The Basis of Hope
Psalm 2 is one of the songs of ancient poetry. This passage is quoted in Acts 4 as a Psalm of David. This is a prophetic Messianic Psalm about the coming of Jesus Christ. Jerusalem was conquered by King David. The language of this Psalm spills over the times in which it was written and heralds the coming of a greater king than David himself. Quoting from Psalm 2:6-9:
“6. Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.
7. I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.
8. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.
9. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”
The true king that God installed is above all kings. Literature and legend says that there was a great King who ruled in power and love and mercy. When this great King ruled, the land prospered and great works of art were done while the King reigned. However when the King died, darkness fell upon the face of the land and the kingdom fell into ruin, waiting for the return of the true king who would reign in righteousness and true holiness.
Most monarchies have been ruled by an iron hand…by oppression and fear. Why are so many enamored by royalty? Why do peoples create royal lines and crown them with honor and majesty? Why do peoples give themselves over to the sway of those whom they honor and glorify? It’s because as people we know deep down in our hearts the true King who reigns in righteousness and true holiness…a true Saviour who will save the people from their sins. If we refuse the true King we will honor a lesser King. We were created with a hunger to serve our Lord. Ye are servants of whom you obey.
The natural inclination of the human heart is to set up a King and then reject him. According to Psalm 2:3-4, “Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.
He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.”
Lord means owner. However, the basic impulse of the human heart is for every man to follow his own way and his own heart. The central conviction of hell is to confess, “I am my own Lord.” We are captive to whom we obey…I have found the enemy and he is me.
True virtue incarnate appeared upon this earth over two thousand years ago with the coming of the Messiah. We don’t hate the majesty of Kings and Queens. However, men hate the true Messiah. Why? It’s because most religions allow you to be your own person. However, the true God says, “Thou shalt have no other Gods before me.” To approach the true God is an offer to make a unilateral covenant according to His terms, not ours. Men don’t understand their own internal corruption and sin…the nature of sinful flesh that we all inherited from Adam.
We have a King, We need a King, and we are offered to accept the true King according to God’s terms.
Therefore, Psalm 2:11-12 concludes, “Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.”
Believing plus desire equals hope.
Gary relates a story about one his wife’s room mates before he and his wife were married. Her room mate had a large cedar chest, a “hope” chest where she kept her family’s heirlooms in addition to mementos of her hopes and dreams. We all have a hope chest in which we keep our fondest desires and deepest thoughts. Hope is why we get married, believe the best for our children, send them to college and bless them when we give them away in marriage.
Hope is why we read the bible and pray. Christianity is the only religion that gives us an intellectual basis for hope. The other religions of the world give no hope of eternal life in fellowship with our loving Heavenly Father. When our hope is in Christ, confinement becomes spaciousness. Bondage becomes Liberty. Death to self becomes life in Christ.
The story of Guinevere broke the back of the kingdom of Camelot. King Arthur was on the horns of a dilemma. He could either kill the queen whom he loved, or kill the law. We are God’s Guinevere and have committed adultery by serving and loving other gods. Mordred representing Satan said, “kill Guinevere.”
God did justice by executing his innocent son on our behalf. Jesus lived a perfect life and went to the cross as the perfect innocent lamb of God. There was a double transaction: He paid our debt of sin. But the second transaction is that he exchanged for our guilt, the righteousness of Christ. For he who knew no sin was made the perfect sin sacrifice on our behalf that we may be made the righteousness of God in Him.
What amazing grace! This is the basis of our hope.
May we ever live to the praise of the glory of His grace, Your brother in Christ, Michael