Psa 2:1

Author? David (Act 4:25).

See Act 4:23-28, where vv 1,2 are interpreted: “nations” = Gentiles; “people” = Israel; “kings of the earth” = Herod; “rulers” = Pilate; “his Anointed One” = Jesus. (So Herod and Pilate were made “friends together”: Luk 23:12.)

Outline: Vv 1-3: Aggressive nations and their purpose Vv 4,5: God’s reaction V 6: His purpose through His Son Vv 7-9: Messiah declares God’s purpose with him Vv 10-12: Exhortation to the rebels.

Background: 2Sa 8: After David took Jerusalem, the nations round about rose up against him: Philistia, Moab, Zobah, Syria, Ammon, Amalek, Edom. But David defeated them all.

Christ’s 2nd coming: So quoted in Rev 2:27; 12:5; 19:15.

CONSPIRE (RAGE): “Tumultuously assemble” (AV mg). “Are in turmoil” (NEB).

PEOPLES: Heb “leom” is mostly used of Arab nations.

PLOT: Sw Psa 1:2, but how different! Cp Eze 38:10.

Psa 2:2

KINGS OF THE EARTH: “Eretz” = the Land.

TAKE THEIR STAND: A military expression: “to take up stations”. Sw 2Sa 7:16 — but so different!

THE RULERS GATHER TOGETHER: Rev 19:19. But all in vain: Psa 20:6; 45:5.

GATHER: Coming together as by appointment: Mat 22:34; 27:1,7; 28:12; Mar 15:1; Luk 20:20; Joh 11:47; 18:14.

TOGETHER: LXX has “homothumadon” = “one mind” (Act 1:14; 2:1,46; 4:24; 5:12).

AGAINST THE LORD: Fighting to defend their “gods” from the godly enthusiasm of David!

Psa 2:3

LET US BREAK THEIR CHAINS: A lunatic determination: Luk 8:29.

CHAINS: Or “cords”, for the offering of sacrifice (Psa 118:27; cp Psa 116:3). Why plural? (a) God and His Messiah? (b) Messiah and Israel? (c) Messiah and his saints?

Psa 2:4

LAUGHS: “The place was shaken” (Act 4:31) with God’s contemptuous laugh! The derision of both Jews and Gentiles (Mat 27:29,42) against the Lord’s Christ now has its counterpart in His derision against them. Cp Psa 115:3; 1Co 1:20-31.

Psa 2:5

Was a prophet of God made an emissary to the nations, to bring them this message?

Psa 2:6

INSTALLED: The Heb (“nacak”) means to “pour out” or “anoint”. But David, though anointed 3 times (once at Bethlehem and twice at Hebron) was not anointed at Jerusalem! So this psalm would have its truest and most complete fulfillment in the promised Messiah: cp v 7 with 2Sa 7:14. And Jesus was “anointed” AND “poured out” (ie his blood in crucifixion).

ZION, MY HOLY HILL: Already dedicated to holiness in 2Sa 6.

Psa 2:7

TODAY I HAVE BECOME YOUR FATHER (BEGOTTEN YOU): Applied in Heb 1:5 to Christ when he was glorified to be made a high priest; so “today” = resurrection, not birth. Cp also Heb 5:5; Rom 1:3,4; Isa 55:3; Act 13:33,34.

Psa 2:8

ASK OF ME, AND I WILL…: It was a custom among great kings to give to favored ones whatever they might ask (Est 5:6; Mat 14:7). When Stephen was stoned, the Lord stood (Act 7:55) to grant him his request: “Give me the Gentiles”? And so he set about to convert Stephen’s chief persecutor, Saul, who became the apostle to the Gentiles — and so vv 10-12 here are about Paul the apostle.

THE NATIONS…THE ENDS OF THE EARTH YOUR POSSESSION: For David, a temporary (and partial) fulfillment of the promises to Abraham: Gen 13:14,15; 15:18-21; 22:17.

YOUR INHERITANCE: Christ’s parable of the vineyard in Luk 20:9-20 seems to be based on Psa 2: Enemies taking counsel together against the heir, plotting to overthrow their master, yet God will laugh at them, and they will be destroyed.

Psa 2:9

Fulfilled in 1st century in Mat 22:6,7; Jer 19:11.

RULE THEM (BREAK THEM) WITH AN IRON SCEPTER: The Heb is ambiguous: the LXX has “shepherd them” (cp Rev 2:27). The response in each case decides the attitude of Christ: either the firm but kind rule of the shepherd, or the smashing of the rebellious. (“Scepter” = “shebet”, the shepherd’s rod, which both protects the sheep and smites the marauders: Lev 27:32; Eze 20:37; cp Psa 23:4 — thus becoming a symbol of government: Gen 49:10.)

LIKE POTTERY: Made of the miry clay of Daniel’s image (Dan 2:43,44). This material, when hardened, is very brittle and easily broken (Isa 30:14; Jer 18:6; 19:11; Rom 9:21-23).

Psa 2:10

Vv 10-12: Relevance to Saul/Paul: one of the “rulers”, or “judges” (Act 8:1; 26:10). “Trembling” of Act 9:6. “Blessed are all who take refuge in him”: Paul’s short stmt of the gospel!

V 10: The counsel of rebellion (v 2) is interrupted by a warning which only fools would neglect: “Be wise…be warned.”

BE WARNED: Or “instructed” (AV). This sounds like Gamaliel’s advice: “Let them alone… why fight against God?” (Act 5:38,39).

Psa 2:11

SERVE THE LORD: Men like Hiram of Tyre did just this. Initially the worship of Melkort (the god of Tyre) was modeled on the worship of Jehovah.

Psa 2:12

KISS: Along with anointing and inheritance, all features of Saul’s coronation (1Sa 10:1). But a sharp contrast with the Messianic king here described.

BLESSED ARE ALL WHO TAKE REFUGE IN HIM: “Asher” (blessed) are all who flee for refuge to Christ (sw Psa 57:1-3) — the “Rock” of salvation! There is no refuge FROM Christ, but only refuge IN him! Psa 2 closes as Psa 1 began, with “asher”. One man sits alone in silent meditation (Psa 1), while another dwells among fierce enemies in a world on the edge of holocaust (Psa 2). But both ways of life, at one time or another, belong to Christ.