Psalms | Learner's Guide
WEEK
2
3
Acknowledge Our Anointed King
Psalm 2
2.8.15
“Our habit is to talk about God, not to him. We love discussing God. The
Psalms resist these discussions. They are not provided to teach us about God
but to train us in responding to him. We don’t learn the Psalms until we are
praying them.”
Taken from Eugene Peterson’s Answering Prayer: The Psalms as Tools for Prayer
Day 1 – What Do You See?
STUDY God’s Word
“1Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? 2The kings of the earth
set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his
Anointed, saying, 3‘Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.’ 4He
who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. 5Then he will speak to
them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, 6‘As for me, I have set my King on
Zion, my holy hill.’ 7I will tell of the decree: The LORD said to me, ‘You are my Son; today I
have begotten you. 8Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends
of the earth your possession. 9You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in
pieces like a potter’s vessel.’ 10Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of
the earth. 11Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. 12Kiss the Son, lest he
be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who
take refuge in him.. (ESV)
Q1: Psalms 1 and 2 stand together like twin pillars marking the entrance to the path of worship
and wonder in the Psalms. As you read Psalm 2 for the first time, what do you see? Write
down 3 questions the psalm makes you want ask (i.e. Who is the Son in Psalm 2?).
Q2: What words seems significant to you in this Psalm? Write down all the key words and key
verbs that you think will help you unlock the meaning of the text for you.
Q3: Summarize Psalm 2 in your own words. Try to limit the length of your summary to the space
below.
REMEMBER God’s Word
“The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of
the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.”
Psalm 19:8
PRAY God’s Word
Father in Heaven, you mean to change the way we live little by little as we
meditate on your Word. Open our eyes so that we might see wonderful things
from your truth. Give us grace to live on your word today. We pray in Jesus’
name. Amen.
Day 2 – King David and King Jesus
STUDY God’s Word
Q1: Psalm 2 represents one of the royal psalms in the book. Although it has no title, Acts 4:25
givers us a clue as to its author. Who is most likely the author of Psalm 2?
Q2: Most royal psalms focus either on divine or human kingship in Israel. Psalm 2 addresses them
together along with the hostile “kings of the earth”. Scripture has so much to tell us about
this Psalm. Read Matthew 3:17, Acts 4:25-27, Acts 13:33, Romans 1:4, and Hebrews 1:5. What
do these verses tell you about Psalm 2?
Q3: In this Psalm, Jesus Christ is identified as both the son of David and the Son of God. All the
promises God gave to David are fulfilled in him. The work of Psalm 2 is to confront us with the
largeness of God and to rehabilitate our timid position in the world. What worries you? How
is God’ character helping you overcome your worries?
REMEMBER God’s Word
“The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of
the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.”
Psalm 19:8
PRAY God’s Word
Father in Heaven, you laugh in the face of those who oppose your will. There is no
person or power on earth that can contend with you. Let that be our hope today
when trouble comes. Remind us of who you are today. We pray in Jesus’ name.
Amen.
Day 3 – Raging Nations V. Reigning King
STUDY God’s Word
Q1: In your own words, what is the question the psalmist is asking at the outset of Psalm 2? What
are some examples given in verses 1-3 of how “the nations rage and the peoples plot in
vain”? What are they plotting to do?
Q2: Rejecting God’s rule and his appointed ruler is senseless. That’s the context for “Why” in
verse 1. The psalmist is not confused. He is surprised that they “plot” at all. The Hebrew verb
for “plot” in Psalm 2 is the same verb used for “meditate” in Psalm 1. The blessed man of
Psalm 1 considers God’s word precious. How do the kings of Psalm 2 view it?
Q3: Read Acts 4:25-28. There, the early church sees a fulfillment of Psalm 2 in the crucifixion of
Jesus. According to Acts 4:25-28, who would the enemy kings be? Who would the nations
that rage be? Who ultimately is the Lord’s anointed?
REMEMBER God’s Word
“The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of
the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.”
Psalm 19:8
PRAY God’s Word
Father in Heaven, Your rule is cannot be overthrown. The best we can do is to
come under your loving care. To oppose your purpose for our lives is the way to
ruin. Help us to live submitted to your will in order that we may enjoy your blessing.
We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Day 4 – He Is Sovereign Over Us
STUDY God’s Word
Q1: In verse 4, the psalmist says in response to the plots of God’s enemies, “He who sits in the
heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision.” The Lord responds with an attitude and an
action. His attitude is one of contempt for the nation’s arrogance. The action response is
seen in verse 6. What is it?
Q2: In verses 7-9 the Lord’s anointed king speaks. Read 2 Samuel 7:12-16. In these verses, God
makes a covenant with David that his kingdom reign will endure forever. List some ways that
God’s promises to his anointed king reflect this promise in verses 7-9 of Psalm 2?
Q3: The “rod” of verse 9 and the rod of Psalm 23 are used by the same sovereign King but with
different purpose. How is the rod used in verse 9? How is the rod used in Psalm 23. What
does this tell us about our Savior, King Jesus?
REMEMBER God’s Word
“The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of
the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.”
Psalm 19:8
PRAY God’s Word
Father in Heaven, you are sovereign over us. We love your sovereignty because
we know that you are loving and wise and that you only do good things for your
children. Help us to trust that promise today in every circumstance. We pray in
Jesus’ name. Amen.
Day 5 – Be Wise and Serve the Lord
STUDY God’s Word
Q1: In light of God’s sovereign authority, what does the psalmist say the kings of the earth would
be wise to do?
Q2: What is wise for the kings is wise for us as well. What does the psalmist mean when he calls us
to “rejoice with trembling”? (See: Prov. 1:7; Phil. 2:12-13)
Q3: How does it work? Now that your understanding of Psalm 2 has grown, how does it work?
What is this psalm effecting life-change for you?
REMEMBER God’s Word
“The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of
the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.”
Psalm 19:8
PRAY God’s Word
Father in Heaven, you know what life is for because you made it. Therefore, no
one deserves our allegiance more than you do. Help us to key off of your words
and works today to help us stay faithful to our calling in Christ. We pray in Jesus’
name. Amen.