Board of Peace or Prince of Peace
Scripture: Psalm 2:1–12 (ESV)
Rev. Kelvin L. Parks
21 February 2026
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Church, please stand to your feet as we read God's Word.
Scripture: Psalm 2:1–12 (ESV)
(v.1) Why do the nations rage, and the peoples plot in vain?
(v.2) The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying,
(v.3) Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.”
(v.4) He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision.
(v.5) Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying,
(v.6) As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.”
(v.7) I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you.
(v.8) Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.
(v.9) You shall break[b] them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.”
(v.10) Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth.
(v.11) Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling.
(v.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.
This is the Word of the Lord for the people of God. You may be seated.
If I had to give a message or a subject today, it would simply be:
Scripture: Psalm 2:1–12 (ESV)
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Introduction / Historical Context / A Timeless Word
As I was meditating on Psalm 2, something just kept stirring in my spirit.
This is an old Psalm. David wrote this thousands of years ago. He was dealing with kings, rulers, and nations that were plotting against God's people, plotting against God's anointed.
And I kept thinking — this in not old. This is fitting right now.
You know … the Bible has a way of doing that, doesn't it?
Ecclesiastes 1:9 says, "What has been, will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun."
In other words:
• The faces change.
• The flags change.
• The languages change.
• Technology changes.
But the spirit of rebellion and the illusion of human control … that stays the same. What David saw in his day, we are seeing in our day.
• The same foolishness.
• The same pride.
• The same plotting.
• The same God watching from the same throne.
Do not believe me, watch this — in every generation, man gathers around a table to negotiate peace.
In the 1960s, they gathered to talk about ending wars overseas and unrest at home.
• They passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, trying to calm the streets, to give us the right to vote, to dismantle legal segregation, to restore justice.
• Laws, commissions, and programs were created, hoping ink on paper could quiet chaos in our neighborhoods.
In the 1970s, treaties and accords were signed.
• Camp David, Helsinki, trade agreements.
• men in suits at tables,
• pens in hand, cameras rolling, announcing "peace in our time."
In the 1980s, we watched the Berlin Wall fall. Leaders stood before microphones declaring a "new world order," a new era of cooperation. Summits in Reykjavik, arms talks, nuclear reductions — everybody clapping, everybody shaking hands, everybody smiling for the picture.
In the 1990s and 2000s, we heard words like
• Oslo,
• ceasefire, coalition forces,
• monitoring, sanctions.
• New boards, new councils, new committees.
And even right now — in 2026 — negotiations are still going on.
• Regarding land.
• Over borders.
• Over hostages.
• Over sanctions.
• Billions of dollars pledged, pressed into the hands of new organizations.
Just this week, another "board of peace" was created, and billions of dollars were committed to it — trying to rebuild what bombs destroyed, trying to stabilize what sin destabilized.
Every generation believes if we can just:
• get the right people.
• in the right room,
• at the right table,
• with the right advisors,
• and enough money,
• we can manufacture peace.
Over time man has established …
• Committees of peace
• Councils of peace
• Panels of peace
• Boards of peace
But notice, Psalm 2 reminds us:
• Peace does not come from a boardroom.
• Peace comes from a throne room.
Watch this (v.1) while kings are meeting, God is seated.
The psalm says, "He who sits in the heavens laughs."
Notice … God is.
• not pacing
• He is not anxious.
• He is not adjusting His authority.
• He sits…
• and He laughs.
And why does He laugh? I am so glad you asked…
• Because none of these treaties,
• none of these councils,
• none of these boards ever truly began in prayer.
• They did not call on the God of peace.
• They did not bow before the Prince of Peace.
• They are trying to engineer peace without the Engineer of eternity.
And if you could hear heaven's response, I believe God would say:
Here we go again … you insist on doing this without me …
Did you not know that I am?
• Shalom — completeness, wholeness, well-being — the Author of Peace?
• El Shaddai — Almighty God — sustaining peace.
• Jehovah Rapha — the Lord who heals — restoring and reconciling.
• Yahweh Shalom — the Lord is Peace.
• Sar Shalom — the Prince of Peace.
• Theos Eirene — the God of Peace.
• Yahweh Tsidkenu — the Lord Our Righteousness — removing enmity between God and man."
God is saying ... yet another board that
• does not begin with Me.
• Does not include Me.
• And does not end with Me.
Watch this ... (v.4) And the irony — all your ink, all your meetings, all your boards… without Me… it is laughable.
Repeat Subject: Board of Peace or Prince of Peace
Church, I will not be before you long, Today I want to talk about the following three points:
1. The Raging Nations and Counterfeit Peace
2. God Responds with Holy Laughter and Sovereign Derision
3. False Prophets and Frightened Followers
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Point 1: The Raging Nations and Counterfeit Peace
Notice, the text opens with a question:
"Why do the nations rage, and the peoples plot in vain?"
Now, that Hebrew word for rage — ragash — it does not just mean anger. It paints the picture of a tumultuous mob gathering, conspiring, churning like the sea in a storm.
And the word for plot here is hagah — the same word used in Psalm 1:2 for meditate.
In other words — the same energy that should be used meditating on God's Word, they are using to plot against God's anointed. Let me say that again.
• They are meditating on madness.
• They are studying rebellion.
• the way they should be studying Scripture.
And what are they plotting? Watch this … Verse 3:
"Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us."
In other words:
• "We don't want God's boundaries."
• "We don't want God's commands."
• "We don't want God's definition of justice or righteousness."
Simply put:
• They want peace without repentance.
• Prosperity without obedience.
• Blessing without the Blesser.
Church, these are boards of counterfeit peace —
• man-made,
• man-run,
• man-controlled,
• trying to manage wars they helped start,
• fix problems they helped create,
• legislate what only God can liberate.
And notice — the text says their plotting is in vain.
• That Hebrew word is riq — emptiness. Worthlessness.
• It means the outcome of all their planning is nothing.
• All that strategy.
• All those meetings.
• All those press conferences and photo opportunities.
• Riq. Empty. Like pouring water into a bucket with no bottom.
If that is too deep … let me bring in home and bring it closer.
Some of us have our own little "boards of peace" in our personal lives:
• A financial board: "If I can just get this raise, this promotion, this side hustle, I'll have peace."
• A relational board: "If I can just get married, just get out of this marriage, just get this person to act right, I'll have peace."
• A personal board: "If I can just move to a new city, get a new job, a new church, a new circle of friends, I'll finally be okay."
And God says, "You are plotting peace… but you are plotting without Me. That's not peace; that's a pause before the next problem."
I came to tell you that — any peace that requires you to ignore God's voice is not peace; it is sedation (like a pill to makes your pain temporarily go away).
Any peace that lets you keep your idols and your rebellion is not peace; it is a ceasefire with a ticking clock.
The nations rage
The people plot
The boards meet.
But the text says — it is in vain (v.1).
Walk with me …
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Point 2: God Responds with Holy Laughter and Sovereign Derision
Now here is where I need you to lean in.
Verse 4:
"He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision."
Notice — He sits.
The Psalmist does not say.
• God paces
• God worries.
• God scrambles
• God calls an emergency meeting.
He sits in the heavens.
The Hebrew word is yashav — and it is the posture of a King enthroned — not someone concerned, but someone reigning.
• You sit down when the job is finished.
• You sit down when the verdict has been rendered.
• You sit down when the battle has already been won.
So, before we even get to the laughter, the first point is in His posture:
• God is not threatened by the nations.
• He is enthroned above the nations.
Now — from that seated place — NOTICE … He laughs.
• The Hebrew word for laughs here is sachaq, and it means to laugh in derision, to mock, to scoff.
• It is the laugh of someone who sees the absurdity of what is happening below and finds it ridiculous.
• NOTE: this is not cruel laughter — but a confident laughter.
• The laughter of someone who already knows the ending from the beginning.
Notice … the text (v.4) adds a second word: derision.
"The Lord holds them in derision."
• That word is la'ag, which means to mock, to sneer, to ridicule — it was sometimes used to describe someone imitating a foreigner's stammering speech.
It is God saying,
• "I hear all your big speeches, all your fancy language, all your declarations and resolutions — and it sounds like babbling to Me."
• All the cameras, all the summits, all the breaking news alerts, all the "urgent meetings” heaven sees it and says, "Is that all you've got?"
• When leaders gather and say, "We can do this without God," He laughs.
• When systems try to legislate morality but reject His righteousness, He laughs.
• When human pride rises up and says, "I will run this, I will define truth, I will decide what's right," heaven sees the absurdity of clay arguing with the Potter.
Now watch this — and I want you to hear me carefully on this next part.
It is February 2026 … We are living in a time — in this very season, in this very year — where certain administrations and certain public figures cannot stand to be laughed at.
• If you mock them, they want you canceled.
• If you satirize them, they want your platform removed.
• If a comedian tells a joke they do not like, they want regulatory agencies to come after the network.
• If a talk show host says something unflattering, suddenly there are threats against broadcast licenses, threats against free speech, investigations opened not because of criminality but because of comedy.
Now I am not calling any names. I do not have to. You already know exactly what I am talking about.
But here is what I need you to see from Psalm 2 — there is a difference between human derision and divine derision.
• When man mocks, it is usually because of insecurity.
• When GOD mocks, it is because of indictment.
• When man cannot handle being laughed at, it is because his power is fragile.
• When GOD laughs, it is because His power is absolute.
• When man retaliates against ridicule, it exposes his weakness.
• When GOD laughs from heaven, it exposes man's foolishness.
See, earthly leaders want to silence the laughter because the laughter threatens their authority. But GOD initiates the laughter because the rebellion threatens nothing.
• His throne is secure.
• His decree is settled.
• His Son is installed.
And no executive order, no regulatory threat, no political maneuvering can change what heaven has already decided.
Now watch this —
• While men are convening, He is conquering.
• While they are debating, He is decreeing.
• While men are planning, He is presiding.
• While they are passing resolutions, He is fulfilling prophecies.
But this is not just geopolitical; it is personal.
Every time we try to negotiate our own peace without God, heaven could look at our little meeting and say, "That's cute… and foolish."
• When we say, I will be at peace when I get this job.
• "I'll be at peace when I get this relationship."
• "I'll be at peace when I move to this neighborhood."
And God says, "You are trying to manufacture peace with the same tools that created your chaos."
Now notice what happens after God laughs. Verse 5:
"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.'"
• Notice, God does not argue; He announces.
• God does not negotiate; He declares.
• He says, "While you're building your boards, I've already installed My King.
• While you're drawing up your treaties, I've already sent My Son."
Somebody needs to hear this today:
• You do not need another board; you need to bow.
• You do not need another meeting; you need a Messiah.
• You do not need another peace plan; you need the Prince of Peace.
And if we are honest … we can tell who your real king is by who can disturb your peace.
• If the stock market can snatch your joy, that is your king.
• If a relationship can rob your sleep, that is your king.
• If an election can make you lose your mind, you have enthroned politics where only Christ belongs.
But if He who sits in the heavens is your King — then even when the nations rage, your soul can rest.
• If your King is seated, you do not have to live standing on pins and needles.
• If your King is laughing, you do not have to live locked in panic.
Walk with me … my last and final point.
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Point 3: False Prophets and Frightened Followers
Notice — whenever there are kings, there are counselors. Whenever there is power, there are prophets — some true, some false. (Repeat)
Watch this …
In the Old Testament, kings surrounded themselves with voices, just like today.
• Jeremiah stood up and said, "Judgment is coming. Babylon is coming. Exile is coming."
• And the false prophets stood up right behind him and said, "No it's not. Peace, peace," when there was no peace.
• Notice false prophets will soothe the king but did not confront his sin.
• They comforted the people but did not call them to repentance.
Isaiah spoke hard truth to power. Daniel stood in Babylon, in the courts of a pagan king, and interpreted dreams that shook the empire. He was not trying to keep his job; he was trying to keep his integrity. And some of those truths put him in a lion's den.
Because that is what happens to real prophets — they do not get promoted for their honesty; they get persecuted for it. I am talking to someone who lost their job for telling the truth about a situation.
Now bring it forward — nothing has changed.
Leaders today still surround themselves with:
• Advisors who talk strategy but never talk sin.
• Consultants who talk optics but never talk obedience.
• Commentators who talk polls but never talk prayer.
• Voices that will tell you what you want to hear but never what you need to hear.
But it is not just presidents and prime ministers; it is us.
• You keep friends who will co-sign your dysfunction but never challenge your disobedience.
• You follow voices that will bless your rebellion but never call you to repentance.
• You listen to preaching that talks about destiny but never talks about holiness.
Those are modern-day false prophets in your life — not because they wear a robe, but because they refuse to bring you to the feet of Jesus.
You know what I love about out text …Psalm 2 does not just diagnose the problem; it gives the prescription.
Walk with me … Verses 10 through 12:
"Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. 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."
Notice the SIX verbs prescription:
1. Be wise.
2. Be warned.
3. Serve.
4. Rejoice.
5. Kiss.
6. Take refuge.
That is not boardroom language; that's throne room language.
"Be wise" — the Hebrew here is sakal, meaning to show discernment, to gain insight, to act prudently. God is saying, "Use your brain. Understand what you are up against. This is not a negotiation; this is a reckoning."
"Be warned" — the Hebrew is yasar, meaning to be chastened, to be corrected, to receive discipline. God is not just giving advice; He is giving a warning. The same way a parent tells a child, "I'm telling you now so you won't have to learn the hard way."
"Serve the Lord with fear." That fear is yirah — not the fear that makes you run from God, but the reverence that makes you run toward Him. Holy awe. The kind of awareness that says, "You are God, and I am not."
"Rejoice with trembling." Rejoicing — that's simchah — deep, covenant joy, gladness rooted in God's grace and favor. And trembling — that holy shaking of the soul in the presence of a holy God.
Watch this …
• Trembling without rejoicing is terror.
• Rejoicing without trembling is arrogance.
• But rejoicing with trembling — THAT'S WORSHIP.
In other words, …
• You shout because He's good.
• You tremble because He's God.
Then the psalm says — "Kiss the Son."
Now in the Hebrew, the word for kiss is nashaq. Biblical scholars tell us it carries the idea of joining yourself to someone — it was originally a military term for arraying yourself together in allegiance.
And it may also trace back to the root nasa'q, meaning to kindle a fire, to become passionate.
• So, there's heat in this word — it is not a cold, formal handshake; it is a fervent declaration: "I am Yours."
• And the word for Son here is not the usual Hebrew word ben; it is the Aramaic word bar.
• Some scholars say bar connects to barar, meaning to make pure.
So "Kiss the Son" could carry the sense of: "Join yourself passionately and purely to the Son. Align yourself with the Son. Submit yourself to the Son. Pledge your loyalty, your life, your allegiance to the Son."
In the ancient world, to kiss the king's hand or ring was to declare, "You are my king and I am your subject."
When Samuel anointed Saul as king, he kissed him — that was the coronation seal. When the sinful woman wept at the feet of Jesus and kissed His feet, that was an upside-down coronation — she was crowning Him King of her heart with her tears.
So, God is saying through the Psalmist: Stop negotiating with Me and start surrendering to Me.
Now let me lay them side-by-side for you — because I want you to see the contrast clearly.
• The Board of Peace wants your 10 billion dollars for peace and protection.
• But God? God says in Psalm 51:17, "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise."
• God does not want your billions; He wants your brokenness. He is not asking for a wire transfer; He's asking for a surrendered heart.
• The Board of Peace wants your membership fees and your founding pledges.
• But God says in Romans 12:1, "Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship."
• He does not want your money; He wants you. All of you. On the altar. Not writing a check — but laying down your life.
• The Board of Peace wants your allegiance to a man-made institution.
• But God says in Isaiah 66:2, "This is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word."
• He does not want your allegiance to a building or a brand; He wants you humble, broken, and trembling at His Word.
Now watch this — let me keep going:
• The Board of Peace changes laws; the Prince of Peace changes hearts.
• The Board of Peace manages conflict; the Prince of Peace reconciles sinners to God.
• The Board of Peace offers temporary ceasefires; the Prince of Peace offers eternal refuge.
• The Board of Peace asks you to agree; the Prince of Peace asks you to repent.
• The Board of Peace gives you paperwork; the Prince of Peace gives you peace that passes understanding.
• The Board of Peace costs you 10 billion and still cannot guarantee tomorrow; the Prince of Peace paid it all on Calvary and guarantees you eternity.
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Closing: The Joke Is Not Funny Anymore
Now watch this — and this is where I need every ear in this room.
We started today by seeing that God laughs at the rebellion of the nations. Sachaq. He laughs. La'ag — He mocks. He holds them in derision.
And we learned together … that this is the laughter of divine confidence, not cruelty. He laughs because their rebellion is foolish.
But church — I need you to understand something. God's laughter has an expiration date.
• The derision is not the destination.
• The comedy is not the conclusion.
• The mockery is not the main event.
• It is the preview.
• It is the warning shot.
• It is heaven saying, "You still have time to turn around… but the clock is ticking."
Look at what the text says in verse 5:
"THEN he will speak to them in his wrath and terrify them in his fury."
Notice that word "then."
It is a transition word. It means the laughter stops and the judgment starts.
Brothers and Sisters … I stop by to tell you that there is a "then" coming.
• There is a moment where heaven goes from laughing to speaking, and when God speaks in His wrath, the Hebrew tells us He will bahal them — terrify them, confound them, throw them into utter confusion and dread.
And then verse 12 drives it home:
"Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled."
That phrase — "his wrath is quickly kindled" — the Hebrew word for kindled is from charah, and it means to burn, to blaze up, to catch fire.
It is the image of a flame that has been held back, held back, held back, held back and then in an instant, it IGNITES.
It does not slowly build; it blazes. God's patience is long, but His justice is sudden.
Watch this …
Right now, in this season, heaven is laughing at foolish rebellion. God sees the boards and the councils and the negotiations and the posturing, and He is seated, and He is amused at the arrogance of it all.
But the laugh track does not play forever.
At some point, the derision turns to destruction.
At some point, the punchline is over.
At some point, THE JOKE AIN'T FUNNY NO MORE.
At some point, the episode gets CANCELED — and it will not be canceled by a regulatory agency or a government official or somebody who got their feelings hurt by a comedian.
IT WILL BE CANCELED BY THE GOD OF THE UNIVERSE WHOSE WRATH HAS BEEN KINDLED.
Proverbs 1:26 says, "I will also laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your dread comes."
There is a day when God's mockery meets man's misery.
There is a day when the laughter of heaven becomes the terror of earth. And the Psalmist, knowing this, begs you:
- Be wise. Know you are not God.
- Be warned. Rebellion has a deadline.
Do not be the fool who hears the laughter and thinks it means God does not care.
The laughter means God is giving you time.
• But time runs out.
• The wrath is being kindled.
• The flame is building.
And when it catches — and the text says it will catch quickly — you do not want to be on the wrong side of that fire.
So, what do you do?
The text says: "Kiss the Son."
• Surrender
• Submit
• Bow
Join yourself to Him — passionately, purely, completely.
• Not a handshake; a kiss.
• Not a negotiation; a surrender.
• Not a contribution; a coronation — crown Him King of your heart.
And then the very last line — the very last breath of this Psalm — gives you the most beautiful word in the whole passage:
"Blessed are all who take refuge in Him."
• Not in a board.
• Not in a committee.
• Not in a treaty.
• Not in a system.
• Not in a leader.
• Not in 10 billion dollars.
TAKE REFUGE IN HIM (Christ Jesus)
That word refuge — the Hebrew is chasah — it means to take shelter, to run to safety, to hide yourself in someone stronger than you.
It is a picture of a child running into their father's arms during a storm.
And that is the invitation right now —
• While God is still laughing,
• while there is still time,
• while the wrath has not yet fully caught fire —RUN TO HIM.
If that is you today, I want you to bow your head and pray something like this from your heart:
"Lord Jesus, I see the nations raging and my own heart raging.
I confess my sin and my rebellion.
I have trusted men, systems, leaders, and myself.
I have trusted boards and budgets and billion-dollar promises.
Today I turn to You — the Prince of Peace, the Son of God.
I believe, Christ died for my sins and rose again.
I kiss the Son; I bow to You as King.
Be my refuge, my Lord, and my peace.
In Jesus' name, amen."
Church, the Board of Peace may fail.
• Treaties may crumble.
• Ceasefires may collapse.
• Negotiations may fall apart.
• Administrations may rise and fall.
• Billions may be pledged and never delivered.
But the Prince of Peace will NEVER fail.
And the Psalm closes by saying:
"Blessed are ALL who take refuge in Him."
• Not some.
• Not a few.
• Not the ones who have it together.
• Not the ones who can afford a billion-dollar membership.
ALL who run to Him.
The joke is not funny anymore, church.
But the refuge is still open.
Come to Him today.
