The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying, “Let us break their bonds in pieces and cast away their cords from us.” (Psalm 2:2-3)
Without a doubt, Satan is fully aware of who God has anointed, whether it be the Messiah Himself, or those who have been joined to the Messiah by means of His sacrifice. In other words, it is obvious to him who God has anointed and appointed for a specific task. And so, because he is at war with the Kingdom of Heaven, he attacks those who are anointed; and by attacking them he is in effect attacking God.
I will also suggest that one of the ways he attacks is to call into question the authority of God’s Word and, consequently, the legitimacy of those who uphold God’s Word. For example, take a look at what is going on today in regard to how the world views God’s standards, specifically the combative attitude the world has toward Biblical boundaries. Can you not hear the rebels today shouting, “Let us break their bonds in pieces and cast away their cords from us.”
The Hebrew word translated as bonds means “a restraint” and, by implication, is understood to be a halter or yoke. In fact, Jewish commentary says the word refers to the bonds used to harness oxen to the yoke. Frankly, the nations don’t want to be harnessed or restrained in any way; from their point of view, the yoke of God’s Anointed hangs heavily upon their necks and they strain to break away. On the other hand, we understand that these bonds are God’s way of teaching moral self discipline; His instructions place limits on what we do so that we don’t give in to unbridled desires of the flesh. The world finds this concept repugnant and so the Adversary works diligently to reinforce that attitude by attacking and mocking those who represent the Almighty and His Word.
That now brings me to my primary point for today: if the world considers these bonds to be heavy, unreasonable and difficult to abide by — and this view is used by the enemy to attack God and His anointed — how should God’s people view these bonds? Should we view them in the same manner as the world? Consider the words of Messiah: “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:29-30).
Understanding that the Messiah did not come to negate or delete anything from the Word (Matthew 5:17-18), we are called to learn from His example in regard to obedience. So, what is He saying in regard to these bonds and the yoke we are to take upon us? Did He mean to say that He was going to lighten the load and decrease our responsibility to be guided by God’s Word? Or is it that, in Him, our perspective of these bonds is to be completely different? Instead of being puffed up and resistant, we are encouraged to be like Him in regard to God’s Word — gentle and lowly in heart. I’ll put it this way: the rebel sees instruction as rules, regulations and unjust demands that are to be discarded; the sons and daughters of God see it as wise guidance from a loving Father that is to be embraced and cherished. I choose to be the latter — how about you?
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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