Read Psalm 8
For the director of music. According to gittith. A psalm of David.
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.
3 When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
4 what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
human beings that you care for them?
5 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:
7 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.
9 Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
Go Deeper
Psalm 8 begins and ends by proclaiming God’s majesty (some Biblical interpretations use “excellent” instead). Because it holds the important place of the start and finish to David’s song, let’s dig a little deeper to understand the meaning.
Psalm 8 claims the Lord’s name is majestic, or “addir” in Hebrew. This was the same word used to describe kings, nobles, and rulers – those who held authority over lands, nations, and people. Their words would determine the fate of countries and write the history of civilizations. So, when David proclaims that the Lord’s name is “addir,” we know the song will speak to the power and authority of God as creator and ruler.
In Psalm 8, we see David mirror Genesis 1, where God creates the heavens, the earth, and all its inhabitants. God breathed words and galaxies materialized, some of which we haven’t even discovered yet. He subdued the raging waters with earth to create land that bears fruit. He carefully designed each bird, animal, and sea creature for His specific purpose, and it began to fly, run, and swim at His command. Then, He created humans, which seem so small compared to the vastness of the universe, and yet, it all was created with us in mind. Not only do we get to be here, created and living in the midst of His glory, but then He bestowed on us the power and authority over all His creation. What an awesome responsibility we hold!
How often do we take a moment to recognize this? In the midst of our work, school, and schedules, we mistakenly can begin to think our lives revolve around our activities in our world. The truth is our lives were created to actively care for God’s activities in His world. We (humans) have been anointed His representatives on earth with “a crown of glory and honor” (verse 5) so that we might share in the joy of His majesty.
Questions
- When you hear the word “majesty,” what images or descriptions come to mind?
- What are the actions we should take as God’s representatives on earth created to actively care for God’s activities in His world?
- When you consider all the things God made in Genesis 1, which amazes you most? Take time to read this account in Genesis 1, visualize God’s creation, and praise Him.
Did You Know?
At the beginning of this chapter, David gives directions to the musical director that the song should be sung “according to gittith.” Historians believe a gittith was a stringed instrument fashioned in Gath, a city-state of the Philistines. David spent time there when running from Saul (1 Samuel 21), and it was Goliath’s hometown (2 Samuel 21).
6 thoughts on “Psalms of Praise: Psalm 8”
Fake
Are we fake believers? Do we give our faith over like little children? Self-sufficient or dependant?
Matthew 21:15–16 15 But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant, 16 and they 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 ninfants and nursing babies
you have prepared praise’?”
Jesus was asking rhetoricaly due to He knew the Pharisees knew Pslam 8:2 which is where these words come from. Jesus had just cleared out His Fathers House with the whip. The proof that He was the Messiah was unfolding right before their eyes. But the Pharisees really believed they were accomplishing God’s will. They were believing in their self sufficiency and not seeing what was unfoldinng right before their very eyes. We put what we beilieve about God in a box and take it out in case of emergency. Where is our why?
God thank You for the sermon yesterday. WHY? What is my why? I desire to be as a little child and put my utter completely complete faith/trust in You. To do all that I do with You as the reason. I want to answer the why with BUT GOD!!! What God is and has done in my life to Him be the glory, honor and praise, WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!! God thank You for guiding me, loving me when I stumble, letting me be weird for You, in this crazy world. God help me see others through Your lense, Your love goggles, help me be Your hands and feet to be a outpouring of Your Love here, now, today in these minutes in Jesus name amen.
Matthew 21:21 I tell you the truth. If you have faith and don’t doubt, you can do things like this and much more. You can even say to this mountain, “ May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,” and it will happen. You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it..
Thoughts on Psalm 8:
•majesty stirs awe of God
•childlike faith removes barriers of praise
•creation inspires humility
•we are to faithfully steward what God entrusts to us
Teaching the littles and seeing their child-like faith is always a joyful blessing . Yes, I pray we all remove any/all barriers of peace through our childlike faith which has no doubts. Let’s move those mountains!
1. Majesty/Majestic – mightier than everything else.
2. We are to humbly acknowledge creation care as an act of discipleship. We are stewards of the earth summoned by God to “work it and take care of it” Genesis 2:15
3. God’s existence and omnipotence.
vs.9 Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
6 “You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet: 7 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.”
Yes, this is a huge responsibility that God has entrusted to us!