February 14, 2016
Acts chapter 4 records the first prayer meeting in the church’s history. We know that the church gathered to pray every day, but in chapter 4, we finally get a glimpse into one of these incredible meetings. Let me set the stage. Peter and John had just been released from prison. The day before this prayer meeting, they were walking to the temple to – well, they were going to pray – when they came across a lame beggar. He asked for money but Peter said, “We’ll do you one better.” He grabbed his hand and – in the name of Jesus Christ – commanded him to walk. The man stood up and walked.
Needless to say, the religious leaders were not impressed. They had just spent three years dealing with their biggest problem, Jesus. He did stuff like this all the time. He healed sick men on the Sabbath. He cast out demons. He attracted sinners and tax collectors. He challenged their authority at every step, so they finally had him killed. But now – just a few weeks later – his disciples started doing the same exact things. The religious leaders were greatly annoyed, so they threw Peter and John in jail.
But this did not solve their problem. In the morning, they woke up to a public relations disaster. They had – after all – thrown these guys in jail for healing someone. So, they had no choice but to let them go. As they sent them out the door, they warned them to never speak in the name of Jesus again… Yeah, that didn’t happen.
Peter and John immediately found their friends and reported everything. And in chapter 4, we have the first recorded prayer in the church’s history. Let’s read it:
Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit,
“‘Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers were gathered together,
against the Lord and against his Anointed’—
for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”
Acts 4:24-30
When they were finished praying, the Spirit descended upon them and shook the room where they were meeting. In other words, this was a really good prayer. It was bold, it was passionate, and most of all – it was rooted in the Scriptures. Peter and John had spent the night in jail, but they weren’t shaken up. They had a theological and historical and biblical perspective of their situation. They found strength in the words of an Old Testament text. I want us to be able to pray the same way. I want us to have the same boldness in the face of adversity. And so, if you have your Bible, turn to Psalm chapter 2. We’re going to study the Psalm that Peter and John turned to when they prayed the prayer that shook the room.
As you’re turning there, let me give you a brief introduction to the text. The Psalm itself does not tell us who the author is, but the text we just read in Acts chapter 4 does. This was a Psalm of David – given to him by the Holy Spirit. Its placement in the book of Psalms is noteworthy. Most scholars believe that the first two Psalms serve as an introduction to the entire book. The themes that are discussed here, then, will provide a summary for the next 148 Psalms. It had an interesting place in Jewish worship. Again, most scholars believe that Psalm 2 was read during the coronation service of each new king. This Psalm even had a special place with the New Testament authors. It is directly quoted four times, and is alluded to several more times. In other words, it is nearly impossible to overstate the importance of this text. It was important three thousand years ago, and it is important now. With that in mind, let us read Psalm chapter 2, verses 1-12.
Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together,
against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying,
“Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.”
He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision.
Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying,
“As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.”
I will tell of the decree: The LORD said to me,
“You are my Son; today I have begotten you.
Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.
You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”
Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth.
Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him.
One of the great things about preaching through the psalms is that they often come with prepackaged outlines. They were composed to be memorized and sung, so they are designed to fit into our brains. This psalm is neatly divided into four distinct stanzas. Each section will form the outline of our message.
- The Kings of the Earth (v. 1-3)
- The Lord’s King (v. 4-6)
- The King’s Speech (v. 7-9)
- The Kings are Warned (v. 10-12)
It is helpful to divide the psalm into these stanzas because you may have noticed that the scenery changes very quickly. The psalm begins inside the secret chambers of the earthly kings. They’re plotting to overthrow God. The second scene takes us to the heavenly thrones to reveal God’s reaction. The third scene jumps over to Mt. Zion and records a speech from God’s anointed king. By the final scene, the narrator has taken over the pen to summarize the entire message.
So lets jump in. David begins with a simple question: Why do the nations rage? Why do the peoples plot in vain? There are several ways to ask this question, so we need to make sure that we understand his tone. David is not complaining or trying to put God on trial. He’s not even directing the question to God. I think he’s just shocked that the most powerful nations in the world would try to revolt against the Most High. He’s essentially asking why they would waste their time and energy.
David understood that this was not a fair fight. Historically speaking, the nations have not fared very well against God and his anointed. Think about the citizens of Babel. They conspired against God by gathering together to build a tower to the heavens. But God thwarted their plans in an instant and accomplished his own. Think about Goliath. Don’t you know that David pictured Goliath as he penned these words? The mighty giant mocked the puny boy on the battlefield. He promised to feed David’s body to the birds. But in an instant, David defeated him with a single stone. “Why do the nations rage against God and his anointed?” It’s not a fair fight.
The stanza ends with a speech from these rulers. As they gather together to take counsel against God, they said, “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.”
This is the cry of the rebellious heart. The rebellious person cannot tolerate the authority of God. They feel like his bonds and cords are oppressive and they would do anything to get away from his authority. They don’t realize that God is actually kind and compassionate. Listen to the prophet Hosea speak of God’s rule in Hosea chapter 11: “I led them with cords of kindness, with the bands of love, and I became to them as one who eases the yoke on their jaws, and I bent down to them and fed them.” The faithful person delights in God’s gentle authority. God is not a harsh master. He leads us with cords of kindness and takes our burden upon himself. He bends down to feed us. The rebellious person doesn’t understand this. He will fight tooth and nail against God’s authority.
Let me try to illustrate this. I realize that this will break down, but it has some value. Generally speaking, most dogs will go on a leash. I know that some dogs are just stubborn, but generally, if you are kind to your dog and train it well, it will submit to your authority and go for a walk with you. It will even enjoy the leash. But have you ever seen a cat on a leash? Apparently this is becoming a thing. I did a little exploring on the Internet, and I found plenty of articles that can teach you how to how to take your cat for a walk on a leash. If you have successfully walked a cat, I applaud you. Because the pictures that I found on the Internet were hilarious. Most cats don’t like to be led. They don’t want to be told what to do. They will fight your authority.
When nations gather together to rebel against God and his anointed, they’re like a cat on a leash. They struggle and resist, but it doesn’t matter. They’re simply wasting their time and energy. It’s almost laughable. As we turn our attention to the second stanza, we’re going to see that this is exactly God’s reaction. Look at v. 4 again. This is the second part of our outline and the scene abruptly cuts to the heavens.
He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision.
As the nations gather together to wage war against God’s authority and against his king, God laughs. I want you to think about the power of that statement: He who sits in the heavens laughs. The Bible ascribes many emotions to God so that we can grasp who he is, but this one is difficult to process. As God looks at the futile attempts of the nations to conspire against him (like a cat struggling against a leash), he can’t help but chuckle. He holds them in derision.
As difficult as this is to process, I have to admit that this image is strangely comforting for the believer. When the world conspires against God, he sits in the heavens and laughs. He is not worried when nations forsake him. It does not stress him out. This is comforting because we tend to forget this on the ground. The media – even Christian media – feeds our fears. When things go wrong, we get stressed out and begin to worry. But God does not. He laughs.
Now, this does not mean that God is indifferent toward their attacks on his authority. God’s laughter quickly changes to anger. Immediately after he laughs, verse 5 says that God will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury. Their futile attempt to burst God’s bonds is humorous, but the gravity of their offense is very serious. The Bible is extremely clear on this point: rebellion requires death. It has been this way since the Garden of Eden. You cannot sin and get away with it. God will come in wrath. He will triumph.
God begins to unveil his strategy to defeat the wicked in verse 6 when he says, “As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.” The nations had promised to break free from God’s reign, but God won’t let it happen. Instead, he will anoint his own king in his own place.
The third stanza will focus on this figure. The scene shifts to Mt. Zion where God’s chosen king will stand to deliver a speech. Let’s read verse 7 again.
I will tell of the decree: The LORD said to me,
“You are my Son; today I have begotten you.
We’ve come to the climax of the Psalm. The nations rebelled, but God laughed. In opposition, he appointed a king to rule. And now, in verse 7, the king takes the throne and delivers a speech. His message is absolutely shocking. God told the king that he was his son. “You are my Son; today I have begotten you.”
Now, in our highly scientific world, many of us would expect God’s decree to be backed up with a DNA test. You can’t just declare this guy to be your son without the evidence. But that’s not how the ancient world worked. In the ancient world, sonship was not simply a biological marker; it was an identity marker. Sonship demonstrated an intimate and special relationship. It was not uncommon for the kings of that day to be called sons of the gods they served. One of the most famous examples of this occurs in the book of Exodus. God called Israel his firstborn son. This was clearly not a biological statement. God did not biologically father every person in Israel. But He was identifying them as his chosen instrument.
And so, in Psalm 2 verse 7, God announced that his anointed king would be his chosen instrument to bring about judgment to the nations. The king was the Son of God. The next two verses demonstrate the extent of the Son’s power.
Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.
You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”
The nations don’t stand a chance against God’s chosen king. The point is abundantly clear in this text: God’s Son will triumph. It’s not even a contest.
But take hope, the message of Psalm 2 is not simply a message of judgment. It ends on a note of salvation. Let’s look at the final stanza of the speech. Again, the narrator has taken the pen to summarize the Psalm.
Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth.
Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him.
If you remember, the Psalm began with the leaders of the world taking counsel with each other. It ends with the Psalmist giving them counsel. O kings be wise; be warned O rulers of the earth. This stanza outlines three simple warnings. The kings of the earth are told to serve the Lord with fear, they are told to rejoice with trembling, and they are told to kiss the son, lest God be angry. In other words, they need to give up their foolish pride and humble themselves before God and his anointed. Their rebellion will end in destruction, unless they turn in humble submission to God’s Son. Amazingly, this Psalm gives hope to the rebellious nations. It is highlighted in the final sentence: Blessed are all who take refuge in God. As one commentator said, “There is no refuge from God; only refuge in him.
Let’s take a step back and try to process all of this information. The message of the psalm is quite simple. It is foolish to rebel against God. He laughs at our feeble attempts to defy his authority. He will thwart the plan of the wicked and establish his own plan of judgment and salvation through his chosen Son. This is an enduring message for all generations.
But because the entire message of the Psalm seems to revolve around the Son, it is essential that we identify this person. If our salvation revolves around the Son, we must know who the Son is. In the immediate context, the son was David – or at least one of his children. Because this was a coronation Psalm, many considered the current king of Judah to be the chosen son. 2 Samuel actually invites us to interpret it this way. Listen to the covenant promise that God made with David in 2 Samuel 7.
When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son.
2 Samuel 7:12-14
And so, in one sense, the anointed king in Psalm 2 was the king of Judah. The king held an honored position. He was given the task of carrying out the God’s plan. But let’s be honest. The figure in Psalm chapter 2 is far bigger than any king of Israel. He is even bigger than David himself. Just take a look at the very next Psalm. Psalm 3 opens with David hiding in the wilderness. That is a far cry from the Son that wields an iron rod. This figure is far bigger than Solomon or Rehoboam. Do you think God’s plan of salvation would consist of you humbly kissing King Rehoboam? No. The Jews were quick to realize this, and so, through the years, they began to realize that God’s chosen king had not yet come. So they waited. Psalm 2 became a treasured messianic Psalm. One day, the king would come to judge the nations. They held onto these promises.
Church, we get to hold onto the promises of Psalm chapter 2 in a completely different way. We no longer have to wait for his arrival. The message of the New Testament is abundantly clear: the king has come and his name is Jesus. He is the long awaited Son of God. The entire New Testament was written to demonstrate this point. Jesus was declared to be the Son of God at his birth. He was born of a virgin into the line of David’s family. Jesus was declared to be the Son at his baptism, and again at his transfiguration. Jesus declared his special relationship with the father by performing miraculous signs and wonders throughout his ministry. Jesus died with a sign above his head that read, “King of the Jews.” Paul would later declare that Jesus’s resurrection confirmed his status as the Son of God, the king of Psalm chapter 2. The book of Revelation is filled with images of Jesus holding an iron rod, judging the defiant nations. When we read Psalm 2, we can rejoice that the Son of God has come. We can rejoice because Jesus was even more incredible than we could have ever perceived. Jesus Christ was no mere man; he was the eternal Son of God!
And so, in light of Jesus Christ, I want to close with three points of application.
First, I want to invite you to memorize and treasure this Psalm. This Old Testament passage is abundantly valuable for the church of Jesus Christ. As I have said, it is found all over the pages of the New Testament. It was the Scripture that Peter instinctively quoted when he was arrested. God forbid that any of us find ourselves in that position, but if persecution does come, this will be a treasured text. Memorize it and incorporate it into your spiritual vocabulary.
Second, God’s sovereignty is both terrifying and comforting. When the most powerful people of the earth conspire against God, he simply shakes his head and laughs. Let this be a warning to anyone who tries to defy God. Your attempts are futile. God will not tolerate your rebellion forever. Kiss the Son before it is too late. These promises are terrifying to the wicked, but comforting to those who find refuge in him. When the nations rage, God is not threatened. We shouldn’t be either. We can hold onto these promises like Peter and John. Now, don’t get me wrong: the nations can do quite a bit of damage in their brief reign of terror. Peter was eventually killed for his faith and John wouldn’t die, so they exiled him. But they did not accomplish their plans. As the leaders of our own world rage against God, remember that they are standing on uneven ground. They will not last forever.
Finally, all of our hope is wrapped up in the eternal Son of God, Jesus Christ. Let us take the warning of verse 12 seriously and apply it to Jesus. Kiss the Son, lest God become angry. Our only hope is Jesus Christ. Let us humbly bow before him and reverently kiss him. This is the posture of a fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ. This text reminds me of the prostitute in Luke chapter 7. If you remember, Jesus was eating dinner at the house of a Pharisee. He had been given a cold reception until this woman burst in the doors. She broke open her most expensive bottle of perfume on him and just sat there, weeping, kissing his feet. Simon the Pharisee was ashamed of her behavior, but Jesus gently accepted her. This is the way of salvation.
Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.