Spurgeon week (6)
The first psalm was a contrast between the righteous man and the sinner; the second psalm is a contrast between the tumultuous disobedience of the ungodly world and the sure exaltation of the righteous Son of God. In the first psalm, we saw the wicked driven away like chaff; in the second psalm, we see them broken to pieces like a potter’s vessel. In the first psalm, we beheld the righteous, like a tree planted by the rivers of waters; and here, we contemplate Christ, the covenant Head of the righteous, made better than a tree planted by the rivers of waters, for He is made King of all the islands, and all the heathen bow before Him and kiss the dust while He, Himself, gives a blessing to all those who put their trust in Him.
The two psalms are worthy of the very deepest attention. They are, in fact, the preface of the entire Book of Psalms and were, by some of the ancients, joined into one. They are, however, two psalms, for Paul speaks of this as the second psalm (Acts 13:33). The first shows us the character and lot of the righteous; and the next teaches us that the psalms are Messianic and speak of Christ the Messiah – the Prince who shall reign from the river even unto the ends of the earth. That they both have a far-reaching prophetic outlook, we are well assured, but we do not feel competent to open up that matter, and must leave it to abler hands.
From: The Treasury of David: Volume 1: Psalms 1-26 (1869), summary comment at the end of Spurgeon’s exposition of Psalm 2.
