Psalm 2:5

Psalm 2:5

Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.

1. “Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath…”

a. speak [1696 * dabar] [Strongs: To arrange; but used figuratively (of words) to speak; rarely in a destructive sense) to subdue:-]

b. wrath [639 * aph] [Strongs; The nose or nostril, from the face…ire, wrath, anger.] [It is used 172 times for anger, 42 times for wrath, 4 times for angry. 22 times for face, 13 times for nostrils, 12 for nose.]

c. We must remember that even though this was written 3000 years ago under the Mosaic Covenant, it is Messianic and the context is the church age, this will be established further in the next few verses.

d. We must also realize there is more than one form of the wrath of God. Surely one form was revealed in the destruction of Sodom & Gomorrah and the cities of the plain.

1). Genesis 19:24, 25 Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven;

And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.

2). Deuteronomy 29:23 And that the whole land thereof is brimstone, and salt, and burning, that it is not sown, nor beareth, nor any grass groweth therein, like the overthrow of Sodom, and Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboim, which the LORD overthrew in his anger, and in his wrath:

e. Another that comes to mind is the pouring out of his wrath immediately preceding the second coming of Christ.

1). Revelation 6:15-17 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;

And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:

For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

f. I have heard those who say that the wrath of God will only be poured out at the second coming of Christ because God’s wrath was poured out on Jesus while on the cross. While that may be true for the one form of expression of the wrath of God previously mentioned in Genesis 19 and Revelation 6:15-17; there is another form of expression of the wrath of God that Christian and non-Christian can experience,  that other way He reveals His wrath is given to us in the book of Romans. It is a slow step by step descent into corruption.

1). Romans 1:18 “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness.”

a). The Greek word for “hold” is katecho and it means “to restrain, hold down, to suppress”.

b). Our leaders removing the Scriptural traditions in our culture is a perfect example of the ungodliness of men suppressing or restraining the truth of God. The wrath of God is revealed after the willful suppression of truth in a culture by its leaders by a slow gradual descent of a culture deeper into corruption. It is described in Romans 1 as “God gave them up”, in verse 24, 26, and 28. This is the revealing of the wrath of God, it is basically a sowing and reaping spiritual law. Some have said that the rise of the homosexual movement in America will bring the wrath of God on America. No my friend. Look closely at the Scriptures in Romans 1 and it reveals that the rise of the homosexual movement in America or any culture “is the wrath God”. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that at the same time the Courts were forcing God out of our public square, the culture became increasing corrupt. As this passage in Romans reveals, the slow step by step of the corruption of our culture as it suppresses and restrains the truth, is the revealing of the wrath of God.

2). Romans 1:19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.

For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,

And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.

Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:

Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:

And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.

And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;

Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,

Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,

Without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:

Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

b). The result of rejecting God’s wisdom in Proverbs 1:24-31, as they “set at nought” all of God’s counsel in verse 25, and “despise all” God’s reproof in verse 30 is they will “be filled with their own devices, verse 31. Or as Romans 1:29-31 lists, “…filled with all unrighteous, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boaster, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful.”

c). This is exactly what happened to Israel. Psalm 81:11, 12 says “But my people would not hearken to my voice; and Israel would none of me. So I gave them up unto their own hearts lust: and they walked in their own counsels.”

g. It is this expression of the wrath of God that I believe the Scriptures are referring to in other places in Paul’s epistle.

1). Ephesians 5:3-6 But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;

Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.

For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.

Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.

2). Colossians 3:5, 6 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:

For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:

a). Why do you think Christians and non-Christians get trapped in bondages? In most cases they begin playing with sin, involving with things they know they shouldn’t and the next thing they are in bondage to the sin, pornography, alcohol, the list is long. When we chose to ignore the knowledge of God, in this case the knowledge that a particular behavior is sin, it is wrong, and we continue to do it anyway despite that knowledge of God and despite that voice inside us telling us not to do it, eventually we will be given over to its power and we will be in bondage to it. According to Romans 1, that process is an expression of the wrath of God. It also provides the logical reasoning to show that individuals or cultures do not turn evil overnight. It is a slow step by step process of a continual descent, level by level of evil. Such is what is occurring in America.     

2. “…and vex them in his sore displeasure.”

a.    vex [926 * banal] [Strongs: To tremble inwardly, be or make suddenly alarmed] [2740 * charown] [A burning of anger, fierce, wrathful.]

1). The RSV, NIV, NASB and others use “terrify”

b. sore displeasure [2740 * charown] [Strong: It is always used of God’s anger,  anger, heat, burning (of anger)] [It is used 23 times for fierce, fierceness 9 times, wrath 6 times, fury 1 time, wrathful 1 time, and displeasure 1 time.]

b. What he will say next will cause the heathen, the kings and rulers of the world to be vexed, to be terrified because God is angry.