Psalm 2:11

Psalm 2:11

Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

1. “Serve the LORD with fear…”

a. serve [5647 * abad] [Strong’s: To work, to serve, be bondmen, compel, become servant, do service.]

b. fear [3374 * yir’ah] [Strong’s: fear, reverence.]

c. There is no question the context is speaking of rulers and judges [v. 10]. The following is three passages that deal with the qualifications of rulers and judges. They all have one thing in common, they are to have a fear of the LORD.

1). Exodus 18:21, 22 “Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousess; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens:

And let them judge the people at all seasons: and it shall be, that every great matter they shall bring unto thee, but every small matter they shall judge: so shall it be easier for thyself, and they shall bear the burden with thee.”

2). 2 Samuel 23:2, 3 “The Spirit of the LORD spake by me, and his word was in my tongue.

The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.”

3). 2 Chronicles 19:5-7 “And he set judges in the land throughout all the fenced cities of Judah, city by city.

And said to the judges, Take heed what ye do: for ye judge not for man, but for the LORD, who is with you in the judgment.

Wherefore now let the fear of the LORD be upon you; take heed and do it: for there is no iniquity with the LORD our God, nor respect of persons, not taking of gifts.”

d. He is commanding the kings of the earth and the judges of the earth in the church age to serve Him in the fear of the Lord, to rule and to judge accordingly. There is no question that these men and women are responsible for their own actions and decisions that they make, but we as New Covenant believers are responsible also.

1). 1 Timothy 2:1-6 First of all, then, I admonish and urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be offered on behalf of all men,

For kings and all who are in positions of authority or high responsibility, that outwardly we may pass a quiet and undisturbed life and inwardly a peaceable one in all godliness and reverence and seriousness in every way.

or such praying is good and right, and it is pleasing and acceptable to God our Savior,

Who wishes all men to be saved and increasingly to perceive and recognize and discern and know precisely and correctly the divine Truth.

For there is only one God, and only one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus,

Who gave Himself as a ransom for all people, a fact that was attested to at the right and proper time.

2). Some of the failure of our leaders for not getting saved and making horrible decisions while they are ruling is the fault of the church. How many times have I prayed for a particular leader of our country, and in the course of a day or week I hear something on the news that this leader did or said and I turn around and say something like, “He is the most incompetent person we have ever had at that position!” I am cursing that leader and I have negated my prayer for him. James says in his epistle we shouldn’t do it.

a). James 3:9-12 Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.

Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.

Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?

Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.

b). We need to pray for our leaders and not curse them but speak blessing over them. Yes, we can oppose their ungodly decisions in a godly way, but cursing them is not one of those ways.