What do the Paris 2024 Olympics have to do with Psalm 2:1-3? You may have seen the two associated together on social media, with the biblical passage intended to shed light on what had happened. Well, hold my Peppermint Mocha and I’ll explain.
This hymnic prophetic text, the first of four sections that constitutes the Second Psalm, states:
Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying, “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.” (Psalm 2:1-3, ESV)
From an immanent, literary perspective, this portion of the text speaks of the Davidic King. Whether David or Solomon we are not certain, it was clearly written at a time when the Kingdom was one and undivided. Scholarly consensus leans towards David, but Solomon cannot be discarded. Whoever wrote this Psalm, however, informs us that it is God who appoints and establishes rulers. In Proverbs 21:1 we read that, “The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will.” In the same way, God steers the hearts of the people to put in place authorities and powers. And according to what we read in this text, the one God established upon the throne in Jerusalem, over all Israel, is the Lord’s Anointed.
What does it mean to be “anointed”? In this context, it means to be set apart for the Lord’s purposes—specifically, to rule under and for God. The Davidic King, therefore, serves as God’s representative on earth, ruling in His name. It is in light of this that we understand that the first verse speaks of the nations surrounding Israel, and that these nations, Gentile nations, were plotting to overthrow the Davidic King that God had established.
However, from a transcendent and prophetic perspective, this Psalm points beyond the historical Davidic King and toward the promised Messiah, the King whose reign would know no end. This Messiah, this Anointed One, is the fulfillment of God’s covenant promise with David. When we read of the nations plotting to revolt, we understand this to be speaking of the opposition that the Anointed would face, not just from earthly rulers but from all who would reject His Lordship.
When did this rebellion become most evident? Well, for that we could look to the crucifixion on Mount Golgotha. The Jews, who were traditionally enemies with the Romans, conspired with them to put Jesus, the Christ, the Anointed One, the sinless One, to death. And if that were not enough, after Jesus’ resurrection, persecution arose against His followers, eventually spreading across the Roman Empire. As we saw with the case of Saul of Tarsus and the divine confrontation he had with the glorified Lord (Acts 9), this persecution, this opposition, was not just against the Church, it was against Christ Himself. To put it plainly, to plot against Christ’s Church is ultimately to plot against Christ.
In summary, in an immanent sense, the Gentile nations’ plotting against the Davidic King was futile because God had established him on the throne. Likewise, in a transcendent sense, the unbelievers’ plotting against Christ is futile because it is God who has established Him as King over all creation. What God has established, who can overthrow?
The first verse of Psalm 2 thus rings true in both historical and prophetic contexts: “Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?” The rebellion of the nations—ancient or modern—is ultimately futile.
Rebellion Against the Sovereign
We might ask, What is the purpose of this rebellion? Why do the nations conspire and plot? The objective, the aim, is to ultimately overthrow the King, to cast off the sovereignty of God. Verse 3 reveals this: “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.” It is a desire to do away with God, His Anointed One, and the world He has created. And this is what brings me to the Paris 2024 Olympics, particularly its opening ceremony, which served as a striking contemporary example.
For those who witnessed it, the ceremony was a bountiful display of moral decay. It featured transgender dancers, sexually lewd performances, tributes to political figures who fought for abortion rights, and disturbingly, the glorification of the French Revolution’s beheadings. As if this were not enough, the ceremony included a mockery of the Lord’s Supper performed by drag queens, culminating in the presentation of an almost-naked blue figure on the Lord’s Table, interpreted by some as Bacchus, the Greek god of wine.
This performance, at a historic and reputable global event, starkly illustrated the world’s hatred for Christ, His people, and all that God had established. To put it simply, It was a rejection of God’s creational norms, starting with the denial of the binary reality of male and female—a reality attested by both creation and Scripture. The unbelieving world, in its quest for “progressive” values – which can be translated as “progressively more sinful” – has sought to abolish this creational distinction by asserting a fluid, gender-neutral identity. However, their efforts have been in vain, for in their very rejection of the binary they presupposes its existence.
The tribute to abortion rights and the glorification of the French Revolution’s violence further demonstrated a love for death, which, at its core, is an expression of a hatred of God. Proverbs 8:36 tells us, “…all who hate me love death.” This love for death is not just an abstract idea, it was visibly celebrated in the ceremony with representations of beheaded victims dancing and singing to the music from Les Misérables, a distasteful pairing considering that the story of Les Misérables is implicitly Christian.
But perhaps the most egregious aspect of the ceremony was the mockery of the Lord’s Supper. This was not merely an expression of a desire to live radically autonomous. It was an explicit assault against the God of Scripture. It was not just a message of “I wish to live as I please”; it was a declaration of hatred for God and everything He represents.
As we reflect on this mockery, we might ask, Why do people mock? Mockery is rooted in hatred. To mock is to insult, to belittle, to make light of something sacred. And in this case, the root is ultimately hatred of God. The Paris 2024 opening ceremony was a clear manifestation of the world’s desire to “burst their bonds apart, to cast away their cords”—to do away with God, His rule, and His creational order. This rebellion is not merely about living contrary to God’s will; it is an attempt to usurp God by trying to alter the very structure of created reality. But can sinful man truly achieve this? Can we turn wood into a feather? It might be shaped like a feather, but it remains wood. Can we reverse the law of gravity? At best, we might overcome it with aerodynamic lift, but we cannot change or defy the law itself.
What the world attempts to do in its rebellion against God is nothing more than a vain falsehood. The nations rage, the people plot, but their efforts are in vain because it is God who has established His King, and His rule cannot be overthrown. In truth, there is nothing new on the face of the earth, nothing new under the sun (Ecc. 1:9). And thank God that it’s God’s earth and God’s sun. As the apostle Paul wrote, “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.”