Kiss the Son (Psalm 2:1-12)

Kiss the Son (Psalm 2:1-12)

 

1 Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?

2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his anointed, saying,

3 Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.

4 He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.

5 Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.

6 Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.

7 I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.

8 Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.

9 Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.

10 Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth.

11 Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.

 

 

Intro)

 

Today's scripture, Psalm 2, holds the same theme of "Two Paths in Life" as in Psalm 1. But Psalm 2 shows us how an evil man can change paths and become a blessed and righteous man.

 

Psalm 2 is known as the "Messiah Psalm" because it is a prophecy about the Messiah, from his coming, to his return, and the eventual reign over this earth.

 

David wrote Psalm 2, meaning he was not only a king, but also a prophet. This prophecy was written about 3000 years ago, 1000 years before Jesus was born. Some say this psalm is merely talking about David and his successors, but David's bloodline only ruled for 424 years; it was not until 600 years later when Jesus, a descendant of David, was born and became our spiritual and earthly king, reviving David's line.

 

There are 12 verses in Psalm 2, and, interestingly, when these verses are divided into 4 parts, each of the 3 verses lends a voice to a different perspective:

• Verses 1-3 = the voice of the people of the world

• Verses 4-6 = the voice of God, the Father

• Verses 7-9 = the voice of Jesus, the Son

• Verses 10-12 = the voice of the Holy Spirit

 

Body)

 

A) The Voice of the People

 

Verse 1 says, "1 Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?" First, we see in this verse that the people are angry at God and openly defy Him (their "rage"). This is still easily found in our society today. Throughout history people have been attacked and ridiculed for their faith and nonbelievers express their hatred of God. Even today we see people on the streets and in the comment sections on the Internet ridiculing God and His believers.

 

People still continue to "imagine a vain thing," meaning they center their lives and focus on the wrong things and they are filled with the wrong ambitions.

 

Verse 2 continues, "2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his anointed, saying," The people not only defy and fight against God, but his own Son, Jesus.

 

Acts 4:25-28 tells us this after Jesus' resurrection: "25 Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things? 26 The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ. 27 For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together, 28 For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done."

 

Luke 23:12 continues, "12 And the same day Pilate and Herod were made friends together: for before they were at enmity between themselves."

 

Pilate and Herod joined forces to kill Jesus. This is a fulfillment of verse 2 in Psalm 2, and this verse continues to be fulfilled today.

 

Their reason for their actions is revealed in verse 3: "3 Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us." They thought they were trapped and chained to God and believed Jesus' death would release them of their shackles. They thought they could gain freedom. This is the greatest misconception nonbelievers have.

 

People think that God and a life as a Christian holds you back and chains you down. They think it is foolish to restrain yourself from various worldly pleasures for the sake of serving an "invisible man in the sky." They believe it is our duty and in our best interest to serve ourselves. But those who think they are free to live life however they want are actually the ones who are bound to sin and headed for pain and suffering. God is the only person who can free you of these chains and give you true freedom.

 

Paul tells us in Romans 1:22-23, "22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things."

 

B) The Voice of God, the Father

 

Verse 4, "4 He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision." God looks down on all the people of the world, living their lives as if the one they have on earth is all that matters and all they will have. He reigns over this earth and over the people He watches, the people who mock Him. When they claim they don't need Him and can do anything without Him, He laughs at them in derision.

 

Verses 5-6 continue, "5 Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. 6 Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion." "My king" in these verses is not referring to a king that reigns over the narrator, but the king the narrator Himself raised up and seated on the throne. God is telling us that He has placed His chosen king on the throne in spite of all the mockery from the worldly people.

 

His sovereignty reigns above all else. It does not matter what we want for think. It does not matter what god you believe in and serve. The Bible tells us God is the one and only, and nothing anyone else says, thinks, or believes, can change that.

 

C) The voice of Jesus, the Son

 

Verses 7-9 gives voice to the new king, the Son, and he delivers his father's message directly and clearly: "7 I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee." "His anointed" mentioned in verse 2 and "my king" mentioned in verse 6 are both referring to the Son, Jesus Christ. The Bible uses the phrase, "the Son" not as a descriptor of relationship, but to emphasize that Jesus is God.

 

Verse 8 says, "8 Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession." God says all of the land, even those of the "foreigners" (nonbelievers), will be given to Jesus. Verse 9 continues, "9 Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel."

 

All those who defied God will be "[broken] with a rod of iron" and shatter "in pieces like a potter's vessel." They are left alone right now, but not forever.

 

Jesus may have first come to this earth as a man to suffer on our behalf and be sacrificed for our salvation, but when he returns he will return in all his glory as the rightful king and ultimate judge. All wars and pain will end, and true righteousness and freedom will take over.

 

D) The Voice of the Holy Spirit

 

Verse 10 tells us, "10 Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth." Verse 11 teaches this lesson to those who defy God: "11 Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling." It is telling us to repent, return to God, and serve Him.

 

The "Christian shackles" people try so desperately for free themselves of is actually "God's power and fear of His judgment and Word." "Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling," means that while we fear God and His almighty power, we are also in awe of it and revere His love and grace.

 

Verse 12 adds the command, "12 [k]iss the Son..." "The Son" of course refers to Jesus and to "kiss him" means to dedicate yourself and your loyalty to him. We are being told to believe in Jesus, accept him as our savior, obey and be loyal to him so that we may live and walk the path to blessings. Even those who believe they do not need God and defy Him must appear humbly before the Son and accept him as their Savior.

 

The second half of verse 12 says, "12 ...lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him." God provides a path of shelter for those who kneel before the Son. God judges but He also protects. Those whose arrogance keeps them from humbling themselves before God will face inevitable devastation.

 

Eternal pain is all that awaits those who were defiant and sought paradise and pleasure away from God. Religious extremists and terrorists kill others and themselves in the name of their god and are promised to die as martyrs. They are promised eternal happiness when they die, but that is all a lie. The only thing that awaits them is Hell. There is no other path to salvation than Jesus.

 

Con)

Psalm 2 is the Gospel of the Old Testament. It is a prophetic psalm that tells us God has provided a path for us to salvation through His Son. Anyone who wants to become a child of God and walk down His path of blessings and righteousness can do so, right now, at any time. Hallelujah! All of you sitting here today listening to this sermon now have the responsibility of making a choice. If you are not ready to evade and be sheltered from judgment, come before God today, kneel, repent for your sins, and ask for His help.

 

092317 by Ik Sun Ahn