A Respect For God’s Handiwork

Psalms 8:1–9
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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.

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.