Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Adult Sunday School Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/bb/bb19951105.htm

PSALMS: DIARIES OF GODLY OLD TESTAMENT SAINTS
Psalm Two: Divine Position Insurance For God's Appointed Human Overseers
(Psalm 2:1-12)
  1. Introduction
    1. A dramatic spiritual challenge in God's oversight assignment for one called to lead in a marriage, family, church, business or governmental position is the threat of that position being overthrown or its rightful appointee being removed! A wife may thus threaten the leadership of her husband, childr en their parents, congregations their overseers, businesses their employers and constituents their governmental overseers.
    2. In such a case, there is a program that God has instituted that checks this disorder, a program detailed in Psalm 2 that encourages troubled overseers as follows.
  2. Divine Position Insurance For God's Appointed Human Overseers, Psalm 2:1-12.
    1. Psalm 2 is an enthronement psalm written for the celebration of installing Davidic line kings in Judah, Bib. Know. Com., O.T., p. 791. Its theme records the threat of surrounding Gentile nations to counter the Davidic king's rule by rebelling from past domination by the former Davidic king now that the new one has come to the throne, and it sounds a warning to those who dare usurp that rule, Ibid.
    2. As such, the Second Psalm presents a lesson of encouragement for divinely-appointed overseers:
      1. The psalmist asks why the Gentiles throng tumultuously and the peoples plot in vain against the king, 1.
      2. These rebels are actually setting themselves against not only the new king, but against God Who has anointed him to be king through the Davidic Covenant:
        1. The psalmist claims that this tumult against the new Davidic king is also against David's God, 1:2.
        2. The reason for this claim of such battle sides is the Davidic covenant that makes the descendants of David on his throne appointees of God according to the covenant, cf. 2 Samuel 7:12-16.
        3. The succeeding Davidic rulers would all be seen as metaphorical sons of God due to their special relationship to God in the ruling process, 2 Samuel 7:14.
      3. Thus, the battle lines are drawn not so much against the human Davidic king and his Gentile enemies, but against GOD and these opponents of the human king, and that with amazing results, Ps. 2:3-7:
        1. When the opponents plot to rebel against the authority of the human king, they also plot against GOD'S rule to say, "let us break their chains, and throw off from us their fetters!" (Psalm 2:3)
        2. Accordingly, God Almighty Who sits in the heavens laughs in His wrath, and scoffs at these opponents of His Davidic king as they have by covenant retaliation become God's enemies, v. 4.
        3. In that wrath, God says that He has installed His King on Zion, and implies that these enemies can do nothing about it as they cannot take on His infinite power and sovereignty, Ps. 2:5!
        4. At this point, the human, Davidic king lays claim to the divine authority granted him in the Davidic Covenant, quoting God's words to him: "(God says) You are my Son; I myself have begotten (by way of 2 Sam. 7 :14 covenant relation) you this day. Ask of Me and I (God Almighty) will give the Gentiles as your inheritance, and the ends of the earth as your possession. You will rule them with an iron scepter; you will dash them to pieces like pottery (in judgment)!" (Psalm 2:7)
      4. In view of the fact that the human opponents to the new Davidic king are actually opposing GOD in that opposition, the psalmist has a wise suggestion to these opponents, Ps. 2:10-12:
        1. These opposing rulers and peoples need to be wise and be warned to repent of their rebellion, 2:10.
        2. They need to serve Israel's God and respectfully rejoice at the crowning of the new Davidic king, 11.
        3. If they don't do so, if they don't kiss Jahweh's newly barmitvehed "son," and new ruler for God's kingdom in recognizing his divine right to rule over them, the Lord God will be angry and suddenly produce cata strophic destruction on them, Psalm 2:12a,b.
        4. Conversely, all who seek refuge from judgment by accepting the Davidic king will be blessed, 2:12c!
    3. In its fullest sense, Psalm 2 finds ultimate fulfillment in Christ, the King of Israel to come, cf. Acts 4:25-28!
Lesson: Anyone who has been granted a position of oversight on Biblical grounds carries the full authority of God Almighty into that position so that he can do God's will there. Thus, (a) that overseer must lay claim to God's will and authority in his work to find oversight insurance from detractors who want to overthrow or resist him, cf. 2 Tim. 1:8-9, 14. (b) Subordinates need to heed the divinely-sanctioned overseer as they would the Lord or suffer God's discipline, cf. Eph. 6:5-8!