Freedom Or Bondage

Why do the nations conspire
and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth rise up
and the rulers band together
against the LORD and against his anointed, saying,
“Let us break their chains
and throw off their shackles.”

Psalms 2:1-3

While we go through this Psalm, we should not fix our sights on the old testament era, rather we have to understand this Psalm from today’s perspective. This Psalm gives us a clear picture of the rulers of earth who then lived and who are now living. Rulers of the world who fought against each other to conquer nations are gathering together to conspire against God. People who do not have confidence in their ways are the ones who conspire. They think that they are doing everything in secret as they do not know that God knows everything. The ultimate reason for their behavior is that they do not know God and His Salvation. Until we find the way to eternity, the bondage of sin will look like freedom to us, and the truth that gives us freedom may seem like bondage to us.

The toil of fools wearies them; they do not know the way to town.

Ecclesiastes 10:15

Jesus knows everything we do in secret, and He pleads to His Father unceasingly saying, “Father they do not know what they are doing”. He is asking pardon for our ignorance. Only through the Word of God, can we find our way to eternity. Jesus is the only way for us to reach the Father.

King of Kings

The One enthroned in heaven laughs;
the Lord scoffs at them.
He rebukes them in his anger
and terrifies them in his wrath, saying,
“I have installed my king
on Zion, my holy mountain. ”

Psalms 2:4-6

In today’s scenario, while God laughs at their conspiracies, His Son asks pardon for their ignorance (2 John 2:1). He is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. The rulers of this world try to disturb God through their actions, but God neither is disturbed nor is distressed. He laughs at their behavior. The fallen angels attempted to raise themselves above God, and God threw them out of heaven. God exhibits His love to us by punishing His Son instead of punishing us. Before the redemption story, none would have a clear understanding of what it has meant. Even at that time, Psalmist wrote these prophetic words, as he had experienced God’s forgiveness in his life.

A Prophetic Message

I will proclaim the Lord’s decree:
He said to me, “You are my son;
today I have become your father.
Ask me,
and I will make the nations your inheritance,
the ends of the earth your possession.

Psalms 2:7-8

While praying for the salvation of the souls, where the Gospel is not yielding any soul, we often quote the above verse. We ask God to give us the inheritance and possession of some places as if He had promised to give the nations to us. The irony here is that Jesus has already inherited every place in the world through His obedience (Philippians 2:9-11). Jesus is asking us to harvest the souls for His Kingdom by spreading the Good News. The Good News is that we all have been free from our sins because God has brought us out from our slavery and inherited us. We belong to Him irrespective of our religion, creed or color.

These verses would have been an answer to one of the prayers of David. King David inquired God whether he will win or lose the battle (1 Samuel 30:8). In today’s context, these verses are the evergreen conversation between the heavenly Father and His son. Father is teaching His Son to ask Him to inherit the entire people and nations. God is not asking His Son to condemn the world and the people in it but to inherit them.

Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, I will give people in exchange for you, nations in exchange for your life.

Isaiah 43:4

When God has inherited His people, we have numerous reservations like their religion, creed or color, while making them understand that they belong to their Redeemer. We assume that they are not fit or ready to receive the Gospel. Because of jealousy and grudge, we are not able to harvest souls. Sometimes we think that only when we have wealth and well-being, can we spread the Gospel. Our blessings may attract people towards our lifestyle but not towards the Master. Our healing may give us the energy to entertain many people, and people may draw near to us and not to our Master. At the same time, the transformation of our lives will bring thousands and thousands of people to the feet of Jesus. Have we been transformed from our old way of living?

While we have everything, we should understand that what we have is nothing compared to our salvation. Without exposing our prosperity or poverty or health or ill-health, if we proclaim God’s love, people will experience the love of God (Acts 3:6). In other words, we should not hesitate to proclaim the Gospel while we are yet to receive the anticipated answers from God. We should rather proclaim His love from the experience of our salvation that is not visible to others.

The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

2 Corinthians 4:4

The mistake we have been committing all through these years is that we ask people to right-away to confess their sins without telling them the unconditional love of God that forgives the sinners. Without the Love of Jesus in their hearts, if tell them that Jesus forgives their sin, those words will be meaningless to them. The proclamation is that Jesus saved all of us from our sins, and God should open their minds to understand this truth in the light of the Gospel.

Greater Than The One Who Is In The World

You will break them with a rod of iron;
you will dash them to pieces like pottery.

Psalms 2:9

While reading this verse, people might think that we should ask God to empower us to break the strongholds and the fortresses of the evil ones. With this idea, people list out the areas where no one is accepting Jesus and earmark them as the areas of strongholds. Pastors analyze where darkness has its grip, and ask believers to pray specifically for those areas. Unknowingly people are giving importance to the dark forces, while they still profess their faith every Sunday in Church by reciting their respective Creeds. God repeatedly told His people not to give His glory to anyone, yet people give importance to other evil sources and are terrified by them despite being well aware of the below verse.

I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not yield my glory to another
or my praise to idols.

Isaiah 42:8

The world tells us to study the strength and weakness of our enemy before we attack them. Instead, Jesus tells us to take an estimate of our potential before we act upon our plans (Luke 14:28). When we realize that God is dwelling in us, we don’t need to study and analyze the places dominated by the evil one. Jesus is the Word and He is dwelling in us, and because He is in us, He will break and smash everything that comes against our spiritual warfare (Jeremiah 23:29).

You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.

1 John 4:4

A Choice to Choose

Therefore, you kings, be wise;
be warned, you rulers of the earth.
Serve the LORD with fear
and celebrate his rule with trembling.
Kiss his son, or he will be angry
and your way will lead to your destruction,
for his wrath can flare up in a moment.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

Psalms 2:10-12

The Kings, Presidents, Prime Ministers, and Judges had been warned to humble themselves before God. They were counseled to Kiss the Son, or else their destiny will be destruction. Kissing is a traditional way of greeting senior officials. This culture is being followed by the mainline Churches even today as people kiss the ring of the Bishop paying their respects to the man of God. Whereas the spiritual meaning for ‘Kiss the Son’ is explained in the below verses.

Love and faithfulness meet together;
righteousness and peace kiss each other.
Faithfulness springs forth from the earth,
and righteousness looks down from heaven.

Psalms 85:10-11

The Psalmist asks the offenders to take refuge in God and says that if the rulers of the earth will turn faithful to the incredible love of God, then righteousness will come upon them from heaven.