SCRIPTURE: PSALMS 2
MEMORY VERSE:
“Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling. (v. 11)
HOW POWERFUL IS THE ALMIGHTY GOD?
- He laughs and scoffs at the nations, the peoples, the kings of the earth and the rulers that conspire and plot against Him. (vs. 1-4)
- He rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath. (v. 4-5)
- He was installed by His Father as king on Zion, the holy hill. (vs. 6-7)
- He was given the nations as his inheritances and the ends of the earth his possession. (v. 8)
- He will rule the nations with an iron scepter and dash them to pieces like pottery. (v. 9)
- He warns the kings and rulers of the earth to serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling. (vs. 10-11)
- He invites them to take refuge in Him. (v. 12)
THOUGHTS:
There are 4 sections in this Psalms with different personalities involved:
- The Nations (vs. 1-3) – Nations are rebelling against God. They want freedom from God’s rule. In the last days, the kings of the earth will unite to fight against God.
- The Father (vs. 4-6) – The Father responded to the threats of men with laughter. Today, God speaks in grace from the cross but the day is coming when God will have the “last laugh”. When the time of tribulation comes, there will be an awful judgment upon the land, the sea, the heaven, the world of nature, the people and the nations. Millions of people will die in plagues and disasters. During the tribulation, the nation of Israel will be chosen to prepare a believing remnant for the return of Christ to establish His kingdom for Jerusalem. Today, Christ is seated at the Father’s right hand to intercede for his own. One day he will return in glory and sit upon the throne to judge and rule the nations.
- The Son (vs. 7-9) – Christ is given an inheritance because of His victory over sin and death;. Satan will offer these kingdoms to Anti-Christ to rule the nations for a brief period. But Jesus will return and reign with the Christians on earth with power and glory.
- The Holy Spirit (vs. 10-12) – The Spirit appeals to the sons of men to submit themselves to Jesus Christ with these instructions: (1) Be Wise – get wisdom from God’s word. (2) Be Warned – resist from being tempted. (3) Serve the Lord with fear – offer your gifts and talents to Him. (4) Surrender to Him – Submit to God’s will and his leadership.
People think that there is freedom when they get away with God. “A fish is not free when it leaves the water; not a tree is free when it leaves the soil. Similarly, we are not free when we leave the Lord. We can find real freedom by wholeheartedly serving God, the creator.