This week’s “Wednesday Word” is a summary of an exposition of Psalm 2 by Dr. Wellum from Sunday June 21, 2008.

Like all scripture, Psalm 2 should be interpreted with a view to its immediate context, its place in the unfolding plan of God, and its place in the canon of scripture. After analyzing these three areas, applications can be drawn from the Psalm.

Psalm 2:7 says, “I will proclaim the decree of the Lord: He said to me, ‘You are my Son; today I have become your Father.’” The early church interpreted this as a statement made by God the Father to God the Son in eternity. However, when the psalm is compared to the Davidic Covenant in 2 Samuel 11 and 1 Chronicles 17, the similarity in the language makes a strong argument for viewing Psalm 2 as a reflection on the promises to David and his lineage in the covenant. Therefore, this Psalm would remind the reader that God had promised to make David’s house great and establish him as His chosen king.

When we consider that the book of Psalms was compiled under inspiration after the exile and that Psalm 2 serves along with Psalm 1 as an introduction to the Psalter, our reading of the Psalm becomes more full. In this post-exilic time, there was no Davidic king ruling on the throne. Therefore, this Psalm must be seen as a Psalm of hope and trust in the promises of God. The Israelite community reading the book of Psalms would be reminded that God would keep His promises to David. They could look to the future with a hopeful faith in the promises of God.

Psalm 2 ultimately finds fulfillment in the New Testament in the coming of Jesus Christ. Psalm 2 is quoted directly four times in the NT, Acts 4:25-26, Acts 13:33, Hebrews 1:5, and Hebrews 5:5. The common theme in these texts is the appointment of Jesus as King. Jesus is Lord by virtue of who he is (the eternal second person of the trinity) and by what he does (his victory on the cross) (cf. Rom. 1:3-4). This Psalm and the Davidic covenant could only be fulfilled by Jesus Christ in its fullest sense, for only a king who lives forever can have a kingdom and a throne forever (2 Sam. 7:16).

Having examined Psalm 2 in these three contexts, we can understand how we should apply it today. Acts 4:25-26 helps us understand one application of this text. When the early church faced threats and persecution, they prayed quoting this Psalm and asked for boldness to share the faith in the face of persecution. We too can read this Psalm and take confidence as we share our faith. Also, this Psalm is a strong missions text. As we go out to the nations, we can have confidence that the rule of Christ will be realized over all peoples.

Audio from this week’s lesson: Psalm 2

~TWM