Psalm 2 by David Q. Santos

Psalm 2:


David Q. Santos

John 5:39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

In John chapter five Jesus confronts the Pharisees and Sadducees . He scolds them for not recognizing Jesus as the long awaited Messiah. The Pharisees were exceedingly meticulous in every detail of the Law of Moses.[1] With all this knowledge of scripture they would not accept Jesus for who He was; the Son of God, and the long awaited Messiah. Throughout scripture Jesus is pointed too; there are both pictures and prophesies that speak of his coming. To anyone who truly understands the scriptures the identity of Christ should be obvious.

Acts 17:11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

In the book of Acts the Boreans were given the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They responded by going to the scripture and studying it. They determined that the Gospel was of God by authenticating what they were told by the scripture. In studying the scripture the Boreans must have gone to the Pentateuch or the law first. They most definitely searched the words of the prophets. They most definitely found the messianic passages found in the Psalms. Throughout the psalms the messiah is spoken of. The psalms give many amazing prophesies about the person of and signs of the Messiah.

There are 15 Psalms classified as Messianic Psalms. These are psalms 2, 8, 16, 22, 23, 24, 31, 40, 41, 45, 68, 69, 102, 110, and 118. Out of this group of Psalms two have the distinction of being the Psalms that are quoted or alluded to more frequently than any other in the New Testament. Psalm 2 and Psalm 110 were each quoted or eluded to 14 times.

While each of these Psalms are used in the New Testament 14 times Psalm 2 has three times more separate verses spoken of. Verses 1, 2, 7, 8, 9, and 11 are used in the New Testament.[2] Those verses do not include the multiple times that the 2nd psalm is alluded to in the book of Acts. The book of Acts attributes this psalm to David while also providing evidence that the book of Psalms was in the same form in the apostolic day as it is today.[3] That being the case the Pharisees that were staunch adversaries of Jesus must have read Psalm 2 verse 7 which says, “I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.” David Malick points to seven verses in the New Testament where Jesus is spoken of as the Son of God. They are; Mathew 3:17, 17:5, Mark 1:11, 9:7, Luke 3:22, 9:35, and John 1:49.[4]

The first of those six verses are God’s testimony of who Jesus really was. When Jesus was baptized by His forerunner John the Baptist in the Jordan River the sky opened up and a voice spoke of Jesus saying, “This is my Son in whom I am well pleased.”(Mathew 3:13-17, Mark 1:9-11, and Luke 3:21-23). It is easy to surmise that the Pharisees knew about this event. Jesus points out to the religious leaders, during a typical discourse with them, that God the Father had “bore witness” of him (John 8:18). But even with their great knowledge of scripture they ignored the testimony of the Father.

Some chose to reject Jesus as Messiah because they were seeking the Christ that was spoken of in verse 8 and 9 of the second Psalm. They were seeking the Messiah that we know will be the second coming of Jesus. The Church awaits His triumphant return where every knee will bow and every tongue confess (Romans 14:11).

Psalm 2 has four divisions. The first division is verse 1-3. The second division is verses 4-6. The third division is found in verses 7-9. The fourth and final division is found in verses 10-12.

1 ¶ Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? 2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, 3 Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.

The first three verses of this Psalm describe the state of the world at the time of Christ’s return. The rulers of the earth have set their nations in an uproar. The kings of the world have set their nation’s will against the Lord. One of the most striking New Testament parallel to this portion of the second psalm is found in the Book of Revelation. Revelation 11:18 paints a picture of the world in future times. It says, “And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.”

Mathew Henry makes an important point of this section. He says, “Princes and people, court and country, have sometimes separate interests, but here they are united against Christ; not the mighty only, but the mob, the heathen, the people, numbers of them, communities of them.”[5] It is not only the ruling class that are set against the Lord but also the common people.

4 He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. 5 Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. 6 Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.

Verse 4 is the Lord’s reaction to the uproar of man. Verses 5 and 6 are God’s reply to the plans of the rulers of the world.[6] These verses describe in human terms God’s reaction to the world setting their minds against Him. In verse four He sits in the heavens and laughs at man’s attempt to change His will. The reaction is to set His righteous wrath against them and set His king as ruler. This king is Jesus Christ. He will be ruling from Jerusalem with a rod of iron (psalm 2:9, Revelation 2:27, 12:5, and 19:15).

7 ¶ I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. 8 Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. 9 Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.

The psalmist now spoke of God’s affirmation of the king to show by what right the king rules. The decree refers to the Davidic covenant in which God declared that He would be Father to the king, and the king would be His son. So when David became king, God described their affiliation as a Father-son relationship. So the expression “son” took on the meaning of the messianic title.[7] 2 Samuel 7:14 is a pivotal verse when studying this psalm. It says, “I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men:” “He shall be my Son” is a phrase that recognizes the Davidic covenant. The phrase “Thou art my Son;” is an important one to understand. In the book of Acts 13:33 Paul illustrates the fulfillment of this phrase. He said, “God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.” The JFB commentary makes the outstanding point that the phrase in Acts 13:33 “raised up” does not refer to the resurrection but to the anointing as messiah and fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant.[8]

Further, to satisfy us that his kingdom is well-grounded upon his sonship, we are here told what his sonship is grounded on: this day have I begotten thee which refers both to his eternal generation itself, for it is quoted (#Heb 1:5) to prove that he is the brightness of his Father’s glory and the express image of his person.[9]

Verse 9 is a powerful verse that appears three separate times in the Book of Revelation (2:27, 12:5, and 19:15). Mathew Poole writes of this phrase, “And he shall rule them with a rod of iron: an iron rod either signifies a right rod, that will not be easily bent and made crooked; or a severe rod, which is most probably the sense: see #Ps 2:9 Ps 12:5. The words by the psalmist are applied to Christ, and to the church, #Re 12:5: to particular saints here, who rule the nations either in Christ their Head, or with Christ as their Chieftain, with the word of God powerfully convincing the world of sin and righteousness.”[10]

10 ¶ Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. 11 Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. 12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.

The fourth and final division of this psalm is an exhortation of the psalmist. It is in essence the Gospel message. The psalmist seems to plead with the nations to wisely serve the Lord with fear. Proverbs 9:10 tells us that the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. Mathew Henry wrote of this portion of the second psalm,

“We have here the practical application of this gospel doctrine concerning the kingdom of the Messiah, by way of exhortation to the kings and judges of the earth. They hear that it is in vain to oppose Christ’s government; let them therefore be so wise for themselves as to submit to it.” He goes on to say, “The Father is angry already; the Son is the Mediator that undertakes to make peace;” He concludes by writing, “In singing this, and praying it over, we should have our hearts filled with a holy awe of God, but at the same time borne up with a cheerful confidence in Christ, in whose mediation we may comfort and encourage ourselves and one another. We are the circumcision, that rejoice in Christ Jesus.”

The Pharisees and Sadducees of the first century missed Jesus both in scripture and in person. However, that will not be the case for the rulers that set themselves against God in the Day of the Lord. When Jesus comes this time He will come as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. He will take up his rod of Iron and rule from the Holy Hill of Zion.

This second psalm serves to show us two sides of Jesus. One is the wrath on those that seek to place themselves on His throne. They will be broken into pieces with a rod of iron like a potter’s vessel. But if we accept our gift of salvation we can see the other side of Christ. We can be wise and kiss the Son of God who died to shed His blood for us and wash away the sins that we all have. When we accept Christ we are seen by God as pure.

Acts 2:21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Acts 10:43 To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.

WORK CITED

Copeland, Mark A. Executable Outlines, Psalm 2: 2004. http://www.ccel.org



Gill, John. John Gill’s Expositor: The Introduction to Psalm 2. The Online Bible Millennium Edition, version 1.2. Winterbourne Ontario, Canada. 2001



Henry, Mathew. Mathew Henry Commentary Psalm 2. The Online Bible Millennium Edition, version 1.2. Winterbourne Ontario, Canada. 2001



Jamieson, Fausset, Brown. Jamieson, Fausset, Brown Commentary. The Online Bible Millennium Edition, version 1.2. Winterbourne Ontario, Canada. 2001



Malick, David. The Book of Psalms. http://www.bible.org/docs/ot/books/psa/ps-intr.htm



Poole, Mathew. Mathew Poole’s Commentary of the Bible Rev 2:27. The Online Bible Millennium Edition, version 1.2. Winterbourne Ontario, Canada. 2001.



The Online Bible Millennium Edition Version 1.2. Smith’s Revised Bible Dictionary 1999, “Babylon”. Winterbourne Ontario, Canada. 2001



Walvoord, John F. and Roy B. Zuck. The Bible Knowledge Commentary, An Exposition of Scriptures by Dallas Seminary Faculty, Old Testament. Colorado Springs, Colorado. Cook Communications Ministries, 2004.







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[1] The Online Bible Millennium Edition Version 1.2. Smith’s Revised Bible Dictionary 1999, “Pharisees”. Winterbourne Ontario, Canada. 2001



[2] Malick, David. The Book of Psalms. http://www.bible.org/docs/ot/books/psa/ps-intr.htm.



[3] Gill, John. John Gill’s Expositor. The Online Bible Millinium Edition, version 1.2. Winterbourne Ontario, Canada. 2001



[4] Malick, David. The Book of Psalms. http://www.bible.org/docs/ot/books/psa/ps-intr.htm



[5] Henry, Mathew. Mathew Henry Commentary Psalm 2:3. The Online Bible Millinium Edition, version 1.2. Winterbourne Ontario, Canada. 2001



[6]Copeland, Mark A. Executable Outlines, Psalm 2: 2004. http://www.ccel.org



[7] Walvoord, John F. and Roy B. Zuck. The Bible Knowledge Commentary, An Exposition of Scriptures by Dallas Seminary Faculty, Old Testament. Colorado Springs, Colorado. Cook Communications Ministries, 2004.



[8] Jamieson, Fausset, Brown. Jamieson, Fausset, Brown Commentary. The Online Bible Millennium Edition, version 1.2. Winterbourne Ontario, Canada. 2001



[9] Henry, Mathew. Mathew Henry Commentary Psalm 2. The Online Bible Millennium Edition, version 1.2. Winterbourne Ontario, Canada. 2001



[10] Poole, Mathew. Mathew Poole’s Commentary of the Bible Rev 2:27. The Online Bible Millennium Edition, version 1.2. Winterbourne Ontario, Canada. 2001.

Prayer to Satan during MTV telecast - sign of the times?

http://www.onenewsnow.com/Perspectives/Default.aspx?id=724962

During last month's MTV music video awards ceremony, actor Jack Black urged the audience join hands and pray to "dear dark lord Satan." In his prayer, the actor prayed that the musicians and nominees would have "continued success in the music industry." The awards program was broadcasted on the MTV network (a subsidiary of the Viacom Corporation) throughout the country through cable and satellite television.


The Radio City Hall audience readily acquiesced to Black's invitation to pray to the devil. In a video posted on YouTube, Black encouraged the large audience to join in by saying, "let me see those horns." Black, dressed in a "muscle suit" continued by asking the awards ceremony audience to join hands during "the prayer." He then held hands with actress Leighton Meester while he prayed aloud.

Black's prayer went basically unnoticed among most conservative and Christian media circles -- perhaps because they feel the comedian was simply joking as he displayed his contempt for Christianity with the prayer invocation. In fact, this would be in keeping with Black's previous behavior.

In 2008 he participated in a video that mocked supporters of California's marriage initiative, Proposition 8. In commenting on that video, the Culture and Media Institute (CMI) said Black "appears as Jesus rebuking the Proposition 8 supporters while munching on a shrimp cocktail and saying that the Bible condemns eating shellfish too. Then he [Black] reels off some scripture references without context to suggest that the Bible is self-contradictory and unreliable." In their press release (December 4, 2008), CMI described Black as "an anti-Christian bigot."

Others claim last month's public "prayer" to Satan was just a publicity stunt to promote the new heavy metal video game, "Brutal Legend."

But regardless how one looks at Black's actions, it sets a dangerous precedent. Author and King's College professor Paul McGuire labels Black's prayer to Satan as "just the tip of the iceberg of what is happening in our nation and in the entertainment industry." The conservative commentator contends that "although it is hidden, Satanism is one of the fastest growing religions in America." He adds: "We can expect to see Satanists demanding and getting the same rights as any other religion."

Former Hollywood actor Bob Turnbull says Black's prayer to the "dark side" was "pathetic and sick," which shows a "heartbreakingly sad" side of Hollywood's culture. Turnbull, also known as the "Chaplain of Waikiki," knows a little something about Hollywood. In the '60s and '70s, he appeared in a number of well-known movies (The Little People, Camelot, Tora Tora Tora) and television shows (Hawaii Five-0, Petticoat Junction, My Three Sons, Bob Hope Chrysler Theater, Another Life).

Phil Magnan, director of BFamilyAdvocates.com, chimes in, wondering if Black "really knows what he is invoking or has any idea how destructive Satanism really is."

Radio talk-show host Jesse Lee Peterson has a different take on Black's prayer. Peterson is instead at odds with MTV, the network that hosts the awards. He says it is "disturbing that MTV continues to promote the most degenerate and base programs on its network....[They] intentionally air programming designed to seduce and corrupt the minds and hearts of America's youth" (like Sex...with Mom and Dad, among others).

Ultimately, McGuire believes there could be some encouraging signs to come. While he affirms his belief that the level of darkness will continue, the Christian author strongly believes that simultaneously Americans will "see a revival among the youth similar to the Jesus Movement in the '70s."

James L. Lambert, a frequent contributor to OneNewsNow.com and author of Porn in America, is a licensed nationwide real-estate mortgage loan sales agent and can be contacted through his website.

Opinions expressed in 'Perspectives' columns published by OneNewsNow.com are the sole responsibility of the article's author(s), or of the person(s) or organization(s) quoted therein, and do not necessarily represent those of the staff or management of, or advertisers who support the American Family News Network, OneNewsNow.com, our parent organization or its other affiliates.

Joseph in Egypt: Part VI

This article was published in the Summer 2003 issue of Bible and Spade.


We do not know how many years Joseph served as Egypt’s Vizier (Prime Minister). It is very interesting that he evidently held two key title, Vizier and Chief Steward of the King. This relatively unusual in Egyptian history.

Significantly, the best known examples come from the Middle Kingdom, exactly the period of Joseph’s career. While none of the known officials holding these two posts can be identified with Joseph, it is probable that he was the first to do so and set a precedent.

Two deaths are recorded near the end of the Book of Genesis, that of Jacob and of Joseph himself. Both men were embalmed, or mummified. Today, the popular view is that this was a mysterious process about which we know little or nothing. Such is not the case. With the large number of mummies preserved in museums, we would be poor scientists indeed if we could not reconstruct this procedure. What then were the basics of mummification? (see Adams 1984, and on the popular level, Davis 1986)

Two things were essential to the mummification process. First, the body was dried. A great deal was accomplished in this regard by the naturally dry climate of Egypt. I remember seeing a photograph of a Roman soldier who had died in Egypt and who had been buried in the sand without any kind of embalming treatment at all. His hair was well preserved, as were his teeth, and there was a good deal of skin remaining, too. The Egyptians aided this natural drying process, however. They packed the body with a powdery substance called natron (basically sodium carbonate and sodium bi-carbonates). This chemical is found naturally in several locations in Egypt (Lucas 1962:263ff.).

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Joseph in Egypt: Part V

This article was published in the Spring 2003 issue of Bible and Spade.


The specific Egyptian titles granted to Joseph by Pharaoh have been discussed at great length by modern scholars. The key verse is Genesis 45:8, which mentions three titles held by Joseph. The Hebrew text of course does not give the Egyptian form of these three titles. Hence, years of scholarly debate have arisen over the exact Egyptian renditions of the Hebrew words or phrases.

Of the three titles that Joseph held, let us begin with the one obvious title, and then move on to the two more complex and problematical titles.

Lord of Pharaoh’s House

Genesis 45:8 states that Joseph was made Lord of all of Pharaoh’s House. This title has an exact Egyptian counterpart, which is normally translated into English as “Chief Steward of the King.”

The main job of the Chief Steward was the detailed supervision of the King’s personal agricultural estates, the number of which would have been vast. This fits well with Joseph’s advice regarding the coming years of plenty and the following years of famine. As Chief Steward, Joseph would be well placed to prepare for the coming famine during the years of more abundant production.

It is interesting to observe that another specific responsibility of the Chief Steward was to take charge of the royal granaries, where the agricultural wealth of the nation was stored. As the person in charge of these great storehouses, Joseph was ideally placed for carrying out his suggestion to store food during the good years for the bad.

On the practical side, two things can be learned from Joseph’s post as Chief Steward.

First, note how God had prepared him for his task. No one starts out in life at the top of the ladder. We all must learn the ropes, so to speak, from the ground floor up. Joseph had been steward of the estates of Potiphar. This job was very much like that of Chief Steward of the King, but on a much smaller scale. Joseph without doubt received on-the-job training as Potiphar’s steward, which stood him in good stead when he later was promoted to the same job in the King’s household.

As Potiphar’s steward, Joseph did his job faithfully. We are told that all that Potiphar owned prospered under the stewardship of Joseph. Joseph evidently learned well. He was therefore ready when the Lord allowed him to become Chief Steward for all of Egypt.

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Joseph in Egypt: Part IV

This article was published in the Winter 2003 issue of Bible and Spade.


In Genesis 41, Joseph meets the king of Egypt. As we saw in our last article, he had been prepared for this encounter by being cleaned up and shaved, in true Egyptian fashion. He was now ready to meet the most powerful and important man on earth.

Before we consider this meeting however, a word on the title Pharaoh is necessary. This term means literally “Great House,” and refers to the palace establishment of Egypt. As the years passed, the title “Pharaoh” began to be used when speaking of the king, the main inhabitant of the palace and the head of Egypt’s government.

If we date Joseph to the Middle Kingdom period of Egyptian history, as I believe it is correct to do, an apparent problem arises. At this early stage of Egyptian history, the title Pharaoh was not used to refer to the king in direct address; such use begins only in Egypt’s powerful 18th Dynasty in about 1400 BC, some 300 years after the time of Joseph.

We must remember, however, that Joseph did not write the account we have in Genesis; Moses did. Moses of course lived much later than Joseph, in about 1400 BC. During his time, the title Pharaoh was beginning to be used as a form of direct address for the king of Egypt. It is important to note that Moses does not use Pharaoh followed by a proper name. This practice was only instituted in the late period of Egyptian history, as is correctly reflected in Jeremiah 44:30, where “Pharaoh Hophra” is mentioned.

But let us turn to the events surrounding the actual meeting between Joseph and the king, most probably Sesostris II of Dynasty 12. As all of us will recall from our own study of the Scriptures, Pharaoh had had a dream. His magicians (the Hebrew in Genesis 41 is an accurate translation of the Egyptian word for a magician) could not tell the meaning of his dream.

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