Why are the nations in an uproar, and the peoples devising a vain thing? The kings of the earth take their stand, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against His Anointed: "Let us tear their fetters apart, and cast away their cords from us!" He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. Then He will speak to them in His anger and terrify them in His fury: "But as for Me, I have installed My King upon Zion, My holy mountain." (Psalm 2:1-6 NAS)

WEWHO HAVE CROWNEDJESUSCHRISTKING OFKINGScan find great value in the relevant and regal truths found in Psalm Two. This psalm is one of eleven "Royal Psalms," a collection of psalms so designated because their theme is the supreme, sovereign rule of Jehovah as King.¹Some commentators have suggested that one, or a combination of Royal Psalms, were actually performed at the coronation of each new king.²It is relevant to us today because the recognition of Christ as King is being challenged in America as never before. The moral fiber of our society is unraveling and lawlessness is loosed upon the land. Some call it "moral meltdown."³ As anarchy raises its insolent head, the greater society of the redeemed can acknowledge that the Royal Crown has already been placed upon the only worthy head. For us it is still a Royal Psalm.
Psalm Two is among the first scriptures prayed by persecuted Christians in the First Century (Acts 4:23-31). This Psalm became a principal source of encouragement, inspiration, and instruction when ancient culture collided with the claims of the Church. It provided early Christians with confidence and courage that God was in control of human affairs.
It is important to notice the context in which this Psalm was invoked. The first wave of malicious persecution had broken out by the Judaic leaders, and soon, by the heathen culture. Doing things "contrary to the decrees of Caesar" and proclaiming "another king, one Jesus" could make the Waco, Texas affair look like a birthday party (Acts 17:6-7). The result of the early Church's meditations on this Psalm was two-fold:
1) The ungodly sensed that the godly served as restrainers of their evil, and
2) The opposers of God's ultimate plan were always brought low. God governs
and controls even the evil acts of "free moral agents."
This Psalm prompted the early Church to ask for more boldness to speak the Word in the face of deadly persecution. The Lord affirmed their prayer by filling them again with His Holy Spirit and empowering them with miraculous signs and wonders in His name. Their example should remind us all that the godly ought not to sit idly by when evil attempts to anesthetize our culture. The normalization of evil ought not to go unchallenged. The godly must speak up!

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