If you observe humans, you may come away thinking that some are really bright and some, not so much.
However, if you observe animals, you’ll realize that even the smartest among them are not nearly as intelligent as even a human child.
A wild turkey will approach a fake plastic decoy looking for love, only to meet its death. Rather than running to safety, a possum will play dead and lie in the middle of the road, only to eventually end up really dead. Cats will chase a laser until they’re exhausted. Dogs will chase their own tails at times. Animals may be intelligent, but they’re not that intelligent.
Yet, there’s something different about humans.
Genesis 1:27 says, “So God created man in his own image; he created him in the image of God; he created them male and female.”
While we don’t know exactly what it means to be created in the image of God, we do know that it means that God made us special in some way.
Today, as we begin our series called “The Psalms of Summer,” we will look at how we see the greatness of God through His creative work among humanity. As we look at Psalm 8, we’ll discover “The Magnificent Name of God.”
Let’s pray together before we go any further.
(prayer)
As we start, I want to note that most of your translations probably have a short introduction to this psalm that mentions the word Gittith.
We’re not exactly sure what this means, but it likely is connected to a musical instrument or a musical style, perhaps something connected to the land of Gath.
We must remember that a lot of these psalms were intended to be sung in worship.
So, Psalm 8 was likely meant to be sung in a style connected to a Gittith, whatever that may be.
Now, let’s look at Psalm 8 together:
1 Lord, our Lord,
how magnificent is your name throughout the earth!
You have covered the heavens with your majesty.
2 From the mouths of infants and nursing babies,
you have established a stronghold
on account of your adversaries
in order to silence the enemy and the avenger.
3 When I observe your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you set in place,
4 what is a human being that you remember him,
a son of man that you look after him?
5 You made him little less than God,
and crowned him with glory and honor.
6 You made him ruler over the works of your hands;
you put everything under his feet:
7 all the sheep and oxen,
as well as the animals in the wild,
8 the birds of the sky,
and the fish of the sea
that pass through the currents of the seas.
9 Lord, our Lord,
how magnificent is your name throughout the earth!
As we journey into this beautiful psalm, we’re going to notice three characteristics of God.
First, notice . . .
I. The majesty of God.
This psalm begins and ends with these words, “Lord, our Lord, how magnificent is your name throughout the earth!”
David wants to make sure that those who read this psalm know how wonderful God is.
At the same time, David is praising God for His great name.
In ancient times, a name carried so much. It carried meaning, it carried honor, and it carried value.
The name of God represented God Himself. The name of God is magnificent because God is magnificent.
David goes on to say that the heavens are covered with the majesty of God.
Majesty refers to an impressive stature, a regal nature, or a special beauty.
Of course, all of those characteristics belong to God.
The heavens, and all of creation for that matter, reflect the majesty of God.
Notice in verse 2 that David speaks of babies and toddlers reflecting the strength of God.
He says the mouths of infants and nursing babies establish God’s stronghold.
Obviously, babies don’t speak much, but even the babylike noises they make reflect how magnificent the Lord God is. Only God could make such a magnificent creature.
In fact, the beauty and majesty of God are seen so much, even in a small child, that the enemies of God are silenced.
For those who doubt the power of God, for those who speak against the greatness of God, for those who underestimate the majesty of God, we need only to look at a small child to realize that they are wrong.
Friends, all we need to do is look around the world in which we live to notice that the Lord God is majestic.
Notice His majesty in the beautiful sunset. Notice His majesty in the love shared between two people. Notice His majesty in the wonderful plant and animal life. Notice His majesty in the birth of a child. Notice His majesty in the crash of an ocean wave. Notice how magnificent the Lord’s name is throughout the earth.
Second, we see . . .
II. The grace of God.
In verse 3, David sets the scene for the greatness of God.
David observed the creative work of God, including the heavens, the moons, and the stars; and in so doing, he knew that the Lord is wonderful and powerful.
Yet, even though God is great, He chooses to show His grace to humanity. How specifically does God show His grace to us? Well, David tells us at least one way God does so.
David says in verses 4 through 6 that God has remembered us, looked after us, made us a little lower than heavenly beings, crowned us with glory and honor, and made us rulers over His creation.
Let’s walk through these wonderful displays of God’s grace upon us.
First of all, God remembers us.
Church, God does not owe us anything.
Even though He created us, He is not obligated to us in any way.
His very act of creating us was a kind and loving act.
However, He not only created us, He remembers us.
Also, God looks after us.
God not only remembers us; He actually takes care of us.
If God removed His caring hand from the universe, we would go into complete chaos. Yet, by His grace to all people, God holds this earth together.
More specifically, He blesses His children in unique ways because of His grace.
Third, God made us a little lower than heavenly beings.
Now, we must acknowledge here a tricky translation. The word that the Christian Standard Bible translated as “God” in verse 5 is elohim.
Elohim can be translated as God, angels, or gods. Of course, there’s only one God, so David likely didn’t mean “gods.”
While we don’t know exactly what David meant in his usage of the word elohim, we do know that he meant that God has shown his grace to humanity in making us special among all earthly creation; so special, in fact, that we are a little lower than the heavenly beings.
Fourth, God has crowned us with glory and honor.
Again, this points to the fact that we are special among all creation. We’re not the same as the other creatures. We have a special role in God’s creation.
We have glory and honor that God gives us as a display of His grace.
Finally, God has made us to be rulers over creation.
David says God has made humanity ruler over the work of God’s hands.
Brothers and sisters, it is a great sign of God’s grace that He would use us as rulers of His creation.
All of these truths point to God’s grace that He would entrust us with His creation.
I remember a story where I felt great grace shown to me. When I was a young seminary student, I was blessed by the writings and work of a man named Dr. Thom Rainer. Thom Rainer is one of the best-selling Christian authors of all time, he was dean of the Billy Graham School at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, he was the CEO of Lifeway Christian Resources, and he is currently the founder and CEO of Church Answers. When I was preparing to be pastor here, I was a member of Church Answers and greatly benefited from the resources they provided. I remember one day when I received an email from a member of Thom Rainer’s team indicating that he wanted to have a Zoom meeting with me. In that meeting, he shared that he wanted me to write a book for Church Answers and do some work for them on the side. That moment was very moving to me. It came across to me as a tremendous act of grace. My thought was, “Who am I that Thom Rainer would consider me to be someone worthy of contributing to the work of Church Answers?”
On a much larger scale, David asks the question, “What is a human being that you remember him?”
Church, who are we that God would show His grace to us in so many ways? Yet, by His great love, He has.
In Psalm 8, we encounter the grace of God.
Finally, we see . . .
III. The design of God.
Going back to verse 6, in the act of God’s grace, we also see God’s design.
David says that God made mankind ruler over creation and put everything under the feet of humanity.
In verse 6, David says “everything” is put under the feet of humankind.
However, it goes on in verses 7 and 8 to name some of God’s creation that is put under the feet of human beings.
David names domestic animals, including sheep and oxen.
David names wild animals.
David names the birds of the sky and the fish of the sea.
These, of course, are not an exhaustive list but are just a few examples.
We are rulers over plant life. We are rulers over animal life. We are rulers over the land, sea, and skies. We are rulers over space. We are put over God’s creation.
This plan and design by God is a big responsibility for us. We should be wise and responsible caretakers of what God has given us.
We should seek to take care of our earth.
We should be careful not to pollute and destroy that which God has given us.
We should be responsible in the way we treat animals.
We should consider it an honor to be able to beautify the world around us.
Friends, this was God’s design. This role did not simply fall upon us by default; God planned it this way.
What a privilege and what a responsibility given to us by our magnificent God.
In Psalm 8, we see the majesty of God, the grace of God, and the design of God.
God really is marvelous; He really is magnificent.
That takes us to our bottom line:
Bottom Line: The name of the Lord is magnificent.
David goes on to say once again in verse 9: “LORD, our Lord, how magnificent is your name throughout the earth!”
Indeed, the Lord is great. In Psalm 8, David praises God at the beginning and at the end. He is always worthy of praise.
David cannot help but praise the name of God.
That takes us wonderfully to our weekly challenge.
Weekly Challenge: Proclaim the magnificence of God.
Think about some of the wonderful displays of the greatness of God.
Think about how God is marvelous; think of how He is magnificent.
Think about how God has shown His grace in your life.
Then, like David, tell others about how incredible God is.
(Gospel presentation)
(closing prayer / Lord’s Supper)
COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER: The text contained in this sermon is solely owned by its author. The reproduction or distribution of this message, or any portion of it, should include the author’s name. The author intends to provide free resources in order to inspire believers and to assist preachers and teachers in Kingdom work.
