The Reign that Ruins Rebellion (Psalm 2:7-9)

The Purpose and Direction of History

You're listening to the expository preaching ministry of Kootenai Community Church located in Kootenai, Idaho. We pray that Christ is exalted and your spirit is blessed by the teaching of God's Word. For more information about Kootenai Church, please visit us online at kootenaichurch .org.

So where is history going? Where will all of this end up? That is something that we think about maybe Occasionally and probably a little bit more often than normal when it comes to election time as we're strolling up upon that inevitable day with destiny here in a couple of weeks and Even now if you've never given a moment's thought to that Question or any kind of reflection to that question you do nevertheless have something that you believe about that.

Where history is going and what the purpose of all of it is. We tend to make life decisions and live in a way that reveals what we truly believe about the purpose of everything The direction that everything is heading.

In other words all of us have a worldview. That is to say a view of the world the cosmos and our place in it. Everybody has a worldview. It may be a wrong worldview. It may be an inadequate worldview.

It may be a misinformed worldview, but we all have them. A worldview is a collection of assumptions presuppositions and beliefs about the world and your place in it. A collection of assumptions Presuppositions and beliefs about the world and your place in it.

And inevitably every worldview is going to seek to answer the question Why am I here? Where am I going? What am I doing here? And what is the purpose of all of this? Now your worldview may be something that you adopted without question from the culture or from Academia or from your parents or your family or your lifestyle your peer group or even a false religion but whether you have ever Evaluated it or not.

You have some underlying assumptions and beliefs about the purpose of everything and where it is going. And generally speaking Worldviews will fall into one of two different categories. Either you believe that there is a purpose for everything that exists and everything that happens or you believe that there is no purpose.

Behind everything that exists and everything that happens it is Purposeful intentional or it is without purpose without intention without goal without aim without culmination. It's just we are all just aimlessly molecules in motion meat in motion.

We're all meat puppets heading to an eventual grave to be digested by worms. One of those two is your worldview. You either believe we have a purpose or you don't. Now if there is no reason for anything Then history is going nowhere.

And it means that there is no directing purpose. No goal. No ultimate aim. No culmination. No plan that there is Nothing and all is nothingness and it is all for nothing. And listen if it is all for nothing.

Then you are for nothing since you're part of the all. That makes sense. And if you are for nothing since you're part of the all therefore you then have no purpose no consequence. No intention. There's nothing behind your existence.

It means that everything you do and everything you are and everything you accomplish everything done by you everything done for you everything done to You is ultimately without purpose without aim without goal.

It is meaningless Purposelessness and it is not difficult to see where that kind of a worldview consistently leads. It leads to nihilism and to despair and to utter hopelessness. Now an atheist who believes that we're all just meat puppets molecules and motions and the results of random chance and natural a collection of natural processes and chemicals and Atheists may try to ignore the implications of his worldview.

He may not like to live in consequence with his worldview as if that worldview were true. But he can't avoid the obvious that if there is no purpose to any of it Then you are without purpose as well since you are part of the any of it.

Which means that you have no aim? But There is a purpose for everything. That's the other kind of worldview. There is a purpose for everything and if there's a purpose then there is a purposor if there is a goal Then there is a goal setter if there is an aim and there is somebody who is shooting everything towards that aim.

If there is design there must be a designer. If there's intentionality there must be one who has intended everything to turn out some way. And I would suggest that not only is there someone who has Established or created everything with a purpose that he is also moving all things towards the accomplishment of that purpose if he has the power of the wisdom and the Ability to speak all of this into existence.

Then he also at the same time has all of the power and ability and intentionality To direct all things toward the purpose that he has established everything for Meaning that he will accomplish that purpose.

And I would submit to you that that worldviews also fall into One of two categories in terms of purpose either the purpose can be known or it can't be known and either the purpose has been Revealed or it hasn't been revealed.

And I would suggest that the purpose of all things Can be known and that it has been revealed by the one who has purposed all things for a purpose. I'm glad that Rick Warren didn't copyright the word purpose.

Otherwise, I would have had to pay a king's ransom for royalties just for that introduction. But God is the one who himself has purposed all things that exist. He has a purpose behind all of it. Isaiah 46 verses 9 and 10 says remember the former things long past for I am God and there is no other I am God.

And there is no one like me declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things which have not been done saying my Purpose will be established and I will accomplish all my good pleasure.

Now it has pleased God the Father to place into the hands of his son the Accomplishment of every purpose that he has in creating all things. Jesus Christ a second person of the Trinity directs all of creation toward its intended goal.

Hebrews 1 3 describing Christ says he is the radiance of God's glory in the exact Representation of his nature. And he that is Christ upholds all things by the word of his power. That word Upholds all things not only means that the Greek word not only means that he holds all things together.

Keeping it from just dissolving in an instant, but that he carries it along towards its intended goal. He upholds it and directs it and brings it along on its predetermined course toward the goal that he has set for all of creation.

Ultimately, we would say that the glory of God is the overarching reason for everything that exists and anything that exists. And One of the many ways in which that overarching goal of God's glory will be accomplished is the establishment of Yahweh's King upon Zion and his rule over all of the world.

That is the goal and the ultimate destiny of all of creation the Establishment of God's King and his rule over all of this world. That is described in Psalm 2 now. It's all the way through scripture. But our focus in the last couple of weeks and for today and next week is on Psalm 2.

We're working our way through this Psalm at a pace that is in keeping with its very convenient outline. Four sections of three verses each and we've divided that up over the last couple of weeks. We're continuing with that today.

I'm going to remind you of the outline thus far because it's such a good one. We're going to remind you of the outline thus far as we read our way through the Psalm and then I'll remind you of what? Is to come next week.

So Psalm 2 let's begin with verse 1 in Psalm 2. This describes Yahweh's promise to establish his king and his kingdom in spite of the vain opposition of earthly rulers. In Verses 1 to 3 we see that the rebellion of the wicked is vain folly.

Look at verse 1. Why are the nations in an uproar and the people's devising or meditating on a vain thing? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against his anointed saying.

Let us tear their fetters apart and cast away their cords from us verse 1. It is a raging rebellion verse 2. It's a defiant rebellion verse 3. It is a lawless rebellion. Then in verses 4 through 6 we saw that the response of Yahweh is Mocking fury verse 4.

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 saying. But as for me, I have installed my king upon Zion my holy mountain.

We saw last week that he holds rebels in derision in verse 4. He terrifies rebels with divine wrath in verse 5 and he answers rebels with a decree in verse 6. Now in verses 7 to 9 we see that the reign of this king is with sovereign force.

Verse 7. I will surely tell in the decree of the Lord. He said to me you are my son today. I have begotten you. Ask of me and I will surely give the nations as your inheritance and the very ends of the earth as your possession.

You shall break them with a rod of iron. You shall shatter them like earth and wear and. In verses 10 through 12, we see that the refuge of the wise is this King's blessed favor verse 10 now. Therefore Oh King show discernment take warning.

Oh judges of the earth. Worship the Lord with reverence and rejoice with trembling. Do homage to the Son that he not become angry and you perish in the way. For his wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in him.

Verses 7 to 9. Sorry, sorry. That's verses 10 through 12. Now our passage today is verses 7 to 9 and we have Seen that in each of these little groups of verses. There is a different person that speaks in verses 1 to 3.

We have the world speaking the kings of the rulers of the nations they speak and in verse 3 They say of God and of his Christ. Let us tear their fetters apart and cast their cords from us. Then in verses 4 through 6 it is Yahweh or God the Father who speaks and in verse 6 he says but as for me I have installed my king upon Zion my holy mountain.

Now in verses 7 through 9 It is a different person that speaks it is the son or the king who is installed upon Zion. That's the decree of verse 6 in verses 7 to 9. We have that King speaking. He is the one who speaks in verses 7 to 9 and he retells what Yahweh has said to him in issuing this decree.

So Yahweh gives the decree I have installed my king upon Zion. Now in verses 7 to 9 The king speaks the one who is installed and he speaks on behalf of of himself and his right to rule describing his Commission to rule his authority to rule and he describes what Yahweh has said to him regarding the establishment of his kingdom in Zion.

Today, we're looking at verses 7 to 9. We're going to see that the reign of this king is with sovereign force. That was our overarching idea verses 7 to 9. We're going to see three things regarding his rule.

First in verse 7 He rules as a son. He rules as a son. Then in verse 8 He rules as a steward. Ask of me and I will give the nations as your inheritance. And then in verse 9 he rules as a sovereign. He rules as a son as a steward and as a sovereign.

Those three things describe the rule of this Son of God. First he rules as a son verse 7. Let's read together Psalm 2 verse 7 again I will surely tell of the decree of the Lord. He said to me you are my son today.

I have begotten you. Now verses 7 through 9 are all what Yahweh has said to this king and in verse 7 He describes Yahweh describing Describing this king as a son Yahweh says to this one. You are my son today.

I have begotten you. So this is another person. It is the king the son speaking in verses 7 through 9 telling of his Commission. Now ultimately the author of the psalm was David. Remember that we learned that the very first Sunday We were in Psalm 2 the author of the psalm is David and there was a sense in which David is describing Something that was true of him as one whom God had chosen to sit upon the throne of the nation of Israel.

There's a sense in which David is describing something that is true of him. Yahweh in a sense called David a son. But there was also a sense in which verses 7 to 9 Described things about this king that were not fulfilled by David that couldn't possibly describe David.

David never ruled over all of the nations. David was not a son of God in the sense that this king is a son. So David is the author is speaking on behalf of this king. But again, as I mentioned before the scripture reading David's looking forward to one who would come who would ultimately fulfill verses 7 through 9 And would fulfill this entire psalm, but David was not that King.

The the symbolism of a son is Significant both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament. And of course, we recognize places in the New Testament where Christ is called the Son of God. There's Old Testament significance to that father-son analogy as well.

I'm just going to give you a brief introduction to this so you can see the way in which this would have described David and Solomon and others. The language of father and son is used in the Davidic Covenant in 2nd Samuel chapter 7 where God appeared to David and made a promise to David that he would see one of David's descendants upon his throne and Establish his kingdom forever and that the household of David would never come to an end it would be an everlasting kingdom and There's language in there that seems to describe Solomon and there's language in that covenant that describes a king who had to have come After Solomon who would ultimately fulfill that covenant.

So while David and Solomon were foreshadowings of that or pictures of that coming King They weren't the fulfillment of entirely of that Davidic Covenant. 2nd Samuel chapter 7 verses 13 and 14 Use the father-son analogy for this king of Israel listen to what He says.

The Lord says he shall build a house for my name and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be a father to him and he will be a son to me when he commits iniquity I will correct him with the rod of men and the strokes of the sons of men.

Now that of course is describing Solomon and Solomon's progeny who would come after him and take over as king over Israel. The king was one who ruled on behalf of God and so was regarded as a quote-unquote son.

Using that term loosely is not a divine son not of divine nature. But a son of God in the sense that the king was given the rule Over his theocratic kingdom and he was the one through whom Yahweh would rule the nation.

That was the intention and so he is the son of Yahweh in that sense that the king functions as a mediator and as a designator Designated one to rule the kingdom. But ultimately Solomon as well as every descendant of Solomon would fail to obey the terms of the government Covenant and to rule on God's behalf.

So one would have to come later on who would not fail to do what Solomon and every king after him failed to do. Second this father-son analogy is not just used to refer to the king of Israel. But to Israel itself is called God's Son.

Exodus chapter 4 verses 22 to 23 in the Exodus. Then you shall say to Pharaoh thus says the Lord Israel is my son my firstborn. So I said to you let my son go that he may serve me but you have refused to let him go behold I will kill your son your firstborn.

And of course Hosea chapter 11 verse 1 when Israel was a youth I loved him and out of Egypt I called my son and you recognize that Hosea 11 1 is quoted by Matthew to speak of Christ who would come later.

So there is in God's intention in in Hosea 11 a reference to Israel the nation as his son. But of course also to one who would come later on. Who would not fail to do what Solomon did and would not fail to do what Israel did?

Israel was supposed to keep the terms of the covenant. But they disobeyed and they failed to do what God does. Commanded them to do so he disciplined them. And so then we wait for a king and one that Israel foreshadowed who is truly a divine son.

But he would not fail as Solomon failed and he would not fail as David failed and he would not fail as Israel failed. But instead he would keep all of God's Word and fulfill all of God's Word and that of course is the Messiah God's anointed.

That is also he is also called his son. And this is where we get this reference in verse 7 and in verse 12. You see it explicitly in verse 12 do homage to the son that he not become angry. It's a reference to the king who is here speaking of verses 7 to 9 the king whom Yahweh says he will install in verse 6.

Israel will fail to keep the covenant and obey God. Solomon would fail to keep the covenant and obey God. But this coming king would not fail. In fact, he would come and he would do all of Yahweh's will perfectly obeying the father fulfilling the government government Covenant not government covenant and do all of Yahweh's will being obedient to the very end and thus he will rule his people and his His throne will be established forever.

There are New Testament references that we are familiar with that alludes to this verse verse 6 of Psalm chapter 2 at the baptism and the transfiguration Matthew 3 and verse 7 and Matthew 17 where the father says of Christ.

This is my beloved son and whom I am well pleased that in his allusion back here to Psalm 2. Specifically in a Hebrews chapter 1 and Hebrews chapter 5 this verse is quoted in Hebrews 1 to describe the sonship of Christ by his exaltation to the right hand of the father and in Hebrews chapter 5 to describe the priesthood and the mediation of Christ as a high priest and King and then it is quoted by Paul in Acts chapter 13 Referring to the resurrection of Christ when we look at that here in just a moment.

So it is often quoted in the New Testament and every time that it is it refers to Christ. So there's no doubt in the minds of any New Testament writer who it was that David was describing here. The term begotten in verse 7 is probably the most discussed Verse or phrase of this entire psalm if not the entire Psalter because the question comes down to what is the nature of this?

Begottenness. Does this does the reference to Christ as the begotten Son of God? Indicate that there was a time when he was not and was created and came into being and the answer that is no. That's not what begottenness means not in this context and not in any New Testament Context where Christ is called the begotten Son of God.

You're familiar with some of those references. John 3 16. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life first.

John chapter 4 verse 9 by this the love of God was Manifested in us that God sent his only begotten Son into the world that we might live through him. So the phrase only begotten Son is used of Christ in the New Testament and every time that Language is used of Christ.

It is hearkening back to Psalm chapter 2 where this begottenness is described here. The word begotten especially the word that is used in the New Testament Monogamous is not a word that describes a beginningness.

It describes a relationship. It is a relationship not a beginningness. This is an eternal begottenness. The begottenness describes the nature of Christ. Not his coming into being because scripture overly over and over Emphasizes that Christ has no beginning that as long as God has been God Christ has been the second person of the Trinity fully divine sharing the same essence in nature as the father has and possesses.

The word begotten in the Greek means only or unique or singular and unique. It is a way of singling Christ out. He is a son in an entirely different way than any king of Israel was a son. He is a son and an entirely different way than Israel was a son and he is a son in an entirely different way.

Than you and I are sons and daughters of God. We are sons of God by adoption. Christ is the Son of God by nature. Which is why when he claimed divine sonship of himself in the Gospels the Jews picked up stones to stone him and he asked them Why do you pick up stones to stone me?

Is it because of some good work that we have I have done and they would answer him and say no it is not because Of anything that you have done but because you being a mere man make yourself out to be God that in response to his claim to be the Son of God because They understood that what Jesus was claiming was not to be the Son of God in the way Israel was or the David was but to be the Son of God in a unique sense and Though they never would have stoned David for that claim because they understood what that would have meant for David.

They would stone Christ for that claim because they understood exactly what he was claiming to be to have a special relationship with the father by which he shares the nature of the father and this relationship between Father and son and the Trinity has always existed.

It is an eternal begottenness. John 1 1 says in the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God. He was in the beginning with God all things came into being through him and without him.

Nothing was made that was made. Nothing was created apart from him. Nothing came into being apart from him. He is the the creator of all things who spoke all things into existence and John 1 14 says that word became flesh and dwelt among Us and we beheld his glory as of the only begotten of the father full of grace and truth.

So the divine one who has always existed in relationship with the father. There was a never a time when he was not. He at a point in time took upon himself a real human nature. Stepped into time and space without ever ceasing to be God.

He assumed true humanity and he lived and dwelt among us here and John says that becoming of flesh. We in that becoming of flesh We beheld his glory as of the only begotten of the father and then later on four verses later in John chapter 1 John describes Jesus Christ as the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the father so since Christ is the word we could read John 1 verse 1 said this way in the beginning was Christ and Christ was with God and Christ was God.

He was in the beginning with God. He is the eternal Son of God, which is we have to admit something of a mystery because it is unlike anything else we have ever Contemplated or thought of this is why the Nicene Creed says that Christ is true God from true God begotten not made.

Begotten not made begotten and eternal begottenness without a beginning. There's no illustration of that. There's no analogy. I can't pull out some some meatball story and give it to sort of picture that it doesn't work like that.

There's it's unlike anything else we've ever seen or experienced. We just have to apprehend what is true with our mind without fully Comprehending it that this one can be with God. He is not the father but he possesses fully the divine essence and in that sense he is the God who is begotten an eternal begottenness without beginning now.

Paul quotes Psalm 2 verse 6 regarding the resurrection of Christ in Acts chapter 13. Paul in preaching in Pisidian Antioch said this that God has fulfilled this promise to your children and that he raised up Jesus as it is also written in The second Psalm you are my son today I have begotten you and there Paul calls the resurrection the fulfillment of that verse.

How is it that the resurrection is the fulfillment of that verse? It is not as if he became the Son of God in resurrection. But there is a sense in which he was declared to be the Son of God in Resurrection and that's what Paul says in Romans chapter 1 verse 4 that he was declared the Son of God with power.

By resurrection from the dead according to the Spirit of holiness Jesus our Lord begotten as it were out of the grave his resurrection declares him and demonstrates him to be the eternal Son of God who was what he claimed to be so Christ claimed to be the eternal and unique Son of God and His resurrection from the grave was evidence that he was not a liar and that he was not a lunatic.

But instead he was Lord of all creation. He was therefore declared to be the son of Psalm 2. So you can look at what Christ did and res being resurrected from the dead and you look at Psalm 2 and you have to come to the conclusion that he then is the begotten Son of Psalm 2 and the Resurrection is the indication that that is true.

And therefore he was declared to be the Son of God begotten in that sense as it were. Because he is a son of one nature with God the Father. He is able to rule on behalf of God and because he is the son of man and man and shares a true human nature With us he is able to represent us and this by the way Remember is the essence of the gospel this is the essence of his mediatorial reign and It is the essence of the gospel that one came and stood in our stead and lived the life that we were required to live and That died in our place so that we could have that righteousness and we could be forgiven.

So as God he is able to pay the full penalty for sin and as man He is able to represent us and therefore pay our sin. So the God-man who is Christ Jesus is himself the perfect representative of God and man able to atone for sin Rise from the dead and able to rule men on behalf of God and therefore he is rules as a son.

Christ's Inheritance Over the Nations

Second he rules as a steward verse 8 Ask of me and I will surely give the nations as your inheritance in the very ends of the earth as your possession. Now as I said a few moments ago the father Commits to the son the rule over all the nations all of the earth will be his possession.

He will exercise a global rule. He will possess all of the nations the nations that currently rage against him. He will crush them and subdue them and possess them and rule them. God's answer to the raging nations of verse 1 is to give those very nations to his son.

This is his blessing to the Sun and the judgment upon the ruling nations is to give the nations to the Sun. Who will crush them like earthenware vessels as verse 9 describes? This is God's answer it fulfills the promise that God made to David To see one of his descendants upon his throne and to establish his kingdom forever.

It fulfills one of the promises that God made to Abraham that in Abraham He would bless all the nations of the world since that rule and that reign will end up being a blessing to all nations. God said to Abraham in Genesis chapter 12.

Go forth from your country and from your relatives and from your father's house to the land. Which I will show you and I will make you a great nation. I will bless you and make your name great so that you shall be a blessing and I will bless those who bless you and I will curse those who curse you and then you all the families of the earth will be blessed.

There was from the time of Abraham in God's intention the desire to bless all nations through that one who would come from Abraham's line. So the rule of Christ then verse 8 is over all the nations as God stewards.

He as God steward he rules from Jerusalem from David's throne. I say a 9 verse 7 says the government will rest upon his shoulders. Israel will dwell in peace. The nations will come up to Jerusalem to worship.

There will be peace and prosperity for a thousand years on this planet. And then that rule and reign will continue into the new heavens in the new earth. And it will be a never-ending kingdom in which the son of man will be glorified forever by his people.

The extent of his redemption is over all the nations and thus the extent of his rule and reign will be over all the nations. Revelation 5 verse 9 says. They sang a new song saying worthy. Are you to take the book and to break its seals for you were slain and purchased for God with your blood?

Men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. Christ has purchased out of all of the nations a people for his own possession and for his own glory. And he will rule all the nations. The father commits to the son this rule over creation as a stewardship.

He rules as a steward. All creation is given to him to possess and thus he will rule all of the nations. Psalm 72 verse 8 may he also rule from sea to sea and from the river to the ends of the earth. That's what solomon foresaw.

May this king who is a righteous king rule over all of creation. That's what the psalm promises. Daniel 7 verses 13 and 14. Daniel describes seeing in the night visions the clouds of heaven in the clouds of heaven one like the son of man coming and he came up To the ancient of days and was presented before him and to him Was given dominion glory and a kingdom that all the people's nations and men of every language might serve him.

His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which will not pass away in his kingdom is one which will not be destroyed. To him is given a Dominion a kingdom by the ancient of days. The ancient of days gives the rule and the reign over the entire planet to the son of man.

That's what daniel foresaw that is yet to be realized. We have yet to see that happen. He will rule on mount zion and from there. He will possess the nations. His destiny is to rule the entire world. That is his inheritance.