God Sits over the Nations

“Why do the nations rage and the people plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his anointed, saying, ‘Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us’” (Psalm 2:1-3, ESV). 

Note what the psalmist said about the leaders of nations. “The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together…” (Psalm 2:2). 

Today, we see something similar as rulers set themselves against the Lord with regulations and mandates that limit religious liberty or even institute evil. Some nations look to rid themselves of all public mention of God and limit faith to private expression. 

“Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us” (Psalm 2:3). The picture here is of someone trying to break free from a terrible bondage. What is underneath that desire, however, is a lust to be free of all restraints that only begin with God’s law.  

Here is the good news: The whole world may rage, but God will have his turn. However terribly the world may rage, God endures patiently. What is his response to all the clamoring voices that oppose him? The psalmist wrote, “He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision.” (Psalm 2:4). 

God’s laughter over the nations isn’t that of amusement. It is laughter of ridicule. The thought of someone overthrowing God is ludicrous. He simply laughs at the vanity of such plotting. Note the word “sits” in this verse. High above all human scheming, God sits in sovereign power. What a powerful contrast to those who sit in the lowly seat of the scornful and who plot and plan against him.

As the world rages, the Lord doesn’t pace around worried, anxious or stressed. He simply sits. This image serves to reassure every righteous person who frets over the chaos swirling through the world. The psalmist advised, in essence, “Don’t lose your trusting heart. God sits over and above it all.” You may be troubled by the world’s chaos, but because Christ is with you in all things, you won’t be overcome. Trust God in times of crisis. 

^{This devotional has been adapted from Gary Wilkerson’s book, The Altar of Our Hearts: An Expository Devotional on the Psalms.}