We now come to the third and final installment in this series in Psalm 8. We have studied verses 1 and 2, and this week we will finish the chapter. So far, we have learned:
LORD is the Hebrew YHWH, pronounced Yahweh by the Jews with vowels inserted and today the transliteration would be Jehovah. Yahweh is best translated as I AM (Exodus 3:14, compare John 8:58) or I exist. Concisely, God has always, is and always will exist (from everlasting to everlasting, Ps 41:13, 90:2, 103:17, 106:48). This is the Hebrew name for the One True God.
Lord translates the Hebrew Adonay, and means "Master". It's not enough to know the eternally existing God exists, as everyone is "hard wired" with that knowledge; each person must instead call upon Jesus, God the Son, as Master in trust.
God's very name is larger and more impressive than anything on this world. His works are displayed in the wonders of the stars, moons, nebulae and more in space, which is 'above the heavens".
Last week, we saw the different facets of verse 2:
Children more easily believe God than adults because they do not have a lifetime of negative experience to cloud their judgment. Children, for the most part, are very honest and open with what they believe. We as adults need to approach God with the same wonder and trust as a child both when we come to Jesus at conversion and daily.
Let's now look at the rest of the chapter!
Fingerwork
When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained; Psalm 8:3(NASB)
We saw two weeks ago how God created the heavens--that is, outer space--from molecule to moon, from proton to planet, from electron to the expanse of space. What is amazing is that he made everything ex nihlo; out of nothing. God started with absolutely nothing--not the dust or even the vacuum of outer space--and made everything. Not only did nothing exist, but physical laws did not exist; God even created the physical laws of the universe to govern what he was going to make!
Today we learn that not only did God create it out of nothing, but God used His fingers. God does not have literal fingers any more than He is "the man upstairs" (a description that really irks me, but not more than it does God!). Fingers here is an anthropomorphism; concisely it means that it is an attribute of man given to God so that we may more easily understand (prefix anthropos meaning man). A zoopomorphism (zoa meaning animal) is when an animal or part is used by the writer (i.e., under his wings).
There are two specific thoughts regarding the fingers of God. First is that the use of fingers implies fine work, dexterity. If you are going to assemble a model car like I did years ago, it requires dexterity of the fingers, fine work. If you type, you use your fingers. Jewelers use their fingers, rocket scientists use their fingers, accountants use their fingers and so on. In other words, God's fingers means that the work is fine, meticulous.
Secondly, fingers represent a part of the body that does fine work but is also one of the weaker parts of the body. These great heavenly objects such as the moon and the stars are the work of God's fingers. "Notwithstanding the amazing magnitude of the sun, we have abundant reason to believe that some of the fixed stars are much larger: and yet we are told they are the work of GOD'S FINGERS! What a hand, to move, form, and launch these globes!" (Adam Clarke quoted by David Guzik). One writer that I studied made a remarkable comment: it was easier for God to create the universe and all that is in it than it was for Him to save people from sin. Why? He used his fingers to make the universe, His finger to write the Law but he used his strong arm to save:
Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, And like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately form or majesty That we should look upon Him, Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him. He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth. Isaiah 53:1-7 (NASB)
God specifically ordained (set in place in ESV, HCSB, NLT) each planet, moon and star, it's not random! God's fingerwork is specific, and not a single atom is misplaced.
The Crown of Creation
What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for him? Yet You have made him a little lower than God, And You crown him with glory and majesty! You make him to rule over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet, Psalm 8:4-6 (NASB)
You matter to God. I don't care whom you are, where you are from, what color your skin is or what your last name is God cares. And yes, we are valued above any other creature on the earth. We are God's greatest creation, in fact, we are even more so that you might imagine.
Anyone that professes Jesus Christ would be a hypocrite of the highest degree if he were to believe in abortion. Yes, that is a strong statement but the truth of the matter is that human life is being destroyed in abortion, not just some blob of cellular growth. In addition, that life being taken was created by God and is part of a group that is called by theologians as "the crown of creation": mankind. God values each and every human life.
Evolutionists have no problem whatsoever with abortion because, for the most part, they believe that we are all no higher than a mouse, rat or guinea pig. It's the same with some animal rights advocates, not all but those that are more radical. I love my two dogs, Hemi and Sadie, they are awesome companions and yes, I do talk to them; I will grieve when the die. But the value of a human life is much more than that of an animal. Why? Because God made mankind the "crown of creation" as I mentioned above. We see this in Genesis, in the creation account:
Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them; and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth." Genesis 1:26-28 (NASB)
God put Adam above all creatures in order; in fact, we as a human race are the highest life form created. This kind of kicks the idea of aliens in the head, if you give it some thought. If we are indeed the "crown of creation" and are over all other creatures then we would be over and above all alien creatures if the do exist, as we see in verse 6. Sorry, Mr. Spock, Chewbacca and Teal'c...we're the top dog, no offense! All creation is under our feet.
King David, perhaps lying under a starry sky viewing the moon, perhaps the Mars or Venus and all the stars and the majesty and glory of God had to ask this question: Why are you mindful (take thought, NASB) of mankind? Better said, "Why do you care?" Why did you send the son of man (referring to Jesus perhaps, also translated as "weak man") to die to save? Simple. He loves us.
God...Or Angels?
What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for him? Yet You have made him a little lower than God, And You crown him with glory and majesty! You make him to rule over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet, All sheep and oxen, And also the beasts of the field, The birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea, Whatever passes through the paths of the seas. Ps 8:4-8
The text above states "Yet You have made him a little lower than God...", however other translations say " For You have made him a little lower than the angels (NKJV, KJV). Which is correct? Actually, there is truth to both.
First, God made us in creation under Him in "pecking order" you could say. We are made in the image of God, angels are not. Secondly, we currently have less abilities that the angels but one day will rule over and judge them (judging the fallen angels most likely). Why the difference in the texts? Both contain the word elohim, which is translated as either God or as angel. The ESV, for instance, translates elohim as "heavenly beings", a middle ground (or a cop out depending upon your view!). The other issue that arises is that the writer of Hebrews, in quoting this passage, uses angels and the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Bible in New Testament times) also used the term "angels". But in reality, both are true; we are the crown of creation, made in the image of God but now man is beneath the angels in present glory, power, and nearness to God (Guzik).
We were meant to rule the earth, however Adam gave up that role when both he and Eve disobeyed God. Satan then became the "god of this age" or "the god of the world"; he would go on to wreak havoc on mankind. Why? Because we are what he wishes he were: favored by God, made in God's image.
What does it mean to be made in God's image? We are like God not in a bodily sense, as God is spirit being; instead, we have the ability to reason, to think, to create (build, write, etc.) and also have a built in morality that separates us from the animals. God has made us the crown of creation and in His image, but because of sin we are not all that we are meant to be YET. However, those that have Jesus Christ are heirs, are adopted into His family and will rule with Jesus during the Millennial Kingdom.
We are in authority over birds, land animals and the fish in the sea. For the most part, all of these living creatures have a fear of mankind; it is natural that they view us as superior. That being said, we are to be good stewards of all things God has put under our authority, especially animals. Those that mistreat animals are abusing one of God's creatures, and, one would think, will have to answer in a more serious way than the misuse of other of God's resources.
Jesus In This Psalm
One of Jesus' favorite terms for Himself is "Son of man". This title is repeated 83 times in 79 verses in the Gospels. It refers to Jesus being the Son of God but being in human form for the most part, but has it's roots right here in Psalm 8 and also in Psalm 80:17. It is a common title in Ezekiel and also appears in Daniel. Easton notes "Son of man "denotes mankind generally, with special reference to their weakness and frailty" (from Easton's Bible Dictionary), and that is the primary meaning found in Psalm 8:4.
However, it is a descriptive title used by Jesus to describe Himself as a human with human frailty but at the same time being fully God. Jesus was frail in the sense that while in bodily form on earth he could suffer fatigue (i.e., he slept, he rested) but also he suffered scourging and crucifixion when He died in the place of those that would be saved.
Here, we see that all creation is under man's feet. This is a term of conquest, and actually means that the conqueror had his foot on the neck of his enemy in triumph. There are two meanings: that mankind is ruler over "beasts...birds...fish" but also that Jesus has conquered sin, death and Satan at the cross (a prophecy written here about the cross which occurred hundreds of years later!).
If I've Told You Once...
We close out our study with a repeat of verse 1 here in verse 8: O LORD, our Lord, How majestic is Your name in all the earth!
Simply put, when something is repeated in scripture it is a review of sorts or adds emphasis to what has already been said. The one and only, eternally existing God who is Master, has a name that is large and above created thing in the earth!
How much is packed into nine short verses! But it still begs the question: why is God mindful of us, why does God remember us, why does God put us above all else in creation? Because He loves us in a particular, peculiar way. This more than "works for me"!
