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The Kingdom and the Old Testament


                       In the enthronement psalms God is presented as King. Let’s look more
                    closely at two of those psalms:

                    Psalm 2—The Son Who is King

                       This  psalm  of  David,  like  so  many  others,  identifies  God  as  King
                    over all creation. In it, David refers to God as “the One enthroned in
                    heaven” (v. 4). From heaven, God scoffs at those who would foolishly
                    plot against Him.


                       The  psalm  also  speaks  of  the  coming  Davidic  king,  the  promised
                    Messiah. It calls Him the Lord’s Anointed One (v. 2). God then announces
                    the enthronement of this coming Messiah-King. He declares, “I have
                    installed my King on Zion, my holy hill” (v. 6). God then calls the King
                    his Son and promises to give Him the nations as His rightful inheritance
                    (vv. 7–8). This coming King will ultimately rule over the nations with an
                    iron scepter (v. 9). At that time, the kings of the earth will worship and
                    serve Him (vv. 10–12).


                       Peter  quoted  from  this  psalm  in  his  prayer  for  boldness  in
                    Acts 4:25–27. There, he identifies Jesus as God’s Anointed One (v. 27),
                    and  he  acknowledges  God’s  sovereign  rule  over  all  (v.  28).  Paul  also
                    quoted from Psalm 2 in his sermon in Pisidian Antioch during his first
                    missionary journey. There, he cited verse 7, which calls Jesus the Son
                    of God (Acts 13:33). This passage reminds us God’s declaration at Jesus’
                    baptism: “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased”
                    (Matthew 3:17).

                    Psalm 47—God is King Over All the Earth
                       Psalm 47 is another enthronement psalm, along with Psalms 93, 96, 97,
                    and 99. The writer begins this psalm by calling on all nations to “shout to
                    God with cries of joy” (v. 1). They are to do this because God is “the great
                    King over all the earth” (v. 2) and He “reigns over the nations” (v. 8). The
                    Psalmist then calls on Israel to “sing praises to our King” (v. 6). Seven
                    times in nine verses he identifies God as King:


                       •  He is “the LORD Most High” (v. 2).
                       •  He is “the great King over all the earth” (v. 2).
                       •  He is the One who “has ascended amid shouts of joy” (v. 5).



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