Kiss the Son

Passage: Psalm 2

Psalm 2 is written from the perspective of a familiar Old Testament character: God’s “anointed”.  Traditionally, psalms like Psalm 2 have been attributed to David, the consummate king of Israel – anointed by God’s prophet, and identified as “a man after God’s own heart.”  So closely aligned was David with God that his reign and his will were considered virtually synonymous with God’s.  To defy God’s anointed would be to defy God himself. 

The language of Psalm 2 captures this idea.  The writer speaks from the perspective of a king ordained by God to rule God’s way.  He expresses wonder at his political adversaries – kings and rulers who conspire to overthrow the one God has set in place.  The writer envisions God laughing at the futility of the efforts of mere humans trying to set themselves up as gods on earth. 

Now from any other person, Psalm 2 would be a megalomaniacal rant.  The writer pawns himself off as God’s gift to governance.  Presumes to represent God’s interests and God’s authority.  But this is exactly what comes with the job.  God’s anointing is God’s seal of divine approval.  God gives his Anointed authority on earth. 

The psalm takes on new meaning when read through the lens of the New Testament.  The Hebrew word for “Anointed One” is mashiach – “messiah” in English; Christos in Greek.  Christ.  Without exception the authors of the New Testament identify Jesus as the “greater Son of David”.  The ultimate king.  The Anointed One.  On the lips of a human king, Psalm 2 is presumptuous.  On Jesus’ lips, it is only fitting.  The author of Hebrews, writing of Jesus, actually quotes the psalm:

In the same way, Christ did not take on himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to him, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father.” (Heb. 5:5)

With this in mind, we do well to pay close attention to the final paragraph of Psalm 2, in particular these lines:

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.

There is only one right response to the King of the universe: homage.  To fall on your knees and kiss his feet.  To do anything else is to consider yourself more highly than you ought.  We all want to be kings.  We struggle to carve out kingdoms, however small, wherever we can.  Life doesn’t take its proper shape until we embrace our proper place: as servants of the King.  But how good it is to belong to him.  To take refuge not in our limited strength or smarts, but in his infinite power, mercy, and love.  Respect the ultimate authority of God’s Anointed.  And then celebrate the fact that he is on your side.