Psalm 2 is the first of the Messianic psalms. Along with Psalm 1, it forms an introduction to the book of Psalms (‘a joint preamble to the whole book’, in the words of Michael Wilcock). The private world of Psalm 1 opens out into the public world of Psalm 2; the personal is followed by the cosmic (in airport language, one is ‘domestic’ and the other ‘international’!) Psalm 1 looks at how an individual is to live a blessed life in God; Psalm 2:12 reminds us that ‘blessed is the one who takes refuge’ in God. Psalm 1 ends with the warning that ‘the way of the wicked leads to destruction’, whereas Psalm 2 begins with a reminder that God will not let the way of the wicked triumph. In Psalm 1, the godly person meditates on God’s law; in Psalm 2, the wicked meditate (NASB = “devising,” NIV = “plot”; using the same Hebrew word) on how to cast off the rule of God. In Psalm 1 the theme is the contrast between the righteous and the wicked person; in Psalm 2 the theme is the contrast between the rebellion of wicked rulers and nations and the rule of God’s righteous Messiah.
Psalm 2 shows people plotting against God’s word, devising schemes for getting rid of it so that they can be free of all God-interference in their lives – something that continues to happen to this very day. Eugene Peterson says, ‘These people see God’s words not as javelins penetrating their lives with truth, but as chains that restrict their freedom. They put their minds together to rid themselves of this word so that their words can rule.’ (‘Answering God’, P 28) Rulers and nations seem an intimidating force to ordinary people, but God simply laughs and scoffs at all their plans, being completely in control. (Ps 2:1-3) His plan involves His Messiah who, born of a woman, would be bruised on the heel by Satan in death as the sin‑bearer for the fallen race, but who would bruise Satan upon the head in His triumphant victory over sin and death in His resurrection from the grave. (Gen 3:15) By bringing people from every nation under the lordship of God’s Anointed, Jesus, the rebellion of Satan is thwarted.
Ps 2 also reveals something of the nature of the Godhead to us in showing us a personal relationship between Father and Son. Ps 2:7 has been the object of much controversy over the years, but in describing this relationship, we see something of the closeness described by John in the New Testament (see John 1:14, 18; 3:16, 18; 1 John 4:9; 5:1, 18). Heb 1:1-3 and Col 1:15-19 give us a much fuller picture of this relationship between Father and Son, but it is already foreshadowed in this psalm, with the pre-eminence of Jesus implicit in Ps 2:8-9.
Psalm 2 is quoted in 7 places in the New Testament, with 3 separate sections quoted in different books (Acts 4:25-26, Acts 13:32-33, Hebrews 1:5, Hebrew 5:4-5, Rev 2:26-27, Rev 12:5, Rev 19:15). Clearly, the New Testament writers found great comfort in God’s sovereignty and in the nature of the Godhead. We too can find comfort and hope in these things.