The second Psalm is cited some thirteen times in the New Testament, mostly to refer to Jesus. But the reader should not forget that it had a more contemporary meaning as well. This Psalm brazenly declares the superiority of Israel and her monarchy over all the people and monarchies of the ancient world. Robert Alter puts it like this: “Zion [Jerusalem] is a modest mountain on the crest of which sits a modest fortified town, the capital of a rather small kingdom, surrounded by vast empires. Yet, the poet boldly imagines it as God’s chosen city, divinely endorsed to be queen of nations and the splendor of humankind.”
How utterly absurd . . . if you consider it solely from a human perspective. But it is not the human perspective that is offered. It is God’s perspective. God regards His people as superior to all mankind, and mankind would do well to treat them with respect lest God’s rage wipe them off the face of the earth.
Christian people have succumbed to the very politically correct notion that they are like everyone else, no better regarded by God than others. All are equal in the sight of God.
In the light of this poem, and dozens of other scriptures, it is that notion that is utterly absurd. God has His people. They are those who have placed their trust in His son and He loves them more and holds them in higher regard than He does anyone else.