Of Horns (vs 4-5):
Horns, like the Shofar, are like trumpets. They make a blasting sound; a thundering noise; they are symbols of power that cause one’s ears to submit to their piercing soundwaves.
Horns also represent rulers or kings:
“Let them praise the name of YHWH…He has raised up a horn for his people,”—Ps. 148:14
“As for the ram that you saw with the two horns, these are kings of Media and Persia.”—Dan. 8:20
“Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb, and it spoke like a dragon. And it exercises authority…” –Rev. 13:11
Horns on beasts, are potentially quite dangerous. Hence the ox goring laws in Exodus 20, or the mention of the bulls of Bashan pointed at our Lord in Psalm 22.
The geographical landmark that is hornlike are mountains, hence they naturally point up “to the higher authorities. Therefore, Christ, the highest power with all authority in heaven and on earth, is said to have his throne on Mount Zion (another name for God’s holy nation).
Likewise, nations and sources of power are called mountains, hence Babylon is called a burning mountain (under judgment) in Jeremiah 51:25, and Ezekiel 36 talks about the Mountains of Israel.
All that said, God warns those with authority not to lift their powers against his will. If their necks are haughty or stiff, like Pharaoh’s when he competed against the God of Moses, eventually his stiff neck was snapped.
Reflection
The main posture of the Gospel is masculine like a mountain, meaning it rises above worldly norms; it is not passive, but rather, offensive (opposite of defensive). Ergo, the Church’s role is to confront sin graciously and boldly, pointing all men to Christ. However, we must make a habit to check ourselves and our relationships. Are we abusive with our authority gifted to us by God? Are we stiff necked about church discipline?
Do we have secret sins, like Achan after God gave Jericho into Israel’s hand, who hid spoils belonging to the Lord? Such sin had consequences not just on his individual soul, but covenantal implications that impacted his family and the people of Israel to the point that Joshua, a type of Judge, had to address the matter. Do we withhold tithes that we should be giving?
Everyone is a little horn to some degree, and therefore, the charge in Psalm 2 to “be wise O kings… You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel,” not only applies to rulers of nations, but also to those who have been given their own bodies to govern.