Commentary: 'Kiss the Son'

Todd Gaddis

'Kissing the Son' begins with humbling ourselves before Him in repentance, acknowledging His death, and receiving His offer of salvation.”

One of the joys of reading through the Bible on a regular basis is coming across a word or phrase that may have gone unnoticed before. I discovered such buried treasure recently in Psalms 2. “Kiss the Son, that He not be angry and you perish on the way” (vs. 12 NASB 2020, italics added). 

For starters, isn’t it awesome that Scripture prophetically points to Christ several centuries before He came to the earth in the form of man? And what about the intimacy of the language? “Kiss the Son” may seem a little awkward in our culture. Yet, that would not have been the case among the original readers. 

This phrase comes from a single Hebrew word, nasdaq. Though it has also been translated as “do homage to,” it typically refers to the literal act of kissing. For example, when Jacob appeared before Isaac, his father said, “Please come close and kiss me, my son” (Genesis 27:26). When Joseph reunited with his brothers in Egypt, he kissed them. When Aaron met up with his brother Moses after the burning bush call experience, he kissed him (Exodus 4:27). 

According to commentator David Guzik, such an expression, “has in mind the kiss of submission, where a dignitary receives the humble kiss of an inferior.” “Kissing the Son” begins with humbling ourselves before Him in repentance, acknowledging His death, and receiving His offer of salvation. From there, a relationship of ever deepening affection should develop. As Jesus said, “You should love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37 NASB). 

Back to the beginning, the writer of Psalm 2 also says:

Rejoice in the Lord with trembling - This message, originally delivered to the pagan kings, remains applicable today. Sinners are implored to turn their rebellion into rejoicing. As Nehemiah proclaimed, “the joy of the Lord is your strength” (8:10 NASB). Paul penned, “Rejoice in the Lord always” (Philippians 4:4 NASB).

Take refuge in Him - We used to have a cat that hid out in the gas grill on our deck, no doubt to protect herself from dangerous and unwanted intruders. Whenever I’d remove the cover to fire up the grill, she’d come racing out. 

Perhaps you find yourselves in a state of fear, uncertainty, or difficulty. Rather than neglect or avoid the Lord, seek Him. He loves you and wants what’s best for you. As a later Psalm says, “God is our refuge and strength, a very ready help in trouble” (46:1 NASB).

Serve the Lord with reverence- At some point, a healthy vertical relationship with Christ is going to manifest itself horizontally. As Jesus went on to say, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39 NASB). 

There comes a point where we have to move away from the mirror and start looking out the window. Oh, the joy of ministering out of the overflow, as opposed to duty and drudgery. Acts of service done for the least of our brothers and sisters are ultimately done unto Him (Matthew 25:40). 

While lecturing before students and faculty at Princeton in 1963, the renowned theologian Karl Barth was asked, “Sir, don’t you think God has revealed Himself in other religions and not only Christianity?” Barth stunned the audience by answering, “No, God has not revealed Himself in any religion, including Christianity. He has revealed Himself in His Son.” 

Given all that God has done for us through Jesus, what else can we do but “Kiss the Son?”

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Todd Gaddis is a semi-retired minister living in Athens. He continues to serve as an interim pastor and can be reached at jtoddgaddis@gmail.com.