“The LORD said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you. 8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.” (Psa. 2:7–8)
The first two chapters of the Book of Psalms is often recognized as an introduction to the whole book. These two psalms are set apart. This prompts us to read them together. Psalm One, speaks of the blessed man who is dependent on the Word of God. Psalm Two, speaks of the Davidic King in whom one can take refuge. As we meditate on these two songs, we come face-to-face with the Messianic vision of David. David seems to have understood his own life and lineage as having an answer that would be heard and seen in the Messianic fulfillment. These songs are like whale songs except they echo down through time instead of the briny deep. When we hear them again, they have an answer in Christ, and their implications are both gospel rich, and incredibly profound for our future hope.
They are gospel rich, because, as it turns out, Christ fulfills the first Psalm as much as He does the second. Christ is the blessed man. Christ has fulfilled the call to dependence on the Scriptures. We are both implored to act, and freed from guilt in the same passage. Christ was thoroughly delighted in the law of The Lord. This does not mean that we don’t need to be so delighted, but it does mean that we who are “in Christ” are free from condemnation when we fail.
The implications are profound for our future hope, because the promise for the Messianic King is that he will inherit the nations. This is our hope for the future of the Church. We spread the gospel with the knowledge that the nations belong to Christ already. We spread the gospel with the confidence that final success is guaranteed. We spread the gospel with the hope of the revelation given to David. The nations belong to Christ, and as his inheritance they are our inheritance too. As we begin a new year, I want to call the body to prayer that dares to believe the hope of David. The nations belong to our Lord. (Our nation is one of the nations.) Let’s pray for the gospel to reach the nations in the fullness of this hope.
