“Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. 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.”
– Psalm 2:10–12
What an interesting couple of verses here in Psalm 2:10–12, especially verse 12 there. “Kiss the Son.” This picture of an heir to come from the line of David who deserves worship, homage, and praise, like he is more than just a human king. This is a divine king who is worthy of worship among all the kings of the earth, all the rulers in the world. Oh, the picture could not be any clearer here in Psalm 2.
Have you bowed the knee to King Jesus? Have you taken refuge under His rule? Believe in Him and find refuge.
Psalm 2:10–12 is anticipating a king who will come from the line of David who will not merely be a human king, but who will be a divine king, the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, to whom all the kings and rulers of the earth, all the peoples of the earth, will bow in worship.
This is truth we know from the rest of the Bible, just think of Philippians 2:9-11, “One day, at the Name of Jesus every knee will bow.” You just think, present-day, President Xi in China, Prime Minister Modi in India, Prime Minister Netanyahu in Israel, Chancellor Merkel in Germany, President Trump in the United States, one day, they’re all going to bow and worship King Jesus.
The question is not, “Are they going to bow and worship him?” The question is, “Will they do it now or will they do it when it’s too late?” And it’s not just a question for them. It’s a question for every single one of us. So, have you bowed the knee to King Jesus and called him Lord over all and Lord over your life? Have you taken refuge under his rule?
The Promised King of Psalm 2:10–12 Has Come, And His Name Is Jesus
That’s the picture here. Blessed are those who take refuge in him. The promised King of Psalm 2:10–12 has come. This is what we celebrate at Christmas, that the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords has come and he deserves worship from all peoples everywhere. So we pray.
And I invite you, if you have never bowed the knee to the Lordship of Jesus, to do that right now, to say with me, Lord, King Jesus, we bow before you in worship right now. There is no one like you. All the kings and rulers of the earth bow down before you. We worship you with fear and trembling. We worship you with joy and adoration. We worship you for we find refuge in you. You are our king and we are so glad you are our king. You are the king who died on a cross for our sins. You are the king who rose from the dead in victory over sin and the grave.
You are the king who is sitting on high right now as alive at the right hand of the Father. You are the king who is coming back to receive the praise and worship you are due. And so, we pray, be exalted in our lives today as king. Help us to proclaim the good news of your kingdom to the people right around us, help us to call others around us, to trust in you as Lord, to bow to you as king. Jesus, we know you are coming back, so help us to view the people around us today in this lens.
Jesus Is Coming Back
This is not just Christmas celebrating when you came, this is anticipation that you are coming back, and every single knee will bow. So help us to lead others to bow before it’s too late. God, we pray that for people right around us, we pray that for the Sanusi Bedouin in Libya. Oh God, 650,000 of them, likely not a single follower of Jesus the King among the Sanusi Bedouin people. And it’s not easy for the Gospel to go and spread throughout Libya because there’s so much opposition to it.
So, God, we pray, we pray, we plead for the spread of the Gospel among the Sanusi Bedouin people. Lord, break down walls, open doors, that your love and your grace and the glory of King Jesus would be made known among the Sanusi Bedouin in Libya. God, we pray for that there, and we pray for that right around us, right where we live.
God, please help us to point people today to Jesus as King. Don’t let us be silent with this news, with this reality that we know, and anticipated ever since Psalm 2:10–12, and a reality in the King who has come and who deserves all praise and glory and honor and worship. No mere human king, the divine king. King Jesus. In His name, we pray. Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
