If you're ever gone for a long bike ride, or a walk, or a run, you need to know where you are and where you're going. You have to get your bearings. Perhaps you've done that thing where you get on a train or you get on a bus and you get it to drop you off some distance from where you live, or from where you're staying, and then you walk, run, or cycle back to where you started. As you get off the bus or the train, you're looking around, aren't you? Going, "Well, where am I? Which direction was the bus going in when it dropped me? What landmarks are there to tell me where I am? And, most importantly, which direction do I need to start my walk if I'm going to walk towards my house, rather than simply further away from my house?"
Well, just as you need your bearings to start out on a lengthy walk or a bike ride, so you need your bearings in life. As you land in every fresh season of life, you need to ask, "Which way am I going to walk? What are the landmarks around me that tell me where I am? And how do I work out from those landmarks the direction I need to go in?"
Or perhaps you find yourself listening to or watching the news, absorbing it on your phone—whatever it is—news about the world out there comes at us constantly. And as you hear it, you need to get your bearings. You need to have a way to make sense of the chaos and the noise, and to work out, "Where is the world going, and how do I walk wisely within it?"
And we need our bearings as we come to pray—as we come to bring our own needs before the Lord, as we lift others up that we know, as we pray for situations in the wider world. Where is God in the details of my life? Where is God in the details of the current affairs that concern us?
We're preaching through the early chapters of the book of Psalms, and the book of Psalms contains 150 songs and prayers for the people of God—well, nearly 150. There are 150 chapters in the book of Psalms, and almost all of them are prayers or songs addressed to God. But there are a few that are not actually prayers. Now, they're still meant for us to sing, I think—to lift our voices and sing them. And actually, what we're discovering in this little sermon series that we've only just begun is that the most fruitful way to learn to sing the Psalms is to remember that the Lord Jesus sang and prayed these Psalms, and then he invites us to join him in song so that we don't just sing them for ourselves, but we sing them with Jesus, accompanying Jesus.
But as I say—not all of the Psalms are actually prayers. And, in fact, the book of Psalms starts with two that are not prayers. So if you're thinking, "Ah good, the book of Psalms contains many prayers for me to pray, let's give them a go," you get a bit derailed right at the beginning. "Well, let's start at the beginning." That wasn't actually a prayer. Neither was number 2.
Now, these two Psalms come as a pair—Psalm 1 and Psalm 2—and I've not got time to show you all the links between the two Psalms that tie them together. Ask our young people, because I showed them some of those links before the service. But these two Psalms together are here to give us our bearings. In these Psalms we meet the main characters that will pop up in the book of Psalms all the way through. We meet the Lord God. We meet his king. We meet the nations of the world. We meet those who are wicked and rebellious. We meet the people of God. The roster of characters from the Psalms—they're all here. And so, these two Psalms give us our bearings as we approach life. They give us our bearings as we come to pray, and so they give us our bearings as we set out on a prayerful life.
And what I'll show as we go is that the bearings we are given here are all about Jesus. Which means, if Jesus sings Psalm 2, he's singing about himself. So we're going to look at this Psalm in three sections: 1–3, 4–9, 10–12. And I've given each of those sections a heading. You'll see it on the outline.
1-3. We reject Jesus as king
"Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying, 'Let us break their chains and throw off their shackles.'"
So this is a picture of the nations of the world plotting together—it's verse one. Then they actively rise up in rebellion—verse two. And their cry—verse three—is for freedom: "Let us break their chains and throw off their shackles." God cramps our style, they say.
There's a wordplay here. The word for "shackles" or "ropes" sounds almost the same as the word for "serve" that we get at the end of the Psalm. Being in service to God feels like being chained like a criminal. We're not joyfully serving him—we're shackled, we're chained, we're tied down by our desire to live for God.
Now, the heading I gave these verses is We reject Jesus as king, and as you look at these verses, you might think to yourself, "Well, why is this about Jesus? And also, why is this about us?" So, we've got the nations of the world rejecting the Lord. What's this to do with Jesus? What's this to do with us?
Well, let's look at Jesus first of all. It's rebelling against the Lord and against his Anointed. So that, to rebel against one is to rebel against the other. Now, in those days when someone was appointed king, they weren't crowned—they were anointed with oil. So this is a rebellion against God's anointed king, the king of God's people. The language later in Psalm 2 echoes that from 2 Samuel chapter 7—words spoken to King David and his descendants. So yes, in the first instance, this is a rebellion against the kings of the people of God of old.
But then, when you fast forward to the New Testament and to the early Church, we find them praying about Jesus, who was recently crucified—and we had that in our reading from Acts chapter 4. Let me just read you a few verses from that reading:
"You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David: 'Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and against his Anointed One.' Indeed, Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed."
The rebellion against God and the king in Psalm 2 reaches its climax in the way that Jesus was treated.
In Luke chapter 19, Jesus told a parable. Here's what the parable is about: chapter 19 verse 12, "A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return." But then verse 14: "But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, 'We don't want this man to be our king.'" That's the cry of Psalm 2: We don't want this man—the Lord Jesus—to be our king.
Verse two has the rulers band together; they join forces. Now, if you watch the news, you will know that it takes quite a lot to get world leaders to work together. Turns out, there's nothing like a common enemy to get that to happen. Hating Jesus is a wonderfully unifying experience. Suddenly, all these people discover they're wonderful allies against the common enemy.
You want to create the United Nations? Fight Jesus, and all will come together.
Indeed, when Jesus was arrested, we discover in Luke chapter 23 this little sentence—chapter 23 verse 12: "That day Herod and Pilate became friends—before this they had been enemies."
So this is definitely about Jesus. But why is it about us? About us because we all have authority of a sort. Because we all make choices. You may feel a very powerless individual with no great responsibilities in society—you're not a Member of Parliament, you're not a chief executive, you're not a police officer—you still make choices. And your choices impact both yourself and other people. Which means we all are in a position where we find ourselves deciding that Jesus being king cramps our style, and we want to make our own decisions and not have him in the way. We reject Jesus—not other people, not just other kings, but us rejecting Jesus.
Now, we'll see why in a moment. But even in these opening verses there are little hints that it's empty and futile to try and sweep Jesus away like this. It comes in the first and the last word of the first verse. Verse one starts: "Why?" Why would you do that? It just makes no sense. Nonsense thing to do. We'll see why.
And then it ends: "in vain." They plot in vain. They can plot all they like, but they are never going to succeed.
And the next verses, 4–9, will show us why.
4-9. God has made Jesus king
So here is heading number two: God has made Jesus King. God has made Jesus king.
So how does God react to this great revolt in the world of politics? If you listen to politicians being interviewed, you can sense the feeling of threat when they start losing polls. Now, I prepared this bit before Thursday, but then it played out, and when people start plotting against people in their own party, you just sense the stress must be really—the pressure that they are under to perform and get back on track.
So is God stressed, as not just one or two nations are getting a bit grumpy, but they have actually organised themselves and come together to form a coordinated plot? Is God stressed by this? No, he is not.
Verse 4: The one enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. He rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, “I have installed my King on Zion, my holy mountain.”
There are two emotions in these verses, and to understand God's reaction, we have to see both together. One is that God has never seen anything funnier: The one enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. This is the funniest thing God has ever seen. The nations of the earth are like little bugs that have decided they're going to try and overthrow the entire human race. It is just ridiculous, and it brings out the deepest belly laugh in God that you could imagine. Just ridiculous.
See Psalm 1, verse 1, says that when we rebel against God, we mock at him, we try to overthrow him, but it's just a joke. The last laugh is actually on us. We've got no chance, and what a silly thing—to take on an enemy that big. It's like being in a little canoe on the sea, deciding you're going to try and ram an oil tanker to see if you can make a hole in the hull. Just ridiculous.
But that's not God's only reaction. He's also absolutely furious. Verse 5: he rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath.
Friends, we should be absolutely terrified. For the God who is enthroned in heaven to be at peak fury—and to be at peak fury at us—is just such an awful thing that, if you try to think about it for too long, you have to think about something else. So it is a joke that we rebel against Jesus in that way. But yet it's no laughing matter, because God has made Jesus king.
And here's what God said to Jesus when he made him king. Verse 7: I will proclaim the Lord's decree. He said to me, "You are my son; today I have become your father. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession. You will break—maybe shepherd—them with a rod of iron; you will dash them to pieces like pottery."
That break/shepherd thing depends slightly where you stick the vowels—various things could be either.
Now, this is not just about King David; this is about King Jesus. And each of these three verses is quoted in the New Testament to point to the Lord Jesus Christ. So we'll look at them one verse at a time and see how this psalm is on the lips of Jesus.
So let's take verse 7: I will proclaim the decree of the Lord. He said to me, "You are my son; today I have become your father." So, God said this to Jesus, did he not?
At Jesus's baptism—Mark 1 verse 11: A voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."
God said this to Jesus at his transfiguration—Mark chapter 9 verse 7: Then a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud: "This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him."
The resurrection declares that this psalm has come true. So, this is the apostle Paul preaching in Acts chapter 13:
We tell you the good news: what God promised our ancestors he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus. As it is written in the second psalm: "You are my Son; today I have become your Father."
God has said this to Jesus. He said this to nobody else. There is nobody else in the universe to whom God has said, "You are my Son," in quite this way. This makes Jesus utterly unique.
Hebrews chapter 1 verse 5: To which of the angels did God ever say, "You are my Son; today I have become your Father"?
And this statement of Jesus uniquely qualifies Jesus to be our high priest: In the same way, Christ did not take on himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to him, "You are my Son; today I have become..."
These words were spoken by God the Father to the Lord Jesus many, many times.
That's just verse 7. How about verse 8?
Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession.
Now, I don't know what you stand to inherit—maybe a house that's passed down in your family, maybe a farm, maybe just one very small and insignificant prized possession. But in your long family history, it's of deep personal and sentimental value.
Well, Jesus stands to inherit the nations of the world—the nations that stretch to the very end of the world.
Now, to see this trace into the New Testament, we have to actually start with the temptations of Jesus in the wilderness, in Matthew chapter 4. So here is Satan talking to Jesus in the desert. And Satan's—well:
Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour. "All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me."
Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'"
So Satan comes to Jesus and goes, "Ask of me, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance." And Jesus goes, "No thanks. They're not yours to give."
But then we get to the end of Matthew's Gospel, and what does Jesus say?
"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations."
And so it is that, just before Jesus ascends to his Father in the first chapter of the book of Acts, as the disciples are gathered around him on the Mount of Olives, Jesus says to them:
"You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the..."
That's verse 8: the ends of the earth belong to Jesus, who secured them by dying and rising again.
Verse 9:
You will break them with a rod of iron; you will dash them to pieces like pottery.
Now, as I say, look at the footnote in your NIV Bibles—I prefer rule or shepherd to break here. The picture is of a positive first half of the verse and a negative second half of the verse. But let's listen to Revelation 12 and verse 5, shall we?
Now, this is a strange story in the book of Revelation. It tells of a woman giving birth to a child. I think the woman is Old Testament Israel. But what is absolutely clear is the child to which she gives birth is the Lord Jesus Christ:
She gave birth to a son, a male child, who (quote) will rule all the nations with an iron sceptre.
So the picture here is that his grip is firm. He's holding, effectively, a shepherd's staff to lead and rule and govern his people with a very firm rule. That is for your good.
But second half of the verse: if you refuse to follow him—well, just don't. Because that's the day that his shepherd's staff becomes a wrecking ball.
Now, I don't know what you like to do socially with your friends for a day out. Maybe you just go and sit on the beach. If you want to spend a bit of money, perhaps you could do an escape room, or a murder mystery. Or you could go abseiling. Or you could go clambering over some boulders in this building upstairs—go climbing on the climbing wall.
But if you come across an activity called the Rage Room—in the Rage Room, you pay your £60 for two of you, you choose your music, you choose your implement, your weapon, and you get 30 minutes to smash as much stuff as you wish. OK? I've no idea where the nearest one is, but if you want a different day out—a memorable birthday—go smash some stuff.
Now, don't get me wrong. Jesus does not do this for fun. In fact, if you read the Gospels, he weeps at the prospect that this is where history will end for some people. He deeply longs for this not to be the future. But let's be clear that Jesus cannot be resisted forever.
His rule is good. His rule is gracious. But if you persist on rebelling, then that is the prospect that awaits: He will dash them to pieces like pottery.
So there's 1-3 —we don't want Jesus to be our king.
4-9: God has made Jesus king.
10-12. We should shelter under Jesus the King
And then 10-12 tells us how to respond to all of this: we should shelter under Jesus the King.
Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear and celebrate his rule with trembling. 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.
The world does not want Jesus to be king. God has made him king, so get used to it. What we do—to rebel—is laughable and terrifying.
What do we do?
Well, our response all comes with fear and trembling. So we never forget who God is. We never forget that God the Father is in heaven. He is enthroned. He laughs—and is angry. That Jesus is king of the nations, with an iron rod to rule us for our good—but to smash all rebellion.
We don't forget that that is who God is.
But fear and trembling are not how we respond to Jesus; they are the way in which we make our actual responses. They don't leave us cowering in a corner, terrified. We respond rightly—but with an appropriate dose of fear.
So look at the verbs in this section:
We serve—not with the ropes of a slave, because there's great dignity to serve this God, to join his team.
We celebrate—we rejoice, we sing—because God's gracious rule is cause for real joy and celebration.
And we kiss—needless to say, this is not romantic. This is like kissing the ring of a sovereign. You bow and you say to him, "You are in charge." Serve. Celebrate. Kiss. Take refuge in him.
This is a vivid picture. There's a storm coming in which Jesus will show that he's really the one in charge, and in which he will smash those who resist.
So where is there that is safe to hide when that storm comes?
And here is the beautiful thing: the place to hide is in him.
So the one who will get furious at people who refuse to bow to him is the one who died on the cross, so that the blows in the Rage Room land on his own body. So that you—if you are sheltering underneath him and under that cross—are completely safe. Because all the blows of that wrecking ball landed on Jesus, and you're safe.
The very one who dashes to pieces like pottery is your refuge—is your place of safety.
Conclusion
So here are our bearings in life. Here are the landmarks when you get off the train and you want to know which way to cycle. Here are your perspectives as you come to bring your needs—and the needs of the world—to the Lord in prayer.
And verse 12 ends with two pathways to choose between—two ways to live.
One is the path to destruction: "Or he will be angry, and your way will lead to your destruction." This is back to the end of Psalm 1: "The way of the wicked leads to destruction."
Or the other path is the path to true and everlasting happiness. If you were here last week, we discovered that the word here—blessed—is also the word happy. Truly, deeply happy. Happily blessed are all who take refuge in him.
And at the start of Psalm 1: Blessed is the one who... Blessed—happy—is Jesus. And blessed—happy—are those who take refuge in Jesus.
So, brothers and sisters, this psalm helps us to cut through all the agendas. All the agendas in your own heart. All the agendas in the hearts of the people you will meet this week. And you get to see the real story that is playing out in God's world.
And as you see how the world is built—and where it's going—we don't fear evil. Instead, we take refuge in Jesus, and we can be utterly confident that God's kingly rule—and his kingly rule—will indeed work out.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him.