Note: If my thoughts on Psalm 2 feel sermonic, it’s because it is based on a series of sermons on each Psalm. They are chanted and sung congregationally throughout, then explained. Much of this material is edited to fit a larger audience. This series aims to stir our people at Providence Church (CREC) to love the song and the promise in each of God’s inspired lyrics. This is the second in the series. You can find the essay on Psalm 1 here. All quotations are used from the New King James Version—the official translation of our congregation in Pensacola, FL.
Unprecedented Times: Right?
Everyone has learned, in the last five years, to say, “We live in unprecedented times.” It’s become a modern refrain everywhere in the media. But it is better to say, “We live in times where people no longer look to precedents.” The Scriptures have already given us precedents for what our society considers unprecedented. Of course, it is true that a nation undergoes cycles or turnings, but there is nothing novel in God’s revelation.
Remember that scene from The Wizard of Oz where the wizard desperately declares, “Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!” The wizard is like a man trying to hide from God or trying to hide behind new theories to explain or justify his actions. God sees it all. There is no new ethic for America in 2026; there is only God’s ethic for the Christian. There is no unprecedented way of being; there are only the virtues or fruits of the Spirit. We cannot reinvent ourselves because the times change. Whether we are in a positive, neutral, or negative world, there is only one thing that transcends all others: God’s Word.
In the beginning of Psalm 2, David is shocked by the boldness of the ungodly. Perhaps they thought they would catch God off guard with an unprecedented move. Yes, the ungodly can be subtle at times, but in Psalm 2, they are rather blatant about their strategy to destroy God’s people.
Why do the nations rage,
And the people plot a vain thing?
The kings of the earth set themselves,
And the rulers take counsel together,
Remember Psalm 1, where David speaks of the counsel of the ungodly. They think they can rule over us in judgment. Psalm 2 begins with David’s astonishment at their attempts—“Why do the heathen rage?” Why do they invade our churches and scream on a Sunday morning in Minneapolis (see video below), trying to interrupt the assembly of God’s people? They want attention, and they sincerely believe they can cause enough tumult to disrupt God's people. But David says it is “a vain thing.” The church will only grow stronger as a result.
