Psalm 2 David, Marc Chagall
Psalm 2 1 Why do the nations conspire, Earth and the peoples plot in vain? 2 The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers band together against I AM and against his anointed one: 3 Let us break their chains, "and throw off their shackles. 4 The One enthroned in heaven laughs; The Sovereign scoffs at them. 5 Then he spoke to them in his anger and in his wrath terrified them: 6 But I install my king on Zion, my holy hill. Heaven
Psalm 2 7 I will proclaim the decree; Heaven I AM said to me: You are my son; today I give you birth. 8 Ask me, I will make the nations your inheritance, prayer the ends of the earth your possession. 9 Break them with a rod of iron; Like a potter s s vessel dash them to pieces. Mt. Zion 10 Therefore, kings, be wise; Earth be warned, rulers of the earth. 11 Serve I AM with fear and celebrate his rule with trembling. 12 Kiss [his] son, lest he become angry, and you be destroyed in [your] way, for his wrath will soon flare up. How fortunate are all who take refuge in him!
Psalm 2 in Church History Origen associates, You are my son, today I have begotten you (v 7). with John s Gospel, of the Logos, having neither beginning nor end. Instead, the time spoken of is coextensive with his uncreated and eternal life, as indeed today is when his birth can be found. For Origen, the relationally eternal day cannot be a temporal day, because of his eternal begottenness.
Nicene Creed (325) We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father.
Psalm 2 in Church History Desiderius Erasmus (1469-1536) On the literal level, this verse is appropriate enough to David, who defeated the Jebusites and built his palace on Zion (that is, the citadel of Jerusalem), but let us dismiss such an insipid, watered-down interpretation, a product of the letter which kills ; we prefer to drink from the new wine of our king. What interest do we have in David, who rules a precarious kingdom soon to be destroyed in Palestine, a mere dot on the map
Structure of the Psalm Four Acts of Three Verses I. Hostile Kings Conspire to Throw Off Rule of I AM and His King 1-3 II. I AM Resolves to Install His King on Mount Zion (4-6) III. King Resolves to Recite Decree Granting Him Dominion (7-9) IV. Psalmist Admonishes Hostile Kings to Submit to I AM s King (10-12)
Form: Coronation Psalm Liturgical Use of Psalm 2: Coronation Ceremony I. The Davidic Covenant is the Backdrop The king s three titles: his anointed one, my king, my son The king is adopted in a Father/son relationship As God s son, he inherits the earth His kingdom is universal in space and eternal in time II. III. Psalm assures king and Israel of victory Canonical fulfillment in Christ, the greater David
Nations Rebel Against I AM and His King 1 Why do the nations conspire, and the peoples plot in vain? 2 The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers band together against I AM and against his anointed one: 3 Let us break their chains, "and throw off their shackles. The first stanza assumes the nations opposed to the rule of I AM rebel against the Moses Book of the Law, which the Davidic king copies by his own hand upon his inauguration. Instead of submitting to his righteous rule, wherein I AM s subjects love him and their neighbor, the pagan kings in corporate solidarity with their peoples are intent on practicing their false worship that demands no moral rectitude and panders to their selfish interests.
I AM Installs His King on Mount Zion 4 The One enthroned in heaven laughs; The Sovereign scoffs at them. 5 Then he spoke to them in his anger and in his wrath terrified them: 6 But I install my king on Zion, my holy hill. The poet frames the second stanza by beginning with I AM sitting enthroned in the heavens and ending with his anointed king sitting on my holy hill. The upper frame speaks of his universal transcendence over all the earth and the lower frame of his immanent presence through his charismatic king who extends his kingdom over all the earth.
I AM Installs His King on Mount Zion 4 The One enthroned in heaven laughs; The Sovereign scoffs at them. 5 Then he spoke to them in his anger and in his wrath terrified them: 6 But I install my king on Zion, my holy hill. I AM meets the world-wide opposition to his rule with the sovereign declaration that it is he himself who installs his king in the royal city that I AM makes set apart for himself. The installation of the king is accomplished by the divine proclamation, I install. As the A verset focused on God s election of the Davidic king, the B verset focuses on God s election of Zion as his royal city.
The King Recites Decree Granting Him Dominion 7 I will proclaim the decree; I AM said to me: You are my son; today I give you birth. 8 Ask me, I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession. 9 Break them with a rod of iron; Like a potter s s vessel dash them to pieces. I will proclaim expresses the Davidic king s resolve to accept his divine installation with its entailment to risk death to establish I AM s universal kingship through holy war. In v. 7 I AM re-enforces that the Davidic king is a son by a birth announcement.
King as Son of God You are my son Today I have begotten you; 1 Chronicles 28:5-6 5 And of all my sons (for the LORD has given me many sons) he has chosen Solomon my son to sit on the throne of the kingdom of the LORD over Israel. 6 He said to me, 'It is Solomon your son who shall build my house and my courts, for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father.
The King Recites Decree Granting Him Dominion 7 I will proclaim the decree; I AM said to me: You are my son; today I give you birth. 8 Ask me, I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession. 9 Break them with a rod of iron; Like a potter s s vessel dash them to pieces. This representation of the king s relationship to I AM, which is adopted and adapted from the mythical understanding of the ancient orient, evokes the notions of his distinction from God and of I AM s tender and emotional concern to care for him (Ps. 89:26-29), to discipline him (2 Sam. 7:14), and to make him the legal heir of the earth, which I AM owns by having created it.
The King Recites Decree Granting Him Dominion 7 I will proclaim the decree; I AM said to me: You are my son; today I give you birth. 8 Ask me, I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession. 9 Break them with a rod of iron; Like a potter s s vessel dash them to pieces. 1 Chronicles 28:6-7 6 He said to me: 'Solomon your son is the one who will build my house and my courts, for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father. 7 I will establish his kingdom forever if he is unswerving in carrying out my commands and laws, as is being done at this time.' The Davidic king s kingdom will not only endure the uprising but will even be extended to the ends of the earth, beyond the limits of the empire established by David. Whereas the Law limited Israel s inheritance to [the Sworn Land, the Davidic covenant expanded that inheritance to include all the earth.
The King Recites Decree Granting Him Dominion 7 I will proclaim the decree; I AM said to me: You are my son; today I give you birth. 8 Ask me, I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession. 9 Break them with a rod of iron; Like a potter s s vessel dash them to pieces. To insure the rod carries the day, this rod, a mace, is to be made of iron. The command like a potter s vessel dash them to pieces finds graphic depiction in the Egyptian execration texts, which illustrate the Egyptian practice of formally cursing persons and cities. The ritual involved writing the names of the person or city on a pottery figures and/or ceramic bowl, after which the curse was spoken and the bowl smashed.
World Rulers Warned to Submit to I AM s King 10 Therefore, kings, be wise; be warned, rulers of the earth. 11 Serve I AM with fear and celebrate his rule with trembling. 12 Kiss [his] son, lest he become angry, and you be destroyed in [your] way, for his wrath will soon flare up. How fortunate are all who take refuge in him! Finally David himself, the psalm s author, steps on stage to address the nations. In spite of David s menacing tone, his warning contains a large measure of grace with truth. He extends God s salvation beyond the limits of the covenant people to the whole uncircumcised world. He concludes his poem with a universal embrace: Fortunate is the life of all who seek refuge in I AM. Moreover, he extends the Word of God to all nations, not to just Israel.
Theology of Psalm 2 1. The king is central to the theology of the Psalms The Psalms function as the prayers of Israel s king to further the kingdom of God both in breadth, among the nations, and in depth, within the heart of God s people. 1. Prayer is set forth as the key to bringing the kingdom of God in heaven to earth 2. What king is ultimately in view? Psalm is pre-exilic Hebrew David is unlikely not crowned in Zion Solomon committed apostasy No Davidic king extended Israel s s rule to the ends of the earth
Theology of Psalm 2 Only Jesus fulfilled this hope Psalm is a typico-prophetic psalm Christ received authority to rule the nations (Matt 28:18-20) Opposition identified in Acts 4 as Herod and Romans Salvation extends to all who seek to trust in the Father of Jesus we share in his reign by being in Christ In the eschaton they will sit In the eschaton they will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel; they will even judge the angels in heaven (Matt. 19:27-28; 1 Cor. 5:12-13).