I don’t know what’s occupying your mind right now. Maybe you’re replaying a chat in the car with your spouse or child. Maybe a situation back home or on your team. Maybe something ahead of you this week. Or maybe an anxious thought. I have the task to enter that space with the lyrics of Psalm 2. If you give me a few minutes, I promise this psalm won’t disappoint.

Psalm 2 is a song that David penned as a coronation anthem for the future kings of Israel. It was a reminder to earthly kings that there exists a heavenly king. It was a prophetic vision of God as the King of kings who rules His kingdom and therein is a hope that God would set his True King in Zion. The context and themes might seem foreign, abstract, or outdated—from another culture or time. Yet may you get a refreshed vision of who God is through this psalm.

Psalm 2 was used throughout church history to soothe God’s anxious people when it seems like the world was out of control. Do you ever feet that things in this world are shaky? Like the world is on the edge of chaos? Like the future of our well-being and our children’s is in the hands of very unstable or untrustworthy leaders? Have you felt like this? If not, that may mean you haven’t scanned the news lately. I can summarize the global headlines for you by saying that things are going particularly well. Why is there never peace? Why are people so angry? When will the war in Gaza and Israel end? These questions are not unique to us today (though you and I certainly feel it)—they are questions felt across history and every generation.

Psalm 2 begins with poignant questions, “Why do the nations rage?” and “Why do kings and rulers counsel against the Lord and His Anointed?” Nations rage because nations seek peace through war. Kings and rulers plot because by playing god they seek peace their way. Psalm 2 sums up all of history to the present day It’s a summary of the entire Bible in a gospel song. Here are my 3 points—We don’t want a King, We are given a King, and We need this King.

1) We don’t want a King (vs.1-3)

It is in our human nature refuse a king. It is in our genetic code, since Eden to push back against authority and resist the kingship of God. At our core, we are repelled by being ruled.
Within every heart there is a war—we want a king and we don’t want a king. When presented with a king we aren’t happy about it because of what it means for us. We want a king we can submit to when he fits or supports our agenda, our vision, or our wants.

Consider the American mindset. As an American, I represent a people who rebelled and rejected the rule of a king (and there were good reasons for that). What my forefathers did was divorce themselves and declare independence from a king that they called “unfit to be the ruler of a free people.” One could make the case that most Americans resist most kinds of authority (like king, president, boss, parent). I’m not anti-American. I love my country. Yet as much as we Americans abhor royalty or ruler, we have an incurable curiosity for the crown…at least from a distance. How many of you watched the coronation of King Charles? 10 million Americans watched the coronation of King Charles while only twice as many Britons tuned in. As Americans, we are fascinated by royalty—it’s wealth, fashion, spectacle, and soap operas.

I could make a case that within all humans is a memory trace to a true, good, and wise king. From birth, we’re raised with heroic legends and folklore like Richard the Lionheart or Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. We flock to cinema to see the romanticized stories of Disney princesses like Cinderella and Elsa [I have three girls who all played dress up]. We dream of fantastical kingdoms like Middle Earth and Narnia or the real kingdom conquests of the Roman Empire or the British Empire on which the sun never set.

The world’s history of monarchs (even in the Bible) has been overall terrible. We are familiar with the truism coined by Lord Acton, “absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Today in our modern world, since the Enlightenment, most monarchies have toppled and become democracies (or voices of the people). Royalty seems to be a thing of the past. Yet one could argue that today there is a new kind of royalty that goes by other names—celebrities, sports stars, billionaires, politicians, and influencers (rulers of public opinion). We adore them, we give them riches, we treat them as kings, and we secretly fantasize about their fame.

As the story goes, nobody wants a king, therefore, everybody wants to be king. Not much has changed about us. It has been this way since the Garden. After God created the world, he said to mankind, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the earth.” (Genesis 1:28) God created us to be dominioneers, but the thought that God still has his hand in things doesn’t sit well with us. Like the kings and rulers of Psalm 2:3, we think of God’s rule as a “chain” or “restraint”. We see God as a chain-maker, not a chain breaker. He feels like an unnecessary weight or choking burden.

I can think to myself, “I don’t want God’s cords wrapped around my life. Get it off me!” I feel owned and used. I feel like God is meddling and toying with me. I am repulsed by the notion that I am someone’s possession, certainly not God’s (v.8). In my being, I buck against this. And God can sometimes give me exactly what I want, like Westley from the Princess Bride who always said to Princess Buttercup, “As you wish,” but what he meant by that was “I love you.”

In rebelling against God, we believe we are creating freedom and peace for ourselves. Yet when we remove ourselves out from under God’s power, protection, and peace, the opposite is actually true. It becomes a hell. George MacDonald, a mentor of C.S. Lewis, had said, “The central conviction of hell is, I AM MY OWN. This will create a living hell for you.” This mindset dominates most humans’ worldviews. And we wonder why the nations rage and peoples plot.

There is war within me. I know my mutinous heart and the misery it brings me. Deep down, I don’t like being told what to do and I rebel. And there, I do the same thing as the people who plot against the Lord’s anointed. I want all the blessings and benefits of the kingdom, but I don’t want to listen to the instruction of the King. When Jesus says love your neighbor as yourself it can feel to me like a chain. Whose my neighbor, I ask? Jesus says your worst one—your enemy. That seems a bit over the top Jesus! Then Jesus says I’m to live pure and holy. And that feels so restrictive. Or Jesus says to be generous and give to everyone who asks of you. Come on? Really? I can’t do that. Maybe when I have a little extra or they pay me back. But then Jesus says forgive as you’ve been forgiven. What!? That surely doesn’t apply to me. The bitterness I have is the only power I can hold onto. I don’t think that God has in mind the level of hurt that I have endured. Except, yes. He does. He wants my freedom and yours.

I still rage against God like this every time I sin. I am in my mid-40’s and have walked with Jesus for 3 decades. And I am alarmed that I still sin so frequently. Every time I do I am making a trade. I say to God, my way looks more free—more joyful. I am a better manager of my human flourishing than you. My path looks more promising and productive. What I don’t realize, in that moment, is that I am raging and plotting against the Anointed.

Charles Spurgeon said, “To a graceless neck, the yoke of Christ is intolerable, but to the saved sinner, it is easy and light. We may judge ourselves by this—Do we love that yoke or do we wish to cast it from us?” To be honest, I often want to cast off the lightest of yokes in exchange for something that looks lighter, but more often then not ends up being a bigger burden too heavy for me to carry. Listen, I have never once regretted obeying God…and yet I still rage.

You and I are called to fight back against the rage and plots by submitting ourselves to the Good King who says, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 1:28-30)

2) We are given a King (vs.4-6)

How does God respond to the rebel heart? “He who sits in the heavens laughs” (v.4). That’s an interesting image. What does it mean that God laughs? Like an adult chuckling at the feeble effort of a kid. Who scrunch their faces, fold their arms, stomp around in angst, and say boldly, “No!” Sometimes as a parent, it’s hard not to laugh. We laugh and say, “Aw. How cute. Jimmy is pretending to be a totalitarian dictator. Sorry son, but resistance is useless.”

According to Psychology Today, laughter is “one of the distinguishing features of human beings” and maybe “the most contagious of all emotional experiences”—yet “little is known about the mechanisms behind it.” Laughter is social. It’s an effort to communicate to others.

We get laughter from God. And when he laughs, he does so for our sake, to communicate to us. He laughs to give off signals—that are horrible to his enemies and wonderful to his friends. As God laughs his enemies are terrified and cower in fear. But his friends, rise in comfort and he quiets their fears. God’s laughter warns those who commit cosmic treason of their impending doom. But to his friends, his laughter reminds them that the best is yet to come.

God laughs because his plan was already coronated as He says, “I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.” (v.6) There is no need to crown him as he has already been crowned before the world was created. Whether you acknowledge it or not, you have been given a king. You’ve always had a King. His name is Jesus (Matthew 3:17). He is a good, gracious, gentle, humble, and kind King. When the time was right, God sent his Son to earth—to live among us. He had no beauty or earthly majesty (Isaiah 53:2). He was accepted and then rejected as king. He was plotted against by the kings and rulers of the day. He was mocked. He was clothed in weakness and shame—dressed in a royal robe and twisted a crown of thorns on his head. He was despised and the people pulled a mutiny and sought to unseat Jesus. They marched him to a hill outside the city and hung him on a criminal’s cross. They slapped a little sign above his head that read, “Here hangs the king of the Jews.” (Mark 15:17) They laughed. And Psalm 2 was being fulfilled. But God would have the last laugh. As the Son of God breathed his last breath the earth shook. Nothing would defeat the Son of Man who came to seek and save the lost. Three days later, Jesus rose from the dead as a conquering king, and sits to this day at the righthand of the throne of God readying the day when he will come back and establish his eternal kingdom and call us home.

As Spurgeon put it so poetically, “God’s anointed is appointed and shall not be disappointed!” When you are distressed by the chaos of the world. Look to the holy hill. When you feel defeated by the rebellion in your own heart. Look to the holy hill. When you are tired and things seem outside of your control. Look to the holy hill. When you are weary of your own ability to do the things you know you ought not to do and fail to do the things you ought to do. Look! On the hill is Jesus who loves you. Who defeated, even your rebellion (and love you still). Who is currently standing on your behalf. And will never ever be moved.

3) We need this King (vs.7-9)

You need this King to conquer your enemies. The King is not the enemy (as is common for me to think); he is the enemy crusher. When kings of old were crowned, they were given a scepter (authority) and orb (wisdom). Then the names of the enemies of the kingdom were written on shards of pottery and placed at the king’s feet. The king in symbolism would crush the shards to dust and the people would cheer.

This is what happens to the enemies of God’s people. Jesus is not intimidated by your enemies. They are already defeated. Compared to Christ, your enemies are fragile and impermanent like a shard of pottery. What an image of our Lord! And if that’s your King, what are you so afraid of? This picture speaks to the certainty of what Christ has done, who Christ is, and what he is doing in the world. Don’t declaw the lion of Judah. With the great multitude we can say, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns…On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.” (Rev. 19:6,16) When I hear Jesus like this, it right-sized my image of him, his power, and his authority. It also right-sizes my enemies and my rebel heart. “To be intimated by the world is as spiritually fatal as being overly attracted to it.” Tim Keller

You need this King for true peace and joy. His yoke is your freedom. Jesus came to save you from you. Rather than you owning you, God considers you his treasured possession. I bring good news of great joy… for all people…the Savior of the world, from the royal line of David, the promised Messiah, the prince of peace, wonderful counselor, and Mighty God—has come for you! I don’t know what the next year holds for you, your family, your ministry, or your work in Chad. It will likely be difficult. I promise Jesus has the nations of the earth as his possession. Do not fear!

In the final stanza of Psalm 2, King David gives us a powerful application (vs.10-12). That is comes from David himself is significant. Remember, he is the king, yet he understands who is the True King. He acknowledges that God is his +1. He decrees these final words to all the kings and rulers of the earth—all peoples—you and me. He begins by saying, “O”. That’s a hard word to translate because it’s from the gut (it comes out of the mouth, down the vocal cords, into the diaphragm, and deep from the gut). Say it. Feel it? David begs for a response…

3 Responses:
1) “Serve the LORD with fear,” Give yourself to the One—Most High King—who rules over all.
2) “and celebrate his rule with trembling,” Laugh out loud with comfort and peace…because in Christ, you’re the freest of all people.
3) “Kiss his son…” This is an ancient sign of reverence…bowing low…bending the knee…of tender and intimate obedience.

1 Result: “Blessed are those who take refuge in him.” To think this King is also … a mighty fortress…a strong tower…a hiding place…and a safe refuge.

Listen, brothers and sisters, there is no refuge from the King. There is refuge in the King.

In the early church, the world was raging against Jesus’ servants. Kings and rulers were counseling together against the Lord’s anointed. His people felt threatened. Their faith was being challenged. Yet let’s take comfort and strength in how they took refuge in the God-King,

“When [Peter and John] were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them. And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said,

“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 do the nations 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.”

And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.”

Acts 4:23-31

As come to the Lord and take refuge in Him, may he vanquish your anxious thoughts and give you courage and boldness.

Sing: O Come let us adore him (x3), Christ the Lord. / For He alone is worthy (x3), Christ the Lord. / We give him all the glory (x3), Christ the Lord.