S)"10 Now therefore, O kings, show discernment;
Take warning, O [1]judges of the earth.
11 [2]Worship the LORD with [3]reverence
And rejoice with trembling.
12 [4]Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way,
For His wrath may [5]soon be kindled.
How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!"
Psalm 2:10-12 (NASB)
O) This is a psalm of David, but it's prophetic regarding the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Reading the whole psalm in the context of Jesus' 3 1/2 year ministry adds interesting perspective. Reading in the context of today's view on Christianity is even more striking, I think. I don't usually leave the footnotes in the verses when I paste them into my blog, but I did today because I think they're incredibly insightful. Here are the footnotes:
1. Or leaders
2. Or Serve
3. Or fear
4. Lit. Kiss; some ancient versions read Do homage purely, or, Lay hold of instruction
5. Or quickly, suddenly, easily
Here's what I see when I put these things together. I see that Jesus should never be taken lightly, certainly not if we're in a position of leading anyone. Worshiping God is important, but it's equatable with serving Him. Purity and obedience to the Son, Jesus, will be (and now is) extremely important because the Messiah, Jesus Christ, has a wrath still to come. Taking refuge in Him is active, not passive, so it requires our action and involvement. If we're not individually and actively taking refuge in Him, we are subject to perishing by His wrath.
A) There's a movement today that says people can't really sin anymore. This is basically the "once saved, always saved" notion, but maybe a little more dangerous. This isn't necessarily a new concept, but it seems to be new again like a vintage fashion, or something. Scripture shows us that Jesus already redeemed all sin (past, present, and future), so no more sacrifice is needed. But, it's also pretty clear throughout the New Testament (NT), that we all still need to live righteously before God. When I sin, I need to repent and turn from that sin, refusing to let it become any kind of practice in my life. For centuries, various religious leaders have questioned various books of the NT, mostly because of the strict content of those books. But, I've never heard of anyone wanting to remove a psalm. Let alone a prophetic psalm about the Messiah. Yet here is my ancient instruction to serve God as well as worship Him. This is my ancient instruction to fear God with reverence. This is my ancient instruction to kiss homage to the Son, do homage purely, lay hold of instruction. This is my ancient reminder that there is a wrath coming and if I am not found taking refuge in Christ (this is active, not passive), then I may be caught in a holy storm I can't survive.
P) Father, Your holiness is beyond me. I thank You though, as I read yesterday, that with myself it's impossible but with You all things are possible. Thank You for the mercy that covers my sins and thank You for the grace that makes it possible to live a righteous life. Holy Spirit, help me maintain this focus and never lose sight of the fact that I am called to be holy because my God is holy. Remind me that repentance is ongoing and that sin still causes destruction and death as long as it is in me. Forgive me of my sins, Lord. Help me continually turn away from the errors of my ways, to strive for the high standard set by Your Son. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.
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