Psalm 2: 1-3 1Why
do the [a]nations
[b]rage,
And the people plot a [c]vain
thing?
2 The kings of the earth set themselves,
And the rulers take counsel together,
Against the Lord and against His
Anointed,[d]
saying,
3 “Let us break Their bonds in pieces
And cast away Their cords from us.”
Doesn’t this sound like today’s political environment? It started a long time ago. Maybe one of the early ways was when we effectively kicked God out of our schools by banning prayer and the Bible. Now people wonder why there is so much violence and evil in our schools. Another way was what many called the sexual revolution in the 1960’s. “If it feels good, do it.” (Never mind what God says is best.) That led to a significant rise in the occurrence of sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV that causes AIDS, and increased the pressure to legalize abortion (that happened in 1971). We also started attacking God’s invention, marriage. First, we made it easier to get divorced, then we redefined what marriage means. Today, more couples are cohabiting instead of marrying even though research has shown that married couple are happier and more able to trust their partners.
Have you ever seen the 1971 movie starring Gene Wilder, “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory”? In this movie, Willy (Gene Wilder) is taking several children and their parents on a tour of his chocolate factory. At almost every stop on the tour one of the children decides to do what they all have been repeatedly warned not to do. That leads to the child and his or her parents being eliminated from the tour. Toward the end you can hear the resignation in Willy’s voice as he repeatedly says, “Don’t do that. Stop. Please stop.” It is obvious that Willy knows the child will ignore all his warnings.
In this movie I see a picture of what must be heartbreaking for God, to watch us ignore His warnings and insist on doing what He has repeatedly warned us not to do. I can almost see the tears streaming down His face as He tells us again and again, “Please don’t do that. It won’t give you what you really want and it will lead to unnecessary pain, perhaps even death.” But we go on thinking we are smarter than God. Some even try to blame God by saying, “The pressure to do this is so strong, God must have made me this way.”
Psalm 2:4-12 4 He
who sits in the heavens shall laugh;
The Lord shall hold them in derision.
5 Then He shall speak to them in His wrath,
And distress them in His deep displeasure:
6 “Yet I have [e]set
My King
[f]On
My holy hill of Zion.”
7 “I will declare the [g]decree:
The Lord has said to Me,
‘You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You.
8 Ask of Me, and I will give You
The nations for Your inheritance,
And the ends of the earth for Your possession.
9 You shall [h]break
them with a rod of iron;
You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’ ”
10 Now therefore, be wise, O kings;
Be instructed, you judges of the earth.
11 Serve the Lord
with fear,
And rejoice with trembling.
12 [i]Kiss the Son, lest [j]He
be angry,
And you perish in the way,
When His wrath is kindled but a little.
Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.
At the end of the movie only one child is still on the tour. That is when we find out the Willy wants to retire and he was using to tour to find the right person to give his chocolate factory to. Because this child was faithful and obedient throughout the tour, he can be trusted to take over the factory.
We are given the same options. If we are faithful and obedient in this life, we will inherit the whole chocolate factory when we get to reign with Christ in Heaven.
2 Timothy 2:12 1If we endure,
We shall also reign with Him.
If we deny Him,
He also will deny us.