Many commentators consider this psalm a prophecy of Christ. As early as 400 A.D. Augustine wrote concerning this psalm, "This is clearly spoken in the Person of the very Lord our Savior Christ." And MacDonald in 1990 wrote, "To place this psalm in its proper setting, we must look ahead...to the glorious return and reign of our Lord Jesus Christ."

As we look at this psalm, we will apply it to our lives and to the life of the church. There are many forces that would come against us and against the church, but Jesus is with us. God will deliver us just as he delivered Israel centuries ago.

1 Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain?

Throughout history people have plotted against the church and against those who would serve God. Satan will do whatever he can to discourage Christians, to set traps of sin for them, or to try to bring others against them. It was true in the psalmist’s day, and it is true today. The early church experienced great persecution. Can we expect any less? Perhaps our persecution will not come in the same form. We may not be threatened with torture and death. But we will face battles from both within and without. We may face attacks both emotionally and mentally. We may even find that friends, family, or other Christians seem to be working against us. As we will see from this psalm, God will help us through those times of difficulty. God has delivered Christians and God has delivered the church time and again from the attacks of the enemy of our soul!

2 The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his Anointed One.

There are a number of verses in this psalm that indicate this is referring to God the Father and God the Son. The first is here in verse 2. Notice it refers both to "the Lord" and to "his Anointed One." We also find these pairs in verse 4 "the One enthroned in heaven" and "the Lord," verse 7 "You are my Son; today I have become your Father," and verses 11 and 12, "the Lord" and "the Son." This is even more clear in the Hebrew. In verses 2, 7, and 11 the word Lord is translated from the Hebrew Yahweh which refers to God the Father whereas in verse 4 the word Lord is different. It is adonay which means Lord.

Since this whole psalm seems to be speaking prophetically of Christ, we may appropriate all of these promises for ourselves. God cares about us as much today as he did about the readers of this psalm thousands of years ago.

3 "Let us break their chains," they say, "and throw off their fetters."

It has been true that throughout time, those who opposed God viewed his decrees and statutes as chains and fetters whereas those who chose to serve God have found his commands a blessing and a comfort. Sin is simply disobeying God’s commands. Those who find pleasure in sin are making choices of faith without even realizing it. Have you ever noticed that those who practice a sinful lifestyle seem to get especially angry if you talk to them about Christ or about church? That’s because their spirit is in rebellion to God, but they don’t want to face it. They know deep down in their heart that what they are doing is wrong, but the masks those feelings of conviction by seeing God as a hard taskmaster who places chains and restrictions on them. They work against the things of God, but as we will see from the next verses, their efforts are futile.

4 The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them.

Notice how God responds to the best-laid plans of men against God. In verse 4 he tells us that he laughs and scoffs at them. As Christians we are never in any danger when trouble comes our way. We may become fearful and anxious, but we shouldn’t. God has everything under his control. The threat to us is laughable.

If we could truly understand this, it would give us peace during the times of turmoil. There is an old song we used to sing, "Why worry when you can pray." That sentiment is still true today. Why should we worry? All we have to do is go to God who has everything under his control. There is no power or force that come against us that God does not laugh at.

5 Then he rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying,
6 "I have installed my King on Zion, my holy hill."

Verses 5-6 tell us that as a result of God’s anger against those who would fight against his church or his believers, he rebukes them. Notice it says that God has installed his King on Zion, his holy hill. Christ has not come back yet to establish his earthly kingdom, but he does reign in our hearts. So no matter who might come against you, remember that God has installed his King in Zion to rebuke those who would harm God’s kingdom. Whether it’s gossip at work, schemes to make you look bad, manipulative relatives trying to hurt you, jealous friends trying to harm your reputation, or plotting enemies, try to remember that Christ is on the throne of your life. Nothing can harm you. God is with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you.

7 I will proclaim the decree of the Lord: He said to me, "You are my Son; today I have become your Father."

Certainly this verse is telling us about the plan of salvation that God established since the foundation of the world - that he would send his son to rule in our hearts and rule over the nations. But also in a mysterious way, when we accept Christ as our Savior, we also become children of God. We are not on the same level as Christ, but we are nevertheless part of God’s family. This is God’s decree - that his son would come for us, and that we would be part of the heavenly family.

Paul applies this verse to Christ in Acts 13:33, "He has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus. As it is written in the second Psalm: ‘You are my Son; today I have become your Father’."

8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession.

Verse 8 instructs us, "Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession." We know this is speaking of Christ’s reign when he takes possession of all the nations of the earth as the King of Zion. But I think we can also apply this to our lives and the life of our church. We might ask, What is the ministry of our church? Here in verse 8 we see the answer. God has made the nations our inheritance and the ends of the earth our possession. Certainly God means for us to also reach those in our community even to the ends of our neighborhoods.

People are ready to hear the message of Christ’s love, and they are looking for forgiveness. We have that message for them. Let us take it out to our inheritance - the community surrounding our church, our friends and relatives, and all those with whom we come in contact every day. God has given this church a possession. Let us claim our inheritance in this community. Let us be willing to share our faith to help build the kingdom of God.

9 You will rule them with an iron scepter; you will dash them to pieces like pottery.
10 Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth.

Verse 10 says, "Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth." As the church, it is our duty to warn our leaders and our nation when we are drifting toward sin. We don’t need to do this in a confrontational manner, but we need to preach not only about the mercy and love of God, but also about the justice and holiness of God. Psalm 33:12 promises, "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord...." Our nation has been blessed. Now, new gods of possession, money, pleasure are threatening to build their altars in our society. Let the church be the one to warn the people of God’s standards. Let believers be the one to cry out the warning against sin and corruption.

We must remember to pray for our leaders. Usually we think of praying for the President of the United States. But let us also pray for our boss at work and other supervisors. Let us pray for our Governor and the state Legislature. Let us pray for our Mayor and our city council members. Let us pray for our minister and our board members. Whoever is in leadership needs to be the object of our prayers.

11 Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling.

In some Christian traditions, believers pray Psalm 2 at Easter time. Easter is a time of mixed emotions. We think of the awful events of the cross, the mystery of the resurrection, and the glorious promise of redemption. It is a time of wonder, fear, and rejoicing. Because of these many, conflicting feelings, it is understandable why this psalm would be prayed at Easter time.

Verse 11 tells us, "Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling." When we ponder the power of God that was able to raise his son from the dead, we have a healthy fear or awe of God and his power. And as we realize the tremendous mercy of God and the awful sins from which we have been forgiven, we may tremble with rejoicing.

Too many people today take God for granted. We need to fully realize how terrible have been our sins and how wonderful is God’s redemption. Christians today have lost that fear and trembling of being in the presence of God - fear of God’s judgement, and trembling with joy over his forgiveness. That is the true message of Easter, and it is something that would be good for us to consider every day!

12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed in your way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

Verse 12 tells us that we need to honor the son. We know that Jesus came to this earth as the Savior of the world offering forgiveness, compassion and mercy to all who would accept him. But when he returns at the end of the age, he comes to bring judgement. The only way to avoid the wrath of God is to accept Jesus into our heart. As Jesus himself explained in John 3:17-18, "Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil."

The Believer’s Bible Commentary points out, "For man to trust his Creator is the most sane, logical, reasonable thing he can do. On the other hand, to disbelieve and defy the Almighty is about as irrational a thing as a person can do."

If we want to experience God’s blessings, we must do as we are told in verse 12, "Blessed are all who take refuge in him." We must make Christ our refuge. This does not mean we will avoid going through the storms of life. But it does mean that we will have a refuge in the time of trouble.