Before starting this study, take a moment to read Psalm 2. Although I’ll primarily be using the NIV version for the preparation of this study, you can read from whichever version you prefer.
I personally struggle when I read psalms like this one. Even as I prepared everything for today’s post, I struggled with what to put on the graphic for social media. I finally settled on the last line of the psalm, the only “positive” part it had.
It’s hard to view passages that really deal with God’s wrath. I wrestle with it, sometimes struggling to reconcile the wrath I read in this psalm with the God of forgiveness I read about in the New Testament.
Some background on the Psalm helps, although it doesn’t resolve all my questions.
Psalm 2 is a “royal psalm.” This psalm, when it was first written, was primarily about the human kings of Judah. Some experts suggest that this psalm should be read as one psalm with the one before it. That reading softens it some, making Psalm 2 a portrait of what happens when nations turn away from God’s wisdom to pursue their own evil desires.
God’s Power
It’s easy to get caught up in the violent language of this psalm, especially if you’re someone (like me) who is sensitive to violent images.
However, this psalm uses strong language to paint a picture of divine judgment against those who do evil. It’s a reminder to us that the biggest evils in our world have no power when standing against our God.
God’s Dominion
Early readers likely read the psalm and reflected on the role of the earthly kings of Judah, who were supposed to bring about God’s will on earth. We all know how fallible they were, sometimes making decisions that led the nation into exile.
Those of us who follow Christ can read this psalm and consider the picture it paints of a world made right by the Messiah, Jesus. Where earthly kings failed, Christ the King does not.
Application
It’s okay to wrestle with passages like this. Many of them were written to express a sentiment during a certain time in Israel and Judah’s history. Even so, “angry” psalms like this can offer comfort when you’re in a dark place, wondering where God’s justice can be found.
This passage is a reminder that no matter how grim the struggle between good and evil looks in our world, we know there is future security and hope when we trust God.
Psalm 2 shows a tension between promise and responsibility. The last line of the psalm promises that those who take refuge in God are blessed. We can take comfort in the fact that God is our defender. But we also have the previous verses to warn us that opposing God and taking an evil path will leave us in a dangerous position.
Remember, in the end, God will make all the wrong things right. All the evil we see in the world (wars, genocide, exploitation, human trafficking, addiction, and more) will be overturned. God will make all things new. In a world where we’re inundated with news of horrors around the world, we can find great comfort in knowing that God is making all things new.
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