14,15 Feb -- What makes God laugh (& what makes God angry)

Readings for Wed 14 & Thur 15 Feb -- Gen 3,4; Ps 2:1-6; Pro 1:5-6; Mt 2

At our homegroup last night, we looked at Psalm 2 together. Verse 2 says: "The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers conspire together against the LORD and His Anointed One". We noticed how the reading from Matthew 2 gave a startling example of this. King Herod conspired to find out "where the Messiah (= Anointed One) would be born" (v4). Then he conspired to have him killed. Unsuccessfully.

Someone suggested that v2 of the Psalm is just as apt a comment on today's world situation.

V4 tells us God laughs at the conspiring rulers. Why? Perhaps it's because of the arrogance and foolishness of their opposition. After all, God is the Almighty, omnipotent Creator (as we saw in Gen 1&2). He is the King, "the One enthroned in heaven". His plans will prevail. Just as they did when Jesus escaped King Herod's conspiracy and lived to fulfil his mission.

Though God laughs, in a sense it's no laughing matter! As we see in v5, where we have another startling anthropomorphism. God is angry with them. Selwyn Hughes' pithy comment is insightful -- "Sin has been defined as 'God's One great intolerance', and for that we ought to be eternally grateful. As His children we ought to rejoice that He will not tolerate anything that is harmful to us."

PS David and Judy pointed out that the song just before The Hallelujah Chorus in Handel's Messiah is based very closely on Psalm 2. (We couldn't sing it though. We didn't have the music!)