Title: The Wart
Text: Psalm 8
Thesis: When we get a glimpse of the majesty of God and the marvel of his creation is it any wonder that we are mystified that God should care for us?
Introduction
Great American humorist Mark Twain told a story about a California man who died and went to heaven. Arriving at the pearly gates he was asked where he had come from and he proudly responded, “I’m from California.” The keeper of the gate asked, “Where is California?” The man, totally put off said, “It’s in the United States.” The gatekeeper asked, “Where is the United States?” Now really frustrated he said, “It’s in North America.” The gatekeeper said to the man, “I guess I’ve never heard of North America.” Now indignant, the man shouted, “it’s part of the earth!” The gatekeeper asked to be excused for a minute while he asked around about this place called earth. After a good bit of research the gatekeeper learned that the earth was a little forgotten speck, flung out into space that was once known as “The Wart.”
Mark Twain was of course exercising his considerable wit in making the point that we earthlings tend to exaggerate our sense of self- importance in the universe. In his mind he doubted that being from Texas or California or Colorado would open any doors in heaven.
However, I suspect that God would take exception to referencing his creation as “wart-like.” The bible says that when God had completed his creative activity in Genesis 1, he stepped back and “saw all that he had made, and it was very good.” Genesis 1:31
And, it would seem that David, the Psalmist, did not see the world in which he lived as a “wart.” In fact Psalm 8 is a hymn and a hymn is intended to give praise to God for something. In this case, God is to be praised for his work as Creator and for his ongoing care of his creatures – especially people.
So Psalm 8 begins with a joyful expression of praise:
I. The Majesty of God
O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! Psalm 8:1 and 9
The first verse of Psalm 8 and the last verse of Psalm 8 form a refrain or a chorus that is repeated after the verses of a hymn or praise and worship song.
The Apostle’s Creed begins with the powerful proclamation: “I believe in God the Father, almighty, maker of heaven and earth…”
However, Psalm 8 is not a Confession of Faith we speak to each other… it is praise spoken to God. It is not an expression of praise about God, it is praise expressed to God.
Examples from the Hymnal:
Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee:
• Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee, God of glory, Lord of love; hearts unfold like flowers before Thee, Opening to the sun above. Melt the clouds of sin and sadness; Drive the dark of doubt away; Giver of immortal gladness, Fill us with the light of day!
How Great Thou Art:
• Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder consider all the worlds Thy hands have made, I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder, Thy power throughout the universe displayed. Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee; How great thou art, how great Thou art! Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee, How great Thou art, how great Thou art.
Immortal, Invisible, god Only Wise:
• Immortal, invisible, God only wise, In light inaccessible hid from our eyes, Most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days, Almighty, victorious, Thy great name we praise.
Hymns like these are not sung to each other as expressions of our faith. They are sung as if we are the choir and God is the audience to whom we sing.
So when we sing, “Oh Lord, our Lord, how majestic is thy name in all the earth!” we are not singing praise about God, we are singing praise to God.
New York’s Museum of Natural History once arranged a room in accordance to the way it looks to a dog entering the door. When the dog enters a room, especially if he is one of a yippy smaller breeds, the legs of the table look like giant pillars, chairs look like lofty thrones, the mantel on the fireplace is an unscalable precipice high overhead.
However, when we enter a room, the mantel on the fireplace is eye-level, we may raise our eyes a bit to see the kilted portrait of the head of our ancient Celtic clan. But mostly we look down on the table and we look down on the chairs upon which we slump.
We are rather taken by our largeness in relation to the things of earth that we rule over. In order to grasp the majesty of God, we have to stop looking down and rather, look up.
The Psalmist’s praise is not misplaced or undeserved. There is a reason God is to be praised.
II. The Marvel of Creation
You have set your glory above the heavens… When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and stars, which you have set in place… Psalm 8:1b – 3
I downloaded the Google Sky App on m
y Droid. From my patio I sometimes watch the stars come out at night. Every night I see the brightest planet, Venus. If I swing my gaze back to the left and look toward the south I can see the second brightest plant, Mars. A bit later I can swing midway back from Mars to the distant west where I two other bright stars, one is Pollux and the other is Castor.
Despite the limited view of the universe from my patio, here are some of the numbers. Light travels at the speed of 186,000 miles per second. In one year light can travel 5.9 billion miles. The sun is 93 million miles from earth so it takes 8.33 minutes for light to travel from the Sun to earth. It takes 2 minutes and 8 seconds for light to travel between Venus and earth. It takes a beam, traveling at the speed of light, 4 minutes to travel between Mars and earth.
It all may be a little much to be tossing out so quickly but if you recall, I mentioned locating the stars, Castor and Pollux far to the west… Pollux is an orange star, so gigantic and so far away that it takes a beam of light, traveling at the speed of 186,000 miles per second, 34 years to reach earth. The beam of light I see every night took 34 years traveling at the speed of 186,000 miles per second to reach my patio.
“Oh Lord, our Lord, you have set your glory above the heavens… When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and stars, which you have set in place,” how can I help but be lost in wonder?
Someone has said that the universe is so immeasurably large that if it were proportioned, our solar system would fit in a coffee cup. Our universe is so immense that a beam of light traveling at the speed of light would take 15 billion years to reach the edge of the universe. (Philip Yancey, Prayer, Does It Make a Difference?, Zondervan, 2006, p. 20)
Having made the case for a majestic God who created an immense and immeasurable universe, the Psalmist poses a juxtaposition… he creates a contrast or a tension in the text, that being the smallness or finiteness of man.
III. The Mystery of Man
…what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? Psalm 8:4
It is said that the King Louis XIV of France preferred to be called, “Louis the Great.” When he died in 1717 his body was placed in a golden coffin in a giant cathedral and as per his order, the sanctuary was dimly lit with only a special candle, that was to be his candle, set above the coffin.
Thousands of people filled the church. And as Bishop Massillon began to speak, he slowly reached down and snuffed out the candle flame between his finger and thumb and said, “Only God is great!” (Jeff Arthurs, “Laying the Foundation for Peace, PreachingToday.com)
So when the Psalmist asks, “What is man that you [God] are mindful of him, it is a legit question.
When the Psalmist asks, “What is man,” does he mean mankind? Does he mean humankind, i.e., the human race? Does he mean all mortal beings? As a whole we may think of ourselves as something of a formidable force… all 7 billion of us crawling around over the planet.
Currently in the news is considerable saber rattling between the countries of North and South Korea. North Korea is feeling all puffed up with its active military force of 1,106,000 versus South Korea’s 504,000 active military personnel. North Korea means business… for every 1,000 people they have 49 military personnel. South Korea has 10.8 people per 1,000 in the general population. By comparison the U.S. has 3.9 military personnel per 1,000 people and Russia has 7.3 military personnel per 1,000 of its citizenry.
However, bluster as the kingdoms of earth may bluster, Isaiah the prophet wrote, “Oh Lord Almighty, God of Israel, enthrones between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of earth. You have made heaven and earth…”
Somehow, I don’t think Kim Yong-il has given a modicum of thought to the fact that it is a matter of wonder that God would even give him or any of us, a second thought.
Yet it is the majestic God who created an immense and immeasurable universe, who chose to be mindful of puny little people… for some reason, God does not see us as the grasshoppers that we are but as his children and the caretakers of his creation.
Our text says, “You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You made him (that’s us) ruler over the works of his hands; and put everything under our feet: all flocks and herds, and beasts of the field, the birds of the air, the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the sea.”
Conclusion
So is it any wonder that we say, “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth?
