God’s Beautiful Creation
Psalm 8:1-9
- We’re continuing our study through the book of Psalms.
- This week, we’re going to look at what David tells us about God’s beautiful creation.
- It’s a Psalm that’s all about the glory of our great God and the evidence of that being shown through His creation, here on earth and in the heavens.
- Last week, Sherri and I dropped the boys off at Baptist Youth Camp, and on the way back, I decided to drive through the Moosehorn Wildlife Refuge’s auto route.
- I’ve heard great things about it, but in all my years living here, I’d never been on it.
- It’s approximately 5 miles of beautiful scenery that goes right through the Moosehorn and ends on Route 1, just before you enter Calais.
- I decided to drive really slow so we could keep an eye out for wildlife, and before we knew it, a nice big rabbit appeared on the road and went into the woods.
- He stopped to look back at us, so we got to enjoy watching him for a few minutes, then off he ran.
- There’s a huge pond along the way, and also a big lake.
- When we got to the lake, we were looking at some beaver dams when all of a sudden, a family of Loons appeared, with the mother in the front, three babies in the middle, and the father in the back, swimming right along.
- We also could hear the birds singing all along the path, and it was just a really peaceful time.
- God’s creation is beautiful, and we’re definitely blessed to live in such a wonderful part of the world, here in Maine.
- Let’s look now at what the Psalmist tells us about creation.
I. God’s Creation declares His excellency- Vs 1-2
- When my family moved to Maine, I remember the long drive between Bangor and Calais on Route 9.
- It was really long, but I’ll never forget it, because it was my first time seeing the beautiful scenery along the way.
- As I saw the trees, and the lakes, and the hills, I couldn’t help but tell God, “Thank you for creating such a beautiful place.”
- Last week, I took the ministry interns with me to Machiasport so they could meet Pastor Bill Holmes and then see Jasper Beach.
- They really loved and appreciated how beautiful it was.
- The smooth stones, the cool sea breeze, the smell of the ocean, the tide coming in, the small waves splashing the rocks, then the water falling back making a mesmerizing sound as it trickled back down the stones.
- I sat there and just took it all in, enjoying the peacefulness.
- Once again, I said, “Thank you Lord for creating such a beautiful place.”
- I’m not much of an outdoor person, but that’s one thing I always try to do…tell God thank you for His beautiful Creation.
- He created it, He sustains it, and He allows us to live in it.
- As I watch His creation, I see it declaring His excellency, and I join in that declaration, because God deserves to be exalted and given credit for His Creation!
- That’s what we see the Psalmist doing here.
- In vs 1, he starts by saying, “Oh Lord, our Lord!”
- Don’t miss that…
- David first calls God by His Covenant name, Yahweh…
- Then, He calls God by His position, as Lord, or Master of His people.
- So basically, David was saying, “Our God is our Master.”
- I want to stop right there for a moment, because that’s crucial for us to realize if we want to have a right understanding of who God is.
- God created everything…some people are willing to admit that…some will even go so far as to say that He keeps it all going…but then they stop short.
- So they’ll acknowledge that God is real, and maybe they’ll even go so far as to believe that Jesus came as God and gave His life for the sin of the world…
- But that’s stopping short of a full understanding of God…
- Oh Lord, our Lord…Not only has God created everything and is over everything, but He is also our Lord, our Ruler, our Master!
- Some people don’t want our great God to be the Lord of their life, and they think it’s enough just to believe that God, the Lord, is real…
- No, we must lift God up as Lord of our lives, Lord over everyone and everything, because that’s the position He rightfully deserves…
- Whether or not we’re willing to admit that and submit to Him doesn’t change the fact that He is the Lord over everyone and everything…Jesus is Lord!
- The true Christian desires to please God, and obey His Word, and allow Him to lead their lives.
- I believe that’s one of the fruits we can see in the life of a true believer…submission to God as Lord in all areas of life, especially the areas we struggle with.
- Notice next that David says, “How excellent is Your name in all the earth!”
- You and I could go anywhere in the world, and God would be there.
- Not only would He be there, but the evidence of His presence would be there as well, through every part of His creation.
- No matter where you go, whether the forest, or the desert, or the ocean, or the icebergs, or the mountains, or the valleys…everywhere, Creation declares His excellency!
- Next, David says, “Who have set your glory above the heavens…”
- Above the heavens…think about that…
- David looked up at the sky during the day, and the universe at night, and he knew God created it, in all its beauty, and he could see just a small glimpse of God’s glory through it…
- Not only that, but he knew that even far above the farthest star he could see, God’s glory was there.
- With the naked eye, of course he couldn’t see very far…but today, we have telescopes and satellites that allow us to see far beyond the Milky Way Galaxy into other galaxies…
- We can see just how big space is…
- God created it all, and His presence is in it all, but even beyond it all, God is there, and His glory is there!
- Scripture tells us in Psalm 19 that the heavens declare the glory of the Lord!
- When I was in Elementary School, our class used to go on field trips to the college.
- They’d bring us to the planetarium, and it was something I always looked forward to.
- The lights would go off, the room would be dark, and then, from the center of the room, a picture of space would be projected on the ceiling.
- We’d be looking up and we could see stars, and planets, and the instructor would show us where the constellations were and what they were called.
- It was great because we could see parts of space that we normally wouldn’t get to see.
- I remember how beautiful it was, and it always reminded me how amazing God is, and how beautiful and perfect He has made our universe.
- God’s glory is above the heavens.
- Notice what David says next in vs 2.
- “Out of the mouths of babes and nursing infants You have ordained strength…”
- When you think of a baby, you don’t think of it being strong…
- Babies and infants are small, they’re weak, and they’re dependent upon their parents.
- Yet David says God has ordained strength through their mouths.
- Think about it…you don’t hear babies and infants going around blaspheming God and persecuting Christians or trying to disprove God…
- Of course, not…
- Babies are beautiful, and birth is a wonderful miracle that can only be explained by looking to God.
- Then, God gives them natural instincts to know when they’re hungry, and how to drink their mothers milk, and how to cry when they need something…
- It’s amazing.
- Then, as you watch them grow in their toddler years, you continue to see God’s work in them as they learn to speak, and learn what things are, and how to walk, and all sorts of things.
- Childbirth and growth is a wonderful thing, and I don’t know of any Christian who would deny that it declares the excellency of our Great God!
- The funny thing is that even God’s enemies were once babes and nursing infants, because God created them, so when it comes to the big picture, they are silenced before God and have nothing to stand on!
- But the Holy Spirit, through David’s pen, is also giving us a prophecy, and Jesus refers back to it in Matthew 21:15-16.
- “But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant and said to Him, “Do You hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes. Have you never read, ‘Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise’?”
- The young children were praising Jesus, worshipping Him as Lord…
- However, the Scribes and Pharisees, God’s enemies, tried to silence them, so Jesus quoted this verse.
- It’s amazing and wonderful how Scripture all comes together and connects…that’s because it’s God’s Word.
- So God was showing strength through the words of those kids, standing up for Jesus, even in the presence of His enemies.
- Charles Spurgeon tells of several examples where children testified for the truth of God.
- A man named Mr. Lawrence was sentenced to be burned at the stake.
- He was carried to the fire in a chair because the Papists had beat him so bad that he couldn’t stand upright.
- Several young children came around the fire and cried, as well as they could speak, “Lord, strengthen thy servant, and keep thy promise.”
- Mr. Lawrence, through their prayers, died firmly and calmly.
- Those children were not afraid of the papists who were responsible for the burning.
- In another instance, George Whitfield wrote of several little boys and girls who were fond of sitting around him on the pulpit when he preached in Moorfields.
- While preaching, he would be pelted with eggs, dirt, and other things thrown at him.
- Yet those kids never gave way, but every time Whitfield was struck, they looked up at him with weeping eyes, and seemed to wish that they could receive the blows for him.
- Whitfield wrote, “God make them, in their growing years, great and living martyrs for God, who, out of the mouth of babes and sucklings, perfects praise!”
- I think you’d all agree with me that the faith of a child declares the excellency of our great God.
II. God’s Creation has a purpose- Vs 3-5
- The brilliant scientist Sir Isaac Newton said that he could take his telescope and look millions and millions of miles into space.
- Then he added, “But when I lay it aside, go into my room, shut the door, and get down on my knees in earnest prayer, I see more of Heaven and feel closer to the Lord than if I were assisted by all the telescopes on earth.”
- God’s creation has a purpose…
- Everything was created to point mankind to the Creator, our One, True God.
- Notice what David says about the heavens in vs 3…they are the work of God’s fingers.
- Our universe is huge, bigger than anything we can imagine…yet David describes it as created by God’s fingers!
- That shows you just how awesome God is…
- When He created the world and the universe, it didn’t require a great amount of His energy or strength, and it didn’t wear Him out…
- No, He created it with His fingers…it’s one of His masterpieces!
- Sometimes, I like to watch painters work on their masterpieces.
- It’s amazing as you watch their hand at work, effortlessly creating beautiful scenery and bringing their painting to life…
- That’s how I picture God’s hand creating…
- Effortlessly forming the stars and the sun and the planets…
- Seeing exactly what His finished product would look like, and creating it, piece by piece…
- I like what David Guzik says about the heavens.
- “With the naked eye, one can see about 5,000 stars. With a four-inch telescope one can see about 2 million stars. With a 200-inch mirror of a great observatory, one can see more than a billion stars. The universe is so big that if one were to travel at the speed of light, it would take 40 billion years. Considering the heavens makes us see the greatness of God.”
- Yet, in vs 4, David says, “What is man that you are mindful of him?”
- When comparing our galaxy and universe to mankind, we look so small and weak and insignificant.
- And yet God, who created the universe, and also created us, has chosen to take notice of mankind.
- Of course, God is so much bigger and greater than our universe, so that makes the smallness of mankind seem even smaller!
- I like how John Trapp describes it…
- “Sorry, sickly man, a mass of mortalities, a map of miseries, a mixture or compound of dirt and sin… And yet God is mindful of him.”
- As I was thinking about this, I couldn’t help but think about how I live my life.
- Obviously, I’m a sinner saved by grace.
- Yet God, who created me, and created the universe, cares about me.
- That means if I’m sinning, He sees and knows, and of course takes notice of it.
- If I’m sinning, He sees the pain I’m causing to myself, or to my family, or to others around me.
- If I’m sinning, He can see the damage it’s causing, and the destruction being left in my path.
- He is mindful of me, so shouldn’t that affect the way I live?
- Especially as a sinner saved by grace, God deserves my obedience and my submission to Him.
- Then, we look at the world, and can see all the damage sin has caused.
- Those who reject God and refuse to submit to Him have brought wars, and famines, and disease to their lands…
- They’ve left broken families behind and brought pain and sadness to the people around them.
- Yet God is mindful of mankind, and that’s why Jesus came, to make us new.
- He is mindful of us, and we should be thankful for that!
- Notice David continues in vs 4 by saying, “And the son of man that You visit him?”
- Don’t miss that…
- It’s a repetition of the first part, of God being mindful of mankind, but it’s repeated in a stronger way…
- Son of man…that shows our humanness.
- Not only that, but he started by saying God is mindful of us, and now He says He has visited us!
- Think about that.
- God Almighty, on His throne, has visited us.
- When God created the world and mankind, He was there…
- When Adam and Eve sinned and had to leave the Garden of Eden, God was there.
- God’s presence has always been on this earth, but He has taken the time to visit us…
- First Abraham, then Isaac, then Jacob, then the children of Israel, who became the 12 tribes of Israel…
- Then Moses, then the judges and prophets, and David…
- God visited and spoke with all of them…
- Then, Jesus came, the Messiah, and He became one of us…
- He walked with mankind, He lived with mankind, then He died for mankind.
- David goes on in vs 5 to explain that God has made mankind a little lower than the angels…
- Right now, God’s angels are powerful…
- They are in Heaven and on Earth, invisible to us, yet they’re there, and they’re faithfully doing God’s Work.
- They don’t have a lifespan…
- They can’t be killed…
- They can’t be manipulated or controlled by mankind…
- On top of that, they get to see God face to face…
- So they’re a whole lot stronger than us, in our current state…
- Yet David says, “You’ve crowned man with glory and honor.”
- Angels are God’s servants and messengers, but their relationship to God is different than ours.
- Angels will never know what it’s like to be born a sinner yet be loved by God so much that Jesus would die on the cross for them…
- They’ll never know what it’s like to be transformed by the Spirit of God through salvation.
- That’s something reserved for us, mankind, God’s creation, lower than the angels, yet crowned with glory and honor.
- In 1 Peter 1:10-12, we’re told, “Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things”
- Then in 1 Corinthians 6:3, we’re told, “Do you not know that we shall judge angels?”
- So angels marvel at this, because it’s a wonderful thing, and we don’t deserve it, yet God chose to do it anyways, for you and me and all of humanity.
- So God uses His Creation to point us to Him, and our purpose as men and women created in His image is to exalt His wonderful name, submit to Him, and serve Him, while in our mortal flesh on this earth…
- Then, for all of eternity, we will continue to worship and serve Him for all of eternity.
III. God’s Creation is managed God’s way- Vs 6-9
- David just said that mankind is lower than the angels…
- Yet now, in vs 6, he says God has given mankind dominion over the works of His hands…
- David was looking back to the Creation account in Genesis.
- In Gen 1:26-28, God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
- When mankind exercises this dominion over creation in a good way, we are being obedient to God Almighty.
- Obviously, when God created Adam and Eve, things were perfect.
- They were able to rule over the animals in the Garden of Eden with no problems.
- Everything they needed was there, and they didn’t have to work hard for their needs.
- After the fall, God didn’t take that dominion away, but it became more difficult.
- After the fall, animals became predators and prey…
- They became afraid of mankind, so it became necessary to hunt.
- Yet that dominion was still there and remains today.
- We use the earth’s resources for our advantage, such as oil, or wood, or hydropower, and much more.
- So we’re supposed to wisely manage the creatures and resources God has given us.
- When we do, it gives God glory, because we’re being obedient, and it also is good for man.
- It’s amazing because even in our sinful state, God has allowed man to have dominion over the world.
- He has “put all things under our feet.”
- But that statement has a deeper meaning.
- Jesus Christ was the Ultimate Man.
- While on this Earth, He had authority over creation…
- Remember when He cursed the fig tree and it withered?
- Or how about when He made the fish and the bread to multiply for over 5000 people?
- How about when He calmed the storm or walked on the water?
- Time after time again, Jesus showed His followers that He had dominion over everything.
- On top of that, we’re told that one day, God will make His enemies His footstool…
- That’s important because even though we have some dominion here, the true One who deserves to have dominion is God Almighty!
- We’re going to see that happen one day, and that’s a day to look forward to!
- Now here’s something for you and me to take into consideration…
- If God has given us dominion over all creation, why do we allow the things of this world to have dominion over us?
- Think about it…
- Polluting your mind with too much tv…
- Being gluttonous by eating more than your stomach can handle…
- Getting drunk with alcohol…
- Those are just a few examples…
- Jesus has overcome sin, and He is our Victory!
- You and I can live in Victory if we keep our heart and eyes on Him.
- Yes, sin will still be a problem, but over time, as believers, we grow closer to Christ and we sin less…at least that’s what’s supposed to happen!
- Notice the last verse is the same as the first verse…
- Oh Lord, our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth!
- That’s the only way to respond when considering all we just talked about.
- David Guzik says, “David understood that the position of man in creation says far more about the glory of God than saying anything about the glory of man. Understanding it all should make us praise God, not man. “For man’s dominion over nature, wonderful though it is, takes second place to his calling as servant and worshipper, to whose very children the name of the Lord has been revealed.”
- When you and I look at God’s creation, it should make us love and worship Him even more.
- One day, we’re going to get to see even greater things, when we’re with Him in Heaven, and that will be a wonderful day.
- I hope you’re looking forward to that as I am!
