PMT 2014-066b by Don Strickland

Psalm 2:1 Why are the nations in an uproar And the peoples devising a vain thing? 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!” 4 He who sits in the heavens laughs, The Lord scoffs at them. 5 Then He will speak to them in His anger And terrify them in His fury, saying, 6 “But as for Me, I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain.” 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. 9 ‘You shall break them with a rod of iron, You shall shatter them like earthenware.'” 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!

As I write these words, our family is celebrating the birth of a new grandchild. So why is it that I am grieving? After all, a new granddaughter represents the infinite worth of a precious soul born in the image of God. She is an incarnation of an opportunity to glorify Him with a life well-lived. She, like every other child, embodies a unique combination of genes, gifts, abilities, and personality, never before seen, all coming together in a tremendous potential to change her world. She symbolizes the continuation of the family for another generation.

And yet, I grieve.

I grieve because she has been born into a world that is rapidly, openly, and proudly casting aside God’s moral standards. I grieve because on the same day she was born and in the very same state a judge nullified that state’s prohibition against same sex marriage. As in the verses above, the nations which once formed Western Civilization are raging against God and His Anointed, Jesus Christ. They are ridding themselves of that which is Christian. The boundaries and assumptions that once held our culture and civilization together are as the fetters in verse 3– being torn apart.

My grief was spawned over what has been lost in our heritage in the course of my lifetime. The world in which I grew up, in which my parents and grandparents lived, has been all but shattered by multiculturalism and its vicious but sterile child, political correctness. It seems that just a few dying remnants remain, but even they are being aggressively rooted out by the current cultural gestapo. My grandchildren are entering a world hostile to truth and that which is good – as God defines good. Economic discrimination of Christians has already begun. Is not actual physical persecution just around the corner? And so I grieve at what I see my children and grandchildren inheriting.

Kids Who Kill (by Gov. Mike Huckabee)
Proposes a key to recovering our country’s basic values:
faith, family, work, and community.
See more study materials at: www.KennethGentry.com

This rush toward perversion and moral autonomy is what happens when a people have rejected God. But God is not mocked or defeated. Therefore the writer of Psalm 2 continues. God laughs at His enemies from heaven for the vanity of their rebellion against Him (vs. 4). His Son has already been enthroned (vs. 6). All the earth is the Son’s for the asking (vs. 8). And those who have rejected His rule will experience His anger (vs. 5) and judgment (vs. 9). Thus, leaders are warned to lead their nations to worship Him (vss.10-11). While many translations read that they are to do “homage”, they are literally told to “kiss the Son” (vs. 12a) as a sign of loyalty and reverence.

We, as a nation and culture, appear to have entered into a very dark time. It may well be a time of persecution and testing in order to purify the Western Church. As the Church relaxed in its modern prosperity, the enemy has taken control of our culture by controlling the institutions that control culture (ie. education, media, and government). The Son’s “wrath may soon be kindled” (vs. 12b). But it is not too late to encourage our nation to “kiss the Son”.

Please do not think, because of our cultural rebellion, I am not happy to welcome a new grandchild. Quite the opposite. And just as her new life evokes a promise for the future, the Psalmist leaves us with a promise as well.

Immediately after warning of wrath, he writes, “How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!” The

Don Strickland

specter of coming wrath is strikingly contrasted with an exclamation of blessing for those who seek protection from the true King. Except for this one sentence, the entire Psalm is given over to a description of the rebellion of men and the reality of God’s rule leading to judgment against such rebellion. This ending promise seems out of place with the tenor of the rest of the Psalm, until one remembers that the Psalms were written as songs to be sung in Israel’s worship. While singing of God’s sovereign rule and the recompense given to those who reject that rule may be comforting for those experiencing ungodly leaders, that aspect is only half of the equation. It tells us that evil will be dealt with, but it gives no promise for a better present or future. The last statement gives that encouragement to those who have “kissed the Son.” Take refuge under His rule and be blessed.

Tagged: cultural collapse