Psalm 8 appears in the daily lectionary for today. It is one of my all time favorite psalms most notably because I learned to sing it at a very young age. Ever since, the words of the psalmist come to mind in many and varied situations. Read it again, or perhaps for the first time.
Psalm 8
1 O Lord, our Sovereign,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.
2 Out of the mouths of babes and infants
you have founded a bulwark because of your foes,
to silence the enemy and the avenger.
3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars that you have established;
4 what are human beings that you are mindful of them,
mortals that you care for them?
5 Yet you have made them a little lower than God,
and crowned them with glory and honor.
6 You have given them dominion over the works of your
hands;
you have put all things under their feet,
7 all sheep and oxen,
and also the beasts of the field,
8 the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea,
whatever passes along the paths of the seas.
9 O Lord, our Sovereign,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
Notice that the author addresses God not as the unique sovereign of the Jewish people but as the Lord of the universe. It is “our” God and not “my” God – could this mean that the psalm was used in some larger setting, perhaps a liturgical gathering of the Jewish people?
In verse three, which celestial being is not mentioned? The answer, of course, is the sun. So, did the author of Psalm 8 write this great song of praise after an experience of peering up into the heavens during the night? Are we humans more in awe of God during the evening hours when we are less distracted by the noise and sounds of the day? It is said, in the Jewish tradition, that the Torah is better studied at night when the activity and distractions of the day are gone and one can focus all attention on God alone.
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| Venus Crossing in front of the Sun on June 5, 2012 |
And yet, God cares for us! God is mindful of us! How awesome is this God who has created the stars, the moon, and “this fragile earth, our island home”!
The term used in verse four for “man” is translated in the Hebrew as “ben-adam” which could emphasize humanity’s earthly nature being formed from the dust of the ground (think Genesis 2, for example). How can an infinite God, responsible for the creation of all that there is, be mindful of the finite man? “Mortals that you care for us”? Is the answer found in the mystery that the divine lies in each one of us?
Up until this point, the psalmist has stressed the humanity’s smallness set against the majesty of the created world. In verse five, there is an amazing revelation: “Yet, you (God) have made them (humanity) a little lower than God, and crowned them with glory and honor.” So, in the eyes of God, you and I are not finite, unimportant, creatures walking about on a very small planet spinning in a galaxy far, far away. Humanity is fearfully and wonderfully made, created in the divine likeness: crowned with glory and honor.
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| A homeless family in America |
God’s glory is not only evident in the marvels of the creation but in the face of every human being that walks planet earth. If that is true, and I believe that it is, a promise made in the Baptismal Covenant of my Church, takes on significant meaning and purpose: “Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being?”
God has given to us a tremendous responsibility to be good stewards of the entire created world around us: isn’t that what verse 6-8 imply? The infinite God has chosen each one of us, and placed upon us a sacred trust, to manage the earth’s resources wisely. God is counting on you and on me to care for this created world in ways that bring about wholeness, grace, and renewal. How are we humans doing in that vocation as stewards? What can you and I do today to make the earth a better place in which to live?
The psalmist is brilliant in the way in which this song of praise ends. The last word belongs to God – not to us: O Lord, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
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| Frying Pan Shoals |
There is one place on earth where this psalm most realistically comes to life for me. Off the coast of North Carolina , there is a desolate point called Frying Pan Shoals: a line of shallow sandbars extending from the southeastern tip of Bald Head Island (the actual Cape Fear ) southward for more than 28 miles into the Atlantic Ocean . I like to arrive at that point early in the morning, before the sun has risen, when the tide has gone out and you can walk on the sand bar to place where it feels as if you are surrounded by nothing but ocean. The first time is frightening as can be – but after numerous experiences, the point becomes a welcome friend.
Here is where I look up into the heavens and ponder the awesomeness of God. Here is where I can remind myself that I am not in charge – as a matter of fact – I am nothing more than a speck of sand in the whole divine plan. And yet, this “speck” is loved and cherished by a remarkable and breathtaking God. I believe it was the German mystic Meister Eckhart who penned: “If the only prayer you say in your whole life is ‘thank you,’ that would suffice.” Here is where I offer that prayer in humble adoration.
So with the psalmist, I rejoice this day and sing: O Lord, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
Love One Another - Brian
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