Yahweh’s Response to Corrupt Kings in Psalm 2

BibleProject

BibleProject Podcast

Jesus, Theology, Old Testament, Demons, Satan, New Testament, Angels, Tim Mackie, Christianity, God, Spiritual Beings, Spirit, Religion & Spirituality, Bible, Jon Collins, Torah, Bible Study

4.8 • 20.5K Ratings

🗓️ 2 March 2026

⏱️ 55 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Psalms 1 & 2 E2 — Psalm 2 presents a crisis perpetuated by a long line of corrupt empires in the ancient Near East. Every one of these empires makes a practice of conquering, murdering, raping, and pillaging across the known world, while ancient Israel is just one small nation conquered and occupied again and again. So how do Yahweh and his anointed king respond to this injustice? Surprisingly, a lot like how the evil imperial rulers do: with mocking laughter, hot anger, and by smashing them like pottery! But why? In this episode, Jon and Tim explore Psalm 2 as a minority report from an oppressed, ancient people group and an intentionally provocative portrait of God within the broader context of the Hebrew Bible.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to Bible Project podcast.
0:07.2	We're in a short series on Psalm 1 and 2, and today Psalm 2 is up.
0:12.2	We call it Psalm 2, but in early Jewish tradition, it was known by its opening words.
0:17.4	Lama Rajshut, which is, why do they rage?
0:23.5	Who's raging? And for what reason and against what?
0:30.7	Let's find out. It turns out this is the nations raging. That is, the ancient warrior kings building their ancient empires like Assyria, Babylon, and Persia. But what does it mean to rage?
0:37.8	We know what the nations do.
0:39.3	The nations organize the military industrial complex.
0:42.3	They conquer territory that doesn't belong to them.
0:44.5	They rape and they pillage.
0:45.8	They take all our stuff.
0:46.9	And then they leave a heavy tax burden behind for the people that are still alive.
0:51.0	And while the ancient rulers seem to be winning,
0:54.1	Psalm 2 tells us of a true king
0:56.9	who's really in charge. A figure God calls his son. Yahweh is the ultimate ruler of heaven and earth.
1:04.5	And all of these kings down here on the land who are spreading violence and thinking that their
1:09.7	gods are in, the rebels.
1:12.8	Now, Psalm 2 is intense.
1:14.6	God laughs at the kings from his heavenly throne.
1:17.6	He terrifies them with his hot anger.
1:20.2	He breaks them with a rod of iron.
1:22.5	The description of Yahweh's laughter and mocking and his anger is actually borrowing from the world of language and
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