I often tell my classes, and I am sure I have said it here somewhere in all these years, that I do not use commentaries often, but when I do I try to use conservative scholars.  Perhaps I should define that a little better.
            In the first place, I am not talking about our brethren as we tend to define them, and so the terms "conservative" and "liberal" have nothing to do with that division we often speak about among us.  So what do I mean by liberal and conservative?  Simply this:  the conservative scholars are believers of some stripe who actually think the Bible is the Word of God.  You might wonder why a person who doesn't believe those things, the liberal scholars, would make his lifework a study of them.  All I can say is, perhaps they are studying them the same way we might study other ancient literature or even ancient mythology—it's strictly an academic interest.
            That does not mean that you don't have to worry about conservative scholars at all.  On the contrary, most of them are Calvinist to at least some degree.  However, I find it amusing that a man can accurately exegete (interpret) a passage, and then turn around and say it doesn't mean what it says—because, you see, if it did then that would make Calvinism wrong.  So you still must beware, but at least you are dealing with someone who is not an atheist.
            So, with a little help from some scholarly friends, here is a partial list of conservative scholars that you can count on to at least some degree.

            William Barnes
            Craig Blomberg
            C. Hassell Bullock
            F. F. Bruce
            D. A. Carson
            Adam Clarke
            Everett Ferguson
            Donald Guthrie
            Homer Hailey
            Victor Hamilton
            Matthew Henry
            Walter Kaiser
            Keil and Delitzsch
            Derek Kidner
            RCH Lenski
            H. C. Leupold
            Tremper Longman III
            J. W McGarvey
            Bruce Metzger
            Douglas Moo
            Leon Morris
            John Oswalt
            Martin Pickup
            Phil Roberts
            Bruce Waltke
            Gordon Wenham
            Edward Young

Understand, that is not a complete list by any means, but most of these people, and/or their works, are well-known in scholarly circles and you are reasonably safe with them, as long as you are careful to look for things like Calvinism and premillennialism which most or all believe in.
 
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world (1John 4:1).
 
Dene Ward
 

I wonder if we realize how many times we aid and abet the enemy of the cross?  Usually we are too wrapped up in ourselves to comprehend the perceptions of others and the effects on them.  Our American “rights” tell us we can do and say as we please and it’s no one else’s business.  When you become a Christian, you give up those rights.  The rights of others always supersede yours.
            How do people perceive you in a crisis?  Are you the one who stays calm?  The one whose language never slips?  The one who refuses to fall into a pit of despair?  What happens when you are caught in a mistake?  Do you lie about what happened?  Do you blame others, or do you calmly assume responsibility, offer an apology, and work hard to rectify the mistake?  When you see a person in need, do you step in and offer help?  Do you treat others well, regardless how they treat you?  Do you give to all, not just your friends?  How do you handle disagreements or insults?  A Christian never bases his behavior on how others have treated him, but upon what is right and what is wrong.  “But he made me mad,” means someone else is controlling you, and Christians always practice self-control.
            If you have ever claimed to be a Christian, these things can very well effect whether anyone will ever listen to you again, or even whether anyone else from the church will ever reach those people.  Too many times I have talked to people only to have them tell me about “someone from your church who…”  Our behavior may have successfully aided the Devil in capturing one more soul.
            Sometimes when we think we are doing the Lord’s work, we are really aiding the enemy.  When you talk to people about the church and the gospel, how do you go about it?  It may be extremely uncomfortable, but also eminently practical, to ask others how you are perceived when you teach, when you preach, or just in casual conversation.  Do you notice how many times you use the word “I?”  Do you know whether you tend to be loud or sound bossy?  Does your manner reek of arrogance or sarcasm?  Do you go on far too long, drowning important soul-saving concepts in a sea of words?  When you talk to folks who aren’t Christians (sometimes even when they are), you can’t count on them to be spiritual enough to endure the off-putting habits you might have.  Am I too proud to learn to do better?  If so, I have just aided and abetted the Enemy of the cross of Christ by refusing to “become all things to all men.”
            Most people who try to edify others and save the lost are good-hearted individuals who have no idea they come across in these ways.  They would never knowingly aid and abet the enemy of our Savior.  But that enemy is smart—he will use our weaknesses to his own advantage.  Nothing is said or done in a vacuum.  If you aren’t helping the cause of the Lord, you are hurting it, and it can happen even when you think you are doing His will, just by failing to notice what is going on or refusing to listen to those who might have some pretty good advice about how to better go about it.  Don’t commit treason against the Lord.
 
To the weak I became weak, that I might gain the weak: I am become all things to all men, that I may by all means save some. And I do all things for the gospel's sake, that I may be a joint partaker thereof. 1 Cor 9:22-23
           
Dene Ward

Today's post is by guest writer Joanne Beckley.
 
An African funeral is a challenge to attend. This morning we left the house at 4.30am and arrived at 6am in the Venda village. The large funeral tent was set up at the home of the deceased, but I immediately went into the bedroom to see the widow. The windows were all covered and I could barely see eight old women seated on the floor in the murky light. I looked around to find the widow. Suddenly a figure stepped off the bed mattress (now lying on the floor) and grabbed my hand for a tight hug. It was spooky how she suddenly appeared dressed from head to toe in black and a black hat covering her head and face. She wouldn’t let go, so we led the procession out of the house, over to the very large tent (marquee), and to her reserved seat.
 
The proceedings then got underway, with seemingly the entire village in attendance. Two hours later after some eight or ten speeches, including my husband’s short sermon, we all filed out and gained our cars or walked to the cemetery, about a kilometer away. When everyone had arrived, they opened the gate and the Hearse drove through while we all followed on foot to the grave site.
 
By now the sun was hot, but a good breeze kept it just bearable. After standing for the second sermon and many more songs, we watched as the coffin was lowered, wet cement mixed and poured into the cut grave and around the coffin, dirt poured in, cement added, and the granite headstone and base were placed on top. A large blanket was draped over the headstone. (The cement and blanket were to keep evil ancestors away from the new ancestor who would now aid the family, that is, any who are believers.) THEN everyone walked/drove back to the tent to eat a magnificent meal and offer condolences to the grieving family. This is always quite an expensive effort, but everyone belongs to a burial society and so can feed the village at that time. It is always a challenge to attend and offer sympathy and care during such a long drawn-out affair–and at the same time listen to a language not my own. But all the Christians, from near and far, were so glad to pay tribute to a fine soldier of the cross. From all the speeches we learned of his great love for his village and how he never lost an opportunity to teach the gospel to any who would listen. It was good to listen to the expressions of love his people had for him.
 
We also met members of his second wife’s family for the first time. When he learned of the gospel, he left his second wife and children but continued to support both families. Despite his efforts, the two families became estranged (from angered inlaws), and only in recent years was he able to unite both families to work together to solve their needs. It was interesting to hear the Master of Ceremonies warn that there would be no disturbances between the families during this funeral, emphasizing that they follow the example of their father who was a very humble man, loving all equally. He died praying that all of his nine children and grandchildren would thetshelesa! Their Venda word for listen is the word to obey and he so wanted them to lovingly obey God as he did.
 
Funerals are necessary for several reasons. The primary purpose of a funeral is to help us accept the reality of the death. It is a time to honor the dead and to tie a family and community together. For Christians, a funeral offers serious reflection and a chance to teach our neighbors the joy of serving our Lord, that they too could learn the same joy even during such a sad time. “It is better to attend a funeral than to attend a banquet, for everyone dies eventually, and the living will take this to heart.” Eccl 7:2
 
Every culture from ancient times until today has recognized a need to share in some way the departure of a loved one from this world to the next. The ways they express this varies according to the beliefs of who it is that will meet them “on the other side”. The Egyptians had an entire story to tell, with an amazing panoply of gods to call upon. The Israelites used sackcloth, ashes, shaved heads, and loud lamentations to demonstrate their grief. Job 21:32 mentions a funeral mound. Isaiah 30:33 describes a funeral pyre. Ancient peoples used (and many today still use) water, fire, and smoke to aid the understanding that the human spirit will not end at death.
 
God’s people understand and gain comfort that life does not end with the death and burial of faithful loved ones. Moses was reminded at the burning bush that the eternal God is the God of the living, Exodus 3. David continually fasted and prayed for his sick child, but when the child died, he arose and said, “Now he has died, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me.” 2Samuel 12
 
Jesus attended at least two funerals and taught concerning life after death, Luke 16. We have scriptures describing how we will join with our faithful loved ones. 1Corinthians 15, 1Thessalonians 4. Sadly, there is another lot for the wicked, Hebrews 10:26-27.
 
Death is a harsh reality, and facing the death of someone we know and love is never easy. But Jesus Christ came to conquer death, and He did by His resurrection from the dead. We don’t need to fear death if we are obedient to Christ.
 
Joanne Beckley
 

If you are concerned about proper doctrine, I will agree with you.  Let's just never forget that love, proper attitudes, and self-denial are also doctrines we cannot do without.

Doy Moyer

(This will make a lot of more sense to you if you go to http://flightpaths.weebly.com/2/post/2012/08/bussenwuddy.html, and read it first.)
            I told you awhile back about our first overnight with our grandson Silas.  It was fun, it was sweet, it was exhilarating, and it was a little frustrating at times when we weren’t sure what he wanted. 
            The “bussenwuddy” nearly got us.  Luckily I had cared enough to listen to the things he talked about to recognize “Buzz” and “Woody” from the Toy Story DVD.  Good thing I was the one listening.  Buzz and Woody could have been next door neighbors as far as Keith was concerned.  When you are profoundly deaf, you don’t casually pick up on bits and pieces of conversation or those things “everyone knows.”  You don’t immediately recognize normal words for all that.  No wonder he was lost.
            How well do you hear God?  Even if you recognize the words, do you know enough to make the correct associations and figure things out?  I know people do not know their Bible enough to be familiar with apocalyptic language when they turn the beautiful promises of the book of Revelation into some futuristic Armageddon between political nations (which, have you noticed, change with every generation’s “interpretation,” which ought to tell them something).  I know they don’t care enough to study carefully the entire communication God gave to us when they come up with ideas a real disciple can shoot holes through with half a dozen scriptures off the tip of his tongue.
            But how are we doing?  I hear more faulty exegesis from brethren these days than I do from my neighbors.  Taking things literally that are obviously hyperboles simply because they cannot comprehend a Lord who cared enough to come as one of us, speaking as one of us, including the use of hyperboles and humorous comparisons; refusing to see the obvious parallels between elements of the new covenant and those of the old because they have decided that “nailed to the cross” means don’t ever even look at the Old Testament again, much less study it; spending so much time fighting the heresies of mainstream denominationalism that they miss the important fundamentals of a sure hope and a grace beyond measure—these are just a few of the problems.
            What do you think of when you read “Christ in you, the hope of glory” Col 1:27?  Does the Shekinah even cross your mind, that physical manifestation of God’s glory that dwelt over the mercy seat?  Or is it just another “bussenwuddy” that eludes you, and robs you of a greater, more magnificent promise than you ever imagined?  I could go on.
            Knowing God’s word, not just superficially, but deeply, can lead to a greater understanding and a more heartfelt faith.  Facts may seem cold, but without them you are missing a lot.  You cannot make connections.  You cannot take your understanding to a deeper level.  You cannot see parallels and applications that will make your life more acceptable to your Father.
            Take the time to learn those facts.  How do you think you will ever come to a better knowledge of God if you don’t know what He said?  All it will be is a “bussenwuddy” on deaf ears.
 
For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. 1 Corinthians 2:11-14
 
Dene Ward
 

Usually buying gifts for our grandsons is difficult for us.  We have already had the problem of giving exactly the same gift as the other grandmother, but because I thought ahead of the possibilities and had taken my receipt with me, my children were able to exchange mine for something else.  Then there is the matter of not knowing what they already have or even like.  Once we hit the jackpot with scooters and another time with remote control cars, but we have hit that problem age now—middle school and early high school.  I don't want to just hand them money either.  Amazon has helped a lot with their "wish lists."  It's easy to go down a list, choose something in our price range, and hope they meant it when they put it on their list.  So far, they have been happy, if not deliriously so.
            This past Christmas, as I went down Silas's list which contained athletic shoe after athletic shoe and hoodie after hoodie, I was about to give up when suddenly I saw a mini-fridge.  We are talking really "mini" here—it only held 3 cans of soda.  We thought one of those hotel mini-fridges might be better and not much more, so we went searching.  Boy, were we wrong.  They cost about 6 times as much.  So we kept looking and finally found one closer to the one Silas had picked out, about the same price, but large enough for "12-15 soda cans."  So we bought it, told his mom to take the other one off his wish list so no one else would buy him one, and when it arrived, wrapped it and put it with the other presents.
            When time came to swap presents, his was one of the last.  His little brother, due to the relative costs of things, had gotten three less expensive items, and that meant Silas had only the one to open.  Finally we got to his present and when we placed the very large box in his lap and he felt how heavy it was, he wondered aloud what in the world it could be, which really surprised me, and made me worry a bit that we had gotten something he didn't really care that much about.  Surely if he hoped he would get it, he would be anxiously looking for something the right size and shape.
            So he began to tear off the paper, still wondering aloud, "What IS this thing?"  He got about a third of the paper off when he suddenly said, "I know what it is—I think," then more tearing of paper, and we finally heard, "Yes, it is.  It is.  It is!!"  For the rest of the evening he held that box in his lap with his arms wrapped around it, and we were as pleased about it as he was.
            We have had other experiences of gift-giving when, upon opening the present, the person said, "Oh.  I don't like those," by an adult, mind you, and the same person more than once.  I can tell you I was floored.  My mama taught me better than that and it's hard to imagine anyone's mama who did not.  But isn't that just what we do to God and his gifts to us sometimes?
            Most of us have better sense than to say anything negative about the gift of a Savior.  But I have heard enough complaints about His body, the church, to make me wonder why He even bothered to give us one.  This is not just His body, it is His kingdom as well.  It is the list in heaven where our names are written (Heb 12:23)—a glorious honor.  It is the place on this earth, for now, where he has placed his people so they can help one another, support one another, and encourage one another.  Without this help where would we be, how could we ever overcome Satan's temptations and destroy his devices?  But no, some of us are just like the scribes, Pharisees, and chief priests who refused to acknowledge the kingdom because they didn't like the King and the way it was set up—it didn't fill the bill to them.  He once said to them because of their attitude, “Truly…the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you" (Matt 21:31).  How can we expect anything else when we slander one another, complain about the preacher and his sermons, or think everyone should listen to our opinions about how things are run or else we will leave?  Why do we think we can complain about such a gift and be any different than those people were?  Jesus won't take that any better than I took it when my gifts were complained about.
            No, the congregation which you are a member of is not perfect.  Probably they have disappointed our Father more than once.  But that's because it is made up of imperfect people who sometimes fail to follow the perfect law of liberty.  And that includes you.  My group includes me.  But if we all recognized the gift we have been given and what it cost—the life of Christ, at a minimum—then maybe it would come a little closer to the ideal that God designed. 
            When you complain about the gift, you are complaining about the giver of the gift as well.  I am sure none of us really mean to do that at all.
 
But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel (Heb 12:22-24).
 
Dene Ward

I had sat there for hours like I always do, occasionally undergoing a test or other procedure, waiting for the doctor to finally reach my chart, along with a dozen or more other patients who also sit for hours every time we go to the Eye Clinic at the University of Florida School of Medicine.  But this time was different.
            An older woman and her husband sat next to me.  As often happens, we began to talk, usually about how long we have been waiting, the longest we have ever had to wait, and the various distances we all travel to see this world renowned, and incredibly skillful doctor we share.  Then she said four words, “I have a shunt,” and everything changed.
            My head whirled around, riveted to her face and especially her eyes.  “You do?”
            “Yes, two actually.”
            “I have one, too,” I said, excitement creeping into my voice.
            Her eyes instantly lit up.  “You do?” and there followed an hour of, “Do you have trouble with depth perception?  Do you see circles?  Does it ache?”  One question followed another, both of us nodding to one another and saying, “Yes, yes. Me too!”
            Finally someone understands, finally someone knows how I feel (both of us were thinking). 
            Someone understands how odd your vision can be; how colors have changed, how light “gets in the way;” how you can’t tell when a curb is a step up or step down or any step at all; how riding in the passenger seat makes vehicles in front of you look much closer; how many strange things can go wrong with an eyeball after what seems to the world like an easy surgery—why, you didn’t even have to stay in the hospital so how could it be serious? Someone else understands how much pain eye drops can cause, and how all those beta blockers can wreak havoc with your stamina; how careful you have to be when doing something as simple as wiping your eye because of all the hardware inside and on top of it; how inappropriate the remark, “I hope you get better soon,” is because there is no hope for better, just a hope that it will not get worse too soon; and someone else knows the feeling that any day could be the day that it all blows up.
            We sat there talking like close personal friends.  Occasionally she looked over at her husband and said, “You see?  I’m not crazy after all,” and he nodded, a bit patronizingly I thought, but we had developed such a quick and strong bond that perhaps I was just feeling protective.
            We were both called to separate exam rooms but when I left, I waved across the hall and wished her well.  I never got her name, nor she mine.  Strange, I guess, but we never felt the need to ask personal questions—we felt like we had known one another for years, and all because we felt the kinship of understanding what each of us was experiencing when no one else did.
            No matter what you are going through today, you have a friend just like that.  God emptied Himself to become a man and experience what you experience, feel what you feel, and suffer what you suffer.  He did that precisely so He could understand.  I always knew that, but now I really know how quickly a bond can form simply because of that shared experience. 
            But what if I had never responded to the woman’s simple statement about a shunt?  What if I had just sat there and done nothing?  That bond would never have formed.  It takes a response to the offer to gain the reward.  It takes a willingness to open up and share with the Lord the things you are feeling.  Yes, He already knows, but you will never feel the closeness of that bond until you share with Him as well.
            That day it felt like I had found, not a new friend, but a long, lost friend from the past.  When it happens that fast, it can’t be a complete stranger, can it?  Why don’t you turn around and talk to the Man next to you today and find out for yourself?
 
Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery…Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted, Heb 2:14-18.
 
Dene Ward
 

Perhaps you remember that our property in north Florida was directly under a flight path.  Every day we saw flyovers by jetliners soaring toward the larger airport thirty miles away, single engine props puttering along, fighter jets in training leaving skeins of contrails in the sky, helicopters making life flights, and even the Budweiser blimp that flew so low over us I thought it might land in our field.  All of that led to a devotional, which lent its name to my first devotional book and then to this blog.
            And now we sit here in Tampa, a mile or so from a small airport and directly under another flight path.  Every morning as we sit outside sipping our third cup of coffee as we have done for so many years, everything from single engine props to traffic helicopters to company jets fly over us in the same southwestern line, or return on the path in a northeastern line every ten minutes or so.  We just can't seem to get away from flight paths.
            Which is fitting, for our lives all travel the same flight path.  Some may fly at higher or lower altitudes and some may experience more turbulence than others.  The stops along our journey may be different, but the destination is the same for us all—death.  But even physical death is not the final stop and for a believer that last stop is the point of it all.  The rest of the world will do all they can to lengthen the first part of the flight or even deny the final landing, but plastic surgery, inedible health food, and lifelong gym memberships will not change reality.  Death will come.
            And that's when our flight paths veer off on a different line.  How we lived along the first flight path will certainly make a difference, but trust in God's grace will land us right in the middle of those glorious promises of redemption and bliss, and in the arms of our Lord. 
            But some head toward another landing place, where their engines will sputter and stall over a tarmac cratered by sin, where they know they are crashing yet can do nothing about it, where the fire from that crash-landing will never cease, and there is no hope for a different ending.
            And so the first part of our flight path determines Flight Paths Part 2.  As long as you draw breath, it isn't too late to file a new flight plan.
 
For all our days pass away under your wrath; we bring our years to an end like a sigh. The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away (Ps 90:9-10).
 
Dene Ward

I grew up in Central Florida so I am familiar with houseflies.  We even had them in the winter.  After every annual Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner at my grandmother’s house, she pulled all the food to one end of the table, then carefully draped the other end of the tablecloth back over the bowls and platters for anyone who wanted to snack all day.  That way the flies couldn’t use the food as landing strips.
               When Keith and I moved to the country, flies became an ordeal.  Even with air conditioning, they manage to zoom in between door openings and closings, especially when, as was the case for several years, not twenty feet outside our back door lay a well-populated cow pasture. 
               What I was not ready for were yellow flies.  I had never dealt with a fly that bites.  The first time one landed for a snack, it left me with a hard, sore knot the size of a ping pong ball.  Keith tells me this is not the usual case, that I must be hypersensitive, but whatever is going on here I do my best to stay away from yellow flies.
               When I jogged, I always passed one place on the road where one particular yellow fly made it his business to give me grief.  He buzzed my head like a crop duster, and I am sure my pace increased to near world record speeds on that hundred foot stretch of highway every day.  I am also certain I looked pretty funny swinging and swatting away with both hands, but it was the only way to keep myself free of those painful welts.
               I thought of that fly chasing me down the road when I read this verse:  But as for you, O man of God…pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, and godliness, 1 Tim 6:11.
               Most of the time we focus on the things we are supposed to be pursuing in that passage, but did you ever wonder exactly how you should be pursuing them?  Like a yellow fly, as it turns out.
               And falling to the ground he heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" And he said, "Who are you, Lord?" And he said, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. Acts 9:4-5
               I did a little research into that word “pursue” and those are the verses that popped up.  “Pursue” is translated more than any other English word, more in fact, than all of the choices put together, as “persecute,” just as it is in Acts 9.  We are supposed to “persecute” all righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, and meekness.  What?!
               Just think for a minute about how Saul went about persecuting Christians.  He went from city to city.  He made appointments with the authorities to get what we might think of as warrants in order to put them in prison.  Then he testified against them to make his case.  Many times this persecution was “to the death.”  Once he finished in one place, he moved to the next, and to the next, and to the next.  Persecuting Christians was his life.
               How much of our lives do we spend trying to become more righteous, more godly, more loving, and all those other things that Paul says we should pursue?  How much time, how much effort, how much sacrifice do we give to it?  Or do we instead offer excuses for poor behavior we should have mastered years ago, for sins we refuse to overcome?  If we were pursuing righteousness the way Paul pursued—persecuted--Christians, if we spent our lives doing whatever was necessary to learn to love as we ought, if we “buffeted our bodies” to become more godly, if we spent the same amount of time bolstering our faith that we do soothing our egos or building our bank accounts, maybe those things wouldn’t be so difficult to chase down.
               When I think about being pursued by that pesky, persecuting yellow fly, I instantly understand what I should be doing to become a better disciple of my Lord.  Come out and visit some day and I’ll see if we can’t arrange the same experience for you!
 
Follow after (pursue, persecute) peace with all men and holiness, without which no one shall see the Lord,  Heb 12:14.
 
Dene Ward

Today's post is by guest writer Lucas Ward.

When we read Psalm Two from this side of the cross, all we can see is the Messianic imagery.  We forget that this is a psalm of David (Acts 4:25), written in the first person.  It has been suggested that David wrote it for his coronation or his conquering of Jerusalem as his capital.  David is the one called the son of God and the one promised rule over the nations.  Considering his career as a conqueror, God kept that promise.  David is the one referred to as the Lord's Anointed (Messiah) which is correct as he was chosen by God and anointed by God's prophet Samuel (1 Sam. 16).  In like manner, David often referred to Saul as the Lord's anointed.  As the nations raged against God, His anointed, and His plans, David writes of God laughing in His majesty. The near fulfilment of this psalm is the reign of David over Israel and the establishment of his kingdom. 

          But like most of the reign of David, this psalm foreshadows the coming Messiah.  It is easy to see the begotten Son of God establishing a kingdom which reached the ends of the earth (Dan. 2) and ruling absolutely.  What is interesting are the many uses of the psalm in the New Testament. 

Mark 1:11  "And a voice came from heaven, 'You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.'"  The opening of God's statement here quotes nearly verbatim the statement in Ps. 2:7.  It seems as if God is not merely acknowledging Jesus as His son audibly from heaven (if "merely" can even be used of such a thing!), but in choosing that phrasing He intentionally calls to mind all the promises to the Son in Psalm 2. 

Acts 13:30-33  "But God raised him from the dead, and for many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people.  And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm, ‘You are my Son, today I have begotten you.’"  Paul teaches that the Resurrection was the ultimate declaration of the Sonship of Jesus.  The "today" in which the Son was inarguably declared to be the only begotten was that Sunday during which the women were shocked to find an empty tomb.  Upon that day, then, the fulness of the promises to the Son in Psalm two would begin to be fulfilled:  a kingdom established and rule provided, which is exactly what we see in Matt. 28 and Acts 2.

Heb. 1:5  "For to which of the angels did God ever say, 'You are my Son, today I have begotten you'"?  In referring to Psalm Two, Jesus is declared better than the angels.  Jesus is the better messenger bringing the better message, proved by the prophecy of Psalm 2.

Heb. 5:5-6  "So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him, 'You are my Son, today I have begotten you'; as he says also in another place, 'You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.'" The one declared to be God's High Priest is the one declared to be Son in Psalm Two.  How could we possibly have a better priest than the Son of God? 

Acts 4:23-30  "When they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them.  And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit, ‘Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples plot in vain?  The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers were gathered together, against the Lord and against his Anointed’—for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.  And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” The Apostles, having been arrested and then threatened because they were teaching the Gospel, prayed for boldness while referencing Psalm Two.  It is clear from their prayer that they saw the crucifixion of Jesus as the ultimate fulfillment of Ps. 2:1-3 and deemed their current problems a continuation of that same attack by worldly forces (Ward, Our Eyes Are On You, pg. 224).  If one compares the people mentioned in the prayer to the quotation a surprise awaits.  David says it is the "Gentiles, peoples and kings of the earth" opposing the Lord's Anointed.  The Apostles equate that to Herod, Pilate, the Gentiles "and the peoples of Israel".  Lumping Israelites in with the heathen to fulfil what David called the nations/Gentiles is a clear teaching that "not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel." Instead, only those believing in Jesus were now of the Kingdom of God, a thought originating in Psalm 2.  (Rom. 9:6)

Rev. 2:26-27  "The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my Father."  This specifically references Jesus declaration in Psalm two that the conquering Christian will share in His authority and power.  The Psalm, long understood to be about the Messiah, the Messiah Himself says is about the glory of the citizens of the kingdom of Heaven!

Rev 11:18  The nations raged, but your wrath came, and the time for the dead to be judged, and for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints, and those who fear your name, both small and great, and for destroying the destroyers of the earth.” The opening phrase of the psalm is used to identify the Roman Empire as it stands against the church.

Rev 12:5  She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne. Who was this male child?  He was the one who ruled the nations with a rod of iron.  According to psalm two, that is the Messiah! 

Rev 19:15  From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.  Victory in Jesus!

          As we look at the Messianic nature of Psalm two we see not merely a short mention of the Messiah and his kingdom, but also God's divine witness to the Sonship of Jesus, the proclamation of the Resurrection as Jesus' coronation day, the superiority of the Message and the Messenger, and the victory of the Church in Jesus over all tribulation and trial, even that of the great Roman Empire.  Psalm two teaches that believers, not members of physical Israel, are the true citizens of the kingdom and that as we overcome for Jesus, He will share the glory promised Him in Psalm two with each and every one of us!

          There are few passages referenced more often by New Testament writers than Psalm two, and even fewer whose references carry greater import. 
 
Lucas Ward