Psalm 2:8

• In the Old Testament, the relationship between the Lord and Israel’s king can be compared to a suzerain-vassal relationship. A suzerain was a great king. A vassal was a smaller king who served him.

  In this picture, the Lord is the great King. Israel’s king rules under his authority (see Deuteronomy Book Introduction, “Literary Form”). The Lord invites his anointed king to ask for what he needs (see Psalm 21:2, 4).

• All nations will be subject to David's descendant, the Messiah.

The Lord adopted the king from David's family to conquer rebellious nations by force (see Psalm 89:26–27).

This royal psalm describes the Lord choosing a king descended from David. It celebrates the mission of all the kings in David's family line. It also introduces the hope of an ideal ruler. This ruler will accomplish the Lord's goal of bringing all nations into submission (Psalm 2:11) or to destruction (2:9). The New Testament identifies Jesus as this descendant (see Acts 13:33; 1 Corinthians 15:25–27; Hebrews 1:5; 5:5; Revelation 19:15).

The first two psalms serve as an introduction to the whole book of Psalms (called the Psalter). Psalm 1 presents the Lord's guidance in wisdom, while Psalm 2 shows God's rule over a rebellious and sinful world. Together, these psalms invite people to abandon foolishness, which leads to destruction. These psalms invite people to follow God's path instead, which leads to wisdom and salvation. The New Testament confirms that God will govern the nations through Jesus Christ, his chosen representative (Hebrews 1:5; Revelation 12:5; 19:15).