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Introduction

Psalm 2 is understood to function along with Psalm 1 as an introduction to the Psalter. The blessedness that begins Psalm 1 is picked up again at the end of Psalm 2, which helps you to see the two chapters functioning together. In fact, some Hebrew copies of the Psalms actually just combine Psalm 1 and 2 as one psalm. So Psalm 2 in one sense completes Psalm 1 and it does so by pointing our eyes towards Christ. This Psalm is one of the New Testament authors’ favorite passages because of how much it points to Christ.

1-3 What is a Messiah?

King David wondered why the Gentiles would foment against the Lord and his Anointed. The Hebrew word for “anointed” is the word that we get the title “messiah” from. A messiah is someone who has been anointed, usually for the purpose of declaring them as king. But the king that David is talking about is not himself. Peter and John later understood that David was actually looking forward to the risen Messiah, Jesus Christ (the Greek word for Messiah is Christ). How could the pagan kings stand against the advance of the kingdom of the risen Christ (Acts 4:24-27).

4-9 You Are My Son

The centerpiece of this Psalm comes in the decree v. 7- “The Lord has said to me, ‘you are my Son.’” Notice that the fact that the Lord himself spoke these words is part of the decree (Mark 1:11, 9:7, 2 Pet. 1:17-18). This is the Father’s declaration of the Son’s kingship and his intent for the Son to inherit all things (Heb. 1:5, 2:2-3).

The Davidic throne was a small picture of the true seed of David who was to come and who was to rule as the true king of Israel (Rom. 1:3-4). But Jesus Christ came to be the Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed One that none of his predecessors could have been.

He is the eternally begotten (John 1:14), the one born of the virgin Mary, the one whose glory was glimpsed at the transfiguration, who was the firstborn from the dead in his resurrection (Col. 1:18), the one who ascended into heaven and sat down on his throne at the right hand of the Father (1 Cor. 15:25), and the one who will come again at the end of history (Acts 1:10-11).

And so God laughs at any that would stand against this (v. 4-6) because their opposition is simply laughable. Instead, he turns to the Son and asks him, what would you like? And the Son’s answer is “the ends of the earth” (v. 8-9).

10-12 Kiss the Son

Given that this is the case, how should we then live? The answer is simple – kiss the Son (v. 12). And if you rankle at the idea of submitting to the Lord of all because of his great power, stop and remember how he achieved it. He achieved this status through his own selfless suffering and death, through his covenant kindness, and the complete giving of himself in love to a people that deserved none of this. His conquering power is his grace.

Conclusion

The declaration of the sonship of Jesus Christ has implications beyond just Jesus himself. Because we are united with Christ (Gal. 2:20) this sonship is something that extends to us (Rom. 8:16-17). The tree that Psalm 1 described is actually first a description of Jesus. After all, could you really provide the obedience described there? But it is secondarily you, because by faith you stand inside of Christ and share in his inheritance. And so it is with Psalm 2. The decree “you are my Son” is primarily spoken to Jesus. But for those who, by faith, stand inside Christ, that decree is a spoken to you as well. And remember that the decree includes audible spoken words of the Father – “This is my son.”

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Not a Monkey-Paw-God

Croesus, king of Lydia, died screaming his final words – “Oh Solon, oh Solon, oh Solon, count no man happy until he is dead.” The pagan gods were powerful, but fickle. And the state of man living under them was always uncertain. A short story by WW Jacobs, published at the beginning of the twentieth century, concluded with the moral, in a very creepy way, that you shouldn’t mess with fate. But Psalm 1 tells us that, as Christians, we stand in a very different relationship with God and with the fate that he has decreed for us – “blessed is he,” “happy is he,” “fortunate is he.” There are various ways of translating it. But it all amounts to the same. There is a man that lives, walks, stands, and sits, that you can know lives in the blessing of God, experiences his joy and happiness.

1. The Blessings of the Man Who does not Walk

The word “blessed” (see Gen. 30:13) in the Hebrew is actually in the plural, indicating not just a singular blessing, but an overarching blessedness. This blessing is for the man who does not walk, stand, or sit with the wicked.

You must understand that to be a Christian necessarily requires being set apart. The Jewish Talmud makes this profound observation here – “…if he has walked he will finally stand, and if he has stood he will finally sit, and if he has sat he will finally scorn, and if he has scorned, of him the Scripture says ‘and if thou scornest thou alone shalt bear it.’” Sin is progressive. Faithfulness sees this and cuts it off at the beginning.

2. Delight

Instead of giving himself to sinful fellowship, the godly man gives himself to God’s word, and in it finds an exquisite delight. The Bible is the word of God that called you into this body, that called you to life itself. The command to immerse yourself in the Bible (Deut. 6:6-9, Josh. 1:8-9) is like a command to never skip dessert.

3. The Tree

Don’t rush past this image, because in it is pictured the profound blessing of God that you need to hear. God will make you like a deeply rooted tree (Jer. 17:7-9). So many of your fears, your temptations, your stresses, your pathologies are all answered in this picture. Your fleeting life is made permanent, made fixed when you find yourself inside of this blessedness (Ps. 121:3-4).

4. The Chaff

And you can see the blessedness of the godly even more when you see the curse against the ungodly. They are chaff, which the wind (the Spirit) drives away. Their moment is always fleeting, here for a moment seeming to dominate, and then gone. What a tragedy that someone would trade the permanent blessedness that they have with God in order to walk with the chaff.

5-6. Standing in the Judgment

If we were to simply read the first four verses of this Psalm on their own, it would be easy to come away with a health and wealth interpretation of this passage. But here we see that the blessedness, the permanence that God promises is ultimately fulfilled in the final judgment. There are still a partial fulfillment in this life. But the final fulfillment of this passage is a scene that takes place at the end of  history, before the throne of God (John 5:29, Rev. 20:11-13). And those who stand with sinners in this life, will not stand with the righteous in the life to come. The final judgment is a terrifying thing to consider (Acts 24:25, Joel 2:11). But here we are promised that God knows you and he will make you like a tall, thriving tree to stand in that day.

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