Psalm 2 is a royal Psalm. The theme is the enthronement of a new king meant need to suppress vassals and rebellion. The word “covenant” does not appear, but since the Lord had bound himself in covenant relationship with the king and Israel (he would be their God; they would be his people), he had obligated himself to protect them. The New Testament refers to the Psalm often.
In Psalm 2: 1-3, we see rebellion of local kings against new kings. The more universal references to kings of the earth are part of the stylized form, which is extreme and hyperbolic. Yet, it has a theocentric focus that sees Yahweh as the Lord of History. 1 Why do the nations conspire, and the peoples plot (same word in Psalm 1 is “meditate,” showing sharp contrast in the habits of people as they either follow the ways of God or rebel) in vain? 2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and his anointed (mashiach, later in Judaism, “Messiah,” the relationship between God and king is very close), suggesting the king is the representative of the Lord on earth and that the purposes of the Lord will find fulfillment through the collaboration of an earthly king, saying,suggesting they want freedom from Israel, 3 "Let us burst their bonds or yokes asunder, and cast their cords from us."
In Psalm 2:4-6, the writer then expresses what he thinks the reaction of the Lord is to the kings. 4 He who sits peacefully in the heavens, as in I Kings 8:32, setting up the throne in heaven shows the presence of God to all creation, laughs at the absurdity of this; the Lord has them in derision. The serenity in heaven contrasts with the turmoil on earth, but the point is to confidence to the king. 5 Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, 6"I have set my king on Zion, a synonym for Jerusalem my holy hill." The psalter often connects Zion and Davidic kingship. God is present both in heaven in verse 4 and in Jerusalem in here.
Psalm 2:7-9 offer a divine or prophetic oracle, which may hint as to the context of the psalm. It gives the reaction of the king. It shows that divine sonship is universal, beyond historical reality, and thus expresses a broad vision. The king now says: 7 I will tell of the decree of the Lord, referring to II Samuel 7:14, which refers to the Lord being the Father of the king and the king being a son to the Lord: He said to me, "You are my son; today I have begotten you. Adoption language expresses the close kinship between God and the king. The language is common in ancient Near east literature. As with other cultures, so in Israel, the king was the earthly representative of earthly lordship.[1] During the early monarchy, Israel expected the Lord to prove divine deity by powerful assistance in maintaining and strengthening the kingdom, or in this case the divinely chosen Davidic dynasty.[2] We need to note that, while rare, the relationship of Father and son is one used here to the relationship between the God of Israel and the king.[3] The New Testament applies its message to Jesus.
Acts 13:33 (NRSV)
33 he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising Jesus; as also it is written in the second psalm,
‘You are my Son;
today I have begotten you.’
Hebrews 1:5 (NRSV)
5 For to which of the angels did God ever say,
“You are my Son;
today I have begotten you”?
Or again,
“I will be his Father,
and he will be my Son”?
Hebrews 5:5 (NRSV)
5 So also Christ did not glorify himself in becoming a high priest, but was appointed by the one who said to him,
“You are my Son,
today I have begotten you”;
8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. 9 You shall break them with a rod of iron, and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel." The Lord will expand the rule of the Lord’s anointed.
Psalm 2: 10-12 speak to the nations as if they are present, which may hint the context of the psalm. The psalm ends with a rhetorical flourish, the Lord speaking directly to the foreign monarchs. See Isaiah 2:2-4 for a similar depiction of the centrality of the Lord and Zion for all nations, although there the passage has an eschatological setting. It says that all rulers should submit to God. The focus is on the Lord, and that the nations will recognize the Lord as such. The occasion for this psalm, such as the enthronement of the king, recede to background. The Lord is the invisible reality behind the events. 10 Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. 11 Serve the Lord with fear, with trembling 12kiss his feet, a difficult phrase that may mean paying homage in good faith, for true wisdom is from those who serve and rely upon the Lord, or he will be angry, and you will perish in the way; for his wrath is quickly kindled. We may have lost the sense of the utterly incomprehensible nature of God. It seems easy for Christians to contrast the wrath of God in the Old Testament with the love of God in the New Testament. However, here are some examples of God's love and steadfast love (from hésed, also understood as covenant loyalty): Deuteronomy 23:5; 1 Kings 8:23; 10:9; Nehemiah 9:17 (also "slow to anger," as Psalm 86:15; Joel 2:13; Jonah 4:2); Psalm 136 (all); Hosea 3:1; Zephaniah 3:17. Here are some New Testament examples of God's wrath: Matthew 3:7 (= Luke 3:7); John 3:35-36; Romans 1:18; 2:5; 5:9; Ephesians 5:6; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; Revelation 19:15 (cf. our Psalm 2:9). God wrathfully responds to those who rebelliously refuse to avail themselves of guidance; the inviting love of God reaches out even to those rebels. Such a vision of God may prompt us to take our service more seriously. The Psalm concludes: Happy are all who take refuge in him.
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