The Nations Promised to the Son

Ask of Me

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All the nations. On the mountain in Galilee, Jesus said, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations” (Matthew 28:18-19). God had been promising the nations to His Son for a very long time.

Why do the nations rage? Psalm 2 begins, “Why do the nations rage, And the people plot a vain thing?” (Psalm 2:1). The kings of the earth set themselves “Against the Lord and against His Anointed” (2:2). The Anointed One is the King God chose.

Breaking free. The rebels say, “Let us break Their bonds in pieces And cast away Their cords from us” (2:3). That is what sin says to God: I want my own way, not Yours.

God is not worried. “He who sits in the heavens shall laugh” (2:4). Then He says, “Yet I have set My King On My holy hill of Zion” (2:6). Nothing the rebels do can stop God's plan.

The Son. The King tells what God said to Him: “You are My Son, Today I have begotten You” (2:7). The New Testament shows that this Son is Jesus (Acts 13:33; Hebrews 1:5).

Ask of Me. Then God makes a promise to His Son: “Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession” (2:8). An inheritance is a gift a father passes on to his son.

The ends of the earth. Not one nation, but all of them. Not one corner of the world, but the ends of the earth. People from every land and every language are part of God's plan for His Son.

The promise claimed. Many Christians see Jesus' words in Matthew 28 as this promise coming true. The risen King had all authority, and He sent His friends out to all the nations.

How the King wins. The psalm warns that the King will judge those who keep fighting Him (2:9). But first He came to save. Jesus took the punishment for our sin on the cross, and God raised Him from the dead.

Be wise. “Now therefore, be wise, O kings; Be instructed, you judges of the earth” (2:10). God calls even proud rulers to stop fighting Him and serve Him.

Blessed. The psalm ends with an invitation: “Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him” (2:12). Anyone from any nation can come to the Son and trust Him.

What this means for you. God wants people from every nation to belong to His Son. Stop fighting God's rule, turn from your sin and put your trust in Jesus. Then pray for people in other nations to trust Him too.

An old promise. Jesus said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations” (Matthew 28:19). This command did not come out of nowhere. Psalm 2 had promised the nations to God's Son centuries before.

Nations in revolt. “Why do the nations rage, And the people plot a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the Lord and against His Anointed” (Psalm 2:1-2). Anointed is the word from which Messiah comes.

The cry of sin. “Let us break Their bonds in pieces And cast away Their cords from us” (2:3). Every human heart has said something like this to God.

The King on Zion. “He who sits in the heavens shall laugh” (2:4). “Yet I have set My King On My holy hill of Zion” (2:6). The revolt does not change God's plan at all.

The decree. “You are My Son, Today I have begotten You” (2:7). Paul applied this verse to the resurrection of Jesus (Acts 13:33), and Hebrews applies it to the Son who is greater than the angels (Hebrews 1:5).

Achuzzah. “Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession” (2:8). Possession is achuzzah (say: ah-khoo-ZAH), land held as one's own. The whole earth is the Son's rightful property.

Authority claimed. Many Christians see Matthew 28:18-19 as the moment this promise is claimed: “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations.”

The rod of iron. The Son will “break them with a rod of iron” (2:9). Those who keep fighting the King will face His judgment.

Mercy before judgment. Before that day comes, the King sends messengers with an offer of peace. The Son who will judge is the Son who died for sinners and rose again.

Bow to the Son. “Kiss the Son, lest He be angry” (2:12). In the ancient world, a kiss could show loyalty and honor to a king. The psalm calls every ruler to bow to the Son.

The invitation. “Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him” (2:12). Rage against God ends in ruin, but trust in the Son ends in blessing.

For you. Every heart is born wanting to break free from God. Stop resisting, turn from your sin and trust the Son who died and rose for you. Then pray for the nations to come to Him.

All the Ends of the World

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A psalm from the cross. Psalm 22 begins, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Psalm 22:1). Jesus cried out these very words on the cross (Matthew 27:46).

Suffering for sin. On the cross Jesus carried the sin of the world. He took the punishment our sins deserved, so that we could be forgiven.

He heard. Then the cry becomes praise: “But when He cried to Him, He heard” (22:24). God did not leave His Son in the grave. He raised Him from the dead.

To My brethren. “I will declare Your name to My brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will praise You” (22:22). Hebrews 2:12 shows that these are Jesus' words about His people.

Every corner of the earth. “All the ends of the world Shall remember and turn to the Lord, And all the families of the nations Shall worship before You” (22:27).

Remember and turn. To turn to the Lord is to turn away from sin and come to Him. That is what repentance means.

The families of the nations. Long before, God promised Abraham, “in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:3). Psalm 22 says those families will worship.

He rules. “For the kingdom is the Lord’s, And He rules over the nations” (22:28). That is why Jesus could send His disciples to every nation.

Rich and poor. “The poor shall eat and be satisfied” (22:26), and “All the prosperous of the earth Shall eat and worship” (22:29). Rich or poor, young or old, everyone is welcome to come and worship Him.

A people who will be born. “A posterity shall serve Him. It will be recounted of the Lord to the next generation” (22:30). A posterity means the children and grandchildren who come later.

That He has done this. “They will come and declare His righteousness to a people who will be born, That He has done this” (22:31). God's people keep telling what He has done, one generation after another.

What this means for you. Jesus suffered on the cross for your sins and rose again. Turn to Him and worship Him. Then tell the next generation, and the next nation, what He has done.

Forsaken. “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Psalm 22:1). On the cross Jesus cried out these words (Matthew 27:46). The sinless Son bore the sin of the world.

Heard. The cry of forsaking is followed by praise: “But when He cried to Him, He heard” (22:24). Hebrews says Jesus “was heard because of His godly fear” (Hebrews 5:7). The Father answered by raising Him from the dead.

My brethren. “I will declare Your name to My brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will praise You” (22:22). Hebrews 2:12 quotes this verse as the words of Jesus, who is not ashamed to call His people His brothers.

All the families. “All the ends of the world Shall remember and turn to the Lord, And all the families of the nations Shall worship before You” (22:27). God had promised Abraham, “in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:3). Psalm 22 shows those families worshiping.

Remember and turn. The nations will “remember and turn to the Lord.” Turning is repentance: leaving sin and coming back to God.

The kingdom is the Lord's. “For the kingdom is the Lord’s, And He rules over the nations” (22:28). That is the ground under Jesus' words, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth” (Matthew 28:18).

Every kind of person. “The poor shall eat and be satisfied” (22:26). “All the prosperous of the earth Shall eat and worship; All those who go down to the dust Shall bow before Him” (22:29). No one is too poor, too rich or too weak to come.

The next generation. “A posterity shall serve Him. It will be recounted of the Lord to the next generation” (22:30). The news is meant to be handed on.

He has done this. “They will come and declare His righteousness to a people who will be born, That He has done this” (22:31). The good news is about what God has done, not about what we must do to earn His love.

Generation after generation. Disciples of every nation keep telling the next generation what He has done.

One great crowd. John later saw “a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb” (Revelation 7:9).

For you. You are part of a people born later who heard what He has done. Turn to Him, trust Him and worship Him. Then tell someone else what He has done.

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Read each section and answer the questions correctly.