Psalm 8

Psalm 8

For the director of music. According to gittith ^[a].

A psalm of David.

1 O LORD, our Lord,
       how majestic is your name in all the earth!
       You have set your glory
       above the heavens.

A. 1^st Lord = Hebrew NAME of God. Yahweh, eternal, supernatural

       B. 2^nd Lord = master, superintendent, king, of men

·          the idea is that God of their worship is their master. He is Greater than His creation (Rom 1:19-23)

C. The earth is to small for His Glory – It takes an infinite universe to show The Glory of an Infinite   God

2 From the lips of children and infants
       you have ordained praise ^[b]
       because of your enemies,
       to silence the foe and the avenger.

A.    God uses the weakest, most frail instrument to give him praise. Their instinct is to give Him spontaneous praise – He, because of His Glory, is so apparent.

B.    God uses these to silence those who rail or come against Him (Matt 21:16). – Read Matt 21;14-17

 3 When I consider your heavens,
       the work of your fingers,
       the moon and the stars,
       which you have set in place,

A. The magnificence of the visible heavens for the purpose of illustrating God , who, though the mighty Creator of these glorious worlds of light, makes man the object of His favor.

4 what is man that you are mindful of him,
                the son of man that you care for him?

A.    literally “frail” man

B.    son of man – all lower case, only varies in the form of speech, mankind.

C.    Care – some versions say visiteth = God shows us favor  (Psalms 65:10)

5 You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings ^[c]
       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 flocks and herds,
       and the beasts of the field,

 8 the birds of the air,
       and the fish of the sea,
       all that swim the paths of the seas.

 9 O LORD, our Lord,
       how majestic is your name in all the earth!

      5-8. God has placed man next in dignity to angels, and but a little lower, and has crowned him with the empire of the world.
      glory and honour--are the attributes of royal dignity ( Psa 21:5 45:3 ). The position assigned man is that described ( Gen 1:26-28 ) as belonging to Adam, in his original condition, the terms employed in detailing the subjects of man's dominion corresponding with those there used. In a modified sense, in his present fallen state, man is still invested with some remains of this original dominion. It is very evident, however, by the apostle's inspired expositions ( Hbr 2:6-8 1Cr 15:27, 28 ) that the language here employed finds its fulfilment only in the final exaltation of Christ's human nature. There is no limit to the "all things" mentioned, God only excepted, who "puts all things under." Man, in the person and glorious destiny of Jesus of Nazareth, the second Adam, the head and representative of the race, will not only be restored to his original position, but exalted far beyond it. "The last enemy, death," through fear of which, man, in his present estate, is "all his lifetime in bondage" [ Hbr 2:15 ], "shall be destroyed" [ 1Cr 15:26 ]. Then all things will have been put under his feet, "principalities and powers being made subject to him" [ 1Pe 3:22 ]. This view, so far from being alien from the scope of the passage, is more consistent than any other; for man as a race cannot well be conceived to have a higher honor put upon him than to be thus exalted in the person and destiny of Jesus of Nazareth. And at the same time, by no other of His glorious manifestations has God more illustriously declared those attributes which distinguish His name than in the scheme of redemption, of which this economy forms such an important and essential feature. In the generic import of the language, as describing man's present relation to the works of God's hands, it may be regarded as typical, thus allowing not only the usual application, but also this higher sense which the inspired writers of the New Testament have assigned it.

      9. Appropriately, the writer closes this brief but pregnant and sublime song of praise with the terms of admiration with which

Set Like Flint

• Praise

• Pray

Isaiah 50:7 For the Lord GOD will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed.

Flint - abounds in all the plains and valleys of the wilderness of the forty years' wanderings. In Isa. 50:7 and Ezek. 3:9 the expressions, where the word is used, means that the "Messiah would be firm and resolute amidst all contempt and scorn which he would meet;  He had made up his mind to endure it, and would not shrink from the suffering which would be necessary to accomplish the great work in which he was engaged."

Read Isaiah 50:4-8 (context of verse)

"It would be impossible for any sinful human being, no matter how fine a person he was, to undergo the sufferings described without a spirit of rebellion welling up within him. And if a spirit of revenge took hold of him, we might well understand. Even Jeremiah complained at the way he was being used  Jer. 20:9,  Job 3.

Only one who was entirely without sin could undergo such suffering without a rebellious spirit  1 Pet. 2:22-23  The Servant (Christ) counted on the help of Almighty God and so refused to feel disgraced; He knew that God would vindicate Him for being faithful to His calling. He had not suffered because He was guilty, as submitting to public humiliation meekly might suggest to observers, but in spite of His innocence. Earlier in this book Isaiah called the Israelites to trust God rather than the nations when faced with attack by a hostile enemy (chs.7—39). The Servant modeled that trust for God's servant Israel and for all God's servants. The belief that God would not allow Him to be disgraced

in the end emboldened the Servant to remain committed to fulfilling the

Lord's will  Luke 9:51 God would eventually show that the Servant

had not taken a foolish course of action.

1. Isaiah was seeing the Messiah and His crucifixion.

1. He knew His purpose
2. He chose to complete His mission
3. He was confidant in Heaven’s Glory
4. He knew The Father would vindicate Him.

2. He was immovable in His conviction, nothing could stop him from doing the will of His Father. 

1. Sacrificed Himself to redeem humanity back to God
2. was God on earth, not a martyr, but a living sacrifice.  (sin offering)
3. the things He endured are beyond our comprehension

3. Martyrs are mere humans who suffered and died for the cause of Christ – furthering The Gospel. Carrying out The Great Commission. (Mark 16:15)

1. Abraham, Moses, Paul, all Jesus’ disciples – many others became martyrs
2. They had seen Glory Of God and knew beyond any doubt that anything they endured here on earth did not compare to the reward that awaited them.

·         We are not all called to be martyrs, that is, die for Christ. But we all are called to be witnesses in one way or another. (by example)  

 Eph4:11    And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

·         Witnesses and martyrs can have many things in common:           

·         We are all called to do something specific, but we are all supposed to be ready    ”in season and out of season” to witness to people.

                       

4. Even though we are to share the Gospel at all times, sometimes we miss it (the opportunity), for whatever reason.

1. When we do, we can do one of two things:

a)     Quit – Satan wins, that’s what he wants, therefore you influence no one for Christ.

b)     Get back on your horse, influence people for the Gospel of Christ. Don’t run from God – run to Him.

c)     Remember He’s big on forgiveness: 

Rom 8:1 [There is] therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

SET YOUR FACE LIKE FLINT AND BE AN EFFECTIVE WITNESS!

Psalm 8 - God Reveals Himself Through His Creation

When I was twelve years old I went deer hunting in Wyoming with my Dad and Mom and  one of my Dad's hunting buddies and his wife .

The day we arrived, we drove out to our guide's ranch to site in rifles. Afterward on the drive back from the guide's ranch, we pulled over ( I think my Dad had to use the roadside).

The place where we pulled over was a very "scenic overlook". The walls of the canyon we were stopped at were, on one side and the end,sandstone. The sandstone walls were bright brownish red with lighter red-brown streaks. The "wall" on our side was rocky soil, covered with millions of blooming flowers, very-very steep. The site was absolutely breath taking, even for a twelve year old!

This is the very first time I knew for sure there was a Creator. I can't, and couldn't at the time prove to you or anyone else that there is a God. I did know in my heart, however,  then and now that there is a God. I will never forget that feeling - that snapshot of God - The Creator (Romans 1:19-21)

Have I let Him down since then? - every day. I have done some despicable things since that time, but then that's the whole point, Romans 10:9 tells us that:      If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved

Many times since then I have thought of that shepherd boy - David, later to become king of Israel as he tended his flocks.

Day after day. month after month, seeing and living in God's Creation. Seeing grass, flowers, trees as well as geographic wonders by day. At night camping under the stars, pondering the universe and realizing his own insignificance while realizing God's overwhelming significance at the same time. - My experience on steroids!

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This is a short study from 2007. This is one of my favorite pieces of Scripture and I desperately want to share this study with you. It is truly ancient praise but oh so contemporary.

                   _______________________________________________________

Psalm 8

For the director of music. According to gittith ^[a].

A psalm of David.

1 O LORD, our Lord,
       how majestic is your name in all the earth!
       You have set your glory
       above the heavens.

A. 1^st Lord = Hebrew NAME of God. Yahweh, eternal, supernatural

       B. 2^nd Lord = master, superintendent, king, of men

·          the idea is that God of their worship is their master. He is Greater than His creation (Rom 1:19-23)

C. The earth is to small for His Glory – It takes an infinite universe to show The Glory of an Infinite God

2 From the lips of children and infants
       you have ordained praise ^[b]
       because of your enemies,
       to silence the foe and the avenger.

A.    God uses the weakest, most frail instrument to give him praise. Their instinct is to give Him spontaneous praise – He, because of His Glory, is so apparent.

B.    God uses these to silence those who rail or come against Him (Matt 21:16). – Read Matt 21;14-17

 3 When I consider your heavens,
       the work of your fingers,
       the moon and the stars,
       which you have set in place,

A. The magnificence of the visible heavens for the purpose of illustrating God , who, though the mighty Creator of these glorious worlds of light, makes man the object of His favor.

4 what is man that you are mindful of him,
                the son of man that you care for him?

A.    literally “frail” man

B.    son of man – all lower case, only varies in the form of speech, mankind.

C.     Care – some versions say visiteth = God shows us favor  (Psalms 65:10)

5 You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings ^[c]
       and crowned him with glory and honor.

A.     Next in dignity to angels – but a little lower

B.     Crowned with the position between God and His creation

C.     Glory and honor = royal dignity (Psalms 21:5,45:3)

 6 You made him ruler over the works of your hands;
       you put everything under his feet:

A.     Position of man is described as that originally assigned to Adam (Genesis 1:26-28)

B.     Man still invested or assigned to dominion over God’s Creation

C.     Man has dominion only because Christ being fully human was the second Adam (Hebrews 2:5-12)

 7 all flocks and herds,
       and the beasts of the field,

 8 the birds of the air,
       and the fish of the sea,
       all that swim the paths of the seas.

A.     Mankind, because of Jesus having conquered death, has dominion  and all thing “put under his feet” and all thing subject to him (1 Peter 3:22)

 9 O LORD, our Lord,
       how majestic is your name in all the earth!

A.     Announcing and declaring God’s Glory is the end as well the beginning of this Psalm

B.     God’s Glory CANNOT be overstated – it is to big for this earth, our minds  to comprehend or understand.

C.     We must learn all we can – renew our minds (Romans 12:1&2) as well as meditate on His Word (Joshua 1:8) and pray (Listen let Him speak to us)

D. Very appropriate ending