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Articles
Today You are My Son
The commands of God have always been determined by men who are selfishly motivated as being burdensome and weary to their way of life. The commands of God are diametrically opposed to their way of life and ultimately bring dishonor to their current pursuits. This is manifested daily by the wicked society in which we live. The biblical morality that was once the greater norm has been vacated for the humanistic truths of the 21st century. The exclusivity of truth in the Bible has been forgotten and replaced by the relative truths of post-modernism. Why will men not humble themselves and obey the commands of God?
The psalmist asked a similar question, “Why are the nations in an uproar and the peoples devising a vain thing?” (Psalm 2:1). While man has continually tried to derail the will of God to no avail, it still has not stopped the pursuit. In almost every generation, there appears to be a further movement away from the truth and salvation of God’s Word. The greatest attempt to disrupt God’s will was the generation of men who sent Jesus to the cross. While they did not understand the fuller repercussions of their actions, Jesus’ death on the cross must have seemed like a tremendous victory. Early in Jesus’ ministry, the Pharisees and other religious elite had already grown a disdain for His miracles and teaching. They went so far as to even say that Jesus cast out demons by the power of Beelzebul (Matthew 12:24). This hatred of Jesus would only grow more intense until finally they had Him arrested, convicted Him of blasphemy, and brought Him to Pilate for the sentence of death. These wicked men failed to realize that their actions were a direct fulfillment of the Messianic 2nd Psalm -
2 The kings of the earth take their stand And the rulers take counsel together Against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying, 3 “Let us tear their fetters apart And cast away their cords from us!” (Psalm 2:2-3).
These men aligned themselves against the Lord’s Anointed and sentenced Him to die.
Jesus, the Lord’s Anointed, obediently went to the cross and died for our sins. This scheme of redemption would have seemed like foolishness to the wicked man, but the One who controls all things sat in the heavens and scoffed at man’s attempt to derail His will. The cross was not the great defeat of God’s authority as man may have assumed, but rather it was God’s victory over the sin which reigns in men’s lives. It was Jesus’ obedience to the Father’s will that was rewarded with the great promise of the 2nd psalm –
7 “I will surely tell of the decree of the Lord: He said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. 8 ‘Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, And the very ends of the earth as Your possession (Psalm 2:7-8; emphasis mine, bcj).
The irony of the cross is that it serves as both man’s rebellion against God, and also the price paid to forgive man of his rebellion. The wisdom of God is far superior to all the intellect of human minds. What seemed like foolishness to man, God was able to bring salvation with glory and honor!
The dilemma that still confronts mankind is their continued rebellion against the authority of God. Jesus reigns as King of kings and Lord of lords (1 Timothy 6:15)! There is no place to hide beyond His sphere of influence and authority. Therefore, we must seriously evaluate the psalmist’s warning to the kings and people who live under His reign –
10 Now therefore, O kings, show discernment; Take warning, O judges of the earth. 11 Worship the Lord with reverence And rejoice with trembling. 12 Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way, For His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him! (Psalm 2:10-12; emphasis mine, bcj).
The psalmist clearly advocates for two choices being offered to man: death or life? We will either submit to the King’s authority or continue to rebel against the will of God.
Death is the outcome of man’s total rejection of the Lord’s Anointed. When a man takes it upon himself to determine his own destiny, then the burdens of his life do originate from God’s commands, but rather his own selfish choices. Every man has the freewill to choose, but woe to him who does not pay homage to the Son! May we always remember these wise words of Solomon, “There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death” (Proverbs 14:12).
Life is bestowed upon the man who willingly submits and obeys the King’s authority. While this choice may seem harder in the beginning, the outcome far outweighs the other’s demise. The psalmist proclaims a great blessing to the one who draws near and takes refuge in the Lord’s Anointed. May this be our guiding principle in our lives! When the world tries to distract us and begins to surround us with darkness, may the light of this promise beam ever brightly from the channels of our heart. The second psalm stands in the balance against man’s rebellion of God’s authority – All of man’s attempts have failed and God reigns victorious!
