The Comedy of Christmas

December 3rd, 2024

The Comedy of Christmas

Psalm 2

1 Why do the nations rage
and the peoples plot in vain?
2 The 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.”
4 He who sits in the heavens laughs;
the Lord holds them in derision.
5 Then 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.”
7 I will tell of the decree:
The Lord said to me, “You are my Son;
today I have begotten you.
8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,
and the ends of the earth your possession.
9 You shall break them with a rod of iron
and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.”
10 Now therefore, O kings, be wise;
be warned, O rulers of the earth.
11 Serve the Lord with fear,
and rejoice with trembling.
12 Kiss 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.

The Nations Assemble

Years ago, I was exploring the city of Quito, Ecuador, with a friend, when we stumbled into a large protest. I didn’t have to speak the language to know this crowd was very worked up about something, and they planned to do something about it. It’s unsettling to land in the middle of that kind of group hostility, but that’s just how Psalm 2 opens.

David looks out and sees all “the nations” noisily assembling in one, big mob, raging and plotting. The rulers of these nations are usually at each others throats, but now they “take counsel together” against one, common enemy. Who? “Yahweh and his Anointed (2).” That word “anointed” means God’s chosen king. In David’s day, this would have been David himself. Ultimately, it refers to Jesus the Messiah. As we have seen, God has promised to raise up a king who will reclaim God’s rebellious world (2 Sam 7:12–16). How do the nations feel happy about this? They riot in the streets. They set aside their own differences to “set themselves” against God and his King: “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us,” they shout (3). The fallen world naturally views God as the great Tyrant who we must resist and overthrow at all costs. After all, if God is in charge, then I can’t be. The thought is unbearable (Rom 8:7)

King Herod's Christmas

This is why King Herod is so critical to the Christmas story. When he hears the Messiah is born, Herod doesn’t hang icicle lights! He plots. He rages. He sets himself against the Lord’s anointed, because he threatens his rule. Psalm 2 is all over Christmas! Psalm 2 is also all over Good Friday, when Pharisees and Sadducees, Herod and Pilate, Romans and Jews, all unite to crucify God’s king (Luke 23:1–25; Acts 4:23–31). From that view, we should not be shocked by the world’s rage against God’s rule today.

Vain Rebellion

On the other hand, David can’t understand it. “Why?” he asks. “Why are you doing this? Rage against this God? Who made you and has rights to you? Who does good to you in 1,000 ways? His way is not slavery, but wise, helpful, freeing? He sent his Son to die for you?” Sin and rebellion are crazy. Paul calls it the “mystery of iniquity (2 Thes 2:7).” For one reason, all rebellion against God is ultimately “in vain:” it will never work. This is what David sees as he shifts his vision from the raging nations to God in v4.

The Laughter of God

God is not pacing heaven, wringing his hands, burning a pack of Marlboro Lights over the world’s rebellion. He’s having a good laugh (4)! The whole world digs in against God’s plan, hurling all of its evil against him and his king…and God giggles. When the dust of the earth announces its plans to overthrow the Eternal, Infinite, Almighty God, he “holds them in derision.” And then he speaks: “Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.” God will establish Jesus as King; the world can’t do anything about it.

For God’s people, there is great comfort in the Lord’s laughter. Crazy Herod can’t stop Jesus at Christmas. Neither can the mob at Calvary. And neither can the forces of darkness in our world today. They can scheme and rage all they want: God has established Jesus, and he is a very big God. He does whatever he pleases (Psalm 115:3); he works all things according to the counsel of his will (Eph 1:11). So the next time the world’s evil gets you all worked up, just remember that God is way up in the heavens, having a good laugh. And if he's for us, who can be against us (Rom 8:31)?

FOR THE NEXT INSTALLMENT, SEE:

The Christ of Christmas