Week 2 Psalm 2
This year psalm 2:1-3 reminded me of Genesis 6:5 (I’d just read the Flood story a couple of days ago so that’s likely why Genesis came to mind). Anyway to test my point about their similarity I sketched-up a two-column table so I could read the texts side-by-side. At that point they seemed less similar than when they were floating around in my head.
It looked like Genesis 6 focused on the actual practicing of evil-doing. By contrast Psalm 2 highlighted people’s internal anger and combative adversariality against the Lord.
But then when I read down to the end of both paragraphs I saw a similarity in outcome. Both had an ominous threat of destructive potential:
In Genesis the Lord said: I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I made them.
Psalm: …be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear…Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled.
Similar sounding outcomes. And I’m getting a double-dose reminder of the serious side of things.
In general it’s nicer to stay on the Sunny Side of the Street when it comes to finding out what the Lord is like. Which is fine – as long as I remember there’s another side too.
Note: quotes from Genesis 6:7 Psalm 2:10-12 (English Standard Version)