Edition 2anuary, 1996

Synopsis

Psalm 2 is a prophetic psalm describing the time at the end of the Short Season following the 1,000 years of the Millennial Kingdom.

INTRODUCTION

I. The contemporary significance of this psalm How should we expect people to react to a perfect government in a perfect environment? The liberal philosophy is that a perfect government and a perfect environment would produce very good people. They argue that the reason people do evil things is because they are the product of an evil environment. An evil environment produces evil people, they say. The Biblical view, however, is that people are not evil because of their environment, but because they are inherently evil and they choose to do evil, and that even in a perfect environment, evil people continue to be evil. The second Psalm completely contradicts the liberal view and illustrates the Biblical view.

II. Framework for interpreting the psalm

Before we begin looking at the psalm verse by verse, we need to answer two important questions: What period of time is in view in this psalm? and Who is the anointed king in this psalm?

A. The period of time in view: after the Millennium

It is generally agreed that this psalm is prophetic. But depending on one's view of prophecy, there are differing views of what the period of time is that it is talking about.

1 For those of us who believe in the Millennial Kingdom, this psalm is a direct prophecy of the time around the Millennium. The difficulty for us is in determining whether this psalm is referring to the time immediately prior to the Millennium (that is, the Tribulation) or to the time following the Millennium, known as the Short Season of Revelation 20.

1 Typically, the a- and post-millennialists contend that the psalm is a prophecy of Jesus?betrayal, crucifixion, resurrection, and subsequent reign over the Church. It is certainly true that the New Testament applies verses 1- 2 to Jesus?death (Acts 4:25-28). But that does not mean that the New Testament interprets these verses as a prophecy of Jesus?death. The New Testament could be interpreting it that way or it could just be correlating that psalm with the crucifixion. This practice of showing the similarities between a current event and a passage from the Old Testament was common in the New Testament. The New Testament statement that an even fulfills an Old Testament prophecy at times only means that it parallels, corresponds to, or is like that prophecy.

1. The king will have already been installed

When the rebellion against the Lord and against His anointed king begins, the king will have already been installed on Zion. For, in verse 6 we read what the Father says to the wicked in response to their rage and scheming: �I have installed My King upon Zion, My holy mountain.� The opposition of the wicked in this psalm is against one who is already sitting as king in Zion. Therefore, the opposition must be taking place after the Second Coming. For, the opposition of the wicked against the Lord during the Tribulation will be active from at least the middle of the Tribulation (Rev. 13:5-6), several years before God installs His king on Zion; but the opposition of the wicked during the Short Season will begin at least 1,000 years after God has already installed His king on Zion (Rev. 20:7-9). Therefore, if the anointed king is Jesus, this psalm could not be referring to the period of the Tribulation, since Jesus does not come back to Mount Zion until the end of the Tribulation (Acts 2:34-35, 3:19- 21; Rev. 14:1). And if the anointed king is a purely human descendant of King David to whom Jesus will delegate authority over the nations in fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant, 2 this psalm could not be referring to the period of the Tribulation either, since such rewards and appointments will not take place until the Second Coming, at the beginning of the Millennium (Mat. 19:28, Rev. 20:4). Elsewhere, the coronation of the Prince of Israel is presented as taking place at the time of the Second Coming (Ezek. 34:22-24, Hos. 1:11, 3:5).

2. The rebellion is against existing fetters

The rebellion of the wicked in Psalm 2 is against existing fettersgainst restraints already placed upon them by the Lord and His king in Zion. This is clearly seen in the reason for this rebellion, which is stated in verse 3: et us tear their fetters apart, and cast away their cords from us!� 2 This is my position. It may sound odd and unheard of (though it is by no means new or novel), but that such a person will rule is abundantly and clearly taught in Scripture. This study will give more information on this. He is called the Prince of Israel in this study to differentiate him from the King of Israel (Jesus Christ). The kings and rulers of the world are pictured here in their rebellion against the restraints which the Lord and His anointed have imposed on them. The rebellion of the wicked is not designed to prevent the establishment of the reign of the anointed king, but to overthrow it. Such opposition is only possible after the Millennium, not before it, for the following two reasons: (1) There will be no real fetters on the wicked during the Tribulation, and (2) there will be significant fetters on the wicked during and after the Millennium.

a. There will be no real fetters on the wicked during the Tribulation

While it is true that during the Tribulation there will be demands on the wicked by God, there will be no real restraint on the wickedhey will not be held by fetters and cords.

This is what 2 Thessalonians 2:7-8 says: 7 邛he mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. 8?And then the lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming.

The Antichrist and those with him will not be fettered by any king in Zion during the Tribulation. Their battle against the Lord at the end of the Tribulation will not be a war of liberation from the domain of a king in Zion, but a war aimed at annihilating the last remnants of opposition to Antichrist's rule. For, during the Tribulation the Antichrist will have dominion over the world and the kings of the earth: And it was given to him [the Antichrist] to make war with the saints and to overcome them; and authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him. [Rev. 13:7] The war just before the Second Coming will not be aimed at tearing apart the fetters of God and His anointed.

b. There will be fetters on the wicked during and after the Millennium

The period of time in view in Psalm 2 must be the period of time after the Millennium and before the Great White Throne Judgment, since it is during that time that there will be significant fetters on the wicked. During that period of time the wicked will be rebelling against the kingdom which God will have established here on earth with its center in Zion because they will become enraged about the fetters and cords with which they will have been bound.

B. Why this psalm is referring to the Prince of Israel

The second question to be answered in coming to a clear understanding of this psalm is, Who is the anointed king it talks about? Those who deny that this psalm is prophetic say that it is referring to some ancient king of Judah, such as David. Those who deny the reality of the Millennial Kingdom, but who accept Psalm 2 as prophetic, say that it is a prophecy of Jesus during His first coming. However, for those who believe in the Millennial Kingdom, this psalm must be referring to God's designated ruler during the Millennium. In this regard, one of two individuals could be intended: either Jesus or a purely human descendant of David, who is known as the Prince of Israel. The reasons for concluding that a purely human descendant of David is in view are that (1) the objections against it are inadequate, and (2) it is unlikely that the Prince of Israel would not be in view.

1. The objections against it are inadequate

For those who know little or nothing about the descendant of David known as the Prince of Israel, it is almost impossible to even think that this psalm could be referring to anyone but Jesus. After all, this king is given authority over all the nations (vv. 8-9); he is the object of world-wide opposition (v. 2); God says to him, Thou art My Son, today I have begotten Thee?(v. 7); he is said to have supernatural powers (vv. 9, 12); and it is said to him, How blessed are all who take refuge in Him?(v. 12).

a. The king is given authority over all the nations

That this anointed king in Psalm 2 has authority over all the nations is indicated in numerous ways: He is the one king whom God says He has installed here on earth (v. 6), God promises to give him the nations as his inheritance (v. 8), all the kings and rulers are exhorted to show reverent affection for the king (v. 12), and it is in his power to eliminate all kings who oppose him (v. 12).

Thou hast placed me as head of the nations. [Ps. 18:43]

I also shall make him My first-born,

The highest of the kings of the earth. [Ps. 89:27]

I kept myself from my iniquity. [Ps. 18:23]

He will cry to Me, Thou art my Father,

My God, and the rock of my salvation.?[Ps. 89:26]

If his sons forsake My law ?[Ps. 89:30]

It should not strike us as odd that Jesus would delegate some of His authority to others during the Millennial Kingdom. After all, that is exactly what He promised His disciples: When the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel?(Mat. 19:28). Furthermore, He has promised to those who overcome?authority to reign over the nations: 26 And he who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations; 27 and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of the potter are broken to pieces, as I also have received authority from My Father. [Rev. 2:26-27]

b. The king is the object of world-wide rebellion

That the anointed king in Psalm 2 will be the object of world-wide rebellion is indicated in a couple of ways: It explicitly says that the leaders take counsel together against the anointed of the Lord (v. 2), and the anointed king will respond to their rebellion by destroying them (vv. 9, 12).

In view of the exalted position of the Prince of Israel, it should not surprise us that he will be the object of universal hatred by the wicked. He will be the human administrator for Jesus and, as such, will be treated as one with divine honors: The house of David will be like God, like the angel of the Lord before them?(Zech. 12:8). As such, it would be odd if he were not the focal point of the animosity of the wicked. No one thinks that it is peculiar that Revelation 20:9 says that Satan will gather the rebels after the Millennium and have them surround The camp of the saints and the beloved city.?Likewise, no one should think it strange that the wicked will plot against the Prince of Israel. If they plot against the followers, they will certainly plot against the leader.

c. The king is told Thou art My son, today I have begotten thee�

In verse 7 we are informed that this king was told by the Lord, Thou art My Son, Today I have begotten Thee.?The fact that this anointed king is called y Son?by God only shows that Jesus could be the person in view; it does not show that He is necessarily the person in view. In Acts 13:33 we read, od has fulfilled this promise to our children in that He raised up Jesus, as it is also written in the second Psalm, thou art My Son; today I have begotten Thee.? This statement from Psalm 2 is clearly applied to Jesus by Paul.

3 There is no more reason to say that Psalm 2 is referring to Jesus, simply because verse 7 is applied to Him in the New Testament, than there is to say that Psalm 2 is referring to us, simple because verses 8-9 are applied to us in Revelation 2:26-27. It is not uncommon for the New Testament to apply to Jesus Old Testament statements and prophecies which clearly do not refer to Him directly (Mat. 2:15 with Hos. 11:1-2; Heb.

That another person could be called y son?by God is clear from two passages in the Old Testament. In Second Samuel 7:13-14, where God made His covenant with David, He prophesied of a future king who would sit on David's throne. He said that God and he would have a father-son relationship. But He also made it clear that this son is not divine, because he is capable of sinning: 3 Of course, sometimes the word fulfilled?means that the exact event prophesied has taken place.

13?He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 网 will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; when he commits iniquity, I will correct him with the rod of men and the strokes of the sons of men.� 4 Then in Psalm 89 that same covenant is repeated and expanded. It says in verses 26- 27,

26?He will cry to Me, �Thou art my Father,

27?I will also make him My first-born,

As noted previously, this is clearly not referring to Jesus, for it says in verse 26 that he has received salvation, and in verse 30 it says, If his sons forsake My law ??nd we know that Jesus had no children. Even theologically, we are children of the Father, not of the Son (we are called His brothers, insteadeb. 2:11-12).

d. The king exhibits supernatural powers The supernatural powers of the anointed king are mentioned in verses 9 and 12: 9?Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron, Thou shalt shatter them like earthenware.

12?Do homage to the Son, lest He become angry, and you perish in the way, For His wrath may soon be kindled.

The ability of this one man to destroy all his enemies can only be explained as being the result of having supernatural powers. Revelation 20:9 explains that the way in which the rebel kings and their armies will be destroyed is that fire will come down from heaven and devour them. This does not, however, prove that he is Jesus; for, at other times God has supplied His prophets with similar supernatural powers. For example, the prophet Elijah called down fire out of heaven on two occasions to destroy his enemies (2 Kings 1:10, 12).

4 That this is not Solomon is evident from two facts. First, this son would rise to the throne after David's death (v. 12), but Solomon was crowned before David's death. Second, the throne of this prophesied son would be established forever, but the throne of Solomon's kingdom was not established forever t came to an end.

e. The king is one in whom the blessed seek refuge

It is said of this king in verse 12, How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!?In most of the passages in the Old Testament where people are said in a positive sense to take refuge, it is in the Lord that they take refuge. This would certainly argue in favor of the opinion that Jesus is the one in view.

However, the people will indeed take refuge in the Prince of Israel and be blessed for it. The Bible does speak in a positive sense of God's people taking refuge in something other than the Lord: The LORD has founded Zion, and the afflicted of His people will seek refuge in it?(Isa. 14:33). This verse uses the same Hebrew word for seek refuge?as is used in Psalm 2:12. If people are commended for seeking refuge in a city appointed by God, it should not be considered improper for them to seek refuge in a king appointed by God.

?1 Behold, a king will reign righteously, and princes will rule justly.

2 灱nd each will be like a refuge from the wind, and a shelter from the storm.� If the other millennial rulers will each be a refuge for God's people, then the Prince of Israel will certainly be a refuge, also.

At the end of the Short Season as the kings of the earth and their armies are gathered together against the Lord's anointed king, the peoples of the world will have to make a choice: either to go join the rebel kings and go to war against the anointed king, or to travel to Israel and seek refuge in The camp of the saints and the beloved city?(Rev. 20:9) under the protective hand of the Prince of Israel. If they side with the rebel kings, they will be destroyed; but if they side with the Prince of Israel, if they seek refuge in him, they will be blessed by being protected from the attack of the rebels and by being allowed to continue live on into the Eternal State.

2. It is unlikely that the Prince of Israel would not be in view So, while Jesus certainly could be the anointed one in view in this psalm, the Prince of Israel could also be the one in view. But, since the Prince of Israel is so frequently the individual in view in other passages, there is more than just an outside chance that he is the one in view here. But more than that, given the global authority and exalted position of the Prince of Israel during the Millennial Kingdom, it would be highly unlikely for him not to be, along with God, the central object of opposition and hatred by the wicked.

EXEGESIS I. The rebellion of the wicked (2:1-3) In verses 1-3 the masses in general and the leaders in particular are pictured in their rebellion against the Lord and against the Prince of Israel. In verse 1 the rebellion of the populace is described, and in verses 2-3 the rebellion of the leaders is told. After 1,000 years of peace and prosperity, Satan will instigate and foment global rebellion. It will be a clear demonstration of the fact that unregenerate people will refuse to be satisfied by God.

A. Rebellion among the masses (2:1) The rebellion of the masses is explained in verse 1 in terms of their attitude toward the Lord and the prince and their actions against them. Their attitude is reflected in the words Why are the nations in an uproar??Their action is stated in the words nd the peoples devising a vain thing?�

Why are the nations [Gentiles] in an uproar, The rhetorical question Why??is not asked in order to get an explanation, but to express the senselessness of their rebellion. It is senseless, on the one hand, because there is no justifiable cause for it, and on the other hand, because it is utterly futile. Their rebellion is senseless in that they do not have a legitimate reason to complain about the restraints and obligations placed upon them by God and the Prince. Of course, they will think that they have abundant reasons for revolting. As we saw in the introduction (under the section There will be fetters on the wicked during and after the Millennium , page 4), the nations will be in service to the Jews under the rule of the Prince of Israel. In their greed and self-centeredness, the nations will be stirred up against the order God will have established, not understanding or believing that it is a test designed to see who is worthy of entering physically into the Eternal State. So also, their rebellion is senseless because it can lead them nowhere but to disaster.

We would not expect to find the nations in an uproar over the Kingdom of Heaven after 1,000 years of peace and prosperity. But that is exactly what we find. They will become discontent, because Satan ill come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth ?to gather them together for the war?(Rev. 20:8). The people who will be rebelling are those who will have been born during and after the Millennium.

2. They are conspiring

The useless plot on which the peoples will meditate is to eliminate the rule of God and His anointed prince. As a result, in an attempt to destroy them (Rev. 20:9), they will surround Jerusalem (the capital of the Prince) and the camp of the saints (a reference to the temporary settlement of the believers from all over the world who will go to Israel to seek refuge from the attack of the wicked). Satan has been inspiring his blinded followers to do the same thing throughout history, from the time when Cain slew Abel. Psalm 83:2-5 speaks of this same kind of plotting in another time:

2?Behold, Thine enemies make an uproar;

3?They make shrewd plans against Thy people,

4?They have said, ome, and let us wipe them out as a nation;

5?For they have conspired together with one mind;

The rebellious uproar of the people creates the atmosphere in which the leaders can carry out their plots. In verses 2-3 we find the words and deeds of rebellion of the leaders.

1. Their actions of rebellion (2:2)

The actions of rebellion by the wicked leaders are pictured in verse 2 as going up to, but not including, going to war. Full-fledged rebellion is being contemplated, but it has not yet begun. It is in this setting that the warning in verses 10-12 makes sense. As soon as they go past this stage into actual conflict, they will have gone beyond the point of no-return: Temporal forgiveness and reconciliation with the Prince of Israel will be impossible, their destruction will be certain.

a. They take a position of adversity (2:2a)

2?The kings of the earth take their stand,

As if encouraged along or incited by the uproar of the people, the kings and rulers of the earth make a formal stand of opposition to the Lord and the Prince. Like Goliath who ame forward morning and evening for forty days, and took his stand?(1 Sam. 17:16) against the armies of the Lord, so these kings will be involved in political posturing against the Lord and His anointed king.

b. They develop a consensus of opinion (2:2b)

And the rulers take counsel together In the same way that the Jewish and Gentile leaders in Judah took counsel together against Jesus to crucify Him (Acts 4:25-27), so also, the rulers after the Millennium will conspire together against the Lord and His king. Apparently, none of the rulers will feel that he can overthrow the king by himself, but will sense their need for the help of the others.

c. They establish a focal point of opposition (2:2c)

The rebellion of the wicked will be both political and religious. It is religious in that it is gainst the LORD�; it is political in that it is gainst His Anointed.?Their rebellion will be against the Lord in the sense that they will be trying to eliminate His temple, His religious order, and His anointed king. I seriously doubt that they will actually think that they could attack God. They may well be atheists. Nonetheless, because they will be opposing the Prince, they will in fact be opposing the Lord, whether they know it or not.

2. Their words of rebellion (2:3)

Here we find the decision of their deliberations. Two stages are envisioned by the rebels: that of the captive, seeking liberation, and that of the victor, getting rid of all that remains of the previous control.

a. Liberation of themselves

3?et us tear their fetters apart,�

They see themselves as being in fetters, chains that bind the feet. They see themselves enslaved and imprisoned to the political and religious order of the Lord and His anointed. They are determined to tear these fetters apart. We have already seen in the introduction (under the section There will be fetters on the wicked during and after the Millennium , page 4) what those fetters will be.

b. Eradication of their opposition

Cords were used to tie an individual in such a way as to keep him from escaping, yet in such a way as to give him some mobility for doing work. These kings are determined not merely to get out of these leashes, but to cast them away from them. They want to eliminate all vestiges of their former position of servitude. To do this they will seek to eradicate all their opposition.

II. The reaction of the Lord (2:4-6)

In verses 1-3 we have seen how the wicked will act toward the Lord and His Prince.

A. His initial reaction (2:4) God's initial reaction is to mock and laugh at those who are plotting against Him.

1. Laughter

4?He who sits [is enthroned] in the heavens laughs,

The Bible indicates in several places that God laughs and scoffs at the wicked. In Psalm 59:8 David refers to his enemies who were rebelling against him: But Thou, O LORD, dost laugh at them; Thou dost scoff at all the nations.?In Psalm 37:13 David refers to the wicked who plot against the righteous: The LORD laughs at him, for He sees his day is coming.� God laughs at them because, on the one hand, He sees the stupidity of their reasoning and rebelling, and on the other hand, because He sees the disasters and death which await them. The fact that God laughs at them does not mean that He is treating the matter lightly or that He enjoys seeing people sinning against Him and being destroyed. It only points out that God has a good sense of humor, for He can see what is funny even in the most tragic matters of life.

5 Because God can see the light side of the rebellion and destruction of the wicked, so also His people can see the light side of it. They don need to get frightened when they see the wicked conspiring, but can laugh along with God:

5?But God will break you down forever;

6?And the righteous will see and fear,

7?Behold, the man who would not make God his refuge,

And was strong in his evil desire.?[Ps. 52:5-7]

But, God glorifies it, for He says, The righteous ?will laugh at him?(Ps. 52:6).

2. Scorn

It may seem inconceivable to many people that God could possibly mock people, but He does. He pokes fun at them, He ridicules them. In Proverbs 1:26 we are told how God (speaking through the voice of personified wisdom) reacts to those who reject His wisdom, 5 Some hypersensitive people (perhaps those with an exaggerated gift of mercy) feel that, if something involves a tragedy, it cannot involve humor (unless it is sick humor). They become offended when others laugh at what is humorous in a situation that is also painful and unfortunate. They say things like, That's not funny, that's sad.?They fail to understand that what is pathetic can also be funny at the same time. There is no way for them to explain God's laughter over tragedies. Until they accept that what is sad can also be humorous, they will remain emotionally unbalanced in their hypersensitivity. We can laugh and cry and the same time without any guilt feelings. when they are in the midst of disasters: I will even laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your dread comes.?In First Corinthians 1:27-29 we find another way in which God mocks the wicked. He allows them to maintain their exalted status, but uses people who are on the low end of the scale to negate the value of their exalted status. He makes their high status meaningless:

27?God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, 28?and the base things of the world and the despised, God has chosen, the things that are not, that He might nullify the things that are, 29 that no man should boast before God.

In Isaiah 3:16-26 we see another way in which God mocks the wicked: He takes their exalted status away from them.

16?Moreover, the LORD said, Because the daughters of Zion are proud, And walk with heads held high and seductive eyes, And go along with mincing steps, And tinkle the bangles on their feet,

17?Therefore the Lord will afflict the scalp of the daughters of Zion with scabs,

24?Now it will come about that instead of sweet perfume there will be putrefaction;

We may conclude from this that during the time of rebellion the rebels will suffer many humiliating set-backs which will make a mockery of their schemes.

B. Subsequently (2:5-6)

God's subsequent action is to tell the rebels that the king against whom they are rebelling was installed by God Himself. This declaration by God will possibly take place after they have surrounded the camp of the saints and Jerusalem and immediately before fire falls from heaven to destroy them. For, if it occurs before they surround the saints, they would probably be too terrified to come to Jerusalem and surround it. And if it occurs after the fire destroys them, it would obviously be too late for them to hear and be terrified.

1. The nature of what He will say (2:5)

5?Then He will speak to them in His anger

All that this verse says that God will do is speak to them. When God speaks, He can cause great terror. For example, Isaiah 30:31 says, t the voice of the LORD Assyria will be terrified.?When God spoke to the nation of Israel at Horeb, the whole nation was terrified and asked that God would not speak to them anymore (Ex. 20:18-21, Deut. 5:22-27).

Yet, when God speaks to people it can also be a means of judgment: He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked?(Isa. 11:4).

2. The content of what He will say (2:6)

6?But as for Me, I have installed My king

This kind of statement has what is called a suppressed principle clause. That is, it seems like something was left off the beginning of it. We can try to supply what that is, because the sense of it is obvious. God is placing His statement in contrast with something that they are thinking or saying: s for you, you are revolting against Me and My king, but as for Me, I have installed My king upon Zion, My holy mountain.� When God says this, He will have long since installed His king on Zion. God does not appeal to what He can do in casting down fire on His enemies. We might have expected Him to say, If you don stop, Il destroy you.?But that would make the issue what God might do. Instead, He appeals to what He has already done in establishing His king's throne, because that is the issue at hand. It is an appeal to God's authority against which they are rebelling, not an appeal to His power which they will suffer.

III. The reaction of the anointed (2:7-9)

7?I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD:�

What God has said is the basis not only of God's reaction to the wicked, it is also the basis of the king's reaction. In this section of the psalm, we find the king resting confidently in the decree of God to him. He does not look in terror at the attack of the wicked, because he is looking in assurance at the promises of God. The decree may well be given to him in a formal document at his coronation ceremony (as in 2 Kings 11:12).

This section of the psalm is spoken at the time when the wicked are still plotting together against the Lord and against His anointed. The king is contemplating his response to the complaints of the wicked. Question: What will he tell them? Answer: I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD.?He has determined that he will simply point out to them his position with God (v. 7), his possession from God (v.8), and his profession (work) for God (v. 9).

A. The position of the anointed (2:7)

Today I have begotten Thee.� This decree of God to the Prince of Israel will be made in fulfillment of the covenant God made with David. In numerous passages God made it clear that He would set over the nation of Israel on David's throne a purely human descendant of David who would reign forever (for example, see 2 Sam. 7:12-16, Ps. 89:19-37). The meaning of the statement that this man will be begotten by God is that God will make him the millennial king. Psalm 89:27 points to this: I also shall make him My first-born, the highest of the kings of the earth.?Making him into God's first-born in this case means to make him into the highest of the kings of the earth, which is exactly what the Prince of Israel becomes.

The word Today?refers to the Prince's coronation day. This prince may well be pointed out and designated as the future ruler several years before his coronation, just as David was anointed by Samuel years before he actually became king (1 Sam. 16:13, 2 Sam.

The Bible is quite clear that this king (who is called David because he is a descendant of David) will not be inaugurated until after the Second Coming: 22?I will deliver My flock, and they will no longer be a prey; and I will judge between one sheep and another. 23?Then I will set over them one shepherd, My servant David, and he will feed them; he will feed them himself and be their shepherd. 24?And I, the LORD, will be their God, and My servant David will be prince among them; I, the LORD, have spoken. [Ezek. 34:22-24] Afterward the sons of Israel will return and seek the LORD their God and David their king; and they will come trembling to the LORD and to His goodness in the last days. [Hosea 3:5]

And the sons of Judah and the sons of Israel will be gathered together,

And they will go up from the land. [Hosea 1:11]

B. The possession of the anointed (2:8)

The king is assured not only that he is God's appointed king, but that the nations who are rebelling against him are his possession. Their rebellion is against the consequences of this gift. Since God owns the world, and since the Prince is God's son, the Prince is the heir (politically) of all the world. He has nothing to fear from them.

2?Thou hast given him his heart's desire,

He will request long life:

4?He asked life of Thee,

It appears that the Prince of Israel will never grow old or die. He will reign throughout the Millennium, on through the Short Season, and live into the Eternal State.

6?Thou dost make him most blessed forever;

In view of the Prince's willingness to ask God for these other things, we may be assured that he will also ask God for the nations as an inheritance.

Having the nations as an inheritance and the very ends of the earth as his possession does not mean that he personally owns the world in such a way that no one else owns any property. For in Ezekiel we are told that other people will own property and that the Prince's personal property will be limited. The Prince will have a specific area of land in Israel as his own, equaling about 2,600 square miles (Ezek. 45:7-8, 48:21-22). However, he will not be allowed to take anyone's land from him: nd the prince shall not take from the people's inheritance, thrusting them out of their possession; he shall give his sons inheritance from his own possession so that My people shall not be scattered, anyone from his possession� (Ezek. 46:18).

C. The profession of the anointed (2:9)

9?Thou shalt break them with a rod [scepter] of iron,

Thou shalt shatter them like earthenware.?

Because the Prince of Israel will own the nations in a political sense, He will have authority to punish them when they disobey. The severity of that discipline is stated in verse

Whose collapse is like the smashing of a potter's jar;

Jeremiah 19:11 teaches that such judgments are permanent: ust so shall I break this people and this city, even as one breaks a potter's vessel, which cannot be repaired.?So also, if these wicked kings continue in their rebellion, they will be shattered such that they will be useless and hopeless.

He [the king] will ?crush the oppressor. [Ps. 72:4]

Then the house of Jacob will be a fire

And they will set them on fire and consume them. [Obadiah 18]

Arise and thresh, daughter of Zion,

And their wealth to the Lord of all the earth. [Micah 4:13]

20?You are My war-club, My weapon of war;

And with you I shatter governors and prefects. [Jer. 51:20-23]

26?And he who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, to Him I will give authority over the nations; 27?and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of the potter are broken to pieces, as I also have received authority from My Father.

Thus, at the Second Coming we see the believers returning with the Lord as His army. Revelation 19:14-15 says,

14?And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. 15?And from His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may smite the nations; and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty.

In Psalm 2:10-12 we find an exhortation to the wicked. This exhortation will be made when the rulers are still just plotting against the anointed king. Notice that, though the masses are guilty of being in an uproar against the Lord and His anointed king, it is the rebel rulers who are given the exhortation, since they are responsible for the actions of their nations and armies.

A. The fact that they must heed the exhortation (2:10)

The kings of the earth who are in rebellion against the Lord and against His anointed are given a warning in view of what the Lord and the Prince can do. The rebels have shown stupidity and reckless abandon by conspiring against the king. They are told to show discernment by thinking very carefully about the implications of God's decree to the king and by heeding the warning about their impending judgment. But unfortunately for them, as we know from Revelation 20:7-10, they will ignore the warning because they will have been blinded by Satan.

B. The content of the exhortation they must heed (2:11-12a) The exhortation to these rebels points out that their problem is both spiritual and political. Therefore, the solution to their problem is to get right with God and to get right with His anointed king.

1. Show proper submission to the Lord (2:11)

Their primary problem is spiritual. Therefore, their first need is to get right with God.

2. Show proper submission to the anointed (2:12a)

12?Do homage to [kiss] the Son,

To kiss the son (the Prince) means to show him proper reverence, or to do homage.

The kings will be your guardians,

And lick the dust of your feet. [Isa. 49:23]

Let the nomads of the desert bow before him;

And his enemies lick the dust. [Ps. 72:9]

They will lick the dust like a serpent,

They will come trembling out of their fortresses. [Micah 7:17]

And the sons of those who afflicted you will come bowing to you,

And all those who despised you will bow themselves at the soles of your feet. [Isa.

C. The reason they need to heed the exhortation (2:12b) The reason why they need to heed the exhortation is that their very lives depend on it.

1. The possibility of harm

The emotional reserve of the king is exemplary. It parallels the emotional control of God in verses 4-5, where He laughs at the situation before becoming angry. The king is well aware of the rebellion and conspiracy of the wicked rulers. Even so, he is not yet angry.

Let every one be ?slow to anger. [James 1:14]

He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty,

And he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city. [Prov. 16:32]

37?I pursued my enemies and overtook them,

In Psalm 101 we are told how, during his reign, he does the same thing:

Every morning I will destroy all the wicked of the land,

We should not be surprised then that at the end of the Short Season the rebels will be threatened with destruction by the Prince.

2. The possibility of blessing

Isaiah 32:1-2 tells us that the godly millennial rulers, of which the Prince of Israel is one, will be a place of refuge for God's people:

1?Behold, a king will reign righteously,

The scenario for what will happen is that, at the end of the Short Season as the kings of the earth and their armies are gathering together against the Prince of Israel, the people who believe in the Lord will travel to Israel and seek refuge in the camp of the saints and in Jerusalem under the protection of the Prince of Israel. For, those who side with the rebel rulers will all be destroyed, but those who seek refuge in the Prince will be blessed with protection from the futile attack of the rebels and will be able to continue live into the Eternal State.

You are welcome to send questions about, comment on, or give suggestions for this study. Chad is the founder and director of DIBS (Disciples?Institute of Biblical Studies). DIBS has a home page and library on the internet: http://gracenet.com/DIBS. The ministry of DIBS is completely nonprofit. It is supported entirely by gifts. If this ministry has been a blessing to you, we invite you to share financially with it so that others may benefit also.