7 I will proclaim the decree of the LORD: He said to me, "You are my Son; today I have become your Father. 8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession. 9 You will rule them with an iron scepter; you will dash them to pieces like pottery." 10 Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. 11 Serve the LORD with fear and rejoice with trembling. 12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed in your way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

While God made promises to David and many of the kings that followed him, verse seven is quoted at least twice in the New Testament and applied to Jesus as the Messiah. God did indeed subdue the kingdoms to David and did bring fear on the nations around him. By the time of Solomon all of the nations were in fear of Israel, the king and God. Dignitaries came from all the known world to bow down before Solomon and bring him gifts. There was no doubt that God was in control and was blessing him.

The reign of Jesus as the Messiah-King is the ultimate fulfillment of this passage. It is Jesus who is the unique (begotten) Son. While many are referred to as sons of God (even all creation) it is Jesus alone who is above all men and even above the angels (Hebrews 1:5). Verse seven declares Jesus as the Son of God. Paul says in Romans 1 that the resurrection is the ultimate declaration with power that Jesus is the Son of God. The birth of Jesus is important along with his life on earth as a man. His death is filled with significance for us. But it is his resurrection as the firstfruits of those who will never die that gives us hope. This is the final proof that God is God and that Jesus is not only his Son but is Lord, Savior, King and High Priest. He has taken his sacrifice into the most Holy of Holies (Heaven itself) on our behalf and is seated at the right hand of God.

Paul argues (Romans 8) that since God has given his Son and done all this for us that it is only logical that he will now freely give us all things. This is not a ticket to greed or selfishness but is a promise and assurance that God is in control and that he will use everything that comes into our lives for our good and to make us more like him. He is getting us ready to live with him in our glorified bodies in his eternal bliss.

O God, Father of mercies, please forgive my foolish ways. Give me wisdom and strength to overcome each temptation and determination to submit to your will. I ask for a pure heart that is wholly devoted to you. Help me to serve you by humbly serving those around me. Never allow me to consider myself better than others or to judge them in their failures but use me in my frailties to help and encourage them. I pray in the name of Jesus. Robert