Wisdom Wednesday: Wisdom in the Psalms
Part 2: Wisdom and Glory in Psalm 2 and 8
Submitted by Debbie’s Dad
“Now therefore, O kings, show discernment; Take warning, O judges of the earth.
Worship the LORD with reverence And rejoice with trembling.” (Psalm 2: 10-11) NASB 95
“O Lord, our Lord, How majestic is Your name in all the earth, Who have displayed Your splendor above the heavens! “(Psalm 8: 1) NASB 95
Last week we considered the wisdom theme in the first Psalm where the wise and foolish lives were contrasted, and the eternal consequences of each, “For the lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.” (1:6) The Psalm is considered an introduction to the collection of Psalms and can classified as a “wisdom Psalm” because of its wisdom theme.
Today, we look at two Psalms of David that again contrast the godless with those who walk with God.
Psalm 2 (Wisdom) – The second Psalm begins with the question, “Why are the nations in an uproar And the peoples devising a vain thing? The kings of the earth take their stand And the rulers take counsel together Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying, “Let us tear their fetters apart And cast away their cords from us!” (Psa 2:1–3). The “nations” refer to the Gentile nations that opposed God’s people – the Hebrew nation of David’s day. This passage is cited in Acts 4:22 where Peter and John attributed this to David and credited this as a prophecy of Jesus as the Anointed one (See also Acts 13:33 where this chapter is cited). The Psalm proceeds to declare God’s sovereignty over the nations and provides instruction to the Gentile leaders. The words “show discernment” (in some translations this is “Be wise”) instruct leaders to worship the LORD in reverence and then rejoice in trembling. Hosea offered similar instruction: “Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; Whoever is discerning, let him know them. For the ways of the LORD are right, And the righteous will walk in them, But transgressors will stumble in them.” (Hosea 14:9)
Psalm 8 (Glory) – The eighth Psalm extols the grandeur of God because of His creation. It considers the following:
- The Majesty of God and His name in the opening and closing (8:1,9)
- The spender of His creation in the heavens (8:1,3)
- The wisdom of the demonstration His strength in weakness (8:2 cf.1 Cor 1:27)
- history open messages The amazing grace that God honors and cares for mankind, and gives us the rulership over his physical creation (8: 4-8)
All of these speak to the glory of God’s power and character.
Wisdom and Glory – The figure below compares 9 God’s attribute of wisdom and glory, and the relationship between the passages in these two Psalms. God’s wisdom reveals His character, and God’s glory reveals His way. Kings and judges, leaders are well-advised to recognize His glory, and in fear to worship Him as Lord.
