I am not a theologian. I am not a poet. I am not songwriter nor a musician, but I am completely awed by Psalm 8.
The first time I read it, I noticed that the writer ended the piece the same way it started. Here, you have you get your “awe” by yourself!
1 O Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.2 Out of the mouth of babies and infants,
you have established strength because of your foes,
to still the enemy and the avenger.3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,4 what is man that you are mindful of him,
and the son of man that you care for him?5 Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honor.6 You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;
you have put all things under his feet,7 all sheep and oxen,
and also the beasts of the field,8 the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,
whatever passes along the paths of the seas.9 O Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
The eighth chapter of the Psalms is relatively short, but very deep! It is actually a prayer. The psalmist starts with a salutation or greeting, but makes no delay in underscoring his relationship to God – “our Lord”. What a privilege to have the Lord of all Creation as our Lord! “How majestic is Your name.” In another place, the psalmist proclaimed that, “His majesty is above earth and heaven.” (Psalm 148:13)
In verse 2, we notice that even babies and toddlers raise their praises that drown out enemy chatter. But when we consider the stars, planets, and moon in the sky, the psalmist wonders why God even cares about little mankind. And continues to marvel that God even puts mankind in charge of the things He has created although we are made a little lower than angels.
Then, citing a few examples of things in our dominion, the psalm concludes with the same burst of exclamation in praise as with which it commenced: “O Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!”
Circularly and completely profound! It is so that, when we consider God’s creative might and power, our prayers may not be rendered any differently than our praise. Awesome!
