Protection....

We're actually going to continue in the Pslams for the rest of the week, going through 2-6. So, here's Pslam 2....

Psalm 2
1 Why do the nations rage?

Why do the people waste their time with futile plans?
2 The kings of the earth prepare for battle;

the rulers plot together against the LORD

and against his anointed one.
3 "Let us break their chains," they cry,

"and free ourselves from this slavery."
4 But the one who rules in heaven laughs.

The Lord scoffs at them.
5 Then in anger he rebukes them,

terrifying them with his fierce fury.
6 For the LORD declares, "I have placed my chosen king on the throne

in Jerusalem, my holy city."
7 The king proclaims the LORD's decree:

"The LORD said to me, `You are my son.

Today I have become your Father.
8 Only ask, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance,

the ends of the earth as your possession.
9 You will break them with an iron rod

and smash them like clay pots.' "
10 Now then, you kings, act wisely!

Be warned, you rulers of the earth!
11 Serve the LORD with reverent fear,

and rejoice with trembling.
12 Submit to God's royal son, or he will become angry,

and you will be destroyed in the midst of your pursuits--

for his anger can flare up in an instant.
But what joy for all who find protection in him!

We can fight against God. We can make our plans and choose to rebel against him. We can continue to see what we think is right for ourselves. Making our own choices. Choosing our own battles. The result is we end up in conflict – with each other, with ourselves, and with God. Too many of us do this. The result is the turbulent world we live in today.

But for the writers of the Psalms there was always another choice, and that was to be wise. Wise is not the same as clever, because cleverness leads to ego, of knowing best, of believing in your own ability to figure things out. Wisdom is about responding to God’s message, of seeking to imitate his way of living, of fearing – that is an openness and surrendering to divine instruction – the Lord. The result of such wisdom is blessing. In this psalm, for those of us who submit to wisdom, the blessing is that we don not have to worry about looking out for ourselves. By submitting to God’s Lordship, we find that he becomes responsible for our lives.

Of course, when this was written, it was about the Kings of Israel who ruled over God’s chosen people. But in time the church began to see this as pointing towards the rule of Jesus, the royal descendent of the ancient kings. For the church, in turbulent times, this should be a song of hope.

There’s a corny phrase – let go and let God. How true is it? What do we find hard to let God take control of? As sevants of Jesus and children of God how much do we anticpate the inheritance of the nations?