Psalm 2:11 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

NIV: Serve the LORD with fear and celebrate his rule with trembling.

NASB: Serve the Lord with reverence And rejoice with trembling.

CSB: Serve the Lord with reverential awe and rejoice with trembling.

NLT: Serve the Lord with reverent fear, and rejoice with trembling.

KJV: Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

NKJV: Serve the Lord with fear, And rejoice with trembling.

David, the author of this psalm (Acts 4:25), calls upon the rebellious kings and rulers to serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling; that is, with respect and strong emotion. Instead of opposing the Lord (Psalm 2:1–6), the kings and rulers had an opportunity to do His bidding reverently and with deep joy.

Service that combines reverence and joy is the hallmark of genuine Christianity. Psalm 100:2 implores God's people to "serve the LORD with gladness!" Further, God's people ought to humbly acknowledge His authority and ownership. Scripture states, "Know that the LORD, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture" (Psalm 100:3).

The early believers who trusted in Christ on the Day of Pentecost modeled this kind of relationship to God. Acts 2:42–47 reports that they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, broke bread together, prayed, shared their goods with one another, gave generously to help the needy, ate with glad hearts, and praised God. In Psalm 5:7 the psalmist shared his resolve to respond to God's abundant, steadfast love to enter God's house and bow down toward the Lord's temple in fear of Him. This attitude of trust and devotion to God should be repeated by all believers.

Psalm 2:10–12 closes the song by urging kings and rulers of the earth to make a wise decision. The psalmist counsels them to change their rebellious attitude and come to friendly terms with the Lord's anointed Son. Doing so will avert the Son's anger and avoid eternal punishment. Also, coming to friendly terms with God's Son will provide refuge and blessing. This conveys a message like that of John the Baptist. He urged everyone in Israel to repent in preparation for the arrival of Messiah and His kingdom (Matthew 3:1–3; John 1:8). Jesus invited those who heard Him to repent and believe on Him (Matthew 4:17; 11:28; Luke 5:32; 13:3, 34). He said no one can enter the kingdom without being born again (John 3:3). The apostles Peter and Paul, too, urged those who heard them preach to turn to Jesus for forgiveness (Acts 2:38–39; 17:30–31; Romans 10:1–13).

Psalm 2, written by King David (Acts 4:25), begins by questioning the nations' frenzied attempt to overthrow the Lord and His anointed King, Jesus. Godless cultures plot to rid themselves of divine authority. But trying to escape God's will is ridiculous. He will direct His wrath toward them and asserts He has established His King upon Mount Zion. God addresses His Son as His only begotten. This passage predicts the anointed King—the Messiah—will smash the rebellious nations to pieces with an iron rod. The psalmist urges the kings and rulers of the earth to submit to the Son's rule and come to friendly terms with Him. The psalm closes with the declaration that all who take refuge in the Lord's anointed King are blessed.

Psalm 2 is often labelled a royal psalm, because it refers to the King above all kings. This complements several other psalms: Psalms 18, 20, 21, 45, 72, 89, 101, 110, 132, and 144. Acts 13:33 relates Psalm 2:7 to Jesus. Revelation 2:27, spoken by the risen Savior, relates Psalm 2:9 to His victory over the rebellious nations and His reign on earth. Revelation 19:19–21 describes when and how Jesus will defeat the nations that assemble to go to war against God's anointed Son.

The book of Psalms is composed of individual songs, hymns, or poems, each of which is a ''Psalm'' in and of itself. These works contain a wide variety of themes. Some Psalms focus on praising and worshipping God. Others cry out in anguish over the pain of life. Still other Psalms look forward to the coming of the Messiah. While some Psalms are related, each has its own historical and biblical context.