Fatherhood of Kings

Ask of me and I will make the nations your inheritance
the ends of the earth your possession

Psalm 2 v8

Psalm 2 was written to inaugurate a new king. "Why do the nations conspire", asks the psalmist. The obvious answer is: with a new untested king with no accomplishments under his belt, what better time to revolt. However, the question is rhetorical because the "one enthroned in heaven laughs". "The rulers gather together against ... his Anointed One". "You are my son", says the King of kings, "today I have become your Father". Apparently the relationship of father and son was not unusually declared between a high ruler and his subject king. In this we see the father-son relationship as much more than a biological bond. It's a relationship of respect and trust that is more than simply sharing DNA.

There appears to be a simple message. What God has ordained, tamper with at your peril. The one God has anointed stands not on his or her own authority but in the stead of God himself. When you argue with God's representative you argue with him. For the Jews, the Anointed One was not only their appointed king, but also the future messiah who could truly boast of the earth being his possession. Now when Jesus says, "Whatever you ask in my name", he looks on us as co-heirs in his inheritance. We can't think of ourselves being in any way equal with Christ but we can look back at the monarchy of Israel and David in particular and see the father-son relationship in action.

David was a man after God's own heart. We can't suppose that God will give us whatever we want or even what we think he should give us but as subject kings, acting on his behalf and with a heart for his kingdom we can expect God to laugh at the conspirators and rebuke whatever stands in our way. We should also consider that becoming a father is more about mutual respect than genetics.

Scripture quotations taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION (c) 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission.

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