"Against His Anointed"

“Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying, “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.” (Psalm 2:1-2 ESV)

This Psalm is beautiful in every way. It is symmetrical in design, and in its progression, it finds hope in Christ for those who fear but honor God. It also reflects the past, present, and future of the sinful, unrepentant human.

Today, Christians are being martyred everywhere, even in the U.S., as evidenced by Charlie Kirk, all for speaking the gospel. The nations rage, and they rage with great persistence and violence.

The problem is that you cannot physically attack God; you cannot punch Him in the face, break His bones, or murder the eternal God. So, the nations attack His people. Be it lions in Rome or a mob in Seattle. The message of sin and hope is attacked with vile vengeance and vigor. So how does the church respond to this? Many believe a “militant” church is the answer. Let us gather in greater numbers and with greater fervor, and push back these sinners with our might. Ah, no. This is not the answer.

This is not how God responds at all. The psalmist tells us in verse 4, “He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, “As for me, I have set my King on Zion.” I love this verse. God laughs because man cannot harm God or His kingdom, over which He has made Christ a King. It is God’s Son who is installed as King on Zion. It is Christ who is given the nations as His heritage, and it is He who possesses all of creation, and yes, it is He who, in His second coming, will destroy those who refuse Him with an iron rod.

God laughs because He knows that while, His children may suffer, be harmed, or die, they have already passed from death to life. They, too, like Him, cannot die. God knows that His children know this is what they are called to do. We know this as it is written in Matthew 28:18-20: “And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Teaching who? Teaching the nations, that is what we are called to do. It is God who reveals His wrath upon those who want to fight the message of the gospel, not a militant church.

So as the Psalmist wrote in verses 10-12, “Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son.” Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. I think that line is wonderful. It describes exactly how we should respond to the Lord. Because we know of the wrath of God. We understand His anger towards evil, and yet we know we who take refuge in Him are blessed.

Do you fear the Lord? Do you know of the blessing and hope found in the Gospel of Jesus Christ? If you have questions about salvation through faith in Christ alone, contact us here at In Messiah Ministries, and we can point you to the scriptures that offer hope to all believers.

Grace and Peace.