Thought for Today

Thankfulness. As Romans 1 warns us, a person’s, or a nation’s, downward spiral starts with not being thankful.

What do we see going on in key cities right now? Rage, riots, and rebellion. On this July 4, let us briefly consider Psalm 2.

Psalm 2:1–3 (ESV): Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying, “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.”

That is what we are seeing, isn’t it? Let us rebel, let us go against God, let us throw off His constraints, let us celebrate sin and evil, let us destroy.

What is God’s response?

Psalm 2:4–9 (ESV): He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, “As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.” I will tell of the decree: The LORD said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”

Can anyone overcome God? Will Satan’s rebellion against God be successful? No and No. God is absolutely sovereign. He is not threatened by any of this. We don’t often think of God laughing at and deriding people. But those who have truly sold themselves to do evil, those who hate God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength, He derides (He does wish they would repent), as He knows they will fail.

In these verses, we also see the promise of the coming Messiah. Jesus will rule. The time is coming when Jesus will reign. Nothing will prevent it from happening. No one, despite their rage against Him, will stop it.

Instead of rebelling, instead of responding with rage, hatred, and anger, there is a better option. What is it?

Psalm 2:10–12 (ESV): Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

First, instead of responding with self-centered emotions, respond with wisdom, be wise. Second, serve the Lord with fear: He is Lord, you, and for that matter, all of us, are not. Either we will draw close to Him, or we will not. If we don’t, it will not end well for us. Do we really want to kindle His wrath against us? Remember, His wrath is directed against sin, against those who love and embrace it. An obvious question follows: How do we avoid His wrath, how do we come out from under it?

The Psalm concludes with the answer: Blessed are all who take refuge in him. Instead of rebelling against God, and His Son, take refuge in them. At one point Jesus describes himself as a mother hen, longing to take us under his wing (the context involved the city of Jerusalem, at that time a city that had rejected and rebelled against him). God wants us to turn to Him, not rebel. How much better to turn to Jesus Christ, to place our faith in Him, to trust Him for the forgiveness of our sin, to take on His righteousness, as He bears our sin for us.

On this July 4, with all the craziness that is going on, let us take refuge in Jesus Christ, let us be thankful that He will reign, that we have a certain and secure hope in him.