Scripture Reference: Psalm 8

Unlike so many of the other Psalms, this specific psalm doesn’t seem to refer to a particular situation in David’s, the writer’s life. This psalm, instead, seems to be the outpouring of David’s thoughts as he gazed into the night sky. As a shepherd, he surely had many occasions when he witnessed, with awe, the majesty and glory of God in the heavens. The placement of this psalm is undoubtedly no accident as the Holy Spirit inspired its inclusion following the outpourings of anguish we have seen in the psalms directly proceeding this one. This psalm most certainly conveys the truth that no matter how difficult our circumstances may be and how awesome God is, the majestic Creator of the universe is attentively mindful of us. Such truth calls us to praise and worship the magnificent God.

Psalm 8 begins with the writer directly praising the Lord. It is the only psalm to address God alone in its entirety, and it begins and ends with the same refrain praising the Lord. David asserts that Jehovah, Israel’s personal, promise-keeping God, is “our Lord,” and not just the Lord of Israel, but indeed, the Lord over all humanity. Jehovah, the self-existing One, is our sovereign master and king, and His supremacy and dignity manifests itself throughout the entire earth. Enveloped between this refrain are two wondrous observations of Jehovah’s dominion over all creation and His consideration of humanity above the rest of all creation.

In the last line of verse 1 and into verse 2, David proclaims Jehovah’s dominion over all creation. The word glory at the end of verse 1 refers to Jehovah’s regal majesty, His royal splendor. It extols Jehovah’s complete sovereignty and breathtaking omnipotence above and over all His creation. It recognizes who the Lord is and what He has done on a scale grander than we can comprehend. But in particular, what is just as amazing is how God uses the weak, “the mouth of babes and nursing infants,” to demonstrate His strength and to silence His enemies (1 Corinthians 1:26-29). In fact, in Matthew 21:15-16, Jesus quoted this phrase to rebuke His naysayers. The Lord Jesus Christ said that unless one becomes like a child one will never enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 18:4). The Lord Himself is a stronghold for the needy and weak who cry out to Him. God’s display of His majestic splendor on behalf of His children terrifies His children’s enemies (Isaiah 30:30-33). The cries of those who trust in the Lord will be answered by a loving Father, resulting in the demise of the wicked and victory for every one of His children.

Psalm 8 focuses most attention particularly on Jehovah’s consideration of humanity over the rest of His creation. In verses 3 and 4, when David considers the vastness and wonders of the heavens and their starry hosts, and the fact that God beautifully crafted them with His own “fingers” and attentively set each one in its place, David is astonished how God could be mindful of human beings, who in comparison to the cosmos appear so insignificant.

To Be Continued

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, NKJV © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.
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