Psalm 8 How Majestic!
Where is
the most picturesque place you’ve ever dined? For me, it was in the dining carriage
of a train as it wound its way from Vancouver to Jasper in the Rocky Mountains
of Canada. I admired the majesty of the tall snow-clad peaks under a deep blue
sky, an ever changing and awe-inspiring vista. By comparison, the sheer
magnitude of the Milky Way, with its billions of stars, reminds me of the
immense scale of the universe and my tiny place within it.
David had gazed in awe at the celestial universe as he watched his flocks by moonlight or paced the parapet of his Jerusalem palace. The stark contrast between the majesty and power of God and himself overwhelmed him. Although a king, he was one ruler of one kingdom, a mere man of one historical era, a speck in eternity.
“O
Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your
glory above the heavens.”
From
where we stand, we have a narrow view of creation. When the first martyr,
Stephen, gazed into heaven, he saw God’s glory, a tunnel of inestimable light
which reached him on earth. It flooded his vision, but there is so much more to the universe and beyond. Heaven surpasses the night sky or Uluru’s sunset
hues. From the seat at his Father’s right hand, Jesus sees the entire creation,
of which God declared its goodness. Genesis 1:10.
As Jesus entered Jerusalem prior to his
crucifixion, he upended money changers and sellers profaning the temple. The
common people had welcomed him, spreading their coats on the road and waving
palm branches in his honor. Children praised him in the temple courts, but the
chief priests and teachers of the law thought Jesus should silence them. He
quoted Psalm 8, which the Holy Spirit had prophesied through David about the
Messiah.
“From the lips of children and infants, you
have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the
avenger.”
Children
trust their parents, and David placed his faith in God, who is the Father of
our Lord Jesus Christ, and ours by adoption. Creation shouts his praises. These
children who understood more than the priests, silenced Jesus’ enemies.
When
I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars,
which you have put in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son
of man that you care for him?
God spoke… and it happened. From above the
void, his light penetrated the darkness and created the heavens. He formed a
man on planet earth with meticulous care and has cared about him ever since.
You
have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with
glory and honor. You have made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put
everything under his feet.
The Lord God put Adam in the Garden of Eden to
care for it. He led men to rule the nations and steward the earth, but we have
corrupted and destroyed it. God sent a second man, his worthy and perfect son,
to honor him and redeem a broken world. He rules in human hearts and one day will rule
unsurpassed on the earth. Jesus subjected himself to the lowest rank, leaving
heaven to taste death for our redemption. Paul described this remarkable
journey in Philippians 2:5-11, and Hebrews 2:5-9 concurs with this.
All
flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the
fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.
Flocks
and herds roamed the Jerusalem countryside, and the shepherd who became king had
witnessed the miracle of a lamb’s birth. He respected the lions and bears who had
preyed on his flocks because he had overcome them with the Lord’s strength. God
cares about sparrows that fall to the ground, the migratory paths of birds which
travel with certainty thousands of kilometers between both hemispheres. Whales swim
north or south to frolic in warm ocean currents, since he has programmed their
DNA.
Do you
understand God’s name is majestic throughout the entire earth? Stop and smell
the fragrance of a rose, Rise early and gaze at the morning star, examine your hand movements as
you lift your toothbrush from its holder or marvel at a baby’s first smile. God made
us in his image to glorify him. Come! Let's worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.
David saw it all and he praised
his Maker with a grateful heart.
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