Psalm 8 ~ Thou dost crown him with glory and honor

Psalm 8 ~ (Revised Standard Version)

1 O LORD, our Lord,

how majestic is thy name in all the earth!

Thou whose glory above the heavens is chanted.

2 by the mouth of babes and infants,

thou hast founded a bulwark because of thy foes,

to still the enemy and the avenger.

3 When I look at thy heavens, the work of thy fingers,

the moon and the stars which thou hast established;

4 what is man that thou art mindful of him,

and the son of man that thou dost care for him?

5 Yet thou hast made him little less than God,

and dost crown him with glory and honor.

6 Thou hast given him dominion over the works of thy hands;

thou hast put all things under his feet,

7 all sheep and oxen,

and also the beasts of the field,

8 the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea,

whatever passes along the paths of the sea.

9 O LORD, our Lord,

how majestic is thy name in all the earth!

Two days ago we talked about Isaiah 6:8 - when mankind becomes aware of the greatness & awesome love of God - we eagerly ask to do God's will in His mighty works. Man plays a part in God's plan. Yesterday was Hebrews 11, and it paraphrases John Wesley's quote about God's workmen go on home to heaven, but God's work continues. God's plan is far beyond the efforts of men.

This Psalm cause problems for people, theologically. God created all of creation and He places us, mankind, just below Him. We understand more easily we are far below the Lord, not just below Him in salvation.

1 Peter 1:10-12

Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, 11 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. 12 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.

A bit of mystery; God not explaining everything. He is God. And when we don't understand something we feel left out. Not the meek souls protesting we are not just below Him in salvation. We want to understand.

When Jesus quoted to the crowd, the Messiah was David’s line, He quoted Psalm 110. They appreciated Psalm 110 is also a mystery. How David could call his own son Lord? How could David not call the Messiah Lord?

Psalm 8 has a bit of the same mystery. On Psalm Sunday, the Pharisees asked Jesus to rebuke the crowd from proclaiming Him as King. He replied the rocks and stones would cry out. Jesus earlier told the Pharisees, in the Gospels, God could create children of Abraham from the very rocks. Psalm 8 tells us:

Thou whose glory above the heavens is chanted.

by the mouth of babes and infants,

The Book of Wisdom 10:21

and made the tongues of infants speak clearly.

From Palm Sunday:

Matthew 21: 16

16"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 have ordained praise?"

When I think of Jesus, Living Word of God, Light of the World, fulfilling a Psalm of David, I cannot imagine that the babes and infants gave Jesus anything less than the glory of heaven, by what they sang.

God gave us salvation – as a gift. God made us only lower than Himself in the order of Creation. And God gave us another mystery. One we did not hear, but see with the eyes of faith.

Psalm 50:2

From Zion, perfect in beauty, God shines forth.

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