Comments on Psalm 2:1-3¹

Matthew Henry

Psalm 2:1-3. Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against His Anointed, saying, Let us break Their bands asunder, and cast away Their cords from us.

We have here a very great struggle about the kingdom of Christ, hell and heaven contesting it. The site of the war is this earth, where Satan has long had a usurped kingdom and exercised dominion to such a degree that he has been called the prince of the power of the air and the god of the world we live in. He knows very well that, as the Messiah’s kingdom rises and gains ground, his falls and loses ground; therefore, though Christ’s kingdom will certainly be set up, it shall not be set up tamely. Observe here:

1. The mighty opposition that would be given to the Messiah and His kingdom, to His holy religion and all its interests (vv 1-3). One would have expected that so great a blessing to this world would be universally welcomed and embraced, and that every sheaf would immediately bow to that of the Messiah and all the crowns and sceptres on earth would be laid at His feet. But it proves to be quite the opposite. Never were the notions of any sect of philosophers, though ever so absurd, nor the powers of any prince or state, though ever so tyrannical, opposed with so much violence as the doctrine and government of Christ – a sign that it was from heaven, for the opposition to it was plainly from hell originally.

1. We are here told who would appear as adversaries to Christ and be the devil’s instruments, in this opposition to His kingdom. Princes and people, court and country, have sometimes separate interests, but here they are united against Christ. Not the mighty only, but the mob, the heathen, the people,

¹Last month’s editorial was based on some aspects of the first verses of Psalm 2. We follow this up with this edited extract from Henry’s Commentary.

numbers of them, communities of them. Though usually fond of liberty, yet they were averse to the liberty Christ came to procure and proclaim. Not the mob only, but the mighty – among whom one might have expected more sense and consideration – appear violent against Christ. His kingdom is not of this world, nor in the least calculated to weaken their interests, but very likely, if they pleased, to strengthen them. Yet the kings of the earth and rulers are up in arms immediately.

See the effects of the old enmity in the seed of the serpent against the seed of the woman, and how general and malignant the corruption of mankind is. See how formidable the enemies of the Church are: they are numerous; they are powerful. The unbelieving Jews are here called heathen, so wretchedly had they degenerated from the faith and holiness of their ancestors; they stirred up the heathen, the Gentiles, to persecute the Christians. As the Philistines and their lords; Saul and his courtiers; the disaffected party and their ringleaders, opposed David’s coming to the crown, so Herod and Pilate, the Gentiles and the Jews, did their utmost against Christ and his interest among men (Acts 4:27).

1. Who do they quarrel with and muster up all their forces against? It is “against the Lord and against his Anointed” – that is, against the Christian religion. It is certain that all who are enemies to Christ, whatever they pretend, are enemies to God himself: they have “hated both me and my Father” (Jn 15:24). The great Author of our holy religion is here called the Lord’s Anointed, or Messiah, or Christ, in allusion to the anointing of David to be king. He has been duly invested in the office and every way fitted for it; yet there are those opposed to him. They are against Him because they are impatient of God’s authority, envious at Christ’s advancement, and have a rooted enmity to the Spirit of holiness.

2. The opposition they give is here described. (1.) It is a most spiteful and malicious opposition. They rage and fret; they gnash their teeth for vexation at the setting up of Christ’s kingdom; it creates in them the utmost uneasiness, and that so that they have no enjoyment from themselves. Idolaters raged at the discovery of their folly; the chief priests and Pharisees at the eclipsing of their glory and the shaking of their usurped dominion. Those that did evil raged at the light.

(2.) It is a deliberate opposition. They imagine, or meditate – that is, they contrive means to suppress the rising interests of Christ’s kingdom and are very confident of their success; they promise themselves that they shall run down religion and carry the day.

(3.) It is a resolute and obstinate opposition. They “set themselves”, set

their faces as a flint and their hearts as adamant, in defiance of reason, conscience and all the terrors of the Lord; they are proud and daring, like the Babel-builders, and will persist in their resolution, come what will.

(4.) It is a combined opposition; they “take counsel together”, to assist one another in this opposition; they are unanimous in pushing on the unholy war against the Messiah with the utmost vigour. All their wits are at work to find out ways and means to prevent Christ’s kingdom being established.

1. We are here told what they are exasperated at and what they aim at in this opposition (v 3): “Let us break their bands asunder.” They will not be under any government; they are children of Belial, that cannot endure the yoke, at least the yoke of the Lord and his Anointed. They will be content to entertain such notions of the kingdom of God and the Messiah as will serve them to support their own dominion. If the Lord and his Anointed will make them rich and great in the world, these enemies will make them welcome; but if they will restrain their corrupt appetites and passions, regulate and reform their hearts and lives, and bring them under the government of a pure and heavenly religion, they will not have this man to reign over them (Lk 19:14). Christ has bands and cords for us; those that will be saved by him must be ruled by him; but they are cords of a man, agreeable to right reason; and bands of love, conducive to our true interest, and yet the quarrel is against those cords and bands.

Why do men oppose religion but because they are impatient of its restraints and obligations? They will break asunder the bands of conscience they are under, and the cords of God’s commandments by which they are called to tie themselves off from all sin and to tie themselves up to all duty; they will not receive them, but cast them as far away from them as they can.

1. They are here reasoned with about it (v 1). Why do they do this? (1.) They can show no good cause for opposing a rule so just, holy and gracious, which will not interfere with the secular powers, nor introduce any dangerous principles hurtful to kings or provinces. On the contrary, if universally received, this rule would bring a heaven on earth.

(2.) They can hope for no good success in opposing so powerful a kingdom, with which they are utterly unable to contend. It is a vain thing; when they have done their worst, Christ will have a Church in the world, and that Church shall be glorious and triumphant. It is built on a rock, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

They which use their utmost diligence in the things of God all their days shall at last have an abundant entrance ministered to them into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

James Janeway