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Why are the nations in an uproar, and the peoples devising a vain thing? The kings of
the earth take their stand, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and
against His Anointed: "Let us tear their fetters apart, and cast away their cords from us!"
He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. Then He will speak to them
in His anger and terrify them in His fury: "But as for Me, I have installed My King upon
Zion, My holy mountain." (Psalm 2:1-6 NAS)
WEWHO HAVE CROWNEDJESUSCHRISTKING OFKINGScan find great value in the
relevant and regal truths found in Psalm Two. This psalm is one of eleven "Royal
Psalms," a collection of psalms so designated because their theme is the supreme,
sovereign rule of Jehovah as King.1Some commentators have suggested that one,
or a combination of Royal Psalms, were actually performed at the coronation of
each new king.2It is relevant to us today because the recognition of Christ as King
is being challenged in America as never before. The moral fiber of our society is
unraveling and lawlessness is loosed upon the land. Some call it "moral meltdown."3
As anarchy raises its insolent head, the greater society of the redeemed can
acknowledge that the Royal Crown has already been placed upon the only worthy
head. For us it is still a Royal Psalm.
Psalm Two is among the first scriptures prayed by persecuted Christians in the
First Century (Acts 4:23-31). This Psalm became a principal source of
encouragement, inspiration, and instruction when ancient culture collided with the
claims of the Church. It provided early Christians with confidence and courage that
God was in control of human affairs.
It is important to notice the context in which this Psalm was invoked. The first
wave of malicious persecution had broken out by the Judaic leaders, and soon, by
the heathen culture. Doing things "contrary to the decrees of Caesar" and
proclaiming "another king, one Jesus" could make the Waco, Texas affair look like a
birthday party (Acts 17:6-7). The result of the early Church's meditations on this
Psalm was two-fold:
1) The ungodly sensed that the godly served as restrainers of their evil, and
2) The opposers of God's ultimate plan were always brought low. God governs
and controls even the evil acts of "free moral agents."
This Psalm prompted the early Church to ask for more boldness to speak the Word
in the face of deadly persecution. The Lord affirmed their prayer by filling them
again with His Holy Spirit and empowering them with miraculous signs and
wonders in His name. Their example should remind us all that the godly ought not
to sit idly by when evil attempts to anesthetize our culture. The normalization of evil
ought not to go unchallenged. The godly must speak up!
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