As we await the Lord’s return, we are to “worship the Lord with reverence,” and we are to “rejoice with trembling.” The third thing the Spirit calls us to do is to “kiss the Son” (Psalm 2:12). Many modern English translations say “Submit to the Son” or “Pay homage to the Son.” The Hebrew literally says, “Kiss.” I suppose the literal translation is avoided because “Kiss the Son” sounds so strange.
For years, I wondered what those words meant. I consulted commentaries and found a lot of conjecture, but none of the answers seemed to click in my spirit. So, I continued to pray that the Lord would show me the true meaning of the words.
One day, as I was reading the book of Hosea, the Spirit suddenly impressed a verse upon my heart that gave me the answer I had been seeking. The verse is found in chapter 13.
As this chapter begins, Hosea has just completed his preaching tour of Israel in which he called the people to repent of their idolatry. To his horror, when he arrives back home, he finds a neighbor bowing down before a silver calf, and he cries out, “Men kiss calves!” (Hosea 13:2).
When I read those words, the Spirit witnessed to my spirit. I immediately thought of the words of the psalmist: “Kiss the Son!” Suddenly, this strange statement made complete sense to me.
You see, if Hosea were alive today and could preach to us about America, I think he would say, “I have traveled all over your land to seek its spiritual temperament, and I say to you, everywhere I go, I find men kissing calves!”
Except, I suspect he would put it in modern English: “Everywhere I go in this land, I find men kissing CDs in the bank, chrome-plated automobiles, and opulent houses. I see men in love with money, power and fame. I say to you, take all that the world has to offer, set it aside in a junk pile, and put God first in your lives. Fall in love with Jesus!”
That’s what it means to “Kiss the Son!” It is a call to commit your life to Jesus by falling in love with Him and putting Him first in your life—above career and family. It’s a call to make Him the Lord of everything in your life—your family and job, your hopes and dreams, your thoughts and words, your music, reading material, food, drink, recreation—everything!
By making Him your refuge, you will be delivered from the wrath that is to come (Romans 5:9 and 1 Thessalonians 5:9), and you will come to know the full meaning of the last line of Psalm 2: “How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!”
Resource:
This article was an excerpt from Dr. David Reagan’s newest book, The Messiah in the Psalms. It presents the often-overlooked messianic passages found in the Psalms.