Psalm 2

Commonplace –

“Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth.

Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling” (Psalm 2:10-11).

The writer opens with a question: “Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?” What is this vanity? The writer is referring to people who reject God. This is an interesting follow up to Psalm 1, a psalm of instruction, which lays out the choice all men have between good and evil. In Psalm 2, the writer gives the reader a glimpse of life for those who choose evil; they will be punished for their evil actions. The psalmist ends with an entreaty to the reader to make the good choice, “Be wise therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling” (Psalm 2:10-11).

The result of choosing to follow God is a blessing: “Blessed are all they that put their trust in him” (Psalm 2:12b). Notice, the psalmist doesn’t say “Blessed will be“. This is important, because the blessing is present. One does not have to wait for it to happen; those who follow God are blessed in the present moment in the act of following God. The blessing is the peace that comes from doing the right thing.

It is also important to note the Messianic message in this psalm: “Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but little” (Psalm 2:12a). Here we are introduced to the Son of God and our need of Him. Allegiance to Him is a necessary element in choosing the good path. Matthew Henry notes this in his comments:

“As the foregoing psalm was moral, and showed us our duty, so this is evangelical, and shows us our Saviour. Under the type of David’s kingdom (which was of divine appointment, met with much opposition, but prevailed at last) the kingdom of the Messiah, the son of David, is prophesied of, which is the primary intention and scope of this psalm” (196).

Further on, Henry continues:

“This psalm, as the former, is very fitly prefixed to this book of devotions, because, as it is necessary to our acceptance with God that we should be subject to the precepts of his law, so it is likewise that we should be subject to the grace of his gospel, and come to him in the name of a Mediator” (196).

Works Cited

Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 2.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary On the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition. Volume 3 and Volume 6, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., March 1996.

Holy Bible: Giant Print with Study Aids. Dugan Publishers, Inc., 1984.

© 2025 Angela Hormberg