08/15/2026
Want to guess what's the most quoted Old Testament passage in the New Testament?
Go ahead, guess. I'll wait.
I suspect you probably guessed something like the Ten Commandments or the Shema` ("You shall love the Lord you God with all your heart, all your soul," etc.). Good guesses--the Ten Commandments are cited in full or part nine times in the New Testament, while the Shema` is quoted in full once, in part a couple times, and alluded to about half a dozen more times. But Psalm 2 beats them both. It's explicitly cited four times, and partially quoted another ten times.
"Why do the nations conspire, and the people plot in vain? The kings of the earth . . . take counsel together against the Lord and his anointed one."
"I will tell the decree of the Lord: He said to me, 'You are my son; today I have begotten you."
"So be wise, O kings . . . serve the Lord with fear, and kiss his feet with trembling." (from Psalm 2)
What makes this psalm so special? Apparently, it was composed as a hymn to be sung at the coronation of a new Israelite king. Often, when a new king was crowned, the vassal kings (those who had been conquered and paid taxes to their overlords) would view it as an opportunity to revolt. This psalm takes the form of a warning to the vassals, who might well have sent emissaries to the coronation: it isn't just a person you're rebelling against. It isn't just human power you're opposing. The king has been put on his throne by the will of God, and it is the Lord himself you challenge, when you fight against his chosen monarch.
Now, in ancient Israel, these words would have to be taken with a grain of salt. God had, indeed, declared that the descendants of King David would rule perpetually in the kingdom of Judah. But sometimes, the kings fell short of God's goodness. Sometimes, they were positively corrupt. And God had to respond by disciplining his monarchs--even to the point of doing away with the dynasty entirely.
Psalm 2 celebrated an idealized depiction of Israelite kingship. He would be, theoretically, a king who would be proclaimed God's on child, and who would serve as the Lord's perfect regent. While that ideal was never fulfilled in ancient Israel, the New Testament writers recognized that it had been realized in a descendant of King David who was greater, wiser, and infinitely more righteous than any of his predecessors. In Jesus Christ, God's promise of perpetual, holy kingship finds its truest fulfillment.
Join us this Sunday at 9:30 A.M. to learn more about this remarkable song and its implications for our lives. And stick around for brunch and contemporary worship at 11. Hope to see you soon!
