Fall 2018, 40 Days of Prayer, Day 5
Psalm 2:7-9
7 “I will surely tell of the decree of the Lord:He said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. 8 ‘Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, And the very ends of the earth as Your possession. 9 ‘You shall break them with a rod of iron, You shall shatter them like earthenware.’”
The Father Gives Dominion
New Testament writers often quoted Old Testament passages. They were well versed in the scriptures and through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, saw prophecies of Jesus their Messiah there. But even earlier Jewish theologians understood many of the Psalms as being Messianic and considered Psalm 2 as one such. Messianic Psalms address many aspects of the Christ’s ministry including his betrayal, His death and resurrection, and both the first and second comings. Paul used this Psalm to assert that Jesus’ resurrection proves Him to be the only begotten Son of God.
These verses in Psalm 2 are referenced by the Apostle Paul in Acts 13. If you’ll recall, this was early in Paul and Barnabas’ first missionary journey. Paul was asked to speak at the synagogue at Psidian Antioch and he chose this text to back his argument that Jesus is, in fact, the Messiah, the Son of the living God. Paul also quoted from Psalm 16, Isaiah 55, and Habakkuk 1 in that sermon. What makes this Psalms reference in Acts 13:33 unique is that Paul cited book and chapter, referring to the “second Psalm”.
Jesus’ second coming is the focus of this passage. His sovereignty did not and does not extend to just Israel. The Father has given Him dominion over the whole earth. All people will one day acknowledge His lordship, or as Philippians 2 says, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. But before humanity kneels before the risen Lord, our corporate rebellion will crescendo into even the last days and every fist will be clenched and every throat will scream defiance. And people will spit at God even as he shatters them like a clay pot. We are a wretched race.
Mercifully, the Lord has promised to withhold His just wrath from those whom He has redeemed. We have already acknowledged our brokenness. We are well aware that we are sinners in desperate need of a Savior and have accepted His great salvation. Either we gladly embrace Him as Sovereign Lord now, or we will be forced to when He claims His inheritance. He is Lord and will not be denied.
Prayer Focus
Lord Jesus, we gladly proclaim you King of all creation and Lord of our hearts. You are the Christ, the Son of the living God, worthy of all worship and praise. We ask you to help us recall your dominion when all around us seem to be worshiping and following the prince of the power of the air. We love you, Lord, and welcome your rule and reign over us.
From Charles Wesley’s Sermon, Justification
"To him that does not work, but believes on him that justified the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness." Romans 4:5.
How a sinner may be justified before God, the Lord and Judge of all, is a question of no small importance to every child of man. It contains the foundation of all our hope, inasmuch as while we are at enmity with God, there can be no true peace, no solid joy, either in time or in eternity. What peace can there be, while our own heart condemns us; and much more, He that is "greater than our heart, and knows all things?" What solid joy, either in this world or that to come, while "the wrath of God abides on us?" What is the general ground of this whole doctrine of justification? 1. In the image of God was man made, holy as he that created him is holy; merciful as the Author of all is merciful; perfect as his Father in heaven is perfect. As God is love, so man, dwelling in love, dwelt in God, and God in him. God made him to be an "image of his own eternity," an incorruptible picture of the God of glory. He was accordingly pure, as God is pure, from every spot of sin. He knew not evil in any kind or degree, but was inwardly and outwardly sinless and undefiled. He "loved the Lord his God with all his heart, and with all his mind, and soul, and strength." 2. To humans thus upright and perfect, God gave a perfect law, to which he required full and perfect obedience. He required full obedience in every point, from the moment man became a living soul, till the time of his trial should end. No allowance was made for any falling short: man and woman being altogether equal to the task assigned, and thoroughly furnished for every good word and work. 3. To the entire law of love which was written in their heart, (against which, perhaps, they could not sin directly,) it seemed good to the sovereign wisdom of God to add one law: "You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that grows in the midst of the garden;" annexing that penalty, "In the day that you eat, you shall surely die." 4. Such, then, was the state of man in Paradise. By the free, unmerited love of God, he was holy and happy: He knew, loved, enjoyed God, which is, in substance, life everlasting. And in this life of love, he was to continue forever, if he continued to obey God in all things; but, if he disobeyed him in any, he was to forfeit all. "In that day," said God, "you shall surely die." 5. They did disobey God. They "ate of the tree, of which God commanded him, saying, you shall not eat of it." And in that day they were condemned by the righteous judgment of God. Then also the sentence whereof he was warned before, began to take place upon him. For the moment he tasted that fruit, he died. His soul died, was separated from God; separate from whom the soul has no more life than the body has when separate from the soul. His body, likewise, became corruptible and mortal; so that death then took hold also. And being already dead in spirit, dead to God, dead in sin, he hastened on to death everlasting; to the destruction both of body and soul, in the fire never to be quenched 6. Thus "by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin. And so death passed upon all men," as being contained in him who was the father and representative of us all. Thus, "through the offense of one," all are dead, dead to God, dead in sin, dwelling in a corruptible, mortal body, shortly to be dissolved, and under the sentence of death eternal. For as, "by one man's disobedience," all "were made sinners;" so, by that offence of one, "judgment came upon all."