This week our speaker David Gilkinson guided us through Psalm 2. To set some context for the passage, he first touched on Psalm 1, which contrasts the way of the wicked with that of the righteous. The righteous, being a tree planted by streams of water, doesn’t wither, having roots planted deep into faith. The wicked do not have these roots, and are blown about like chaff and eventually perish.
Psalm 2 is a royal Psalm written by King David about his relationship with God. The king is God’s representative in front of the people, who is to reign the way that God would reign and maintain his laws. King David was unique in the sense that he was a king chosen directly by God, as previous kings were chosen by the people, and following kings were all of David’s lineage. He was the one chosen by God to be His representative.
ASK ME, AND I WILL MAKE THE NATIONS YOUR INHERITANCE, THE ENDS OF THE EARTH YOUR POSSESSION.
Verse 8 speaks of the inheritance of the Lord’s anointed. David expanded that inheritance and adoption are closely linked, and if we take these ideas straight from our culture, we lose some of the beauty of them. We are adopted into God’s family and receive the right to be God’s children. As believers, we will inherit the kingdom of God along with our salvation. This is
…AN INHERITANCE THAT IS IMPERISHABLE, UNDEFILED, AND UNFADING, KEPT IN HEAVEN FOR YOU.
David then shared the testimonies of three young people he has encountered in his time living and working in Spain, which all served to demonstrate that the gospel still has the power to save the least likely, to go and reach the lost, and to reach people who are unreachable. We see God’s incredible grace in action in these situations.
In response to God’s grace and the inheritance we are promised, we are called to
…SERVE THE LORD WITH FEAR AND REJOICE WITH TREMBLING.
David used this as an opportunity to challenge and encourage those involved in serving in ministry. There will be challenges involved in serving, but we are to always bring an offering that is worthy. We should bring our best, not because of who we are or what our project is, but because we serve a King who is worthy of our offerings. For those in longer term ministry, David advised that we think about how we can build relationships that will last in the communities that we serve in, so that we can love and care for others, not just for a short term.
Final challenge and call to action:
- Allow God’s calling to pursue you.
- Don’t write it off – God might have something in store for you to be involved in to reach the nations.
- Bring your best service to our King.
