When our kids were young, we would entice them into raking leaves in our backyard every autumn. The enticement took the form of one dollar per bag full of leaves. We got away with this while they were young enough to think 10 bucks was a lot of money; once they wised up, we were back to raking the leaves ourselves. It was nice while it lasted.
One year, Georgia and Alice, our two youngest, were in the backyard raking away, slowly filling up black garbage bags with fallen leaves. Steph and I were watching them from inside the house, satisfied with having foisted the raking off on the kids for one more year. At the time, Georgia was around 13, Alice 9. Suddenly, for reasons that remain a bit obscure to this day, Alice had a meltdown. Now, when I say she had a meltdown, I mean she had a towering, monumental, truly stupendous temper tantrum. Steph and I watched from the window as Alice slammed her rake repeatedly into the ground, finally snapping the handle. She flung bags of leaves around the yard like an Olympic hammer-thrower. She kicked her way through piles of raked leaves, gesticulating wildly all the while. It was a wonder to behold. Since we were inside, we couldn’t hear anything – it was like watching a silent movie. Though this may not reflect entirely well on us as parents, I have to admit I’m not sure we’ve ever laughed so hard. This scene comes to my mind whenever I read Psalm 2.
Psalm 2 begins with a question: Why are the nations in an uproar? Since the psalmist likely wrote this 2,500 years ago or so, it’s safe to say the nations have always been in an uproar. They certainly are today, as much as ever. The war in Ukraine, conflict in the Middle East, the bitter partisanship between political parties in the United States - it is nothing if not an uproar! The psalmist goes on to say the rulers of the nations are taking counsel against the Lord and against His Anointed. And what is God’s response? In verse 4, it says, “He who sits in the heavens laughs.”
God laughs at the uproar of the nations because He is sovereign. Psalm 103:19 says, “The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and His kingdom rules over all.” No matter what the rulers of the nations or their followers may believe, they do not hold the destiny of the world in their hands. There is a sovereign above them, one who rules over them all.
God laughs at the uproar of the nations because He is in control. Proverbs 21:1 says, “The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it wherever He will.” As much as it may seem otherwise, God actively directs the hearts of the rulers of nations. No matter how out of control things may appear from a human perspective, God’s hand is firmly on the tiller.
God laughs at the uproar of the nations because of His Son. Later in Psalm 2, God speaks, saying, “You are My Son, today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as your inheritance.” Jesus is the King of the Jews; He is the King of Israel; He is the King of Heaven; He is the King of glory; He is the King of kings, and the Lord of lords. As it says in Revelation 11:15, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever.”
Too often we become entangled in the uproar of the nations, forgetting the clamor, conflict, and tumult is so inconsequential to God that He can only chuckle in response. As children of God, we can safely ignore the uproar of the nations, keeping our eyes fixed on the eternal kingdom of our eternal King instead.