The early church evidently got the joke discussed in the previous post. The rebellious peoples of this earth and their leaders conspire against God and His anointed –and in their free conspiracy they accomplish the Lord’s purposes. That is the joke in general. There is a more specific element as well. The kings set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together not only against the Lord, but also against His anointed. As the early church confessed, “For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together for to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done.” (Acts 4:27,28). This tells us not only that Psalm 2 is Messianic and that Jesus is the ultimate anointed one, but also that in the specific, dramatic opposition to the Lord’s anointed a specific purpose was accomplished. What is true in overarching general terms, is of course also true when it comes to specifics. The rulers reject Christ as the king (John 19:15). Thinking to do away with Him, they crucify Him (John 11:46-53). But what do they actually accomplish with this? It is from the cross that Christ ascends to the throne, that is to say, it is in view of His obedience even unto death that He is highly exalted (Philippians 2:5-11). Little did they know that when they gave Him a crown of thorns it was in fulfillment of God’s plans to give Him the throne of the universe. If the princes of this world had known the wisdom of God they would not have crucified the Lord of glory (1 Corinthians 2:8). But in the cross and its consequences it was manifested that the ‘foolishness’ and ‘weakness’ of God are wiser and stronger than the wisdom and power of men. Some have applied 1 Corinthians 2:8 to elemental spirits, to minions of the devil. But that gives us the same result, as far as God’s laughter is concerned: because it was in the cross that Christ “having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it” (Colossians 2:15). Why does God laugh? Because, “He taketh the wise in their own craftiness: and the counsel of the froward is carried headlong” (Job 5:13).
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