God's Offer To His Anointed One.
“Ask of me, and I will give you the nations for your inheritance,
And the uttermost parts of the earth for your possession.
You will break them with a rod of iron,
You will dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.”
Here the widespread nature of the promises is made clear. David is promised that to him and his house will be given the world-wide dominion promised through Abraham. The nations will be blessed through them, and the whole world will come under their control. Kings always described their conquests in terms of blessing under their benevolent rule, and often depicted them as universal, but certainly in mind is something more widespread than a few local small kings. David is given a vision of widespread conquest. But first they will have to be conquered, although Jesus would later point out that it must be by words.
‘Ask of me, and I will give you the nations for your inheritance.' Israel's original inheritance was the promised land (Genesis 17:8; Deuteronomy 4:21; Deuteronomy 32:49), but now the inheritance is to be enlarged for YHWH's adopted son. He will give to him ‘the nations' outside Israel. That is then expanded as reaching to ‘the uttermost parts of the earth.' He is to seek by prayer for the expanding of YHWH's rule to the whole of the known world. He was not to know that his prayer would be fulfilled in One Who was not a warrior, as all over the world people of all nations would submit at His feet, given to Him by the Father as His inheritance (John 6:37; John 6:39), as His possession (Titus 2:14; 1 Peter 2:9). He asked and He was given His inheritance.
‘You will break them with a rod of iron.' This may indicate the severity of the treatment. Beaten and broken, not with a wooden stick but with a rod of iron. Or it could equally well be translated, ‘you will rule them with an iron sceptre'. Either way the idea is of stern control, with all who refuse to submit firmly dealt with. Judgment will come on the rebellious, either once they are defeated or in process of that defeat. For we must ever remember that ruling also includes judgment. Those who will not submit will suffer his wrath.
The picture of the potter's vessel may well have in mind the vessels which come out of the kiln of substandard quality and are irreparable, and are therefore deliberately smashed by the potter (Jeremiah 19:11; Isaiah 30:14). So what is being demanded is submission, with the alternative of judgment. Both pictures are vivid, depicting the iron control of God where it is needed, and His devastating judgments on those who finally refuse to submit to His will. All men must choose between willing submission, or the rod of iron
The words are later specifically applied as His destiny to the glorified Jesus in Revelation 12:5; Revelation 19:15, and to the persecuted people of God in Revelation 2:27. They too will partake in the judgments of God (Matthew 19:28; 1 Corinthians 6:2).