In the previous part of this study on Psalm 2, we looked at verse 6 for the third reason why God is laughing at His enemies. Today I’ll look at verses 7-9 and Jesus’ glorious proclamation.
Jesus Proclaims
The next spokesman after David in Psalm 2 is Jesus Himself. He makes a glorious proclamation about the future in which He confirms His Father’s intention to establish Him as the King of kings:
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.”
(Psalm 2:7-9)
The Begotten One
Jesus begins His proclamation by repeating the Father’s promise to Him that He will one day rule from Mount Zion over “the very ends of the earth.” It is a promise that undoubtedly dates back to the foundation of the world itself. I say that because the Bible tells us that Jesus was foreknown as the Savior who would shed His blood “from before the foundation of the world” (1 Peter 1:19-20, Revelation 13:8, and Ephesians 1:4).
Because Jesus is the Worthy Lamb who was slain for the sins of Man (Revelation 5:9), He is the only one eligible to assert dominion over God’s creation. In that sense, He is the “only begotten” (John 1:14,18) — the only Anointed One of God who is authorized to act in the Father’s behalf as the Regent of planet earth.
This sense of meaning is reflected in the Living Bible’s paraphrase of Jesus’ proclamation: “I will reveal the everlasting purposes of God, for the Lord has said to me, ‘You are my Son. This is your Coronation Day. Today I am giving you your glory. Only ask, and I will give you all the nations of the world'” (Psalm 2:7-8).
Note that the statement, “Today I have begotten You,” is paraphrased to present the real meaning: “This is your Coronation Day.” That is why Jesus could address Himself to the church at Philadelphia as the one “who has the key of David” (Revelation 3:7). He is the fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant and its promise:
“I have made a covenant with My chosen;
I have sworn to David My servant,
I will establish your seed forever,
And build up your throne to all generations.”
(Psalm 89:3-4)
Once again, keep in mind that the Father’s promise to Jesus is yet to be fulfilled. Remember, Jesus was “slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8) because that is when the Father willed it to happen. But the Father’s will did not become an historical reality until thousands of years later. In like manner, Jesus was crowned from the foundation of the world — also because the Father willed it then — but it is an event that is yet to take place in history.
In the next part of this study on Psalm 2, I’ll look at the first promise of Psalm 2 concerning the future reign of Christ.