Praying the Psalms with Augustine and Friends

Chapter 1: Psalms 1–17

17

Psalm 2 with John Calvin – Submitting to God’s Anointed

Many plotted against David, trying to prevent his kingship. Their hostile attempts might have made him give up hope of ever becoming king. No doubt he often struggled with difficult temptations. But, since his conscience was clear— he had not acted out of personal ambition, but had been made king by divine appointment. Therefore he was able to condemn rebellious kings and their armies. We can draw encouragement from this passage in two ways: First, whenever the world rages, attempting to disrupt Christ’s kingdom, we can see that things are playing out just as God announced through David, so that these circumstances need not surprise or trouble us. Of itself the kingdom of Christ would be peaceable, and from it true peace flows out to the world. However, due to human wickedness and hostility, God’s kingdom never advances without pushback. The second encouragement is that when the ungodly fight against God’s anointed, while depending on their vast numbers, their riches, and their means of defense, we may safely laugh at them. They are attacking God in heaven—a war they can never win. You will break them with the rod of iron (v. 7). It may seem strange that, while other parts of Scripture celebrate the mercy and gentleness of our Lord, he is described here as full of terror. But this severe and dreadful sovereignty serves no other purpose than to strike alarm into his enemies. This wrath is not inconsistent with the kindness with which Christ tenderly cherishes his own people.