Laugh because the Lord Does
Psalm 2
January 21, 2024 anno Domini
If you want to make it through this presidential election year, I have some advice for you. Write out Psalm 2, verse 4, on several post-it notes. Post it on your television screen, underneath your car radio, on the back of your phone, on your earbud case. Wherever you hear or see the news, wherever the preaching pundits of our day are proclaiming doom and gloom if their man isn’t elected, remember this, meditate on this, believe this, “He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision.”
Why does the Lord laugh at all the raging and wrangling of earthly rules and plotting people? He laughs because of Jesus, because Jesus is the King of the world, He laughs because Jesus has already defeated all the evil enemies of man when He was enthroned on the cross. Jesus’ rule is as certain as His walking out of the cemetery on that first Easter morning. If the Father in heaven laughs you should laugh too, because after all through your baptism into Christ He is your Father.
Let’s meditate on this Psalm this morning because it enlightens us as to what the enemies of Jesus are up to, and it gives us laughter because of what the Lord has done and is doing.
Why do the nations rage and the people plot in vain? Good question, but the Psalmist doesn’t give a definitive answer. The Psalmist is merely pointing out the foolishness of their actions. Why are you raging against God? Do you really think you’re going to beat Him? Are you going to unseat His King from Zion? That second part of question could be translated, “Why do the people meditate on empty things?” Why are they chasing the wind?
Then the Psalm gives us one reason – the people are following their leaders. The body of the nation is following its head. Whenever Christians talk about headship – like the headship of Christ over the church or the headship of the husband over his wife, people have allergic reactions and go into convulsions about the oppression of being subject to anyone. But everyone has someone over them, something to which they answer, or look to or trust. Half of our country is following one man and half is following another. Each half looks up to their guy and they follow him. The people rage against God because their leaders rage against Him and not just God, but against His anointed.
Be clear about this point. Almost everyone can tolerate a generic God, some big guy in the sky, sort of interested in earth and your happiness. They are opposed to the God who has His anointed, His Messiah, JHis Christ. They are opposed to Jesus of Nazareth. Why? Because they know about Jesus. They know He claimed to be The Truth and they want to dictate the truth. They know that He sets sinners free from guilt and shame, and they rule by guilt and shame.
Their goal is to throw off the reign and rule of Jesus Christ – let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us. This is what they say in their rage. God is pro-life because He wants mothers to die and suffer. God is pro-marriage and He’s oppressing the LGBTQ community. God arranged the family with the husband as the head and wants all women to be slaves in their homes. God provided one way into heaven therefore He’s hateful and exclusive. Be clear. All of that is aimed at you, to make you guilty and ashamed of God so you keep quiet about the truth. Those who say such things are not neutral rulers. They are anti-Christian. They hate the truth, the life, and the freedom that Christ brings because it means you’re going to follow Him instead of them.
Now we have the Lord’s response to all their plotting. One thing to notice in the Psalms is that there are often progressions of words. So beginning in vs 4 – the Lord sits, then He laughs, then He holds them in derision, then He speaks, then He terrifies, and then He says what He has been up to, “I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.”
We just celebrated our Lord’s birth and we saw the politicians at work. Caesar Augustus was pulling a Governor Walz and raising taxes. Quirinius was governing Syria. Herod the Great was like our progressive politicians who believe there is no problem death can’t solve, so he killed the baby boys of Bethlehem. What was God doing? Saving the world by sending His Christ. He was setting His King on Zion. Jesus went to Mount Zion twice in the first forty days of His life. On the 8th day to be circumcised and on the 40th day to be presented as the first-born. In today’s Gospel reading Jesus is shown to be true God on the Mount of Transfiguration. There are three witnesses from heaven – Moses, Elijah, and God the Father, and three on earth, Peter, James, and John. From the Transfiguration Jesus headed to Jerusalem, to Mount Zion, to be crowned with thorns and lifted up in glory on the cross to usher in His Kingdom. At the cross your greatest enemies lost – your sin is taken away and because of that the Devil lost his bite. Death won’t be able to stomach you, just like the big fish couldn’t stomach Jonah. Because Christ rose you also will rise to life.
Christ Himself speaks in vs. 7-9 of the Psalm and we get to listen in to a bit of heavenly conversation between the Father and His Son. Fathers beget and sons are begotten and so the Son is begotten of the Father. The Father wills the nations to His son, and the ends of the earth as His possession. At one time it was said that the sun never set on the British Empire. Britain had colonies and territories around the globe, but those days have come to an end by the raging of nations. Not so for Christ’s Kingdom, from the first day of the week when Jesus rose it has been growing and it’s going to last forever – people from every tribe and nation – even Germans, even Americans, even Minnesotans, even you. The kingdoms of this world stand as much chance against the Kingdom of Christ, the Church as a clay pot does against a tire iron according to the Psalmist.
Lastly in Psalm 2 we see the grace of God. Contrary to modern thinking God is not a vengeful tyrant. He warns His enemies so that they can become not His friends, but His family. Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear and 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.
Biblical Quiz Time: Who are the two people who kissed Jesus in the New Testament? Judas who betrayed the Lord with a kiss, working for the politicians. And the woman who anointed his feet with perfume while kissing them. Her worship of Christ scandalized the Pharisees and rulers of the Jews, but it is the Father’s way. No matter who you are, no matter what you’ve done, kiss the Son, believe Jesus is the Christ, the anointed Savior of the world and you have an eternal and blessed refuge. That’s what the Lord wants, not just for you, but for all His enemies.
When the press and politicians try to scare you with fear or motivate you with guilt, or silence you with lies, remember that He who sits in the heavens laughs, because His Christ, His King, rules in Zion the church, having defeated your enemies. Laugh, because you are safe in the refuge of His Kingdom, in the name of Jesus. Amen.