Why do the heathen rage.
Opposition to the gospel
I. Its characteristics.
1. Furiousness, “rage,” a word signifying the neighing or snorting of highly excited horses--Like the prancing war-horse in the book of Job. It is metaphorically used to represent the noise and fury of insolent and overbearing men, and well represents the attitude of Christ’s enemies.
2. Vanity. They “imagine vain things.” Those who aspire to thwart the plans of Christ, to crush Christianity, live in a region of mad dreams. They are agents of consummate folly, and must fall victims to their own delusions.
3. Combination. “Kings and rulers” were banded together. Ungodly men that differ widely in other things, are one in their antagonism to Christ.
II. Its frustration. All that Herod, Pontius Pilate, etc., could do was just as much as God determined they should do. How great is God! He maketh His enemies to do His work. (D. Thomas, D. D.)
Whatsoever Thy hand and Thy counsel determined before “to be done.--
The hand of God
“For to do,” or be the means of doing, that by which Christ became the Saviour of the world. This was the effect, ‘although the secondary agents were ignorant of it. In their blindness and sinfulness they did just so much and no more than God had determined to be done. God decreed the salvation of the world by the death of Christ, but He did not decree the means--man’s sin; but overruled it to the accomplishment of His purpose. This is ascribed to the “hand” of God, which in Scripture implies--
I. Power. This was displayed in the work of our deliverance from the slavery of Satan--the strong man; and this deliverance was effected by the suffering and death of Christ, in “which the great power of God was displayed.
II. Providence or direction. It was not Jewish malice that procured our redemption, but malice overruled by Divine providence.
III. Operation. God by the death of Christ has wrought our redemption, and established His Church as a channel of salvation.
IV. Mercy and grace. The work of our salvation was wrought through the mercy God bears towards us,
V. Wisdom (Job 28:11; Ezra 8:18; Nehemiah if. 8, 18). (W. Denton, M. A.)