Psalm 8

Psalms 8:1-9

Dedication: To the chief Musician upon Gittith, A Psalm of David.

This psalm expresses the truth that the Psalms are accompanied by some form of strumming instrument.  In fact, a psalm (Heb mizmôr-מִזְמוֹר) is a poem set to music.

Gittith” (Heb. gittît-‏גִּתִּית) is a harp.

Psalm 8:1 O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens.

 

This psalm starts in an interesting way it says, “O Lord our Lord,” O Yahweh our Adony.

Yahweh (Heb. יהוה) is an “excellent” name, It speaks of worthiness! But, Adony (Heb. אֲדֹנֵי) refers to a Master or owner!  It has much in common with the Greek word Kurios(Gr. KurioV)!

 

In that we see a differentiation between God the Father (LORD) and God the Son (Lord)!

 

Jesus is our Lord, our owner, because he paid the full and complete price for our redemption on the cross!

 

God is worthy of praise!

 

The glory of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is unquestioned in all the universe except for those led by, deceived by Lucifer the fallen archangel!

 

We find the same distinction in Psalm 110!

 

Psalms 110:1 The LORD [the Father] said unto my Lord [the Son], Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.

 

In His ascension, Christ took His place beside the Father waiting for the moment of our gathering to Him!  We are now looking up in hopeful anticipation!

 

Psalm 8:2 Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.

 

Out of the mouths of the most physically weak shall come strength!  God does not measure strength in the same manner as Humans. 


Our “strength” is not physical! It is spiritual!

 

Our enemy is Lucifer.  He is spiritual, therefore our strength must be spiritual!

 

The last word, “avenger” (Heb. nāqam-נָקַם) is a poor translation! It may be understood better by translating it “punisher!”  Satan is the enemy and the punisher of all who deny the Christ, God’s messiah!  Satan punishes them by agreeing with them!

 

Psalm 8:3-4
3 When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
4 What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?

 

Here, David refers to God as the Creator!  But, which of the three among the Triune created the Universe?


The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit worked in absolute unity to establish all creation!

 

Gen 1:1-4
1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.

John 1:1-3
1
 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 The same was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

 

In the beginning was the Word! He (Christ Jesus) is eternal!

 

The Father determined, “ordained” what should happen and the order in which it should happen.  He gave the task to the Son, and the Spirit went forth and caused all that the Son was assigned, to be created.

Man does not come into being at the first of creation! And yet, man has been lifted up to a status that humanly seems out of place.

We have been given “dominion!”

Gen 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

 

Our “dominion does not mean that we were given ownership!  It indicates that we are allowed to manage the earth!


We were created in the image of God, but we are not duplicates!  God is unique! Man is unique among created things, but we are not omnipotent, omnipresent, or omniscient.  Those attributes belong only to God!

The English phrase, “In the beginning,” is a single Hebrew word, bereshith (בְּרֵאשִׁית).  That word may also be validly translated. “by the Firstfruits.” Christ Jesus is the Firstfruits!

1 Cor 15:20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.

The Creator of the earth is also the Firstfruits of the earth!

Psalm 8:5 For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.

 

God made man lower that the angels and yet has crowned man with glory and honor!

 

Psalm 8:6-8
6 Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:
7 All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field;
8 The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.

 

We were given the honor of managing the earth, but we were not given ownership.  That honor belongs to God alone!

Psalm 8:9 O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!

 

We end as we began! God’s plan ends as it begins. God exists! Soon He  shall become all in all!

 

1 Cor 15:28 And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.

 

Psalms Index
Index