Now, let me briefly cite the places where this psalm is used in the New Testament. The psalm begins and ends with the outburst of congregational praise of God’s majestic name (A/A’). "O Lord, our Lord, how wonderful is thy name in all the earth!" Selah. But the repetition of these words adds emphasis and says something that the first occurrence of the words alone does not say. “Son of man” therefore connotes humanity’s finitude and fallibility. A problem with our hearing of Psalm 8, as with so many other biblical texts, may be our affluence. The language of Psalm 8:5-8 suggests humans are royal creatures. This may be due in part to the fact that kingship came to an end in Israel in 587 BCE. The psalm sings the old creation story into the present, rejoicing again in being made “little less than divine” (NJPS), which means having “dominion” over the works of God’s hands, over all creation. Wave-surfing penguins struggled to escape a hungry sea lion. Second, this psalm is the only hymn in the Psalter spoken entirely to God. Second Samuel 7 calls David God’s son when God appoints him to his office. (This structure of the psalm could be modeled for the congregation by reading or singing it in worship in three groups: A, B, and C, corresponding to the segments of the psalm.). The Lutheran Witness, in 1922, had an article on How the "Popular Commentary" Was Written.It gives a brief background of the work. The point, however, is not so much the identity of elohim, but the difference between the heavenly and earthly realms. A team of killer whales worked together to create giant waves that swept seals off ice floes. In this psalm, that character pertains primarily to the divine power over the created order. and the rest of creation. What is man, so mean a creature, that he should be thus honoured! Be the first one to write a review. comment. He simply begins and ends the psalm by declaring how majestic (kingly) God's name is in all the earth. The One who created the heavens is concerned and compassionate toward man and ultimately will fulfill all the dreams of humanity. There are many examples of this type of psalm in the book of Psalms (for example, Psalms 93, 136, 150). Many of my favorite songs are simple melodies that call out the name of Jesus. The result is not only confusion, but potentially destructive misuse. You have set your glory above the heavens. It emphasizes God’s sovereignty (8:1, 9) and proclaims that humans exercise their legitimate authority within the rule of God. 3When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, 7:50. The expression “you set your glory above the heavens” (8:1b) probably indicates that God is sovereign and thus sits as king over the creation. It begins and ends with the same acknowledgment of the transcendent excellency of God’s name. Psalm 8 is the first psalm of praise in the Book of Psalms. First, it is the first hymn one encounters when reading the Psalms straight through. James Limburg has described Psalm 8 as “a psalm for stargazers”1 and indeed, it is that. God hath said unto him, Thou art my Son, and it becomes each of us to say to him, Thou art my Lord, my Sovereign'. How bright this glory shines even in this lower world! Second, it is important to note that the question (“What are humans?”) is not an abstract query about the nature and identity of humankind. The psalm sings the old creation story into the present, rejoicing again in being made “little less than divine” (NJPS), which means having “dominion” over the works of God’s hands, over all creation. Psalm 8 is a psalmic interpretation of creation, comparable to Genesis 1-2 and Job 38-41. From above God subdued chaos and made the world with order and regularity. Commentary on Psalm 145:1-8 - Working Preacher from Luther Seminary Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost As a response to the first lesson, Psalm 145 was chosen to show how Jonah knew that God was “merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and ready to relent from punishing” (Jonah’s version of verse 8). Psalm 8 reveals that those suffering at the hands of evil forces are those made in the image of God and valued highly by their creator. If this creational dimension of the psalm becomes a part of our preaching, we need to make people hear as clearly as possible that exploitation is not the message of Genesis 1 and not that of Psalm 8. When singers of the psalm looked “at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and stars that you have established,” they saw not the many stars and galaxies light-years away that we know from our science classes, planetariums, and telescopes, with the earth a mere speck in a minor planetary system, but the stars and the moon as fixed points on a half-dome sky, surrounding an earth that was the center of the universe, indeed, that was the universe. They give structure to the psalm and draw attention to the majesty and sovereignty of God. The birth, life, preaching, miracles, suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus are known through the world. Just as God’s majesty begins and ends the psalm, so also it creates the context for human glory. John Trapp Complete Commentary. But Psalm 8 is unique in at least two ways. Psalm 8 isa Psalm about creation, but it’s more than that, Psalm 8 is also about mankind and about Jesus, “the Son of Man.” Psalm 8, as a Psalm, is rather brief in its description of creation, while “How Great Thou Art” goes on for a whole second verse about the woods, and birds singing in the trees and mountains and the gentle breeze.” The human is from the earth, not from the heavens. Despite the lowliness of humans before God, verse 5 declares God made humans “a little lower than God.” The word for God, however, is a general word (elohim) that may be translated “angels” or “gods.” Only context can determine if the word refers to the one God, to the attendants around God’s throne, or to the gods of the nations. Jesus references Psalm 8:2 when he comes into Jerusalem and the children are singing to him. It is also the only one of the 150 psalms that is a direct address to God throughout the entire poem. The apostle translateth it, "I foresee the Lord always before my face," Acts 2:25. This short Psalm is unique. Related Videos. Psalm 85 is a perfect psalm for this second Sunday of Advent. Commentary on Psalm 8:1,2 (Read Psalm 8:1,2) The psalmist seeks to give unto God the glory due to his name. On the instrument of Gath. I will lay me down in peace — In tranquillity of mind, resting securely upon God’s promises, and the conduct of his wise and gracious providence. Now, the answer to the singer’s question “Who am I?” question is the surprised recognition that “I’m surrounded!”–which could well be the title of a sermon on this psalm. Adam is closely related to the word for earth or soil (adamah; Genesis 2:7). A modern, Western reading of the psalm tends to focus on the question “What are humans that you are mindful of them?” as an outburst of existential anxiety from an “I” alone in the midst of overwhelming vastness. Indeed, the psalm proclaims that humans are God’s agents on earth. Turn to Psalm 18. There are many potential sermons on Psalm 8, of course, as with any text. This psalm is titled A Psalm of David. that you would pay attention to them?” Hence, although the answer to the question is quite positive in Psalm 8, the same question appears in Psalm 144:3-4 and Job 7:17; 15:14 in a way that casts negative light on humanity (see also Psalm 144:2). Commentary on Psalm 2:7-9 (Read Psalm 2:7-9) The kingdom of the Messiah is founded upon an eternal decree of God the Father. Psalm 8:1. Perhaps it was while David was attending sheep on a clear night with the stars brightly shining that he picked up his Gittith, a stringed instrument in the shape of a wine press, and began to strum and chant these amazing words of the Psalm he had written. Here they are classified as domestic and wild, birds and fish. 2Out of the mouths of babes and infants you have founded a bulwark because of your foes, to silence the enemy and the avenger. it's according to the G and again like so many of those other words like and other ones. Psalm 8 (NRSV) Name of Jesus. The final verse contains the same words as the first line of the psalm (8:1a). Literally, says Houbigant, A thing of Belial is poured out upon him, that is, his wickedness is brought round upon, or overflows him. Psalm 18 Commentary: Genre. Rather, the psalmist wonders at the natural world because of the majesty of God who stands over them and has put them in place. LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! Daily Bible Reading - Psalm 52 & 53. Similarly, when the psalmists rejoiced in their surprising ability, under God, to bring sustenance from an unwieldy planet, they lived in a time when such “dominion” was relatively new–the ability to domesticate animals and till the soil–and the alternative was a daily hunter-gatherer existence that gave little or no time for developing culture, civilization, or even communal worship. We rejoice in the gift, even as we pray for humility to bear the responsibility of exercising anything resembling god-like power over the earth. The issue in Psalm 8, as in Genesis 1 to which it refers, is the relationship between humanity (us!) Commentary & Application for Psalm 30. But even more, this is a psalm for soul searchers. Psalm 8 - For the director of music. Lutheran_Commentary Identifier-ark ark:/13960/t75t60z49 Ocr ABBYY FineReader 9.0 Ppi 600 Scanner Internet Archive HTML5 Uploader 1.4.2 Year 1895 . Related Videos. Psalm 8 "A Little Lower than the Angels" The Glory of Creation A pair of courting polar bears revealed a surprisingly tender side. 1O LORD, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory in the heavens. It's something that song. Psalm 8 declares that there is only one Yahweh. According to gittith. A psalm of David. and the rest of creation. Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger. Its two sides stand for God's eternal glory outside of creation, strong and immoveable as the eternal shores which support the bridge. It's uh it's to the choir Master. Psalm 41:8-9. The Old Testament Readings: Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13 (Advent 2). They are far too complicated and way over your head.”. For the psalm celebrates not so much God as the God who created human beings. The God who made all things is the only one worthy of the name that is majestic in all the earth (vv.1, 9). 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