PSALM 2

Pastor Michael Talley | February 22, 2026

Watch

Listen

Read

Psalm 2:1-12

Good morning. If you have your Bible, turn to Psalm 2. Why are we in Psalm 2 this morning? That’s a good question. I’m not entirely sure how we landed here, other than the simple fact that I can’t get seem to get away from it. I had set out to explore another text, but this one caught my eye, as it frequently does. I decided this week that Psalm 2 is the Sugar Top Resort of the Bible. If you’re wondering what the Sugar Top Resort is, it’s the random building that sticks out in literally every view in the High Country. Ps 2 is like that for me. No matter where I am in the Bible, it comes into view. I think it is mentioned at least 17-18 times in the NT. It’s in the Gospels, Acts, Rom., Heb., & Rev.! If you squint hard enough, you can even see the outline of Ps. 2 in the text that Pastor Scott preached last week about Herod’s death threats.

Psalm 2 is a very important text that deserves our attention, & here’s why: it gives us a breathtaking picture of who is really in charge of the world. It’s not America, & it’s not China. It’s not a leader, or a nation or a league of nations. And no matter how powerful Artificial Intelligence gets, let me put your worries to bed: AI will never rule the world either. It can’t. The leadership of this world is not up for grabs. This world belongs to the Jesus, the Son of God. He is Lord over every living thing. According to Psalm 2, his dominion is far more terrifying than the sinner’s worst nightmare & far more delightful than the Christian’s wildest imagination. Psalm 2 shows us a picture of who Jesus really is & how he relates to this world & importantly, how we can relate to him. I have titled this sermon, “The Safety of a Short-Tempered Savior” because I think this captures the essence of Psalm 2. Let’s read the text.

[1] Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? [2] The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying, [3] “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.” [4] He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. [5] Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, [6] “As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.” [7] I will tell of the decree: The LORD said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you. [8] Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. [9] You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” [10] Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. [11] Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. [12] 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.

The psalms are one of the most organized books in the entire Bible. You may have thought that it’s a random collection of poems, but there is a very deliberate strategy. The first 2 psalms introduce the entire book. (Some traditions combine them into a single psalm). These 2 pictures are critically important because they paint a crystal-clear picture of God’s kingdom as it really is. Once we leave psalm 2, the fog will roll in. In Ps. 3 & 4 & 5, & about 50 other psalms, the fog is so thick that David can barely see where he is going. He will doubt God’s goodness & sovereignty. But he will ultimately prevail, because he knows what is true. Psalm 2 shows us a picture of how the world really works. It cuts through the fog in our lives & clarifies the nature of God’s kingdom in 3 stunning ways. This will be our outline.

The first way is this: In God’s Kingdom, The Strength of Man is Embarrassingly Small. It certainly looks & feels powerful from our perspective, but from God’s perspective, it’s embarrassing. The Psalm opens with one of the most memorable lines in the entire Bible: Why do the nations rage, and the peoples plot together in vain. In the next few verses, the leaders of the world are conspiring together to break free from God. Their hatred is especially aimed at God’s chosen Messiah, the anointed king, who represents him on earth.

At face value, the first 3vs are a problem. This is not a two-bit revolution led by college students that have been drinking too much coffee & reading too much Karl Marx. This is a global, united attack against God, & it is organized by kings & politicians & influencers. For once they stop fighting each other & form an audacious plan to take out God. I imagine a chess board, where every piece on the board (both sides) have rebelled against the one true king. They have surrounded the king, & they are plotting their fatal attack. This is a problem.

Verse 3 tells us why they’re so angry. “Let us burst their bonds apart & cast their cords away from us.” Quite simply, they rebel because they hate God. They hate his rules. They hate the fact that he has authority over them. They want freedom! Does any of this sound familiar? Psalm 2 perfectly describes our world. It’s the story of Western Civilization. Our society is at the end of a very long project to kick God out of the world. I thought about giving you examples, but we would be here all day, because this is the world we live in. From philosophy to law to science to the news to entertainment to medicine to sports to education to social media to… fill in the blank… every corner of society has conspired to kick God out & to break free from his rules. We don’t want authority! We feel deep in our hearts. We want freedom apart from God. It is a violent conspiracy. It is a sophisticated conspiracy.

And according to the rest of the psalm (which is why I don’t want to get bogged down), it is a futile conspiracy. It’s so pointless that it makes God laugh. Look at v4 – He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. We’re talking about a world-wide assault on God! But God laughs. Their efforts to dethrone the Lord of the universe are embarrassing.

If you live with a toddler, perhaps you can understand. A few years ago, we were able to take care of a sweet little foster child, but that boy could not stand nap time! (Talk about bursting bonds and casting off cords of authority). Some days he would scream the whole time. Some days he would sit & sing to himself. Most days he would throw his diaper out of the crib. But once he began talking, the rebellion went to a different level. He had learned a new phrase, “I don’t want you.” He aimed straight for the heart. But it was super cute because it came out, “I no want you.” He decided to try out at nap time. Laura was putting him down for a nap & he was thrashing against her: “I no want you, momma! I no want you!” She said: sweet boy, be nice! So, he immediately changed his tone: “I no want you, mamma.” It’s hard not to laugh at the futility of a toddler’s revolt.

But this is how God treats the murderous threats of a world-wide conspiracy against him & his Anointed one. “I no want you, God!” He just laughs. (Yeah, you’re taking a nap). The rulers of the world clearly don’t understand the nature of God’s sovereignty. It’s not something we can deconstruct in a classroom. It’s not something we can write off in a book or sidestep in a nicely produced podcast. This world belongs to God. He cannot stop being sovereign. Any attack against his sovereignty is laughable. The strength of man is embarrassingly small to God.

And yet, it’s tragic. It elicits a laugh, but it’s deadly serious. The tone shifts abruptly in v5: Then he will speak to them in his wrath, & terrify them in his fury… In the next 2 stanzas, God will set the record straight in the most powerful & unexpected way. This leads to the 2nd clarifying feature of God’s kingdom: God Responds to Rebellion With Dreadful Power. But even here, there’s a twist. Because God doesn’t immediately respond to their violent threats with bigger violence. He’s not an insecure dictator, who responds to threats by detonating weapons in the ocean or sending a jet over a no-fly zone. God doesn’t show off his wealth, or his legions of angels. Instead, he responds in 2 very unexpected ways. 1st, he gives his Son, & 2nd, his Son gives a sermon. This is God’s response. A Son & a sermon. This is how God deals with evil. It may not look like much, but it is dreadfully powerful. Look at little closer at his strategy.

First, God gives his Son. Verse5 – Then he will speak to them in his wrath, & terrify them in his fury, saying, “As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.” This is God’s chosen instrument to judge the world. This is how God deals with the global conspiracy: He will establish his King, his Anointed Son, to reign in Zion. It might not look like an impressive sight. Zion is a modest hill that sits over the modest town of Jerusalem. But don’t be deceived by looks. This is God’s powerful plan.

I imagine Goliath felt this way when he saw David, God’s Anointed, walk onto the battlefield. Is this the best you can do? I’m here to destroy God’s people and you send me… this? Famous last words. Or think of Pilate when he saw Jesus: Is this your King? Is this the best you can do? With the flick of a wrist, he sent Jesus to be crucified, thinking he had won the battle, but in killing Jesus, he sealed his own defeat. Never underestimate the power of God’s Anointed King. The world rages against God, but God always has the final word: As for me, I have set my King on Zion!

Next, the Son preaches a sermon. In v7, we finally hear the Son’s voice. The sermon is only 3 sentences long, but its jaw dropping because he will announce the full weight of his authority. He says: I will tell of the decree: The LORD said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron & dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”

Some of you are wondering why every sermon can’t be 3-sentences long. It’s because none of us can preach like Jesus. But for those of us who do stand up here & preach, we must be very careful that the content of our sermons matches the content of his sermon. It’s very simple. Jesus is Lord of the entire universe. He rightfully owns it all. He will judge rebellious sinners. We dare not bend that truth. Here are a few comments on this powerful sermon.

In v7, Jesus declares the source of his authority. God spoke a royal decree over him: this is my Son! Do you know how many times that line in v7 comes up in the NT? We hear it at his baptism & his transfiguration, & in Romans 1, Paul applies it to his resurrection: He was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord. This phrase is so important, & it follows Jesus everywhere he goes, because it demonstrates the authority that God gave him. I want you to know this is my beloved Son… I give him the right to exercise dominion & authority.

In v8, we find out the extent of his authority: God gives his Son the nations as his inheritance. This is terribly ironic, because in v1, the nations were raging against him. But here they are given as a gift to the Son. They are his rightful inheritance. There is not a corner of this planet that does not belong to Jesus. Every tribe & tongue are his. Again, this text is all over the NT, especially in the book of Revelation, but it is the backbone to the Great Commission in Matthew 28. Jesus gathered his disciples and said: All authority has been given to me… Go therefore and make disciples of all nations… It all belongs to him. This is the main reason we engage in missions: the nations rightfully belong to Jesus.

In v9, we discover the manner of his authority. He holds an iron rod, which represents his unbending authority. If you stiffen your neck & harden your heart you will be pulverized by this iron rod. The image is a piece of pottery being dashed into a thousand pieces on the ground. It’s terrifying…But not entirely. I would imagine there are some in this room that are not repulsed by the sight of this Anointed King wielding an iron rod. If you flip over just a few pages, you will find the shepherd in Psalm 23 holding the same rod, and if you are part of his flock, this rod brings you great comfort. There are many in the room that have been disciplined by the same rod, & you have grown to love it. Listen to how Augustine speaks of this rod: “Jesus will dash to pieces our earthly desires & the muddy preoccupations of the old man & whatever has been contracted or implanted from the slime of sin.” Don’t you desire that? The same rod that breaks apart rebellious sinners, disciplines & purifies & even heals broken sinners.

And with this, we have come to the crux of the psalm. Jesus is fully established in our sight as the King of the universe! He wields an iron rod. You cannot change him, & you cannot take the rod out of his hand. He rightfully owns everything, including you. The only question left is: How will you relate to him? Will you continue to thrash against his reign, or will you bow in humility? This leads us to the 3rd & final feature of God’s Kingdom. Our Only Refuge From the King’s Wrath is Found In the King Himself.

The final stanza is amazing. God will step into the ring of world leaders, who are taking counsel together, & offer them a bit of counsel. Verse 10 – Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, & rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, & you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

The psalm ends with 2 words: be warned & be wise. If any of you are looking for evangelism training, this is it. You can’t explain the gospel without a warning & a call to wisdom! Look at each one. First, be warned. You will never escape the sovereign reign of Jesus. You cannot overthrow his authority, & you cannot opt out of it. If you decide to walk away from Jesus, you are running into his wrath. In v11, we find the terrible words that his wrath is quickly kindled. This is why I titled my sermon, the safety of a short-tempered savior. It’s disorienting because we know Jesus to be slow to anger. He is more patient than we deserve. But his patience will eventually run out, & when it does, it will be too late. Rebels will perish in the way… his wrath will come without warning.

I want to illustrate this from the book of Revelation. The Bible gives us a picture of what will happen to people if they continue in their rebellion against Jesus. In Revelation 6, we find the Lamb taking vengeance on rebellious sinners. Have you ever been afraid of a lamb? This lamb may look weak, but he was worthy to open the heavenly seals. When he opened the 6th seal, the mountains melted & the stars fell from the sky. Look at the reaction of the people. [15] Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, [16] calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, [17] for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”

Be warned, rulers of the earth. You cannot escape the authority of the Son. But according to Psalm 2, you can be saved from it. There is a way out. This is found in the second word: be wise. The only way to escape the wrath of the Lamb is to hide in the Lamb. His wrath is quickly kindled, but blessed are those who take refuge in him. We are told to serve him with fear & to rejoice with trembling. These are words combinations that we typically do not put together. Serve Jesus with fear. Experience the fullness of joy while you tremble.

I am afraid that many 21st Century Christians don’t know Jesus like this. Our country is filled with people who prayed a prayer to “accept” Jesus, but I wonder if they have ever experienced this type of trembling joy in his presence. I want to preface what I’m about to say with a disclaimer: I am a deeply convicted Protestant Evangelical. The older I get, the more these convictions grow. And yet, it is a fair critique of Evangelicalism that we often take the fear & trembling out of our interactions with Jesus. I think it comes from a good-hearted desire to make Jesus accessible. Of course, he is accessible. He took the rod of God’s wrath on the cross so we can come to him! But we can only access him on his terms. We need to get away from a man-centered salvation where Jesus comes into our lives to make our lives better. We will only find true salvation, and true trembling joy, when we humble ourselves & approach the throne of grace on his terms. He welcomes us, but he remains the sovereign Lord of the universe! This takes an odd combination of humility & courage that seems to be missing from the lives of so many professing believers.

I would imagine that many people don’t even know that this type of terrified joy even exists. But it is on every page of the Bible. Think about the Israelites walking through the Red Sea. Trembling joy. Or think about Mary the other women running away from the empty tomb: trembling joy. Or think about the powerful story in Acts 4. Peter & John had just healed a lame man in the name of Jesus & the whole town of Jerusalem was stirred up. This is just a few weeks after Jesus ascended to heaven. The same weak leaders that crucified Jesus now arrested Peter & John. They severely threatened them to stop declaring the authority of Jesus. You remember what Peter & John did. They got back to their room with the other believers & declared the authority of Jesus together. They flipped their Bible open to Psalm 2 & proclaimed the authority of Jesus! Why do the nations rage? Herod & Pilate killed Jesus, but it didn’t work! Their death threats against us won’t work either! As they prayed, the room where they were meeting shook with the power of the Holy Spirit. Trembling joy!

This is what happens when we declare the authority of Jesus & approach him with boldness & humility. Trembling joy. As we close our time together this morning, I want to leave you with a very simple point of application. I want to invite you to declare the authority of Jesus in your life this week. Make it a habit. My friend, Hans Manegren, recently shared a short & powerful prayer with me that I want to share with you. If you know Hans, you know that he has spent most of his life on the front lines of kingdom work. He has devoted his life to the advance of the gospel into all nations. This is where spiritual warfare is most intense. So, he developed a habit of gathering his team at noon for 2-3 minutes to lead a “recalibration prayer.” It is very simple. It is not a formula. It’s just a way to remember a very basic & powerful truth.

“LORD we declare TRUTH, that JESUS IS LORD over [fill in the blank]. YOU are the LORD over ALL Nations of the WORLD! YOU are the LORD of the Universe! All things are laid under YOU, JESUS! We declare that JESUS is the LORD of our lives…