God the Father laughed at His enemies in derision, then spoke in wrath and set His King on Zion.
Psalm 2 pictures the conspiracy of kings and rulers against the Lord and His Anointed. After they rejected and crucified the King, God, sitting in heaven, laughed at their foolishness and held them in derision. Then He spoke in wrath and declared His King set on Zion (Psalm 2:4-6). He also told the Son to sit at His right hand until His enemies are made His footstool (Psalm 110:1).
Psalm 2:4 — This is the direct statement of God's reaction to the nations' rejection of His Anointed.
Psalm 2:6 — God responds to the rejection by declaring that His King is nonetheless set on Zion.
Psalm 110:1 — The Father invites the Son to sit at His right hand until His enemies are made His footstool.
The Bible describes the event in Psalm 2. The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. Scripture then gives the Father's reaction: He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.
Les Feldick draws out the human side and the divine side of this event. The rulers of Israel and Rome took counsel together, saying, 'We will not have this man to rule over us,' and they cast off God's reins. When they rejected and crucified the King, God — who sits in heaven — laughed at the foolishness and stupidity of mankind. That laugh was not fear; it was the certainty that God would have the last word.
Psalm 2:1-4 records the kings and rulers taking counsel together against the Lord and His Anointed. Les explains that the rulers of the Jews and Gentiles rejected Christ's offer to be King, even putting Him to death, and so they cast off every opportunity for God to rule over them. God, who sits in heaven, laughed at their foolishness — as Les puts it, man can never outdo God, and God is going to have the last word.
Psalm 2:5 says, 'Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.' Les emphasizes that 'then' is a time word: one thing right after another. After the rejection and derision, God does not respond with love, mercy, and grace, but with wrath and vexation — which Les identifies as the tribulation. He also notes that the Old Testament prophets saw these events as a continuous flow, with no church age visible between Christ's rejection and that wrath.
Psalm 110:1 records the Father's word to the Son: 'Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.' Les identifies this as God the Father speaking to God the Son. He further points out in Revelation 4 that Christ is at the Father's right hand, not on the throne, and that all the forces of opposition are the enemies that will become His footstool.
Continuous Prophetic Flow
Les explains that the Old Testament writers saw the rejection and the kingdom as a continuous flow, with no 1,900-year gap — underscoring that God's reaction in Psalm 2 moves directly from rejection to wrath and kingdom.
Rejection of the King
Les describes the rulers of Israel and Rome taking counsel against the Lord and His Anointed, rejecting His offer to be King, and crucifying Him — setting up God's laugh from heaven.
Sit at My Right Hand
Les identifies Psalm 110:1 as God the Father telling God the Son to sit at His right hand until all enemies become His footstool.
Wrath After Derision
Les explains that after the nations reach derision, the 'then' of Psalm 2:5 means God speaks in wrath, not grace — a direct answer to what God did next.
At the Father's Right Hand, Not on the Throne
Les points out that in Revelation 4, Christ is at the Father's right hand and not on the throne, matching Psalm 110.
God Has the Last Word
Les shows that the whole human race was guilty of rejecting Christ, and that God's laughter in heaven is His response — man can never outdo God.
Rejection, Derision, Wrath, Then the King
Les walks through Psalm 2:4-7, showing God's derision after rejection, His wrath and vexation, and then His declaration of the King on Zion.
No Church Age Between the Verses
Les highlights that in Psalm 2, after the rejection and derision, God speaks in wrath — the tribulation — with no church age in between.
Psalm 2:1: Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?
The psalm opens with the nations raging against God and His Anointed.
Psalm 2:2: The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying,
The kings and rulers conspire together against the Lord and His Anointed.
Psalm 2:3: Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.
The rebels declare they will break God's bands — a rejection of His rule.
Psalm 2:4: He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.
The direct statement of God's reaction: laughter and derision from heaven.
Psalm 2:5: Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.
God's response moves from derision to wrath after the rejection.
Psalm 2:6: Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.
God declares that His King is nonetheless set on Zion.
Psalm 2:7: I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.
The Father announces the decree concerning His Son.
Psalm 110:1: The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.
The Father invites the Son to sit at His right hand until enemies are made His footstool.
Yes. Psalm 2:4 says, 'He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.' Les Feldick explains this was God's response after the rulers of Israel and Rome rejected and crucified His Son, the King.
According to Psalm 2, after their derision God spoke to the nations in His wrath and vexed them in His sore displeasure. Les points out this wrath is the tribulation, and in the Old Testament flow there is no church age seen between the rejection and that wrath.
Psalm 110:1 records the Father saying, 'Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.' Les notes that Christ is at the Father's right hand, not on the throne, and He remains there until all enemies are made His footstool.
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