Psalm 2 - The Last Laugh
- Chad Werkhoven
- Jun 13
- 4 min read
God laughs at those who think they're stronger than His grace!
Psalm 2 (NIV)
¹ Why do the nations conspire
and the peoples plot in vain?
² The kings of the earth rise up
and the rulers band together
against the Lord and against his anointed, saying,
³ “Let us break their chains
and throw off their shackles.”
⁴ The One enthroned in heaven laughs;
the Lord scoffs at them.
⁵ He rebukes them in his anger
and terrifies them in his wrath, saying,
⁶ “I have installed my king
on Zion, my holy mountain.”
⁷ I will proclaim the Lord’s decree:
He said to me, “You are my son;
today I have become your father.
⁸ Ask me,
and I will make the nations your inheritance,
the ends of the earth your possession.
⁹ You will break them with a rod of iron;
you will dash them to pieces like pottery.”
¹⁰ Therefore, you kings, be wise;
be warned, you rulers of the earth.
¹¹ Serve the Lord with fear
and celebrate his rule with trembling.
¹² Kiss his son, or he will be angry
and your way will lead to your destruction,
for his wrath can flare up in a moment.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him.
Canons of Dordt
Point 2 - Limited Atonement
Article 9: The Fulfillment of God’s Plan
This plan,
arising out of God’s eternal love for the elect,
from the beginning of the world to the present time
has been powerfully carried out
and will also be carried out in the future,
the gates of hell seeking vainly to prevail against it.
As a result, the elect
are gathered into one, all in their own time,
and there is always a church of believers founded on Christ’s blood,
a church which steadfastly loves, persistently worships,
and here and in all eternity praises him as her Savior
who laid down his life for her on the cross,
as a bridegroom for his bride.
Summary
This summary is a re-post from November 2024
The second Psalm, along with the first, set the tone for all of the Psalms that follow them. Psalm 2 sets forth two competing realities, but it also makes clear that only one of these realities will ultimately prevail.
You didn't need Psalm 2 to tell you about the existence of the first reality: that all of the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain... banding together against the the LORD and His anointed one (mā·šîaḥ). The kings of the earth rise up against the very God who established them (Romans 1). You didn't need Psalm 2 to tell you this because you see evidence of it everywhere you look, whether it's 'kings' operating at the local level or 'kings' who have tremendous geopolitical power.
What you need Psalm 2 to be reminded of is what's in store for these wicked and corrupt rulers. You need to be reminded often that despite how much you worry about policies and proclamations that seem so backwards, the One enthroned in heaven laughs and scoffs at them! He's not laughing because He thinks their attempts are so funny, but because He knows their rebellious efforts are so pathetic.
The One enthroned in heaven can be so confident because He knows who the true King is: the one He installed on Zion, His holy mountain, and He knows that this King - His Son - will break the rebellious nations with a rod of iron and will dash them to pieces like pottery.
Dig Deeper
We come to Psalm 2 in the midst of the graduation and wedding seasons. People in those stages of life usually have at least some semblance of a plan for their lives - where they want to go and what they want to do as life begins to move forward.
Those of us with a bit more experience just smile and do our best to encourage, even though we know how the realities of life tend to tame robust ambitions. Sometimes we simply adapt our plans to the challenges that come; more often life events end up changing our plans altogether.
One of the quiet, ever present truths of theology is the simple fact that God is not like us. Adaptation and change are so woven into our psyche, so we mistakenly conclude it must be the same for God. He's just rolling with the punches, like us, doing the best He can to hold things together according to His grand plan.
But Psalm 2 and the Canons serve as a reminder of how different God is. God's plan arrives out of His eternal love for the elect... it has been powerfully carried out and will also be carried out in the future. Not even the gates of Hell can budge it off course. Subsequently, there is always a church of believers... which both here and in all eternity praises Christ as her Savior.
God's grace always has been and always will be stronger than you are!
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who laughs and scoffs at those who try to thwart His plans;
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that in every aspect of your life that you will take refuge in the LORD;
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Ephesians 5
Comments