Why do the nations conspire
and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth take their stand
and the rulers gather together
against the LORD
and against his Anointed One.
“Let us break their chains,” they say,
“and throw off their fetters.”
The One enthroned in heaven laughs;
the Lord scoffs at them.
Then he rebukes them in his anger
and terrifies them in his wrath, saying,
“I have installed my King
on Zion, my holy hill.”
I will proclaim the decree of the LORD:
He said to me, “You are my Son;
today I have become your Father.
Ask of me,
and I will make the nations your inheritance,
the ends of the earth your possession.
You will rule them with an iron scepter;
you will dash them to pieces like pottery.”
Therefore, you kings, be wise;
be warned, you rulers of the earth.
Serve the LORD with fear
and rejoice with trembling.
Kiss the Son, lest he be angry
and you be destroyed in your way,
for his wrath can flare up in a moment.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him.
My Understanding: The LORD is God, and his anointed one is Jesus Christ, God’s Son, and our Messiah and King:
But about the Son he says,
“Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever,
and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom.
You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;
therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions
by anointing you with the oil of joy.”
He also says,
“In the beginning, O Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth,
and the heavens are the work of your hands (Heb. 1:8-10 NIV ’84).
We, as his followers, are also anointed because we have Christ living within us:
“Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come” (2 Co. 1:21-22 NIV ’84).
“But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth” (I Jn 2:20-21 NIV ’84).
Jesus often stated that what we do to his children we do it as unto him. He told Saul (Paul), who was on the road to Damascus to arrest believers in Jesus Christ, that he was persecuting Jesus Christ, because he was persecuting Christ’s followers. And, Jesus, as well, often told his followers that they would be treated just like he was treated, because they are his followers, and because they obey him.
So, when the nations (governments), the people of the world, and the kings and rulers of the earth (the shepherds of the people) conspire, plot, and take their stand against God and against his anointed one, this is realized not only in how they treat God the Father and Jesus Christ, God the Son, but in how they treat the Lord’s true servants; his followers; his disciples, who are walking in obedience to Jesus Christ.
The nations, people and rulers, together, comprise the people of the world (all people). When people decide in their hearts to ignore God and his laws, to put his words behind them, and to reject him, his Son, and his words, they are conspiring, plotting against and are taking a stand against God the Father and against Jesus Christ, the Son. They are rebelling against the Lordship of Christ Jesus over their lives, and they are trying to break away from his kingship (rule) over their lives. And, this is not a casual rejection of God and of his truths, either. This is speaking of willful rebellion against God and against his laws.
Following suit, with this conspiring against God, is that those who willfully rebel against God will often, as well, rebel against his servants who are bringing them the truths of God’s word, i.e. those followers of Christ who are taking a stand for God and against sin, and who are sharing the truths of the gospel, and/or those who stand for righteousness. Jesus said this would be the case, as did the apostles. As well, the book of Revelation tells us how the beast, the false prophet and the dragon will persecute, imprison and kill true followers of Jesus Christ. People throughout the world have had to endure this kind of persecution for generations. We just have not had to face this kind of persecution in the USA yet. But, it will come, because the Bible says it will come.
Yet, the Lord laughs and scoffs at those who think they can come against God and against his anointed. Man may kill our bodies, but if we are truly in Christ Jesus, they cannot kill our souls. They cannot take from us our faith in Jesus Christ unless we let them, which then would mean that our faith was, perhaps, not really founded in Jesus Christ. Man’s efforts to destroy the gospel from spreading through the persecution of Christ’s followers often backfires, as persecution often is a catalyst to the spreading of the gospel of Jesus Christ, even more so, to the onset of great revivals, and to the increase in the number of those who believe in Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ and his truth cannot be thwarted.
God may allow man to follow his own ways and to reject God for a time, because he is a patient God, waiting for man to willfully choose to follow him. But a time comes when God says “Enough!” and he rebukes man in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, letting them know that he is God and that Jesus Christ is King, that Jesus Christ will rule the earth, and he will come against the world in judgment on the day appointed by God.
Therefore, God calls for wisdom as a response to his warnings of judgment. He calls upon the rulers and kings (though most certainly all people are included in his warnings and his calls for wisdom and repentance) to serve the Lord with fear (respect and honor), and to rejoice with trembling. Basically, he is calling upon the people of the world to respond favorably to his warnings against rebellion against God, and his warnings of judgment to come upon them, should they persist in their rebellion. He is giving them a chance to repent of their sins, to come to the Lord Jesus in humility, and to follow the Lord Jesus faithfully in obedience from this day forward. If they do not repent, and they do not turn to the Lord Jesus in faith and obedience, then they will most certainly face the judgment to come, and no one knows when that will come, either.
Yet, the psalmist concludes this psalm on a positive note: “Blessed” (joyful and peaceful) “are all who take refuge in him.” If we only would take God seriously, and take sin seriously, and we would respond to his warnings in humility, repentance, faith and obedience, and we would place our full trust in him for our lives from this point on, even if our circumstances all around us might have its ups and downs, we then can be at peace within ourselves, and have the joy of the Lord and his strength to sustain us, because we chose to take refuge in him and to cease going our own selfish ways. I pray that all of us today would heed this warning to take God seriously, to repent of our sins, and for us to turn our hearts and lives over to Jesus Christ in complete surrender and obedience to his commands.
Lord, Move Me / An Original Work / October 16, 2011
Be my desire, my heart set on fire,
Lord, move me to worship You only, I pray.
Fill with Your Spirit, my heart overflow.
Lord, may I long for You; Your word to know.
Teach me to walk with You, Lord, in Your power,
And may I serve You, Lord, right now in this hour.
Lord, how I want to obey You forever.
Help me to hear You, Lord, so I will not stray.
Teach me to love You; adore You always.
Envelope me, Lord, with Your grace today.
Meet me in my need, and show me Your mercy.
Forgive me for all things, as I humbly pray.
Counsel me, lead me, direct me, and guide me,
So I follow You, Lord, where’er You lead now.
I love to hear You speak Your words to me.
I am so grateful that You set me free.
Wash me, and cleanse me, and make me like You, Lord,
And I will live with You for eternity.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K-0kezkuEg
No comments:
Post a Comment