Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth.
The call is the voice of God Himself warning the kings and judges and rulers of the earth to become wise and to accept instruction. It is given because all earthly power is impotent against God and against His Son. He who sits in heaven laughs at rebellious rulers and holds them in derision, speaks to them in His wrath, and vexes them in His sore displeasure. He has set Christ as His King upon Zion, has declared Him to be His Son, has given Him the heathen for His inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for His possession, and has given Him power to break rebels with a rod of iron and to dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. That impotence of earthly power was proved in the events surrounding Christ's death and resurrection, when priests and rulers and kings could not prevail against Him and could not keep the slain Son of God in the sealed tomb, which heavenly beings guarded.
To be wise means to serve the Lord with fear, to rejoice with trembling, and to submit to the Son, lest He be angry and they perish from the way when His wrath is kindled even a little, while blessing comes to all those who put their trust in Him. For men in positions of trust, the call means to heed God's protest against evil, to turn from Satan's sway, to do their duty, to rebuke and expel wrong, and to give the Holy Spirit room to work victory in the heart. Joined to the verses that follow, the call carries promise of cleansing from all filthiness and from idols and the gift of a new heart and a new spirit to walk in God's statutes.
The call is the voice of God Himself warning the kings and judges and rulers of the earth to become wise and to accept instruction. It is given because all earthly power is impotent against God and against His Son. He who sits in heaven laughs at rebellious rulers and holds them in derision, speaks to them in His wrath, and vexes them in His sore displeasure. He has set Christ as His King upon Zion, has declared Him to be His Son, has given Him the heathen for His inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for His possession, and has given Him power to break rebels with a rod of iron and to dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. That impotence of earthly power was proved in the events surrounding Christ's death and resurrection, when priests and rulers and kings could not prevail against Him and could not keep the slain Son of God in the sealed tomb, which heavenly beings guarded.
To be wise means to serve the Lord with fear, to rejoice with trembling, and to submit to the Son, lest He be angry and they perish from the way when His wrath is kindled even a little, while blessing comes to all those who put their trust in Him. For men in positions of trust, the call means to heed God's protest against evil, to turn from Satan's sway, to do their duty, to rebuke and expel wrong, and to give the Holy Spirit room to work victory in the heart. Joined to the verses that follow, the call carries promise of cleansing from all filthiness and from idols and the gift of a new heart and a new spirit to walk in God's statutes.