This Psalm is sometimes referred to as the creation story of Genesis set to music. It was a Psalm of David that emphasizes the greatness of God, the revealed greatness of God, the glory of God in creation. Psalm 8 is truly the astronomical Psalm.
The Psalm is full of praising God. There is praise for God’s attributes. There is praise of God for His mighty deeds and Praise for God for his love and mercy. The Psalm expresses enthusiasm for God. Psalm 8 is a great Psalm of praise.
The creation account is not limited to Genesis. The purpose of Psalm 8 is to praise God for creating the heavens, but even more for creating man. The introduction says a Psalm of David upon the harp.
LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory in the heavens. (Psalm 8:1)
The name stands for the character of God. Oh, Jehovah our Adonai. Oh, Jehovah our Lord. Oh God our master. How Majestic is your name. This could also be translated is how excellent is your name Oh God, or how glorious is your name Lord in all the earth. How worthy are you, Lord God.
This goes right along with our Bible studies on the names of God.
https://bradbeaman.wordpress.com/2022/07/09/names-of-God/
There is something very powerful about setting your sights above on the glories of heaven. Let the sky shout out the greatness of God. The stars of the sky reveal the glory of God. It is reminiscent of Psalm 19.
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. 2 Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. 3 They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. 4 Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. (Psalm 19:1-4)
The glory of God fills the earth. I have traveled to all 48 adjacent states of the United States. I have camped in many of the national parks. I saw the sunrise at the Grand Canyon. I have see the fish swimming at John Pennekamp coral reef. I have been to the Colorado Rockies the rugged arches and the painted desert. I have seen the handiwork of God in creation. I have traveled to the highest mountain on earth, taking the Mt Everest flight. I traveled to the lowest place on earth, the Dead Sea. I have seen the glory of God in the heavens.
You don’t have to wear yourself out going camping all over the world to see the handiwork of God. His handiwork extends to the ends of the earth. Wherever you are look at the stars of the sky, the clouds after the rain they reveal the glory of God. They speak to us of how great God is. The majesty of God’s glory does fill this earth. Just look up in the sky day or night. It is astronomical.
Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger. (Psalm 8:2)
We have gone from the lofty heights of the stars to the creative wonder of babies in the crib. You don’t even go outside to marvel and the Greatness of God in creation. Just look at your own granddaughter.
The babbling of the little baby, their first ma-ma, da-da gives testimony to the creative power of God. When that little on first stands and is so proud of herself she waves to everyone. Praise God. The goo-goo, ga-ga is evidence of the creative wonder of our Almighty God.
The cooing of a baby is enough to silence the critics of God. This cooing can silence God’s enemies, the foe and the avenger. These are the opponents that actively work against God. All who oppose God are doomed to fail because a baby’s voice is evidence of God’s creative wonder.
The sounds of a baby are manifestations of God’s strength. Jesus Quotes this verse. It is the triumphant entry of Jesus. The enemies of God who were the religious leaders were indignant.
But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple courts, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they were indignant. Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked him. “Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never read, “‘From the lips of children and infants you, Lord, have called forth your praise’?” (Matthew 21:15-16)
Jesus asks them if they have read this verse, Psalm 8:2. Even the little children will praise him.
This child cried, Hosanna when the Pharisees were silent. The majestic heavens and wonders of the earth give testimony to creative God. The voice of a child or the cooing of a baby tell of his wondrous works. They all speak of the greatness of our awesome God. The testimony of God’s creative work is all around us if we have the eyes to see.
The Psalm expands on the theme of the greatness of the universe in verse 3.
When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place, (Psalm 8:3)
You can picture this shepherd looking up into the stars. He sees the vastness and variety of the universe. He sees the moon and the stars, and he stops to consider that they are the work of God’s fingers.
All you have to do is look at the stars on a clear night and know it took a skilled craftsman to create such a masterpiece. It is ridiculous to think such vastness could come from the effort of man. The soar system tends to moderate the pride of man.
We realize the comparative insignificance of man to such a creator. How small man is, compared to the earth, the solar system or the universe. All of this was formed by God. The question comes to this shepherd looking up at the night sky, What is man?
What is man that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? (Psalm 8:4)
We could ask this question more than David in the age of space exploration. The amount ot countless missions of galaxies and our solar system make us seem insignificant. We may wonder how God takes any notice at all of man. The reason is that God considers man very significant. More than that God has crowned man with glory and honor.
You have made them a little lower than the angels
and crowned them with glory and honor.
6 You made them rulers over the works of your hands;
you put everything under their feet: (Psalm 8:5-6)
Human dignity is not intrinsic as a philosopher might say. Human dignity has been bestowed on us by God. Our dignity is given to us by God. We are made by God, and we are exalted by God. Our significance is a gift of God.
Why is man in charge of creation? God made us rulers. God willed things to be subject to man. His highest creation. Verse 5 shows the status of man, crowned with glory and honor. Human life is sacred and more precious than the most protected animal species. We have lost perspective if we put an endangered animal species above human life.
Man has been given dominion over the animals (Psalm 8:6). There is value in protecting the endangered Humpback Whale and the Baby Seal, but a human life is more valuable. Our stewardship is to treat animals humanely, but we rule over them.
All flocks and herds,
and the animals of the wild,
8 the birds in the sky,
and the fish in the sea,
all that swim the paths of the seas. (Psalm 8:7-8).
Even if a sparrow falls to the ground God knows it. But God knows the number of hairs on your head. You are more significant. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. (Matthew 10:31)
Compared to God’s universe man seems small and insignificant, but in comparison to what God has placed on earth we are to rule over them. This was determined by God who created us all.
Our position is only slightly lower than the angels. God has crowned us with glory and given us our position to rule over his creation. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:10)
Human significance comes because God bestows it. Some of our dominion lost in the fall has been restored in Jesus Christ. We need the wholeness of Christ.
LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! (Psalm 8:9)
You will experience the purpose in life God created you for when you put your faith in Jesus Christ and live for the glory of God.
