How Majestic Is Your Name Series

HOW MAJESTIC IS YOUR NAME (PSALM 8)

The creation of the world and man is one of the strongest arguments for the existence of God. Many believers are uncomfortable and prefer to call creation a theory rather than a truth. Genesis begins emphatically, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen 1:1). All life origins from God and is a gift from Him. Life is an intelligent design, a complex matter and a divine gift.

Why did God create the heavens and the earth? What is the chief purpose of man? How are we to govern the world He gave us?

Sing His Praise

1 Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory in the heavens. 2 Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.

A visiting farmer stopped at a city restaurant to eat lunch. When he was served his food he bowed his head and gave thanks to the Lord. Some teenagers sitting at a nearby table noticed the farmer’s prayer and shouted, “Hey, pops, back where you come from does everybody pray before they eat?”

Their laughter was silenced when the unmoved farmer answered, “No, the hogs don’t.”

“O Lord our Lord” is not a word repetition because the titles are different words in Hebrew. The first title (Yahweh) is the name of Israel’s God, but the second title (Adonai) is translated as “lord” 228 times and or “master” 105 times in KJV, therefore it should be correctly translated as O Lord our Master.” Out of respect for the name that has no vowel, The Jews substitute Adonai for YHWH in reading, thus the English translation “O Lord our Lord.” The difference between the two is that tThe first (O Lord) is strictly the title, the respect, translated as Lord, O Lord or the Lord, whereas the second (our Lord) is the trust, a relationship. In the Psalms He is our Lord (Ps 8:1, 147:5), thy Lord (Ps 45:11), the Lord of the whole earth (Ps 97:5), my Lord (Ps 110:1), the Lord (Ps 114:7), the Lord of lords (Ps 136:3) in the Psalms. The first is His rule and the second the respect, the designation versus the devotion. The first speaks of his omnipotence, omniscience and ownership, but the second smacks of obedience, openness and obligation. It serves as an acknowledgement, an admiration and an assurance.

The three translations for “majestic” are excellent (KJV), majestic (NASB) and magnificent (Holman), which reminds me of a regular episode from “Justice Bao” when the court officials strike their rods on the ground at the same time shouting, “Majesty!” to the alarm suffered by the person brought to the court to be judged and sentenced. To be majestic (v 1) is not the same as to be glorious or great. To be glorious is to be bulky or heavy is Hebrew, to be great is to be many in Hebrew, but to be excellent is to be vastness, to be like the ocean far, wide and deep. The closest thing to the word “majestic” (v 1) is like the heavens or sky, the sea or the ocean, as space itself, which is rolling and never resting, flowing and never finishing, hastening and never halting. In the Psalms “heavens” refer to the height of His sanctuary (Ps 102:19). It is high above the earth (Ps 103:11) and God stretches out the heavens like a curtain (Ps 104:2).

To be majestic means excellence, eminence and extravagance. It is equivalent to Your Majesty or Your Highness in England. Excellent (v 1) is explained by his glory (howd) in verse 2, which is unlike the more popular glory word (kabowd) in Hebrew. His name is more excellent than all that is in earth and heavens. Verse 1’s “set” is an imperative. To set one’s glory means to be exalted, esteemed and extended and encountered over all the earth.

The comparative phrase “all the earth” means all creation, country and citizen (Ps 33:8), chiefs (Ps 45:16). The purpose of the phrase “all the earth” and heavens is all-inclusive, all at stake, all in mind, all in all.

This “glory” (houd) word in verse 1 is not the regular or same word for heaviness (v 5), but for highness, not bulky or big but beauty, not massive but majestic.

While children (v 2) is a noun, infants (v 2) are a verb (participle), referring to actions of sucking (Gen 21:7), nurse (Gen 24:59) and needing milk (Gen 32:15). “Establish” (v 2) means lay the foundation (Josh 6:26), instruct (2 Chron 3:3), appoint (Est 1:8), take counsel (Ps 31:13). It is in the Piel stem, should be translated as “surely establish,” making it more definitive. Stronghold (v 2) is strength, not structure, in Hebrew. It is translated as power (Lev 26:19, might (2 Sam 6:14), loud (2 Chron 30:21), refuge (Ps 46:1) and boldness (Eccl 8:1). The purpose (infinitive) is to “silence” the foe. Silence is translated as rest (Gen 2:2), cease (Gen 8:22), put away (Ex 12:15), lacking (Lev 2:13), rid (Lev 26:6), left without (Ruth 4:14), took away (2 Kings 23:11), fail (Jer 48:33). Verse 2’s “enemy,” “foe” and “avenger” are verbs and not nouns in Hebrew. One (enemy) is the afflicter, the next (foe) is the adversary and the last “avenger” is the avenger. The first comes with meanness, the second (foe) is the man, and the third (avenger) is the motivation. The middle word “foe” is the regular word for enemy in Hebrew.