These opening sentences from Psalm 8 are like a breath of fresh air, a bright ray of light, a new comfort after all we’ve been through in the past year, and a word of deep comfort that only Scripture can give. They speak specifically to the people of God, to those who are in Christ Jesus.
Verse 1. When we have not been able to sing collectively, the Psalms remind us to adore, praise and express thanks to God.
Oh Lord Jesus our Saviour, and our Lord and King – Your Name is precious to us.
There is power in the Name of Jesus – Mark 16 verses 17 and 18 – and in the Name of Jesus we can pray and ask and receive – John 14 verses 13 and 14.
In Acts Chapter 3 we read that Peter and John meet this lame man, and Peter tells him: “I don’t have silver or gold, but what I do have I give you. In the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.”
The Name of God is excellent – in the Name of Jesus there is healing and wholeness – access to God – and authority.
The first and last verses form the framework of the Psalm, indicating something of God’s total character, every aspect and facet of His nature.
Verses 1-3: God matters more than anything else, and in verses 4-9, we learn how much we matter to God.
You matter, we all matter, the most relevant in these present days.
When people realize and know this, they will bend both knees.
“Our Lord” – This is not a god who is a stranger – this is our God – “Our Lord”.
Also remember these words in Acts 4 verse 12 – “Salvation is found in no other for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
David knew the importance of God’s name and respected that holy name.
David the king comes to the Lord, and says – How majestic – “Your Majesty.”
God was no stranger to David, he could say “our Lord”, and so can we through Jesus Christ.
This great and majestic God is not only interested in man, he is interested in you and me, in a particular way. This is what encourages David to worship.
Two different Hebrew words are used: the first use of “Lord” is “Yahweh” – God Almighty – out there – then, “Adonai” – “Master of all” – our mighty Lord – Who draws near and near.
Glory means ‘heavy’ – God is heavy and awesome – and is not to be treated lightly, but rather with respect.
He is our King, and we celebrate His Majesty.
We are reading here about Who God is and what HE has done.
The second verse of Psalm 8 was on the lips of Jesus after he descended from the Mount of Olives to enter the Temple area in Jerusalem. Jesus threw out all the things that should not have place in the House of Prayer – Matthew 21 verses 12 to 16 – and the blind and the lame came to him and he healed them.
When the chief priests and scribes saw the wonders that Jesus was doing and when they heard the children praising him, they were upset, and Jesus quotes Psalm 8.
Praise can deal with enemies and adversaries and with those who seek to avenge us.
This is how we can sometimes deal with our enemies.
There is power in praise to silence and disarm and win over critics.
Verse 3: David then begins to think about the immensity of Creation, the work of God’s fingers.
“Fingers” was used for an embroiderer: we are talking about someone who has nimble fingers or is skilled with their hands. God weaves everything together in Creation.
As a shepherd, David would look up and see the sky and the stars, and he’d gotten this idea of how it all happened, and it’s in very simple language.
Verse 4: What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? God cares immensely for man – the word ‘care’ refers to someone who is – ‘mortal, weak or frail’. God cares about those people.
David doesn’t ask: do you care about us?, he knows it.
Man is insignificant in a sense: on the massive scale of creation, we are very small.
However, God cares about us, and God loves us. -and his Love was not just words-it was ACTION and He visited us when Jesus Christ came to rescue and save us.
Jesus came to find us and seek us. We were lost – but Jesus came looking – Where are you? Do not hide from me.
Come to me, all you who are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
I have come to save you and help you and restore what was broken.
Remember that: how God thinks of you and what God thinks of you.
The Bible asks that question: “What is life?” – James 4 and 14. It’s a vapor – there for a while – and then it vanishes. A man without Christ is like a puff of smoke: he is there for a while and then he is gone.
God loves those he has created.
It has made us a little lower than the angels, above the animals, but lower than the angels.
We are the glory of His Creation – we have a very special place in the world.
We are created under His Authority, to RULE the world. He has put us in charge of His Creation. He has delegated this job to us: to care for the world.
Many would say that we have been the most irresponsible – and that we have made a mess of what HE CREATED. In a way that is true: we have polluted the waters and the land, poisoned the atmosphere, destroyed each other by war.
Taking care of the ecology – it’s really a matter of morality – and faith – and it flows from belonging to God – and the further we get from God, the more dire the situation in the world becomes.
Our sin and disobedience has ruined what HE CREATED. He wants to help us, removing the pollution from our minds, removing any poisonous thoughts from our minds and hearts, as Jesus deals with the greatest of all heart diseases: SIN.
David marvels at how God chooses to use man, and turns to consider again the majestic Name of God, the mighty name of God.
What would we do without a real living faith in Christ?
“Oh Lord my God, how great you are” – then my soul sings – how great you are!
Verse 9 is really the only thing that really matters: knowing God, knowing Jesus as Savior, King, and Lord.
Throughout the centuries, Almighty God has cared for His people and will continue to do so.
This Psalm is all about knowing God and trusting God and serving God.
The ‘older children’s hymn’ expresses the truth in a simple but profound way:
“God who made the earth,
The air, the sky, the sea,
Who gave birth to his birth,
He worries about me”.
“God, who feels his Son,
Dying on Calvary
Him, if I lean on Him,
will take care of me.”
