Rage

“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 their cords away from us.’ 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, my holy hill.’… ‘Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled.’ Blessed are all who take refuge in him. Psalm 2:1-6, 12

You may often have wondered when you listen to the rage and filthy blasphemy which comes with vehemence from the mouths of those who despise God, Jesus, Christianity and the Bible, and any pretense imagined that their knee will one day bow to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, when will their mouths be silenced? This rage is nothing new in this generation. It has reigned in many a heart from Cain to this very day; and yet because of the global communications of this modern age, such as the internet and social media and world-wide television, as well as laws meant to silence any gospel proclamation, it appears to be even worse today. You see it and cannot escape observing or being persecuted by its fury.
Psalm 2 for many centuries has been a Psalm read in worship on Easter Sunday. I wonder if you heard it several weeks ago on Easter or even knew this Messianic Psalm was used as an Easter Psalm. Why would it be? Because our King has conquered the last enemy, death, with his resurrection; he lives and he reigns! Yet his enemies rage all the more as the Day draws near, stirred up to even greater fury by the “prince of the power of the air,  Satan, whose very existence is mocked by many, even while he directs their hearts, mouths, and actions to erupt with rage against the Anointed One.
One wonders about a reviewer recently in Christianity Today of the movie, “God is Not Dead who critiqued it as somewhat smug in its presentation of the truth. How would she read the 2nd Psalm? It was a good and useful movie for a witness to truth, except my knowledge of the university classroom today is that there would be a great many more students verbally and abusively joining with the professor, even shouting down the Christian student so as not to allow him a platform to be heard. This aspect of the film was certainly fictional; yet a necessity to provide the argument of truth to the movie audience.
There is little if any opportunity to do this on university campuses today. Christian speakers are regularly cancelled by the administrations, intimidated by the vehement protests of students and faculty. But smugness, no. Perhaps she wanted the Christian student to be more “kind to the irrationality and unreasonableness of anti-theist thought propounded by the liberal professor. Truth, even presented as he did with love, still makes the opposite argument foolishness. It is incoherent and contradictory in its very premises.
Psalm 2 is God’s response to the rage through the centuries against him and his Son. Though it may be anthropomorphic language so that we can understand God’s response, he holds them in derision, he laughs at their foolish vanity to rail against what is set in absolute truth. It is only God’s longsuffering which holds back his wrath and judgment today, evidenced in his remarkable patience, directed by amazing love for you, of the mocking scorn cast on Jesus as he hung on the cross, “If you are the Son of God, take yourself down from the cross!
Oh, what surprise and horror for all the unrepentant mockers when in an instant, not expecting it, Christ appears on the clouds with all his myriads of angels and all those who have fallen asleep in him through all the centuries of history; as Revelation describes that scene, “and all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see him, as they are startled by the truth they had fiercely mocked. The scene then will be, “Every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord! (Philippians 2) But for all those who have scorned and refused to “kiss the Son the unerring result recorded in Psalm 2 is “they will be destroyed in their way. “Every man would have been wiser, better, happier, more useful, if he had fled from the wrath to come.’ (W.S. Plumer)
Those who follow Christ can take hope in the truth from Psalm 2, yet at times you are tempted to gloat over the coming destruction of your persecutors and arrogant enemies. Instead you must pay attention to the appropriate response of a true disciple of Jesus Christ, “Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling. (Verse 11) It says to those who obey the Word of the Lord, “Kiss the Son! To do this you must draw near, very near. You cannot kiss from a distance. This is an intimate relationship defined by this language and metaphor. This is the love and closeness for and to him of all those who follow willingly and perseveringly. “Fix your eyes on Jesus as you hear the reviling and scorn upon him and because of him upon you as the rage intensifies. His wrath is coming on them. But for you, your acknowledged King and Refuge is coming soon! Even so, come, Lord Jesus!