The Psalms can be a tricky thing. While not outright prophecy, the New Testament sheds light on how much Christ is pictured in this book of poetry. One instance of this is in the second chapter, where we see a contrast between the nations raging against “God’s anointed,” and the ridiculousness of them trying to fight the will of God.
In the middle of this chapter, we get a unique insight into one aspect of God’s Anointed One, and what makes Him so worthy of inheriting the world. We will see why Christ isn’t just a good teacher or a perfect human being, but utterly unique and beyond anything we can imagine.
Christ in the Old Testament
“I will announce the decree of the Lord:
He said to Me, ‘You are My Son,
Today I have fathered You.
Ask it of Me, and I will certainly give the nations as Your inheritance,
And the ends of the earth as Your possession.
You shall break them with a rod of iron,
You shall shatter them like earthenware.’” (Psalm 2:7-9)
While Israel was expecting God to raise up a human king who would conquer the world, God had bigger plans. God wasn’t just going to bring about a Messiah, but this Messiah would be the actual Son of God. This uniqueness would be required for this Anointed One to inherent the world, and only God’s Son could truly conquer the nations in the way God had intended.
Fulfilled in the New Testament
For to which of the angels did He ever say,
“You are My Son,
Today I have fathered You”?
And again,
“I will be a Father to Him
And He will be a Son to Me”? (Hebrews 1:5)
After He was baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and settling on Him, and behold, a voice from the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:16-17)
There is so much happening in this brief moment in history. Christ is declared by God to be His Son. At that moment, a spotlight is pointed at Psalm 2 and everything promised about God’s Anointed One. The nations would rage against Him, they would plot their rebellion, and they would do everything possible to reject His authority. Yet nothing can stop the will of God, and in this moment we see that Jesus Christ is truly meant to be the One who will inherent the Earth.
As His followers, we are called to remember who has the right to our lives. Galatians 2:20 reminds us that every moment of a believer’s life belongs to the King of Kings. Not only does He have the right to rule His people, but in His goodness and perfection we know that everything He calls us to is good and perfect. We may not always understand the will of the King, but that doesn’t change the fact that Jesus Christ is truly the Son of God, and is the only one who is worthy of our devotion.
