Why Do the Terrorists Rage?
PSALM 2
*A week or so ago we awakened to the news of yet another terrorists attack
*In London terrorists explored a series of bombs killing around 50 people
*This was just another incident in a every growing pattern of terrorist bombings and killings around the world
* Have you ever wondered—”why do the terrorists rage and murder?
* Our passage today gives us the answer
I. TODAY WE ARE LOOKING AT PSALM 2—WHICH IS KNOWN AS A ROYAL PSALM
These are called royal psalms because they talk about the king
1. They might talk about the king of Israel
*there are psalms that speak of the king’s enthronement or his marriage
2. These royal psalms might be talking about God’s Kingship—as Sovereign of the Universe
3. They might be talking about a Messianic King—the Lord Jesus
4. Or as is the case with our psalm today, some of the royal psalms speak of both a human king and the Messianic King—Jesus
B. Psalm 2 must be seen on two levels—the human and the divine
C. On the human level, this psalm is about the coronation of a new king in Israel and the desire of the nations and peoples to rebel against him.
*as it usually was in the ancient days
*when a king died there was political instability
* those in the far reaches of his kingdom would often take this opportunity rebel before a new king could be appointed
1. Yet, this psalm says God has appointed the human king and therefore God will crush his enemies
2. It is futile to rebel against God’s anointed king
3. Therefore the nations are called on the submit to the king and avoid certain judgment and destruction
4. Let’s read this psalm on this level
D. On the divine level this psalm is about the enthronement of King Jesus and all of mankind’s rebellion again HIM
1. Yet, because God the Father has appointed Jesus to be the King of kings and Lord of lords, He will crush His enemies
2. It is futile to rebel against the Lord Jesus therefore mankind is called on to submit to Jesus as Lord and escape His judgment and wrath.
3. Let’s read Psalm 2 again with this divine level in mind and what we will see is it is a universal call to salvation!
D. Our focus today will be on the divine level of this psalm—the universal call to salvation
E. We will see this psalm breaks down into 3 parts
1. 1st—the fact that mankind stands in rebellion against God’s anointed, the Lord God (1-3)
2. 2nd—the Lord’s response to mankind’s rebellion (4-9)
3. 3rd—the Lord’s call for mankind to repent and be saved (10-12)
II. MANKIND STANDS IN REBELLION AGAINST THE LORD’S ANOINTED (1-3)
1st—notice this rebellion is universal.
Look at the terms the psalmist uses to show the universal nature of this rebellion
1. “The nations are in an uproar”
2. “The peoples devise a vain thing”
3. “The kings of the earth take their stand”
4. “The rulers take counsel against”
B. The truth is mankind stands in rebellion against the Lord God
1. Peter used this psalm to explain the opposition that led to Jesus’ crucifixion and the opposition the early church was experiencing.
Illus. Ac 4:25-28
’WHY DID THE GENTILES RAGE,AND THE PEOPLES DEVISE FUTILE THINGS? 26’THE KINGS OF THE EARTH TOOK THEIR STAND,AND THE RULERS WERE GATHERED TOGETHERAGAINST THE LORD AND AGAINST HIS CHRIST.’
27 "For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, 28 to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur.
2. When we are born into this human race, we are born in rebellion against God
3. Paul borrows from Psalm 14 to express this universal rebellion against God
Illus. Ro 3:10-18
"THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE;
11 THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS,
THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD;
12 ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS;
THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD,
THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE."
13 "THEIR THROAT IS AN OPEN GRAVE,
WITH THEIR TONGUES THEY KEEP DECEIVING,"
"THE POISON OF ASPS IS UNDER THEIR LIPS";
14 "WHOSE MOUTH IS FULL OF CURSING AND BITTERNESS";
15 "THEIR FEET ARE SWIFT TO SHED BLOOD,
16 DESTRUCTION AND MISERY ARE IN THEIR PATHS,
17 AND THE PATH OF PEACE THEY HAVE NOT KNOWN."
18 "THERE IS NO FEAR OF GOD BEFORE THEIR EYES."
4. That’s a bleak picture of mankind, but it’s universally true “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” Ro 3:23
C. That is the condition of your heart today if you are apart from Christ!
2nd—The manifestations of this rebellion in the hearts of men are obvious.
Again the psalmist uses terms that clearly depict rebellious attitudes and actions
1. “The nations are in an uproar”
*”uproar” this is the only place this Heb. word is used in the Old Testament
*it means “to conspire” “to plot”[1]
2. “the people devising”
*this means they are planning, plotting plans to rebel against the king
*this word is sometimes translated “meditate”[2]
*in fact it is the same word used in Psalm 1:2 for the blessed man who mediates on God’s Word
*Do you see the contrast?
—the righteous man mediates on the Word of God
—the unrighteous man mediates on ways to rebel against God
*This is why the terrorists rage!
*They are in rebellion against God
3. “The kings take their stand in defiance against the King
*we can picture man standing and shaking his fists in the air at God
4. “The rulers take counsel together”
*”take counsel” is used elsewhere of laying of a foundation
*it means “to establish”[3]
*the picture we get is man’s determination to stand against God
Illus. Some of the most powerful rulers in history have exemplified this rebellion against God
In modern times they have included—
Hitler who hated God and wanted to eradicate Christianity—Rutgers University School of Law at Camden, have posted papers on a website detailing Hitler’s desire to eradicate Christianity. The documents are from the archives of Gen. William J. Donovan and were originally prepared for the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg, so we can safely assume they are authentic.
"It is through the peasantry that we shall really be able to destroy Christianity," Hitler said in 1933 "One is either a Christian or a German. You can’t be both."
Joseph Stalin Dr. David Barrett, editor of the World Christian Encyclopedia, has documented that Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin was responsible for killing over 40 million people. Joseph Stalin closed down over 48 000 churches, and attempted the liquidation of the entire Christian Church.
Mao Tse Tung Similarly, the communist dictator of China launched the Great Proletariat Cultural Revolution, ”History’s most systematic attempt ever, by a single nation, to eradicate and destroy Christianity…” Mao was responsible for killing about 72 million people.
5. Man wants to be free from God and His morals (3)
*”Let us tear their fetters apart and casts away their cords from us”
*Rebellious man sees God’s moral laws as oppression
*He wants to be free to do as he pleases
*He wants to follow his heart’s desire
6. Man want to rejects Jesus’ Lordship and be his own lord (Expositor’s 67)
B. Here we see mankind in rebellion against the Lord God—the King of kings
III. NOW LOOK AT GOD’S RESPONSE TO MANKIND’S REBELLION (4-9)
A. Is God in heaven wringing His hands over man’s rebellion?
1. Is He thinking, “Oh what am I going to do?”
2. “Oh me, I am so afraid!”
3. “Adolph Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Mao Tse Tung are rebelling against My Anointed King”
4. “They are out to destroy My kingdom”
5. “Oh Me, what am I going to do?”
B. NO WAY!
C. God laughs and scoffs at rebellious man! (4)
1. The One who sits in the heavens is not disturbed or threatened by these mere mortals.
2. He laughs at them and mocks them.
Illus. Hitler and Nazism has long since vanished and Christianity thrives
*Joseph Stalin and communism have fallen and Christianity continues to rage powerful and triumphant
*Mao Tse Tung failed miserably in eradicating Christianity in China
—Open Doors estimates 100 million Christians in China
3. The writer wants to show God is not bothered in the least by rebellious man.
4. What we are seeing in this psalm is an “end time” view of God’s attitude toward sinful mankind.
*this psalm uses the language of judgment on those who rebel against God.
D. Next, notice God is angry with them because of their rebellion.
1. Here we have Heb. parallelism
*He will speak to them in anger
*He will terrify them in his fury
2. Do not be put off by God’s anger
3. We need to remember: God’s holiness demands His anger over sin and rebellion
*This is a righteous anger
*A holy wrath
4. What kind of God would He be if he were indifferent to man’s sin and rebellion?
E. God’s 3rd response to this rebellion is His proclamation that He has decreed judgment on them! (6-9)
1. In contrast to man’s rebellion and rejection of the King—God has chosen and installed the King and given Him the power to crush the nations—exercise judgment on them!
2. First we see God has installed the king “But as for Me, I have installed My King” (6)—in contrast to man’s rejection of the King, God has chosen and anointed Him and placed Him in Jerusalem
*Zion is referring to Jerusalem
3. Next we see God has a special relationship with the King. (7)
*the king is spoken of as God’s son—His begotten
Illus. *This reminds us of the covenant God made with David in 2 Sam 7 (14) 2 Sa 7:12-15
When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 " He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 " I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; when he
commits iniquity, I will correct him with the rod of men and the strokes of the sons of men, 15 but My lovingkindness shall not depart from him,
*This language refers to both the human and divine king
*It’s immediate context was to David’s descendants who might need God’s discipline
*It’s prophetic context was the Messiah King—the Lord Jesus
Illus. When the Apostle Paul was preaching to the Jews at Pisidian Antioch, he used this verse to refer to Jesus as God’s Son
3. Third, God gave the King Jesus sovereign rule to exercise judgment on the rebellious nations. (8-9)
*we get the picture of a mighty king subduing a rebellion against him and crushing all opposition to his rule
Illus—they are like a clay pot shattered with an iron rod
—broken into hundreds of pieces
*he is the victorious warrior-king exercising world-wide dominion
*this is apocalyptic language
Illus. It reminds us of Rev 19—The return of King Jesus to defeat those who have rebelled against him
Rev 19:11-16
And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. 12 His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. 13 He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. 15 From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. 16 And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, " KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS."
IV. HAVING SPOKEN OF THE JUDGMENT OF GOD THE PSALMIST NOW ISSUES A CALL FOR MANKIND TO REPENT AND BE SAVED FROM THIS CERTAIN JUDGMENT AND DESTRUCTION (10-12)
*Here we see God’s grace!
A.The Lord 1st calls for a change of mind.[4] (10)
*True repentance always involves our mind.
1. They are to show discernment and take warning
2. They are to change their thinking about their rebellious ways
3. They thought they could succeed in their rebellion against the king
*Now they are called on to realize they cannot
*they are to see the futility of their ways
*the certainty of judgment and destruction
4. They had seen the king’s rule as oppression
*they are now to see it as a blessing
5. The Lord Jesus calls on rebellious man to change his way of thinking
*He must recognize his rebellion against God
*He must realize he has rejected God’s rule in his life
*He has been his own lord—living in rebellion against a holy God.
*He must see the Lordship of Christ is not oppressive but liberating—good
*He must see Jesus as God’s Anointed Son and King of the universe
6. This all has to do with our thinking—our mind
B. Next, the Lord calls for a change in heart.[5] (11)
*True repentance always involves our inner most being
1. The rebellious are called on worship the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling.
2. "Worship," "rejoice," "fear," and "trembling" describe the religious responses of the righteous in worship.
*They are to lead lives of submission, not rebellion;
*lives characterized by reverence and trembling, not arrogance;
*lives filled with exultation, not the gloom of oppression.[6] (Bible Know)
3. Jesus calls on sinners to reject their pride and humble themselves and come to Him in reverence and submission
*saying “Lord I need you, I want you”
*”I reject my pride and arrogance”
*”I know you are my only hope—my only way to be saved from God’s judgment over my sins”
C. The Lord calls for a change of will.[7] (12)
*The Heb. word for homage is literally “kiss”
*This a reference to the ancient custom of kissing the king to show homage, submission, obedience to him.[8]
1. The rebellious are called to submit their will to the king
2. Subject themselves to his reign
3. Jesus calls on the sinner to submit to His lordship in their lives
4. Bow in humble surrender to Jesus as King of your life
*”I submit myself to you as Lord of my life”
D. The Psalmist warns “Turn or burn! “(12)
1. Repent or experience His fiery anger in the fires of hell
2. Repent or perish!
3. His wrath will be kindled against all those who have rejected Him and His salvation.
E. But to those who take refuge in Him, they will be saved!
“Whoever shall call upon the name of the Lord will be saved”
1. All those who come to Jesus for their salvation from God’s holy anger will be saved!
F. This psalm as shown us several things
1. First, we all are born in rebellion against God and His Son Jesus
2. Second, the result of our rebellion will be experiencing the holy anger of God in judgment.
3. God has provided a way of escape from His judgment
*We are to turn away from our rebellion and turn to King Jesus in faith and surrender to Him our King—our Lord
Illus. The following incident is vouched for by a Church of England clergyman who knew all the circumstances.
A young woman, who had been brought up in a Christian home and who had often had very serious convictions in regard to the importance of coming to Christ, chose instead to take the way of the world. Much against the wishes of her godly mother, she insisted on keeping company with a wild, hilarious crowd, who lived only for the passing moment and tried to forget the things of eternity. Again and again she was pleaded with to turn to Christ, but she persistently refused to heed the admonitions addressed to her.
Finally, she was taken with a very serious illness. All that medical science could do for her was done in order to bring about her recovery, but it soon became evident that the case was hopeless and death was staring her in the face. Still she was hard and obdurate when urged to turn to God in repentance and take the lost sinner’s place and trust the lost sinner’s Savior.
One night she awoke suddenly out of a sound sleep, a frightened look in her eyes, and asked excitedly, “Mother, what is Ezekiel 7:8, 9?” Her mother said, “What do you mean, my dear?”
She replied that she had had a most vivid dream. She thought there was a Presence in the room, who very solemnly said to her, “Read Ezekiel 7:8,9.” Not recalling the verses in question, the mother reached for a Bible. As she opened it, her heart sank as she saw the words, but she read them aloud to the dying girl:
8’Now I will shortly pour out My wrath on you and spend My anger against you; judge you according to your ways and bring on you all your abominations. 9 ’My eye will show no pity nor will I spare. I will repay you according to your ways, while your abominations are in your midst; then you will know that I, the LORD, do the smiting.
The poor sufferer, with a look of horror on her face, sank back on the pillow, utterly exhausted, and in a few moments she was in eternity. Once more it had been demonstrated that grace rejected brings judgment at last.[9]
4. Do not reject God’s grace
5. Will you come to Jesus today?
F. We have a community around us who are in rebellion against God and headed for judgment if they do not repent.
1. We must reach them with the love of Christ
2. We must show them the way to salvation
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[1]UBS Old Testament Handbook Series. Copyright © 1978-2004 by United Bible Societies. All rights reserved.)
[2]Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament. Copyright © 1980 by The Moody Bible Institute of Chicago. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
[3]The Complete Word Study Dictionary: Old Testament Copyright © 2003 by AMG Publishers. All rights reserved.)
[4]Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the Old Testament © 1993 by Victor Books/SP Publications. All rights reserved.)
[5]Ibid.
[6]Bible Knowledge Commentary/Old Testament Copyright © 1983, 2000 Cook Communications Ministries; Bible Knowledge Commentary/New Testament Copyright © 1983, 2000 Cook Communications Ministries. All rights reserved.)
[7]Wiersbe, Expository Outlines.
[8]Freeman, James M., and Harold J. Chadwick. Manners & Customs of the Bible. [Rev. ed.]. North Brunswick, NJ: Bridge-Logos Publishers, 1998.
[9]H.A. Ironside, Illustrations of Bible Truth, Moody
