A Respect For God’s Handiwork
March 17, 2024
Commentary
In this Psalm David rejoiced in God’s creation and the fact that the God of heaven, whose name is “excellent”, should use people to rule the earth (vv. 1, 9). It shows that God’s glory is more than a theological concept; it is also linked to an emotional component called joy. It reminds us that to glorify God is to enjoy Him. It is thought that David wrote this psalm soon after he killed Goliath, and it was sung perhaps before King Saul to subdue the demon that flared from his jealous eye. When Goliath saw the Hebrews were sending a young shepherd boy against him, he “cursed David by his gods.” David replied, “Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts” (I Samuel 17:45). The Lord’s name is excellent in the earth and a glory set above the heavens. To respect God’s handiwork, we must compare ourselves to His greatness (vv. 1-3).
The psalmist considers the heavens (vv. 3-8). David was a shepherd boy and no doubt had watched the stars night after night and knew that God had created them, counted them, and called them by their names. He could not help but ask, “What is man, that thou are mindful of him” (v. 4)? He goes on to say that we are “a little lower than the angels” (v. 5); not “a little higher than the beasts” as Charles Darwin and his followers would have us believe. Man was made by a direct act of God and made in the image and likeness of God. Why live like a slave when you can live like a sovereign? That the Sovereign of the universe desires a close relationship with me is almost beyond comprehension. The author of this Psalm told the Lord that His name is wonderful everywhere on earth.
Application
Because God has declared how valuable we are to Him, I can be set free from feelings of worthlessness. However, with great value comes great responsibility. He did not create me to wander around on this earth without any purpose. He has a plan for me in this life and I need to seek to fulfill that plan.
Psalms 8:1– 9 (NET)
Verses not found.
Illustration: Mt Rushmore’s Head of Lincoln
In addition to Mt. Rushmore, one of Gutzin Borglum’s great works as a sculptor is the head of Lincoln in the Capitol at Washington. He cut it from a large, square block of stone in his studio. One day, when the face of Lincoln was just becoming recognizable out of the stone, a young girl was visiting the studio with her parents. She looked at the half-done face of Lincoln, her eyes registering wonder and astonishment. She stared at the piece for a moment then ran to the sculptor. “Is that Abraham Lincoln?” she asked. “Yes” replied Borglum. “Well,” said the little girl, “how in the world did you know he was inside there?” (Bits and Pieces, June 23, 1994, p. 23).