This Week's Focus Passage

Psalm 2:12 ‘Kiss the Son.’

We will take the liberty to remind the reader of the more than beautiful—indeed, they are magnificent, because Christological—words of Psalm 2:6-12.

Yet I have set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.

I will tell of the decree: Jehovah said unto me,

Thou art my son; this day have I begotten thee.

Ask of me, and I will give thee the nations for

thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of

the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break

them with a rod of iron; Thou shalt dash them

in pieces like a potter’s vessel.

Now therefore be wise, O ye kings:

Be instructed, ye judges of the earth.

Serve Jehovah with fear and rejoice with trembling.

Kiss the son, lest he be angry,

And ye perish in the way.

For his wrath will soon be kindled.

Blessed are all they that take refuge in him.

 

It was Jehovah God that set His King upon His holy hill of Zion. The King is His Son, He has declared. Not only so, but all those; each and every one of those who are willing to ‘serve Jehovah with fear,’ all those knowing what it is to ‘rejoice with trembling,’ are they who are spoken of in the final verse, when it is acknowledged , that ‘Blessed are all they that take refuge in him.’ These are the ones, by the way—not truly by the way, but determinately—that have been given to the Son from before the foundation of the world. It is themselves, and only themselves, who have been, who are, and who ever will be, in that number that will rejoice to kiss the Son.

As we begin a new year this week, it would appear opportune, as many go about making ‘new year’s resolutions’ that believers ought to consider resolving to ‘kiss the Son’ every day. Indeed, when the Psalmist here exhorts to this noble design of kissing the Son, why should it ever be imagined as satisfactory to have only once ‘kissed the Son’ and then you are done? How terrible a position we would be in were Christ’s satisfaction at Golgotha only to provide our primary justification without providing for our ongoing, or progressive, sanctification. Where would we be if our sins were remitted at the point of our conversion, but leaving us to ‘work out our sanctification’ afterward for ourselves without Christ, and without God in the world?

Is this not, in fact, one of the fallacies of those holding to baptismal regeneration? They contend that, at the point of their baptism, the sins of that infant sinner are completely washed away by an action of some man pretending to have such power bestowed upon him, enabling his incantation of ‘hocus pocus’ to change ordinary water into ‘holy water.’ This water upon being blessed by the bishop of the church—in some cases the blessing of a priest will suffice—becomes the ‘chrism.’ In baptism, the ‘chrism’ is applied to the forehead of the subject to be baptized. It is taught by churches practicing this method of baptism that such a baptism provides remission for original sin as well as any sins committed up to the point of this sacrament. While it is claimed by adherents that this practice does no dishonor to the Holy Spirit, it is difficult to imagine how they are able to arrive at such a conclusion since they are conspicuously usurping the office and work of God the Holy Spirit. Is remission of sin through the shedding of the blood of Christ, or through the activity of a bishop and/or priest? Does salvation come by the grace of God or by the Church? Does this not militate against the work of the one only Mediator between God and man; has Christ not been made unto us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption?

 

Since Paul’s inspired statement is absolutely true, ought not the people of God to be about the business of kissing the Son every day? Even momentarily; every moment? We are exhorted to be looking unto Jesus, our Champion (Hebrews 12:2). We may read in 1 Samuel 16:12-13, the following narrative:

 

And Jehovah said, Arise, anoint him; for this is he. Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of Jehovah came mightily upon David from that day forward.

 

Did not the Spirit of Jehovah come mightily upon the greater Son of David; are we not told that He received the Spirit without measure? David, as the prominent type of our Lord Jesus was eventually ‘set upon God’s holy hill of Zion.’ He was chosen by Jehovah who sent Samuel to anoint him king of His holy City. Did not the kings of the earth ‘set themselves against’ His anointed, both David as well as his blessed Antitype? And although it is not included in the narrative of the anointing in 1 Sam. 16, may we not reasonably presume that Samuel kissed him, as he did Saul at his anointing, and saying, Is it not that Jehovah hath anointed thee to be prince over his inheritance? We are exhorted to ‘kiss the Son.’ He is the anointed of God. Are we to leave off kissing the Son after our initial bowing before Him as our King? May we not behave as did the woman in Luke 7, of whom Christ said to His host, Thou gavest me no kiss: but she, since the time I came in, hath not ceased to kiss my feet?

 

David Farmer, elder,

Fellowship Bible Church

service-times-bg

Join us Sunday at 

10:30am