Psalm Shorts: Psalm 2

"Blessed" are those who take refuge in him. Psalms 1 and 2 are bookended by this powerful word, and that's not an accident.

Psalm 2 opens in chaos. Nations raging, rulers plotting, everyone trying to shake loose from God's authority. Sound familiar? But chaos doesn't get the last word. What follows is a four-scene drama — earth rebelling, heaven responding, a king speaking, and then an invitation. Folded into this drama are some loaded words: anointed (Mashiach, the word that becomes Messiah), son (royal coronation language), fear (which looks more like reverence rather than terror), and trembling (what happens when your body can't contain the energy coursing through it).

This psalm is classified as a royal psalm. But by the time you trace it through David's covenant, the baptism of Jesus, and all the way to Revelation, we have to wonder if it was always meant to be both royal and messianic.

If you've ever found yourself unsettled by the word fear in scripture, or wondered how much David knew about what he was actually writing — this one's for you.
Enjoy this deep dive into Psalm 2!

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:46

Welcome to our psalm shorts, and today we're doing psalm two. Let's start with a question. Rachel's like full of questions. She's her eyeballs are bursting. Is it psalm or psalms? I know. So I was thinking this too. So it when you open the psalms, it says the psalms. But then at the top it says psalm. So I'm thinking we say Psalm two, not Psalms two.

SPEAKER_00 1:09

Right. So maybe Psalm is singular. So it would be Psalm two. Exactly. Psalm three. Unless you're saying Psalms two and three.

SPEAKER_02 1:19

Right. And people also. But would it still be Psalm two and or Psalms two and three? I think it's like poem versus poem. Poetry. Oh. Maybe. Dun dun dun. Yeah. Also, you could say the Psalter. What does Psalter mean? I think it's just a collection of Psalms.

SPEAKER_00 1:38

Okay. You said that in the Psalm Short 1. I hope I'm right about that. And I almost said what does Psalter mean? But then I was like, I don't want to ask that. You know what's great about the word?

SPEAKER_02 1:49

I know. You know what's great about the word Psalter? It's salty. I know. I just thought what you said, I was like, oh my God, salty. Okay, so we are doing Psalm 2. So I'm actually just going to start off by reading it. And it is the reign of the Lorns Lorns? Lorne Michaels, the author of SNL actually wrote just kidding. Um, the reign of the Lord's anointed. Why do the nations rage and the people plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against his anointed, saying, Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us. He who sits in the heavens laughs, the Lord holds them in der Lord holds them in derision. Then he will speak to them in his wrath and terrify them in his fury, saying, As for me, I have set my king on Zion, my holy hill. I will tell of the decree. The Lord said to me, You are my son, today I have begotten you. Ask of me and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron, and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. Now, therefore, O kings, be wise, be warned, O rulers of the earth, serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling, kiss the sun, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

SPEAKER_00 3:27

There's a lot there. Yeah. And then went into like wickedness. Yeah. So Psalm two is an anonymous author, right?

SPEAKER_02 3:44

Well, I think like things in the Bible, I think that's debated because a lot of David's Psalms he attributes to himself. So like Psalm 3, it says a psalm of David. And this one just doesn't say on it. Okay, so it could be David, it could be anonymous, it could be someone else. We just don't exactly but the New Testament attributes it to David in Acts 4 25. And actually, like now that I've read through the Psalms a couple of times, it kind of sounds David-y because he uses rod of iron. Like there's like I just can tell that some of his wording is in here, whether or not you know, a social worker can tell you that's true or not. Take that with a grain of salt. Um, but many scholars agree it likely comes from, if not directly David, like the royal court tradition connected to David's dynasty. Sure. Yeah. As one does. So this is a royal psalm. The first one was a wisdom psalm and was more proverby. And this one is a royal psalm. So this is talking more about kings, nations, divine authority kind of style. But also later readers, as I I wonder if you picked up, kind of also feel like it could be a messianic psalm because they do say kiss the sun.

SPEAKER_00 5:05

Yeah, I was wondering if it was messianic or if it was just talking about like pre-Jesus royalty. Exactly.

SPEAKER_02 5:14

And it also says, doesn't it talk kind of about a future ideal king in a way, right? Like this is what we want in a king. So yeah, I mean, I think some of that could be how you um per how you perceive, you know, how you're reading it. Maybe it's a little subjective, I don't know, but um so this is like kind of broken into four scenes. And so you have like the beginning, as you noticed, it starts real like it's like whoa, yeah, like we're starting in with some chaos. So it's like you have the chaos, then you have some resistance, and then you have some plotting. And so it's kind of like people are already starting here to want to separate from God's rule or independence from God's rule, which you even said in the garden, that was like the tree, right? Right. Like they were, I wonder how long Adam and Eve were like in the garden before.

SPEAKER_00 6:09

Oh, that's a good question. Yeah. How yeah, how long were they living in that state before they were like, we're gonna make our own decisions? Totally.

SPEAKER_02 6:18

Was it like why my voice is weird?

SPEAKER_00 6:20

Was it like 10 years or was it like or like two days?

SPEAKER_02 6:23

Totally. Like we don't know, but that would be interesting to know. I know we'll have to look that up later. Um so we have the beginning, like verses one through three, is Earth rebelling. So, like this is like I said, the the four-seen drama. The first part is this like chaos, and the second is like heaven responding to the chaos. So he who sits in heaven laughs, the Lord holds them in derision. So it's not like God laughing at people mockingly, because it can kind of sound like that if you were just reading it like that. Yeah, it does kind of sound like that, which can kind of almost sound mean. Like, oh, that's sad, like someone's laughing. But I think it's a more um, it's it's not him being mocking or mean because he's just he's made of love, right? But it's him basically declaring. I think instead of a mocking thing, it's like he's not threatened by yeah, that's a good way to put it.

SPEAKER_00 7:18

Wickedness, like it's laughable because it's no threat.

SPEAKER_02 7:21

Yeah. Totally. He's like, I'm a calm authority, almost, right? Like this matter isn't even worth, you know what I mean? Like, oh, I'm our I'm the authority, I'm declaring this. And then scene three is when the king speaks. So this is verses seven through nine, and it starts with, I will tell of the decree the Lord said to me, and then it goes on. Um, and this is more of the like covenant language. Um, I will make the nation your heritage. Um, and then you shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them into pieces like a potter's vessel. That's a really vivid imagery.

SPEAKER_00 7:57

It is so the making the nations your heritage, that sounds like it's talking about Abraham. Yeah. Or is it talking about the whole line of David?

SPEAKER_01 8:11

Yeah, yeah, baby. Yeah, it's cream girl and baby. Is there that's so cool.

SPEAKER_00 8:20

Oh what were you saying? Um is it talking about Abraham and the promise to Abraham, or is it actually the whole line, the whole genealogy that leads to Jesus?

SPEAKER_02 8:34

Yeah, about and I wonder if it's kind of both. Yeah, a call back and a call forward. Um or kings for forward. Yeah, because when it says, now therefore, O kings, be wise, it is more of a general statement of like, in the future, kings, you should be wise. But I think um Okay, so I think according to the interwebs, is about the line of kings beginning with David, not directly about Abraham, but it does connect to his promise in like the bigger story. I think. So I think, yeah, I think you're not gonna be able to do it.

SPEAKER_00 9:12

But then we're sort of talking about the Davidic line that leads then to Jesus.

SPEAKER_02 9:16

Yeah, it says that it clearly echoes God's covenant with David that happens in two Psalm 7. Um, so yeah, I think it is building on earlier stuff with Abraham, though, because God promised in Abraham, all nations will be blessed through you. And then Psalm 2 says, I will make the nations your inheritance. So I again it's like these things are very purposeful. Yeah. They're not accidental in the way that they they talk and then the way they move. Um and so, yeah, and then so scene four of our drama is the invitation and warning, verses 10 through 12. Uh, leaders are basically urged to be wise, you know, um, because it starts, therefore, O kings, be wise, be warned, serve the Lord with fear. Um, and I kind of want to talk about the word fear, because I think we think fear is a scary, trembling, terrible thing. And like, I don't think God ever wants us to have that.

SPEAKER_00 10:12

Yeah, I've had to do a lot of work actually around that word fear. Why would a loving God want me to fear him? Totally. I don't want my daughter to fear me. So totally I've had to do a lot of learning. Um, I think I'm still not quite 100% in uh understanding, but yeah, getting closer when um I almost change the word fear to reverence.

SPEAKER_02 10:36

That's a really good idea. Yeah, and I think that's exactly what this says. So the word for fear used here, and we'll probably do an entire episode on fear. Good idea, because there's a lot there. Um, I'm gonna say this probably wrong, but it's year-a-Y-I-R-A-H, and it means reverence, just as you said. Okay. Ah. Uh respect, right? And so I do that too. When I read it and I see fear, I kind of change it with like respect or you do reverence.

SPEAKER_00 11:05

Versus like terror, which exactly like it it feels bad and it changes your decisions. And usually I've learned making decisions out of fear is a bad thing. It leads to bad choices and bad results and all these things. So I wish that it wasn't always the word fear, but if fear means two very different things, I totally it's a little bit more helpful when when I read fear of God to mean more yeah, revering.

SPEAKER_02 11:37

Absolutely. Yeah. And I wonder if in the in other translations, if it uses fear, I think it does. I think fear is pretty like consistent throughout. Um so it says serves with fear, rejoice with trembling. Um, and so it means like joy and seriousness, confidence and humility and celebration. So it's not fear. Yeah, because I even tell when I'm doing like some Christian counseling stuff, I I tell people like choices made out of fear or anxiety might not be rooted in God.

SPEAKER_00 12:11

It's something to kind of figure out, though, right? It's not to say it's a bad choice. And you know, when I was younger, some of this language actually led me to be um sort of secretly scared of heaven, if that makes sense, because there's a lot of language that talks about um that talks about being fearful of the Lord and then and like falling on your face and trembling and praising forever. And so it was putting these images into my head of we're gonna die. Hopefully we go to heaven and not hell, because if you're in hell, you're burning forever. Right. If you're in heaven, you're scared and trembling and nonstop singing. That felt scary to corpse. Right. It's like, is that gonna feel good? Yeah, yeah. So it's that it was a lot to start to recognize that and then sort of deprogram that and then figure out well, what does it actually mean by like trembling and fear? Yeah, because we say that, right? We do like we say that when we're talking, and it means I'm so scared that my body is shaking. Totally. And that doesn't feel good when you put it in the context of that's how I worship. No, not at all. So it's interesting that they use they use that here.

SPEAKER_02 13:27

So serve the Lord with fear is how it's used. So it's serve the Lord with respect.

SPEAKER_00 13:32

And then right following after that is And rejoice with trembling. Rejoice with trembling. So it's like exactly I'm serving and rejoicing, which sound like they should be good things, but I have fear and I'm trembling. But if it's not like horror and adrenaline shaking, but it's more reverence and yeah, I don't know, I guess you can tremble in excitement.

SPEAKER_02 13:56

Exactly. So I think I looked up the Hebrew word for trembling, re-ada, and it can mean it can mean like shaking, trembling, but also a physical awe response or an emotional intensity in the presence of power. So I think it's like you're just so shook by the amazingness, maybe that you're like literally your body just can't even, you know.

SPEAKER_00 14:18

Right. Like when people raise their hands when they're worshiping. Yeah. Is that maybe rejoicing with trembling? Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 14:23

Even if they're not like like physically trembling playing around. Exactly. Yeah. And I think um it often appears when someone becomes aware they are standing before something so great. So I think, yeah, like raising your arms. It's almost like when sometimes people raise their hands in church, it's not even like they're like, I'm deciding to raise my hands. It's almost just like a physical body response.

SPEAKER_00 14:44

Part of them listening and seeing. So it so it sounds like it's more serving with reverence. Yeah. And then rejoicing with like overwhelming engagement in rejoicing.

SPEAKER_02 15:00

Yeah. And your body literally is just receiving this, doing what it wants to do. Doing what it is to do. Yeah. As our bodies do. Um, and so yeah, so Psalm 2 here is addressing rulers who are resisting God's authority. Um, and so earlier it says, let us break their chains. So trembling is kind of the opposite, right? It's not defiance, it's I understand who's truly ruling. There's not really a question about it. Um, and so I think that's cool too. And so, yeah, I guess we could do an episode on so on trembling down the road. Um, and so let's see. I had a cool other thing about let's see, my little note, my little notees. Oh, okay, so you're gonna like this. Are you ready for this? Ready? Are you ready for this? Um, so verses eight and nine. I'll just read it real quick. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage and the ends of the earth your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. Guess where that's quoted again in the book? In the book of the book of the Bible. Tell me. Revelation.

SPEAKER_00 16:05

Okay, I was gonna guess Revelation, but I didn't want to get it wrong.

SPEAKER_02 16:08

No, totally. Revelation 227. Let me actually just like directly read that to see like how literal it is. Um, but essentially this is pointing to a time when evil is no longer allowed to keep harming.

SPEAKER_00 16:21

So 227, let's which is kind of what Psalm 1 says that the that chafe, which was like the wickedness that floats away, will be no more. It'll end up. I like that.

SPEAKER_02 16:35

That's good. So so Revelation then 220. Um hold on. I might wait. Did I say 220? Oh, 227. I'm like, that is talking about Jezebel. This is not making sense. Okay. 227. And he will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earth pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my father.

SPEAKER_00 17:04

Wow. Okay, so very, very, very literally. Is it who is dashing with a rod of iron?

SPEAKER_02 17:11

Oh, that is a really good rule them with a rod of iron.

SPEAKER_00 17:14

Let's see. Oh, interesting. Yeah, like who it must be Jesus, right?

SPEAKER_02 17:22

Right?

unknown 17:23

Mama.

SPEAKER_02 17:24

Yeah, baby.

unknown 17:24

This is our junior and here.

SPEAKER_02 17:27

Oh, Bowser Jr. Yeah. And then call back to whoops. Wait, who the question was, who are they referring to?

SPEAKER_00 17:40

Who is the he that is the heater?

unknown 17:43

Bowser Jr.

SPEAKER_02 17:45

is a lot of things. Oh, he is?

SPEAKER_00 17:50

Bowser Jr.

SPEAKER_02 17:53

Okay, so yeah, so Revelation 2.27, it says he will rule them with an iron skeptor or rod, depending on your version. Um, so yeah, it's directly quoting from Psalm 229, and the he is the believer who overcomes. So in 229, so and he will rule them with a rod of iron. But the authority comes from Jesus. That's interesting. You will rule. That's confusing. Wait, hold on now, I'm confused. In Psalm 2, it says you will rule them with an iron skeptor or iron rod. And you is the like God's anointed king, right? Like a king from the line of David, which people feel like points towards the Messiah.

SPEAKER_00 18:39

Doesn't it? How could it not? How could it not? Especially if that's how it's sort of ending in Revelation, because isn't Jesus is gonna be the ultimate king and ruler.

SPEAKER_02 18:50

Totally, exactly. And what's cool is in other places in Revelation, uh, this Psalm 2 line clearly refers to Jesus through it. So like in Revelation 19, 15, it says there the Messiah himself rules with an iron rod. Right? So you almost wonder if like when you hear that, if it's calling to Jesus, like if someone's ruling with an iron rod. I feel like it is. Yeah, it's like super super interesting. Um yeah.

SPEAKER_01 19:20

Yeah, that's kind of confusing with the he though. He when it says Interesting.

SPEAKER_02 19:39

Yeah, so he will rule them with an iron rod. The he isn't directly Jesus in that sentence, which I would have thought. Right. But yeah, it's essentially the person who's over the faithful believer. Oh, who's that? It was not Jesus. Yeah. It says to the ones who overcome, I will give authority over the nations, and he will rule them with an iron skipper. Yeah. That's interesting. I almost feel like it's more talking about kings than like just me and you. Don't you think?

SPEAKER_00 20:23

Yeah, but don't we end with Jesus as king? Well, now you're asking hard questions. I know. I just I just don't understand how that's not referring to Jesus.

SPEAKER_02 20:32

No, I mean I think it has to be. Yeah, because it says, oh, but the authority still comes from Jesus. Because it says the very next line says, just as I have received authority from my father. That's confusing. We might just have to cut that out. Because I would have to research that more, I think. That that direct part. But we have other callbacks. So hold on. Okay, so for so why psalm one and psalm two are like this like nice little pair? So Psalm 1 is the way of the faithful person, as we talked about, and then Psalm 2 is the rule of God's chosen king. So it's almost like taking it from like an individual perspective to like a bigger, greater, I think, royal.

SPEAKER_00 21:18

Okay, so could potentially the rule of God's king be talking about like any God-appointed king? Like it could be talking about David, it could be talking about eventually Jesus.

SPEAKER_02 21:32

Yeah. And I think like in my little notes here, it says in Revelation, they are intentionally identifying Jesus as the king of Psalm 2. The Psalm isn't being reinterpreted, but it's being completed. They're saying this was always the plan. So that's cool. So I don't know why it's saying, yeah. And it's also kind of Psalm 2 is kind of like you still have time to choose humility in life. Um again, it's not like people are always doomed. Like this idea that like the bad are wicked and terrible and like can never be redeemed or aren't worth our time, you know? But rather there's always time to choose like humility. So I kind of like that. Um, so this is actually interesting. So the word anointed in verse two, it says against the Lord and against his anointed. The word anointed is Mashiach, which means chosen king, which later becomes the word Messiah. So the phrasing is the kings of the earth set themselves and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against his anointed. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 22:59

Yeah. That makes sense because rulers basically sort of plot against Jesus when he is here.

SPEAKER_02 23:10

And the rulers take counsel together, which is kind of what happens, right? Yeah, so that's really fascinating. Also son, which was what like caught my eye, kissed the sun. Um I think in some versions it all also says like you are my son. Um and so this the word sun ben originally meant the king represents God's authority on earth. Originally a royal adoption language used at coronations. Oh, interesting. You are my son. And kiss the sun. Oh no, wait, hold on. I I did that wrong. I'm sorry. Kiss the sun is Nashku bar. And it means like allegiance. Kiss the sun. Show loyalty, allegiance. And a kiss is a gesture of submission to a rule or a ruler, right? So I think people would like kiss the feet. I like that's what I imagine, like kissing the feet.

SPEAKER_00 24:06

Oh, the rings.

SPEAKER_02 24:07

Remember in Robin Hood, like kiss my King Richard, yes, kiss my ring. Totally. So kiss is like when it says kiss the sun in my version, it's basically saying like submit to sun. Yeah. And then sun in this case means um a king that represents God's authority on earth. So that's kind of breaking down kiss the sun part because I saw that and was like, Jesus. Yeah. You know, anytime I see sun, that's what I think. Um so Psalm 2 also kind of echoes to Samuel 7, uh, you know, with David, because God promises David the lasting throne, a royal son, which is Solomon, right? And an enduring kingdom. And so Psalm 2 almost directly reflects this promise to David.

SPEAKER_00 24:56

Yeah. So it's kind of confusing. It sounds like it is at the same time echoing David's story and foreshadowing Jesus' story. Totally.

SPEAKER_02 25:06

And you'll see that a lot here, where it like David is almost, and I don't even know if because he's being called to God to write some of these psalms, you don't I don't even think David necessarily knows the weight of what he's writing sometimes because he probably thinks it's even writing about himself. Yeah. But I think like God is using him as a vessel to have these messianic prophecies too. Sure. And you wonder how much David kind of knew.

SPEAKER_00 25:29

Well, and he he would know about a future son being promised to Genesis. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 25:37

That yeah, he would, yeah, that's true because the Torah. Yeah. So he would know, but he might not know what it would look like, right? Right. Like exactly. Yeah. So I think that's kind of cool that he's just like this vessel for all of this knowledge.

SPEAKER_00 25:50

And he couldn't know, well, unless God had him know that that rod of iron language would be used later in revelation as well.

SPEAKER_02 26:02

Exactly. Like how much his Psalms would be used as an anchor for like future communications. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 26:08

That's like really cool. That is cool.

SPEAKER_02 26:10

He's probably just sitting in his tent.

SPEAKER_00 26:11

Are David and Jesus together now in heaven? Yeah. So they can like hang out and like talk about all this stuff.

unknown 26:19

Really?

SPEAKER_00 26:19

They're like, remember one. That's cool. I wrote Psalm 23. That's cool. It's hard to think. You know, I always think of with the ascension, and I don't really understand heaven, which is fine, but I always think of Jesus as just like alone and just like waiting for the end to happen so that then we can start doing stuff.

SPEAKER_02 26:39

Okay, we're almost done here, okay?

SPEAKER_00 26:41

Okay, that's true. I actually can't say right now that they're totally together. But I don't really like that. I don't like thinking about Jesus just being alone and watching us or whatever. Oh, totally.

SPEAKER_01 26:53

I have no idea. We're live right now, we're recording. So go use the tablet. Or do you want my phone? So we're on my phone. We're on my phone.

SPEAKER_00 27:08

Well, and I think that's like so debated, the the idea of sure, and we're we're not gonna solve that today, but we'll come with a short where we solve the Bible. But Jesus does say um that when a believer dies, they are with him that day. Right. Oh, sure. So it's probably not linear time that we think about. Like I doubt that Jesus is then had like had to wait. Yep. Um, but where was David before Jesus ascended? Like I don't I don't understand any of that. I know, but I just sometimes get this visual that Jesus is just alone somewhere, like off in the clouds. Yeah. And then and I don't want him to be alone. And I want him to be with all of these cool people that came before him. Well, and it says Jesus ascends to the right hand of God, I believe, right? So I'm sure he's not just alone in a cloud somewhere. It's just a visual that I get. And harps everywhere.

SPEAKER_01 28:06

I really like the idea that maybe he is you need to be quiet for a minute. Yeah, just fine. What? No, it's fine. Please do it.

SPEAKER_00 28:17

But I I really like the idea that he is maybe with some of these people.

SPEAKER_02 28:22

No, and I think like when we see Jesus go on the hill, is it the transcendence? The when Jesus goes on the mountain and Elijah and Moses come back as like little spirits. Yeah. I mean, they're coming back in their bodies.

SPEAKER_00 28:41

I like to think of them all being together and like they're like watching football. There was so much time distance that separated all of the those like key figures. Totally. It's kind of cool that maybe they're not separate today.

SPEAKER_02 28:54

Yeah, like Moses, Elijah, and G like and David.

SPEAKER_00 28:58

Can you imagine Moses and David being together? So cool. Oh gosh, so cool. And I can't even uh yeah, I think I can't even approach it the idea of like, well, would I be able to um be with David sometime? Yeah, that does not make sense.

SPEAKER_02 29:15

That does not make sense, I know. And that's okay. I know, but how cool. No, I know. And I think like going back to you are my son, it it's definitely pointing forward through David and his descendants, which eventually leads to the future ideal king, like you said. Right. Um, kind of like this Davidic throne promise of this lasting royal line. Um, yeah, so you kind of have Abraham as this like foundation, because you said, like, oh, is this I think that may have been in Psalm 1, but like is this calling back to Abraham? He's like the foundation, the first promise. And then we have David, which is kind of like the vehicle for the promise. And then we have Psalm 2, which is like talking about the royal role of all of this. Um, and so I think it's like continuing this theme that God's story with Israel is both instructional and part of a kingship. Um, because right away it's talking about kings, you know? Yeah. Which I think is funny because like when you read kings, doesn't God not want to give them kings? But they're like, please give us kings. He's like, All right, right.

SPEAKER_00 30:20

So he does. And then um he gives them Saul, who was a great king until he wasn't. Right, right, right, and then David was a great king, but he was also still man and he made bad choices. And then he had Solomon, who again was a great king until he wasn't. Exactly.

SPEAKER_02 30:42

Right, and again, this is showing kind of like back in Psalm 1 where it's like we will stray, but it's like coming back to your roots when that happens, and you see it literally play out in scripture, you know. Um but I think in earlier manuscripts, Psalm 1 and Psalm 2 weren't actually numbered separately, they were treated as one single introduction to answer your question about like, do they often flow together? Right. Um, yeah, totally.

SPEAKER_03 31:09

So I think um, let's see. Let's see.

SPEAKER_02 31:19

Oh, okay. This is what I was gonna say too. Um, this is one of the most quoted psalms in the entire New Testament, and it's referenced in some of the biggest moments in Jesus' life, including the baptism, the transfiguration on the hill. That's funny, we were just talking about that, and his resurrection. So actually, let's see what is the actual to the baptism. I'm curious.

SPEAKER_00 31:39

One verse. You can cut this out if you want, but in the beginning, this was categorized as a royal. I don't see how it's not meh messianic.

SPEAKER_02 31:50

I know. I think what they said was when this was originally put together, it maybe wasn't even just seen as that until later.

SPEAKER_00 31:56

And then that'd be the case with most of them though, or is it to be messianic, it has to be literally saying like the son of man is coming.

SPEAKER_02 32:06

Yeah, let's figure out why is this not.

SPEAKER_00 32:10

It's not that big of a deal, and you can cut all this out, but it's just bothering me that in the very beginning it was like this was royal, but then it's like Jesus is all over it, and it's the most quoted, like I don't know.

SPEAKER_02 32:20

Oh no, okay, it says it's both. Okay. Yeah, okay. So we'll just like at the beginning, I'll just be like, hey, by the way. Yeah, so originally it was a royal psalm, but it's a royal psalm with a messianic trajectory. So they see it as also um depending on who you talk to, it's also a messianic psalm. So I think it's fair to say that it's both because we're having this conversation and a lot of it is messianic. So I think that is very fair. And so talking about how this psalm plays out in Jesus' baptism, um, let's see. It says, Oh, interesting. Oh. Okay, there's something called the Western text mystery. In some ancient manuscripts of the Gospel of Luke, the voice from heaven doesn't say, In you I am well pleased. Like we read. It actually quotes the entire second half of Psalm 2.7. You are my son, today I have begotten you. Isn't that interesting? That feels like a big difference.

SPEAKER_00 33:27

What is why is it called the Western text mystery? Is it like we don't know when it got changed to say that?

SPEAKER_02 33:35

Yeah, let's see. The Western text mystery. So yeah, I guess we could do a whole episode on this also. The Western text mystery of Luke 3.22 is a major debate in biblical studies. So it revolves around a single ancient manuscript called the Codex Bazai around the 5th century, and then some other older Latin translations as well. In every, in almost every modern Bible, when Jesus is baptized, God says, You are my beloved son, with you I am well pleased. But in the specific ancient version, God instead quotes Psalm 2.7 word for word. Interesting. Yeah. So some scholars argue that. Yeah, the today I have begotten you. Although that's not the phrasing in my specific Bible version, might actually be what Luke originally wrote. Um, that's interesting. So some argue that later scribes fixed Luke's gospel to match Mark's gospel to avoid confusion. Oh, well, if that's the case, they missed a spot or two. Yeah. And even though we only have one Greek manuscript with this reading today, early church fathers, they say like Justin Martyr and Augustine quoted the Today I Have Begotten You version in their writings, not the entire Psalm 2.7. So this suggests that in the second and third centuries that version was the most common one circulating. So um, yeah, so just a little bit of textual criticism for you. Yeah, I mean, it it's crazy how one verse can be so powerful that it actually causes such an, you know, like an anxiety and an upheaval for scholars, you know.

SPEAKER_00 35:32

I mean, the whole book is like that. The whole that's the Bible. Through the entire Bible that you can go over and over and over and over on.

SPEAKER_01 35:41

Yeah, over and over.

SPEAKER_00 35:43

But I think the point is the same. Right, exactly. I think a lot of the whole point of both of those versions is that Jesus is the son.

SPEAKER_02 35:52

Right. At the end of the day, it's pointing to the same. I think a lot of the time when there's some of these like um textual anxieties, uh, at the end of the day, it's probably pointing to the same. I mean, probably not always, but you know what I mean? Generally, the idea remains the same, I think. So um, yeah, I think it says in the ancient context of Psalm 2, this verse was part of a coronation. The you are my beloved son, and you I am well pleased, where God formally adopted the king as his son to rule the nation. And at Jesus' baptism, God used this exact royal language to coronate Jesus as the messianic king before he begins his public ministry. So that's a very often quoted psalm, which is pretty cool. Yeah. So it's quoted in Jesus' baptism.

unknown 36:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 36:54

So messianic for sure. They're intentionally identifying Jesus as the king of Psalm 2. It's being interpreted. That's cool. Do you have any other questions on? Let's see. I don't think so.

SPEAKER_03 37:34

Yeah, I think that's a good thing. Oh, it's interesting.

SPEAKER_02 37:43

This is the only psalm that directly addresses world rulers. When it says you kings, you rulers of earth. Oh. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 37:54

Isn't there a whole category of royal Yeah, royal psalms?

SPEAKER_02 37:58

So it must not directly address them so specifically as you kings. Okay. It must be maybe just like more people in power. I guess that to be determined.

SPEAKER_00 38:08

We will find out in later psalmage. More royal psalms.

SPEAKER_02 38:12

Exactly. So this is the reign of the Lord's Lord. I why do I keep saying that? So this is the reign of the Lord's anointed. Um, and yeah, I think overall there are definite messianic prophecy, prophetic language here.

SPEAKER_00 38:29

So, but talking about any chosen, any God-chosen leader. Right. From probably from Abraham all the way up to Jesus. And maybe after. I don't know.

SPEAKER_02 38:44

Yep. No, absolutely. Yeah, and I think like to kind of like summarize Psalm 2, since um we kind of like hop and bop, even though it's originally as a royal psalm, now we understand it as a messianic psalm. It works alongside with Psalm 1 and introduces the theme of God's kingship. Um, and the king repeats and speaks God's promise. You are my son, right? Which was originally connected to the line of David and later understood as pointing towards the Messiah, which makes sense that originally it was a royal psalm before Jesus came, probably, you know. And the psalm ends with both a warning and an invitation. Serve the Lord with reverence, rejoice with humility, and take refuge in him.

SPEAKER_00 39:31

And I like that it ended on it ended on blessed, right?

SPEAKER_02 39:35

This one is yep, blessed are all those who take refuge in him. So I do notice in a lot of these it's it ends with, we're so blessed, where even if it starts with chaos, like this one's like this one, why do the nations rage? And then it ends with blessed are those who take refuge in him. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 39:50

I like the literary technique that Psalm one starts with blessed, and then kind of ends with chaos, and then a lot of the other psalms are starting with chaos, but ended with blessed.

SPEAKER_02 40:02

That isn't, and I think that's I wonder if that's why often Psalm 1 and Psalm 2 were put together.

SPEAKER_00 40:07

Yeah, because it then it's bookended with uh blessed.

SPEAKER_02 40:11

Exactly. It's literally blessed is the man. Psalm one starts with, and at the end of Psalm 2, blessed are those who take refuge in him. I like that. It's like a pretty makes my little nerd heart happy. I know it's like, oh, that feels good. That like scratches the good itch. Yeah, yeah, totally. So that is Psalm two. Um yeah. Stay tuned for Psalm three next time, which is save me, oh my god. And this is the first time that David specifically says that he is the author. And literally, it's a psalm of David when he fled from Absalom, his son. So, ooh, that is salty. Salty. Exactly. So, see you next time. Stay tuned and stay salty.