Why do the nations protest
and the peoples conspire in vain?
Kings on earth rise up
and princes plot together
against the Lord and against his anointed one:
“Let us break their shackles
and cast off their chains from us!”
The one enthroned in heaven laughs;
the Lord derides them,
Then he speaks to them in his anger,
in his wrath he terrifies them:
“I myself have installed my king
on Zion, my holy mountain.”
I will proclaim the decree of the Lord,
he said to me, “You are my son;
today I have begotten you.
Ask it of me,
and I will give you the nations as you inheritance,
and, as your possession, the ends of the earth.
With an iron rod you will shepherd them,
like a potter’s vessel you will shatter them.”
And now, kings, give heed;
take warning, judges on earth.
Serve the Lord with fear;
exult with trembling,
Accept correction
lest he become angry and you perish along the way
when his anger suddenly blazes up.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him!
(Psalms 2:1-11)
Sacred Scripture often uses the language of royalty, and that isn’t the easiest theme for some of us to understand. Like many of you (maybe all of you), I have never lived under a monarchy. The structure of government in the United States does not include kings or other royal positions, so we don’t readily relate to those concepts.
Still, especially in the Old Testament, there is a recurring incidence of God establishing the power for particular kings, King David being the most notable. This Psalm, however, is more of a warning to those kings who are not in communion with God. It is reasonable to assume that such a warning should be heeded by all public officials who are given positions of power.
In fact, the psalmist seems to warn all of us to be mindful about those who exercise authority over us. Although I don’t think this is a specific call to civil disobedience, I do think it should cause us to remember who is the one true King for us, Jesus Christ.
More and more these days, it is easy to get sucked into the political conflicts of the day. I think we have all become a little too easily led astray by politicians who will say anything to stay in power. Then the 24/7 news media began to form alliances with public officials to ensure their positions in the dialogue and to grab a bit of power for themselves. It has become difficult to recognize even the fairly obvious spin that gets applied to information these days.
So what can we do? How can we know who to trust? More importantly, how can we avoid the unnecessary conflicts that seem to surround us? Personally, I have started avoiding the political discussions and news broadcasts as much as possible. Of course there are things politicians can do that would interfere with our lives, but most of the chatter is just people who like to hear their own voices.
I prefer the advice of the psalmist, to take refuge in God. We need to serve the Lord with fear and exult with trembling. The civil authorities in our world will eventually fall in line. In the meantime, we need to put our trust in the Lord. As God anointed kings throughout history, I have faith that He will lead us to a just society if we have faith.
Dear God, we want to take refuge in You. We long for a day when the political discourse will not be so divisive, but we have faith that You will guide us through these days. Help us to rest in the confidence that the only real King to have authority over us is Your Son, Jesus Christ. Let us take comfort in Your eternal love.