Psalm 8 is a praise psalm that directs us to praise God because he is mighty (see Ps 8:1, mighty is the sense behind the word "majesty").
The Lord is mighty in three ways:
1. God is mighty over his enemies (Ps 8:2)
Children and infants are some of the weakest and smallest creatures in the world. Yet somehow from their lips comes praise that is strength enough to silence the enemies of God. This should be no surprise to us - it is the Lord's pattern to use weakness and helplessness to do some of his mightiest acts (cf 1 Cor 1:27).
2. God is mighty over creation (Ps 8:3-4)
All creation testifies to God's might. In fact, compared to God even the heavens are like play doh, easily shaped into being by his fingers. (cf Isa 40:26, Rom 1:20)
3. God is mighty over mankind (Ps 8:4-8)
Creation is insignificant compared to God, and man is insignificant compared to creation. This makes man vastly insignificant compared to God. When we consider the greatness of the universe it is really only human pride that should make us think that God should notice tiny specks like us.
And yet God, of his own will, has seen fit to notice man, moreover, to give man glory and honor far above even the greatest planet or star by making us in his image. He remembers us and has specially commissioned us to rule over and steward this world.
These truths imply that our rule should model how God rules. God rules with care and wisdom and does not abuse his rule. God is praised then when we also rule over the world and all its creatures with the same care and wisdom.
These truths also impact how we view other human beings. If man has been made "a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned...with glory and honor" (Ps 8:5) by God himself, then we must not act within the world in such a way that demeans and degrades other people. God is praised then when we take conscious steps to also be mindful of others and care for others, especially the weakest "others" in our world, just like God does. How are we being and acting mindfully of others in other parts of the world, of others down the street from us, of others in our church and in our family?
And so, in summary, God wants us to live lives that praise him and acknowledge his worth and his might. This is especially done through how we treat our world and other people in our world. Man however has consistently failed to do this. We care more for ourselves than for others. We are more given to take from others for our benefit. We seek to establish ourselves as mini gods.
Of course, the world regularly defies man's attempts to be god. Through things like war, natural disasters, and diseases we are reminded that while we have dominion over the world we don't have complete control over the world. Rather than being humans crowned with the Lord's glory and honor, we are sinners crowned with shame and dishonor.
The only correction to this is Jesus Christ. Jesus fulfilled the role that human beings were supposed to fill within this world. He was the one human being who was perfectly glorious and honorable, the one human being who died and then conquered death by rising again so that we human beings could again claim the full glory and honor for which we were created. This happens when we believe in Jesus, a process that basically involves us adopting the name of Jesus for ourselves and becoming a new human being in him. In Jesus all things are brought under our feet (cf 1 Cor 15:27). In Jesus many people can brought to glory as sons and daughters of the Lord God (cf Heb 2:6-10).
It is from this Jesus based footing that we can truly speak of the Lord being OUR Lord (Ps 8:1, 9) and we can truly act as his heirs in this world. We can now truly praise him and live praiseworthy lives.
What are your thoughts and observations about Psalm 8?
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