

Later, Belshazzar would not acknowledge the God who held him in his hand. So “the One
enthroned in heaven laughs,” and he sent a hand that wrote him a message on a wall
(Daniel 5).

Haman, plotting the destruction of the Jews, advised King Xerxes about “what should be
done for the man the king delights to honor,” thinking he was that man. He ended up
humiliating himself when he was forced to lead Mordecai through the streets with great
pageantry, because “the One enthroned in heaven laughs.” Haman built a gallows
seventy-five feet high, intending to see Mordecai hanged on it. But “the One enthroned in
heaven laughs,” and Haman was hanged on his own gallows (Esther 6,7).

When we recall that Adam and Eve were driven from the garden after they sinned against
God, we cannot help but think that “the One enthroned in heaven laughs” when Jesus
appeared to Mary after his resurrection in a garden! In fact, John wrote that Mary thought
“he was the gardener” (John 19:41; 20:15).

In the contest between God’s wisdom and worldly wisdom, and between God’s power
and worldly power, the gospel demonstrates that “the One enthroned in heaven laughs.”
The gospel exposes the foolishness of man’s wisdom and the weakness of man’s power (I
Corinthians 1:18-31).

Jesus is not only the King enthroned on Zion, he is the stone laid in Zion. The builders in
Zion rejected him out of unbelief. But “the One enthroned in heaven laughs,” and the
stone the builders rejected has become both the cornerstone and the capstone (I Peter
2:7).
Satan first deceived man with his words, and continues to do so. But because “the One
enthroned in heaven laughs,” all the enemies of Christ will be destroyed with his word
(Revelation 19:15).

John Calvin stated the case concisely when he wrote, “In these words there is set before
us the unchangeable and eternal purpose of God effectually to defend, even to the end,
the kingdom of his Son, of which he is the founder; and this may well support our faith
amidst the troublous storms of the world.” This is the godly man’s defense against a
world that hates God.

The godly man’s defense is the purpose of God (verse 6)

While men have their plans, God has his plan. It is a plan that has already been put in
place. The psalmist has God speaking emphatically about himself saying, “I, for my part,
or, As for me.” God’s purpose concerning his anointed King is a settled purpose. It is not
impeded by the plotting and conspiring of earthly powers. God declares, “I have installed
my King on Zion.” The action of God may be likened to something poured out and
therefore final or irreversible. It is like letting the genie out of the bottle. It may even be
related to pouring out molten metal to cast an image which, once done, cannot be undone
(cf. Isaiah 44:10). That which is established by God cannot be disestablished.

This verse includes the first of numerous references to Zion in the Psalms. Zion is God’s
holy hill or mountain. It is holy because set apart or sacred to the Lord. Moses led the
Israelites to sing prophetically about it after the deliverance out of Egypt.

“You will bring them in and plant them on the mountain of your inheritance – the place,
O Lord, you made for your dwelling, the sanctuary, O Lord, your hands established. The
Lord will reign for ever and ever” (Exodus 15:17,18).

After all the tribes of Israel acclaimed David as king at Hebron, he defeated the Jebusites
and took possession of Jerusalem. At the same time he “captured the fortress of Zion, the
City of David” (II Samuel 5:6,7). II Samuel 6 records how he brought the ark of the
covenant into the City of David, and chapter 7 gives us God’s word of promise to David
concerning his throne, dynasty, and kingdom being established in that place. Zion became
forever associated with the Lord’s anointed King.

But the Psalms reveal that Zion’s importance is not merely as a place or location, but
even more as an idea or symbol. In Psalm 48:1-3 Zion is the joy of the whole earth, the
city of the great king, and the city of the Lord Almighty. The prosperity of Zion for which
David prayed in Psalm 51:18 seems to encompass more than a temporal, material
prosperity. Salvation is said to come out of Zion in Psalm 53:6. Praise waits for God in
Zion, according to Psalm 65:1. God’s people appear before him in Zion because his
dwelling place in the temple is there (Psalm 84:1-7). God especially loves Zion, not so
much its geography, but its people, who include any and all, including Gentiles, who find
refuge there (Psalm 87:1-6). Psalm 15:1 asks, “Lord, who may dwell in your sanctuary?
Who may live on your holy hill?” The answer is that no earthly citizenship entitles
anyone to live with God on his holy hill, because those who live there are those who are
like him. In Psalm 110 a divine king establishes his kingdom in Zion and extends his
sovereign reign to the whole earth. According to Psalm 132:13, God has chosen Zion.
What happened in Zion and what was associated with Zion became the centerpiece of
God’s kingdom purpose. “Sing praises to the Lord, enthroned in Zion; proclaim among
the nations what he has done” (Psalm 9:11). Zion became the visible manifestation of the
kingdom of God. It symbolized the dwelling of God among his people and represented all
the hopes of the people of God for the complete fulfillment of his promise. To David and
others who believed God, Zion was a preview of the greater things still to come. The
godly man understands this and makes it his defense.

In the prophets Zion is seen in similar terms. It is the place of the name of the Lord
Almighty (Isaiah 18:7). Isaiah saw the day coming when the Lord would punish the kings
of the earth and reign gloriously on Mount Zion (Isaiah 24:21-23). In fact, “The
Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who repent of their sins” (Isaiah 59:20).
Zechariah saw that the people of Zion would eventually have reason to rejoice because of
the coming of their true King. “He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend
from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth” (Zechariah 9:9,10). The godly
man is a man of Zion. All his hopes and expectations are centered on the King of Zion.
He knows that “those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken
but endures forever” (Psalm 125:1). The godly man knows that his life is not determined
by the successes or failures of the nations and peoples, the kings and rulers. He lives his
life with the confidence that God is always in control.

The Godly Man’s Declaration (verses 7-9)

The godly man declares the decree of the Lord (verse 7).

The anointed one speaks to declare the decree of the Lord. He declares the decree
because he is authorized to declare it. It is a decree concerning himself. The decree or
statute of the Lord is of the nature of a rule that must be obeyed. It is something fixed,
authorized, and established by law. The Passover was characterized as such (Exodus
12:24), as was the priests’ share of the sacrifice (29:28). Such requirements became
institutionalized by God’s decree and were understood to be of abiding significance.
Moses spoke in similar fashion in Deuteronomy 4:1 – “Hear now, O Israel, the
decrees/statutes and laws I am about to teach you.” Then throughout the book of
Deuteronomy he continued to use it in relation to the covenant God made with Israel at
Sinai. Likewise, the revealed word of the Lord is repeatedly described by David as the
statutes or decrees of the Lord in Psalm 119. The word comes from the verb “to scratch,
engrave, or write.” Whenever God issued a decree or statute, he exhibited his sovereignty
by establishing his will among men. It was something inscribed by God. The Lord’s
anointed appeals to the same sovereign will when he proclaims the decree of the Lord.
His speaking, however, is not merely for the purpose of narration or information. He
speaks by the authority of the Lord’s decree as already given. He is authorized to speak
because he is the Lord’s anointed King, and because he has been installed on Zion, the
holy hill of the Lord. So the proclamation of the decree of the Lord is the proclamation of
the decree about the domain assigned to the King. It is a statute about the kingdom of
God.

The claim of sonship is consistent with the promise of the Davidic covenant in II Samuel
7:14. The king would be publicly recognized as God’s Son. “I will be his father, and he
will be my son.” While earthly kings like to think of themselves as divine, the emphasis
here is that God is the divine King who has established the earthly king in a relationship
of sonship. David and his successors were to visibly represent on earth that the Lord is
King. They were responsible to serve in the interests of God’s kingdom, to promote its
extension, advancement, and well being. In fact, the king was to embody in his person
and work the character and conduct appropriate to the kingdom of God (Psalm 72:1-7).
“Today” was the day of coronation, the day when the king officially became king. But
even David himself could provide only a faint preview of the relationship suggested here.
Neither he nor any of his descendants was “the radiance of God’s glory and the exact
representation of his being,” except David’s greater Son, Jesus Christ (Hebrews 1:3). The
decree of the Lord was proclaimed in Christ’s person and work, his word and deed, and in
the preaching of the gospel.

The person speaking in this verse is clearly identified with the Lord Jesus Christ from the
perspective of the New Testament. The public recognition of Jesus as the one anointed by
God included God’s affirmation of Jesus’ legitimate sonship. The Spirit of God
descended upon him at his baptism and the voice from heaven said, “You are my Son,
whom I love; with you I am well pleased” (Mark 1:11; Luke 3:22; also note Matthew
3:17 and II Peter 1:17). The coming of Jesus marked the beginning of the reign of the
ideal King. There is also a possible reference to the same thing in the transfiguration
accounts. “This is my Son … listen to him” (Matthew 17:5; Mark 9:7; Luke 9:35). When
Paul preached the gospel in Antioch of Pisidia he proclaimed the resurrection of Christ in
fulfillment of this verse.

“We tell you the good news: What God promised our fathers he has fulfilled for us, their
children, by raising up Jesus. As it is written in the second Psalm: ‘You are my Son; today
I have become your Father’” (Acts 13:32,33).

The apostle wrote that the gospel includes the announcement that Jesus “was declared
with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead” (Romans 1:4). The
same emphasis is drawn from the Psalm in Hebrews 1:5 to establish that Jesus is the Son
of God and the only one God has “appointed heir of all things.” Clearly the godly man
turns out to be the Lord Jesus Christ. Only he can speak and act in ways that fit the
profile of the Psalm. Just as he alone is “worthy to take the scroll and open its seals” and
execute the purpose of God in Revelation 5, so he alone is worthy to “proclaim the decree
of the Lord.” Those “who take refuge in him” gain access to that kingdom authority.

The godly man declares the possessions of the Lord (verse 8).

The previous verse is also quoted is Hebrews 5:5,6 in connection with Jesus’ appointment
as the high priest of his people. It is combined with a quotation from Psalm 110:4 – “You
are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.” God’s ideal King is not only a King, he
is also a Priest. Psalm 110 presents him as the King/Priest. He is authorized to rule over
his people, and he is authorized to intercede for his people. He represents God to his
people and his people to God. David and all the kings of Israel were barred from
intruding on the office of priest. But Jesus is not a priest in the order of Aaron, but of
Melchizedek. His is a priestly office that never ends because it is based on “the power of
an indestructible life” (Hebrews 7:16). This helps us to understand his ability to “ask”
things of God. A son may ask for things for himself, but a priest asks in behalf of others.
Jesus is both Son and Priest. God the Father bids him, “Ask of me” in both capacities.

If God is the universal Lord, his Son is the universal King. God’s covenant with David
had in view the extension of his kingdom to the ends of the earth. The ends of the earth is
the whole earth, including the remotest parts of it. The vision for God’s kingdom is that it
will eventually extend to the whole world (Psalms 22:27,28; 59:13; 67:7; 72:8; 86:9;
98:3; Psalm 110:1,2). This feature is in keeping with God’s ancient promise to Abraham
that assured blessing to “all peoples on earth” through him (Genesis 12:3). The covenant
of Sinai reflected God’s intention to make good on that promise by establishing Israel in
the land (Deuteronomy 9:5). He gave them the land “to accomplish what he swore to
your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” Even though all the nations belong to the
Lord, Israel alone among the nations would be “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation”
so that the light of the promise would continue to shine among them (Exodus 19:5,6).
God’s anointed King, in his relationship of the Son to the Father, was entitled to all the
Father’s domains. The vision of the Psalm is as comprehensive as God’s sovereign rule,
and the rule of God’s anointed King can be nothing less. The prophets spoke of universal
dominion for God’s King (Isaiah 9:7; 11:9; 42:6; 49:6,7; 52:10; Zechariah 9:9,10). Jesus
spoke similar language when he announced, “All authority in heaven and on earth has
been given to me” (Matthew 28:18). We find the same emphasis in Acts 1:8 when he
assured the disciples that the news of his kingdom would extend to the “ends/uttermost
parts of the earth.” Jesus is the only person who can make such claims, and as such he is
the Godly Man. But those who know and trust him as the Savior and King are godly
people “who take refuge in him” (verse 12).

The godly man declares the judgment of the Lord (verse 9).

The authority to extend a kingdom to the ends of the earth is matched by the power to
bring the nations into subjection. Jacob spoke of a scepter, rod, or staff in his prophetic
words about Judah. “The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from
between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs, and the obedience of the nations is
his” (Genesis 49:10). Balaam saw that a scepter would rise out of Israel and a ruler out
of Jacob (Numbers 24:17,19). The vision of Judah’s scepter that Jacob saw dimly began
to come into sharper focus in the royal dynasty of David. When Israel united around
David at Heshbon, the people invoked the words of the Lord: “You will shepherd my
people Israel, and you will become their ruler” (II Samuel 5:1). David’s response to his
wife’s rebuke when he danced before the Lord was similar: “It was before the Lord, who
chose me rather than your father or anyone form his house when he appointed me ruler
over the Lord’s people Israel” (II Samuel 6:21). God spoke to David through Nathan the
prophet to the same effect when he said, “I took you from the pasture and from following
the flock to be ruler over my people Israel” (II Samuel 7:8; I Chronicles 28:4). But
another royal Psalm declares, “Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepter
of justice/righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom” (Psalm 45:6). In Hebrews
1:8,9 the one who is addressed as “O God” is identified as the Lord Jesus Christ.

None of David’s house and lineage, not even David himself, nor Solomon, nor Hezekiah,
nor Josiah, could fulfill this standard. But when Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea,
Matthew recognized in him the fulfillment of the promised ruler. “But you, Bethlehem
Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me
one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times”
(Micah 5:2; Matthew 2:6). The accent here, however, falls on the ability of the king to
shatter enemy powers. The scepter is an iron one, in stark contrast to the weak and fragile
potter’s vessel it can pulverize. In the book of Revelation John connected this to the
coming of Christ in final judgment, but followed the Greek translation of the Old
Testament. Jesus will “shepherd or rule them with a rod of iron” instead of “break them.”
The promise to those in Thyatira who overcome is that they will be given authority over
the nations on the basis of this text (Revelation 2:27). In the vision of the woman and the
dragon in Revelation 12, the woman “gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all
the nations with an iron scepter” (verse 5). In Revelation 19:15 the rod of iron becomes
the sword that proceeds out of his mouth. Christ alone is qualified and authorized to
wield the sword that is the word of God. He alone can make these declarations to the
nations and kings of the earth. But all who trust in him are qualified and authorized to
make them, too. In Christ, you are the godly man.

The Godly Man’s Demands (verses 10-12)

The godly man demands wisdom (verse 10).

When God’s anointed King ascends the throne, it is a signal for the kings to be wise, and
for the rulers of the earth to be warned. The King James Version reads, “Be wise now
therefore.” It is literally, “And now, kings.” The sovereign authority and power of God’s
King cannot be disputed, and wisdom dictates a submissive response. It is time for kings
to “wise up.” Wisdom is multifaceted in the Old Testament. The Proverbs illustrate the
broad spectrum of wisdom’s domain. But all aspects of wisdom have to do with trusting
and obeying what God has revealed. This word means to be wise in the sense of being
“careful or skillful.” It means to act wisely so as to succeed, as in Isaiah 52:7 – “My
servant will act wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.” The same idea
is suggested in Proverbs 10:5 – “He who gathers crops in summer is a wise son, but he
who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.” The kings are admonished to behave
wisely, because they have not been doing so. The judges of the earth are being put on
notice that the realities that have been outlined bring dire consequences for those who
will not be warned. The godly man is always in a position to speak to the world by way
of wisdom and warning. When it comes to the ultimate issues of life and death, the godly
man must speak prophetically to earthly kingdoms and institutions. This is what Moses
and Joseph did in Egypt, and Daniel in Babylon. The prophets directed “oracles” from the
Lord to earthly kings and kingdoms, such as are found in Isaiah 13-23. The gospel
declares the wisdom of God concerning man’s most fundamental problem, and Christ
Jesus is revealed in the gospel as wisdom from God (I Corinthians 1:18-31). Wisdom
dictates that there is no alternative but to submit to God’s anointed King. The godly man
speaks prophetically in this world and makes this demand in the name of the Lord.

The godly man demands service (verse 11).

Men and nations demonstrate that they have become wise when they begin to serve the
Lord. This would constitute a complete reversal of the situation described in verses 1-3.
As the concluding admonition will show, this must include submission and obedience to
the Son. To serve the Lord is to acknowledge the Lord as the one worthy to be served. It
means to gladly and promptly accept the role of a servant. The nations and peoples, the
kings and rulers, have only one hope, and this is it. They must serve the one whom God
has declared to be his Son. The fear that characterizes those who serve the Lord is the
sense of reverence arising from the revelation of God’s character and purpose. Thus “the
fear of the Lord” is among the descriptions of God’s special revelation in Psalm 19:9.
This means that the fear of the Lord is not innately resident in man, but must be given by
God or taught by God. “Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the
Lord” (Psalm 34:11). “Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth; give me
an undivided heart, that I may fear your name” (Psalm 86:11). “The fear of the Lord is
the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding” (Psalm
111:10). “The Lord delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing
love” (Psalm 147:11). At the same time, all men everywhere are commanded to fear him.
“Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere him” (Psalm 33:8).

The second part of the verse offers a parallel command that interprets the first part. The
required service is not morose or grudging, but reverentially joyful at the same time.
Psalm 100:2 presents a similar command: “Serve the Lord with gladness; come before
him with joyful songs.” There is true joy in serving him who is our rightful King. When
Psalm 130:4 proclaims, “But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared,” it
perhaps explains as well as anything what it means to “rejoice with trembling.”

“In wonder lost, with trembling joy,

We take the pardon of our God,
Pardon for crimes of deepest dye,
A pardon bought with Jesus’ blood.”
(Samuel Davies)

The prophets foretold that this joy would characterize the age of the Messiah.

“Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel among
you” (Isaiah 12:6).
“But only the redeemed will walk there, and the ransomed of the Lord will return. They
will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing
will flee away”(Isaiah 35:9,10).

“Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices; together they shout for joy. When the Lord
returns to Zion, they will see it with their own eyes” (Isaiah 52:8).

“My servants will sing out of the joy of their hearts” “for I will create Jerusalem to be a
delight and its people a joy” and “the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it
no more” (Isaiah 65:14,18,19).

“Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, you king
comes to you” (Zechariah 9:9).

The godly man demands loyalty (verse 12).

The word for “son” here is Aramaic, and scholars have attempted to explain or account
for this fact in various ways. But as the text stands, the command directed to the nations
and peoples, the kings and rulers is, “Kiss the Son.” The Son has already been identified
in verse 7 as the King whom God has installed on Zion. The kiss could be a sign of
friendship or affection. It could occur as a greeting or parting gesture. But mostly what is
appropriate here is the kiss of submission, loyalty, and devotion, as when Samuel kissed
Saul (I Samuel 10:1), or when the seven thousand in Elijah’s day had not bowed down to
Baal and their mouths had not kissed him (I Kings 19:18). It is the Son who comes into
clearer focus here as the one with whom all men must come to terms. It is his anger and
his wrath that threaten destruction. Thus the Lord, the anointed one, the King and the Son
are all so closely identified that all are embodied in the Son. The same anger and wrath
exhibited by the Lord who installed his King on Zion in verse 5 are here ascribed to the
Son to whom all are required to submit. The “way,” a prominent theme in Psalm 1, comes
into view again at the end of Psalm 2 as a matter of life and death. Those who persist in
the “way of the wicked” will perish or be destroyed in both cases. The fact that “his wrath
can flare up in a moment” does not mean that it is unpredictable, unstable, or fickle. It
means that the wrath of the Son is just as certain and unavoidable as the wrath of God, for
they are one and the same. Jesus said,

“Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, that all
may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not
honor the Father, who sent me” (John 5:22,23).

The concluding blessing is what qualifies a man as a godly man. “Blessed are all who
take refuge in him.” John Calvin said it is “a sanctuary of hope” in view of the terror of
God’s wrath. There is no sanctuary from him, only in him. It is similar to Joel 2:32 –
“And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” The godly man does,
and is.
 Some Concluding Thoughts

The message of the Psalm comes to you in and through Jesus Christ. God established
a dynasty of kings through David, not so much for David’s sake as to be a type of Jesus
Christ. David’s kingdom was established with God’s ancient people as the visible
manifestation of the eternal kingdom of Christ. Jesus Christ is God’s anointed King.
God’s purpose is for that kingdom to be established in the world. Since Jesus said that all
the Scriptures testify of him, this Psalm is chiefly about him. He is the Godly Man par
excellence. He is the Anointed One, the Son, the King, and even the Lord himself whom
all men are bound to serve. The promises and provisions of the Psalm become ours only
as we “take refuge in him” and thus become godly people. Only in Christ can we be
godly. Only in Christ can we know the godly man’s dilemma. Only in Christ do we have
the godly man’s defense. Only in Christ can we make the godly man’s declaration. Only
in Christ dare we make the godly man’s demands.

Be assured that if you are in Christ, everything in this Psalm is yours. This is your
response to the arrogance of earthly kingdoms and their rulers. It should rouse you and all
God’s people to trust in him completely. It should convince you that God will bring in an
era when all his enemies and ours will be removed, God’s rule will be universal, and
God’s people will be at peace. This is the blessedness of taking refuge in the Lord. But it
also teaches the wisdom of true repentance. Calvin wrote, “Let this, therefore, be held as
a settled point, that all who do not submit themselves to the authority of Christ make war
against God.” If Christ is God’s Son and God’s anointed King, there is no more
dangerous position to occupy than to be in rebellion against him.

The Psalm gives you a vision for missions. It reminds you that God’s purpose has
always been to bring his salvation to the ends of the earth. The Lord Jesus Christ came to
seek and to save the lost, even unto the uttermost parts of the earth. Nothing less than this
is the extent of the inheritance promised him by the Father. This is what shapes our
expectations about the success of the gospel throughout the world. The light dawns on
people sitting in darkness regardless of where they sit. John’s vision of “a great multitude
that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language” (Revelation 7:9),
was the vision of Psalm 2. God’s assurance that he has established his King on a throne
and promised him the ends of the earth as his possession shapes our vision for missions.
The missionary gospel is the means through which Jesus is claiming his inheritance.

The Psalm gives you a motive for prayer. Jesus taught his disciples to pray, “Your
kingdom come” (Matthew 6:10). When Christians pray this way, we may be sure we are
praying according to the will of God. This means that you may pray with the full
assurance that God’s kingdom has come, does come, and will come. You pray with the
confidence of knowing that God has already established his King on Zion. You pray in
the conviction that nothing will thwart the purpose of God. The apostle John saw a vision
describing the effectiveness of the prayers of the saints (Revelation 8:1-5). The prayers of
God’s people ascended to the throne and God’s answers came from heaven to earth in the
trumpet judgments. When saints pray kingdom prayers, God answers with his kingdom
purpose.
The Psalm gives you a perspective on current events. If you do not take refuge in the
Lord, how can you possibly make sense of your life, let alone the confusion and
turmoil of world kingdoms? But in Christ you have a perspective, because God has a
perspective. Psalm 2 enables you to look out at the world from the throne room of
the King. You are allowed to assess the situation through the eyes of “the One
enthroned in heaven.” Like Joseph in Egypt or Daniel in Babylon, you are
empowered to speak and act in the name of the Lord and his anointed one. Like John
in the Revelation, you have access to the control room of the universe. “Blessed are
all who take refuge in him.”