Discipleship in the Psalms: Submitting to the Human King
Author: Daniel Owens, PhD
November 22, 2023
Second in a series.
If we had only Psalm 1, we might be forgiven for saying that discipleship is about individuals learning God’s word and obeying it. However, Psalm 2 destroys any small, intimate picture of discipleship that an individualistic Westerner may have. Instead it shows how discipleship takes place in a web of relationships surrounding Yahweh’s human king.
Let me skip to the punchline: in light of the New Testament, we know this is Jesus (Acts 13:33; Heb. 1:5; 5:5). For our discipleship, everything depends on being in proper relationship with Jesus, who is the human/divine King whom God has chosen and empowered to rule over all opposition.
Returning to Psalm 2, the first level in the web of relationships is between the kings of the earth on one side and Yahweh and his anointed one on the other (Psa. 2:1–2). Although prophets, priests, and kings were all anointed in Israel (Exod. 28:41; 1 Sam. 10:1; 1 Kgs. 19:16), in the context of this psalm, clearly Yahweh’s anointed is a king since neither priests nor prophets would have power over the rulers of other nations. These kings seek to overthrow his rule over them (Psa. 2:3). Later in the psalm, the kings are warned to serve in fear and joyful trembling (Psa. 2:10–11). They are invited to reconcile with him with a kiss to avoid being swept away by his anger (Psa. 2:12).
Since the psalm gives no indication that they reconcile with Yahweh’s anointed one, we might say these kings are the anti-disciples, that is, those who will not submit to God’s ruler. Their rejection of Yahweh’s king is folly.
The next relationship is the critical bond between Yahweh and his chosen king. We see this bond in several ways. As verse 1 hints, and verse 4 makes explicit, the international conspiracy against God and his king is doomed to failure because God supports his king. Given his support, no cabal of rebellious leaders poses a real threat to his king. But pause to recognize the very human context: Zion is Jerusalem, the city of David, a place in history, the capital of a small kingdom in the broader geopolitical context of the day. David depends on Yahweh for his rule. When Yahweh speaks, the kings shrink back in fear at his fury (Psa. 2:5).
Next come the famous words of verse 7 affirming the relationship between Yahweh and his king: “I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, ‘You are my Son; today I have begotten you.’” When read in light of the entire Christian Bible, this is starting to sound like a psalm about Jesus. Although this verse is not quoted at Jesus’ baptism, the voice from heaven sounds very similar when it affirms: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” Paul in fact quotes Psalm 2:7 in his sermon in Acts 13 to bolster his claim that God kept his promise to Israel by raising Jesus from the dead (see also Rom. 1:4).
Finally, what started as a hint about Jesus becomes unmistakable when Yahweh invites his king in verse 8: “Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.” Now the psalm bursts the historic boundaries of ancient Israel and describes a global realm. The psalm thus strains forward to fulfillment in Jesus, whose rule is universal (Col. 1:20). The next verse describes the victory of Yahweh’s iron-rod-wielding king over his enemies, a victory that Revelation 19:15 ascribes to Jesus.
Thus the relationship at the core of this psalm is an unshakeable bond between Yahweh and his human king, a relationship that finds fullest expression in the relationship between God the Father and God the Son. Discipleship is the opportunity to be brought into fellowship with the community of the Godhead through the human king, who is also God.
The final relationship is simple: it is our response to God’s human king. The psalm concludes with a statement of blessing: “Blessed are all who take refuge in him.” Who is this “him” in whom all are invited to seek refuge? The Hebrew text is ambiguous. The nearest antecedent is the Son in v. 12, but throughout the book of Psalms, God is Israel’s refuge (for example, Psa. 5:11; 7:1; 90:1). But we need not decide because, as Peter C. Craigie remarks, the invitation is “to submit to God through his king” (Psalms 1–50 [Dallas: Word, 1983], p. 68). Father and Son are unified, and discipleship is seeking refuge in God’s king. As Colossians 3:3 makes clear, in our union with Christ, our lives are “hidden with Christ in God.”
Discipleship is a global phenomenon centered around the ruler God has chosen, Jesus Christ. It involves submitting in faith to the lordship of Christ with all the benefits of the secure rule of the king that Yahweh supports and with no fear of the threats of his enemies. That’s a big view of discipleship.
Daniel Owens, PhD, is NCC’s pastor of discipleship.
BACK