Psalm 008 - God’s Glory & Man’s Honor

LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory
in the heavens.
Through the praise of children and infants
you have established a stronghold against your enemies,
to silence the foe and the avenger.
When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
human beings that you care for them?
You have made them a little lower than the angels
and crowned them with glory and honor.
You made them rulers over the works of your hands;
you put everything under their feet:
all flocks and herds,
and the animals of the wild,
the birds in the sky,
and the fish in the sea,
all that swim the paths of the seas.
LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Consider this. The planet we live on — Earth — is part of the solar system, in orbit around a little star called the sun, along with a few other planets. The solar system itself is part of the Milky Way galaxy, which contains trillions of other stars and planets. There are a billion galaxies, each with trillions of stars and planets. 

When we consider this, the earth is nothing more than a little speck in the universe, and we are microscopically small. Yet, God cares about us. The psalmist asks: “What is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?” (Psalm 8:4). It is a staggering thought that God would concern himself with us who are truly so minuscule in the universe!

And not just that! He has made us rulers of this planet, giving us dominion over every living thing on earth. He has crowned us with glory and honor, making us a little lower only to angels, although we will be given authority even over them in heaven (see 1 Corinthians 6:3). Rather than make us arrogant, as it seems to have, it should make us humble, filling us with a sense of awe at the magnanimity of God.

And with the awe, there comes, almost naturally, a healthy sense of fear. This ensures a continual awareness of God, a deep reverence for him, and a sincere commitment to obey him. The fear of the LORD, as Solomon told us, is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding (Proverbs 9:10). With an attitude of fear and understanding, we will always come before our God in humility and awe, even as we dare to say, “Abba, Father” (Romans 8:15) . 

And as we stand before him, we sing with David: LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth.

God be with you.