Psalm 2

What has struck me most about all of the Psalms in general, not just Psalm 2, is the fear these authors have in God. "Rejoice in Him with fear" is a line from Psalm 2 in the Bay Psalm Book and that seems a little bit counter intuitive. "Rejoice" gives the impression of a happy celebration, of thankfulness and joy in Him. "With fear" contradicts these first emotions with different ones entirely. Also, the line "...in his ire, and wrath..." gives the image of an intimidating God that is prone to violence and vengeance. The last line of the Psalm reiterates the idea of an angry God by again referring to His wrath. Personally, I remember a different God growing up. One that was benevolent and merciful, that loves everyone and everything is a part of His plan and He only wants the best for everyone. This is one huge paradox. An all powerful being that created you and everything around you and has complete control over everything is pretty intimidating. Give that being a temper and we have a potential Apocalypse to worry about. Oh, yeah. We did have a complete annihilation. The flood.
If I had grown up with the idea that God was wrathful and went around crushing people with rods, as psalm 2 suggests, as those in early America probably did, I am assuming I would have very different Religious views now. Since this Psalm was in the first book ever printed in America, this view of God was common as well as expected. The changing view of God seems, to me, to make this Psalm less valid and meaningful in the modern world. The Psalm is important in a historical interpretation, but for actual spiritual guidance, I feel like it is lacking relevance to the current times. This point about religion, at least as far as I am aware, is a constantly changing one. The idea of an angry God has dissipated and the idea of a merciful God has taken its place.