Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand,
and the rulers conspire together against the Lord and his Anointed One: “Let’s tear off their chains and throw their ropes off of us.” The one enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord ridicules them. Then he speaks to them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath: “I have installed my king. Psalm 2:1-6 CSB
Why Do The Nations (We) Rage?
As Pastor Jim said yesterday morning, we will all submit to something or someone. We get to choose who or what it will be. We like to be in control, and we don’t like to have to answer to anyone. We especially do not like to be called out when we are wrong.
David begins Psalm 2 with a question: Why do the nations rage and the people plot in vain? It is a rhetorical question, not to seek an answer but to highlight the mystery of why this would ever happen. Why would anyone rage against God? Why do the nations rage and why do we rage against him? Why would even kings and rulers conspire together against him? We rage against him because of selfishness and pride.
We are fine submitting to God until it inconveniences us, or we have to sacrifice something we don’t want to sacrifice. Who or what are we submitting to then? We live in the castles we have made for ourselves, only as righteous as the Pharisees – pretty and perfect on the outside, but on the inside filled with selfishness and pride. When it is revealed, either by conviction from God or the accountability of a brother or sister in Christ, we sometimes throw a fit before we humble ourselves, acknowledge our sin, and ask forgiveness. Maybe we rage against God when we feel like he has left us in an unfair circumstance or maybe we feel that he is not responding to our prayers the way he should. Like a small child who doesn’t get their way, we rage.
How does the Lord respond to this rage from the nations? With laughter and ridicule because, no matter how loud and hard the nations rage, God is the one who is on the throne. There is nothing about humans raging against him that intimidates God. He wants all to know that He has established his King in Jesus when he comes back to reign and nothing we do will change that.
Why would we rage agains sovereign God when we know he loves us and he will always do what is best for us when we submit to him? Why would we ever want anything different? We have our selfish desires and our flesh wants these selfish desires to be fulfilled at the cost of God's very best for us. We may find ourselves at the end of this path suffering in the consequences of our selfish desires.
To whom will we submit and what will be the outcome of that choice?
This question really begs the same question that Psalm 1 asks, only in different wording. Psalm 1 gives us two choices – the choice of life or death. This question still asks will you choose life or death because anything we choose other than God will lead us towards death and away from life. In submitting to anything other than God, we may feel we are in control but in truth we are controlled by what we submit to. We are in a prison of our own making. It is only in surrendering everything to him that we will ever be free and in submitting to him only that we will ever find life.
