Outreach Reflections from Psalm 2

Sub title: Christ the Messiah is the king of Zion.

Are you afraid to speak about Jesus Christ or give witness to Him as our Lord and Savior? It is natural to have such fear. The message of Jesus Christ is not politically correct. There are many people who believe that God is a loving God, and yet reject the message of Jesus Christ as being far too radical. They see Jesus as a great teacher and prophet, yet they believe that he went too far when he said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one goes to the Father except through me. If you have known me, you will also know my Father. From now on you know him through me and have seen him in me” (John 14:6,7, God’s Word, 1995). * (Copyright 1995 by God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society, www.godsword.org).

These people are offended when we proclaim that Jesus is the Son of God. But that should not surprise us, because Jesus has already warned us that we will hated by the world because of Him.

In Psalm 2 we are told that the kings of the nations plot against God and His Son. They gather and conceive of all sorts of plans to do away with the commandments of God. They legalize sinful behavior and impose punishments upon those who get in their way. They persecute people who stand up for Jesus Christ. People are imprisoned for sharing their faith with their neighbors or leading someone to faith in Jesus Christ. The leaders of the nations gather for world peace, global warming, and other summits, but ignore the rights of children used as slaves, pollution, and other inhumanities, that get in the way of their profiteering.

Where is the comfort in this Psalm? What are the promises that we can hang on to that will give us encouragement? They are found in two sections. First, God states:

“I have installed my own king on Zion, my holy mountain.” I will announce the Lord’s decree. He said to me: “You are my Son. Today I have become you Father. Ask me, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance and the ends of the earth as your own possession. You will break them with an iron scepter. You will smash them to pieces like pottery.” (vs. 6-9).

Jesus has already smashed the power of Satan through His death and resurrection. The power of Satan and his rulers are a folly before God. God laughs at their feeble attempts to alter His commandments or when they ignore His judgments against them (v. 3-4). Jesus has been given the world as His inheritance. He reigns as the king of Zion. But that is not all that is promised.

Psalm 2 ends with this promise. “Blessed is everyone who takes refuge in him” (v. 12). Jesus, God’s Son, is our refuge. In Him we will receive an inheritance with Him in His kingdom. For everyone who believes in Christ as his or her Lord and Savior will also reign with Christ in His glory (John 14). This is good news! Rejoice, and tell this good news to others.

DCO Peter