Psalm 8 Glory, Power & Grace

 

Intro: Psalm 8 is one of the early Psalms that David penned – it was written somewhere in the time frame of his Battle w/ Goliath

A)It has been classified as one of the shepherd Psalms meaning that it was written during that time when David was tending Sheep

 

B)David’s life as a shepherd gave to him countless opportunities to consider the heavens.

1) His keen interest in nature & his poetic heart were like kindling for this Psalm. / 

 

C) I can almost see David.     It’s midnight. The sky is bright with stars. As the fire burns, so does the heart of David.

1)   David is overcome by the GREATNESS of God.

 

D) But as He contemplates the heavens He becomes painfully aware of the SMALLNESS of man.

1)    Yet it is there at that moment in light of the GLORY of God that David begins to grasp the GRACE of God.

 

E) The GRACE of God in CONSIDERING & VISITING fallen mankind.

 

 

David Begins w/ THE GLORY OF GOD

Psalm 8:1    O LORD, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth,

     Who have set Your glory above the heavens!

 

A)David is overwhelmed by the greatness and glory of God, and rightly so.

1) The whole of creation is a testimony of His Power & Majesty / The universe was founded upon His wisdom and is upheld by His power.

 

 B)But David realizes that the glory that he perceives in the moon & the stars in the heavens falls short of the reality of God’s glory:

1)   Consider the end of v.1 Who have set Your glory above the heavens!.

C) There is glory that belongs to God that is yet to be revealed to us.

1)   Yesterdays sunrise – Glorious – 78 from airport – Incredible –

 

Rev 1:16 His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength. 17And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead.

 

D) Jesus appeared to Saul – Blinded by a light brighter than noonday sun

 

E) New Heaven & New earth – No need for the sun- because the Glory of God Illuminates the Place !!!!

         

 

Though David is awestruck by the glory of God manifested in the universe, he BEGINS and ENDS this psalm of praise by recognizing the GLORY of God’s name.

 

Psalm 8:1; 9     O LORD, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth,- Repeats in v.9

9 O LORD, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth,-

 

A)NOTE: O LORD our Lord literally means“O Jehovah our sovereign master”

 

B) Lord is a TITLE of God. – King ruler Sovereign

    1) But LORD is the NAME of God.

 

C) It is the holy name of God. It is so holy that they would NOT pronounce “The Name” when reading the Scriptures.

 

 

In the Hebrew text we only find the consonants YHWH. This is the TETRAGRAMMA. – Guessing JEHOVAH and YAHWEH

 

 

In the Book of Exodus God revealed His Glory to Moses by declaring His name – Ex.33:18 – Show me your Glory

19 And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee…… Exodus 34:5     And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. 6 And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, 7 Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin…. (KJV)

 

B) Earlier in the Book of Exodus when Moses was being called by God – who shall I tell them has sent me ? – Ex 3:14

14And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”  

 

C) The name Yahweh/Jehovah, means “I Am That I Am.”

1)   It speaks of God’s self-existence, but it means more than that. It can be understood to mean that God is The Becoming One.

 

D) We learn from this that  His NAME speaks of His RELATIONSHIP to His people. - EXAMPLE:

1)   Abe was going to Sacrifice Isaac – fire & the wood – where Sacrifice

 God will provide Himself…….

 

E) And God did – Abe named the place Jehovah Jireh - the Lord provides’

     1)Thus we see that the Lord becomes to us our source of provision.

 

 

In somewhat similar fashion, after the defeat of the Amalekites, Moses erected an altar and called it  Jehovah Nissi ‘the Lord is my banner’

A)The Lord becomes our victory.

 

 

 

Jehovah-shalom – was  the name given by Gideon to the altar he erected in Ophrah, ‘the Lord is peace’ (Jdg. 6:24). The Lord becomes our peace.

A)Jehovah-tsidkenu - This is the name by which Messiah shall be known, ‘the Lord is our righteousness’ /  The Lord becomes your righteousness.

 

B)APPLICATION : The point is - “I am anything you have need of.......

Fill in the blank”

 1) Jesus did just that He  came to this Earth to help us fill in the blank.

 

C)When He was being taken in the garden they asked: Are you Jesus of           Nazareth?

     1) He answered: Ego Eimi..... I AM.....DEITY And they fell backward.

 

D) Jesus filled in the blank when He said; John 6:48   I am that bread of life.

     John 8:12   , I am the light of      the world:  

            John 10:7; 9   , I am the door.

                         John 10:11; 14   I am the good shepherd.

                                 John 11:25   , I am the resurrection, and the life.

 

John 14:6 I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes unto the Father, but by me.    AND     John 15:5   I am the vine

 

E) The NAME of the Lord is GLORIOUS because it tells us that God wants to become to us all that we need.

 

This sheds light to what David was thinking when He said to Goliath you come to me w/ a Sword & a spear – but I am coming to you in the Name of the LORD OF HOST

A)David faced the Giant Goliath – faith & trust that God was going to be what he needed to be victorious in that fight     

 

B) Whatever was needed to be victorious would be provided by David’s Becoming one – that is what He was banking on !!!!

 

Next David moves to Consider the Power Of God In The Praises Of Children v.2

Psalm 8:2 Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have ordained strength, Because of Your enemies, That You may silence the enemy and the avenger.

 

A)What a contrast between the glory above the heavens, and the mouths of babes & nursing infants yet by both the name of God is made excellent.

    

B)God CAN and DOES work powerfully through mere children.

1)   How often will CHILDREN tell us adults of God whom we have

    forgotten!

 

C)The simplicity of a child singing songs of Jesus can move even the most hardened heart.

  1) Men have had to hold their tongues while children have born witness to Jesus.

 

EXAMPLE: Matthew 21:15-16 15But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant 16and said to Him, “Do You hear what these are saying?”And Jesus said to them, “Yes. Have you never read,‘Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants

     You have perfected praise’?”

 

CHS – said it well He who delights in the songs of angels is pleased to honour himself in the eyes of his enemies by the praises of little children.

 

D)Early church history records many amazing instances of the testimony of children for the truth of God,

1)   Foxe tells us, in the Book of Martyrs, that when Mr. Lawrence was burnt in Colchester, he was carried to the fire in a chair, because, through the beatings, he could not stand upright,

 

E) several young children came about the fire and cried, as well as they could speak, “Lord, strengthen thy servant, and keep thy promise.”

God answered their prayer; for Mr. Lawrence died as firmly and calmly as any one could wish to breathe his last.

A)When one of the Popish chaplains told Mr. Wishart, the great Scotch martyr, that he had a devil in him, a child that stood by cried out, “A devil cannot speak such words as yonder man speaketh.”

 

STORY: During a Billy Sunday evangelistic campaign, a mentally impaired boy came faithfully each night to sing in the choir. "Joey was not very bright," said Homer Rodeheaver, the well-known song leader, "but he never missed any of our meetings and wouldn't leave until he shook my hand.  Sometimes I was embarrassed by the way he constantly tailed me, and I secretly wished he'd go away."

 Then one evening a man came to Rodeheaver and said, "Thank you for being kind to my son Joey.  He's not right mentally, but never has he enjoyed anything so much as singing in the choir. He worked hard doing simple chores for people so he could contribute to the collection. Through his pleadings my wife and five other children came to this evangelistic campaign and have now received Christ. 

Last night his 75-year-old grandfather, who has been an atheist all his life, was saved, and tonight his grandmother also came forward.   Now our entire family is converted!"

 

B)Me w/ My Dad - God is in the Business of using the weak & the Small –  

  1) When it was time to over throw the Great Empire of Egypt – did he send an Army from Babylon or Assyria – No – He sent a Baby named Moses

 

C) David is also a Good example of this

1)   Encouragement to us – God can use little Children –He can use US

STORY: There was a lady who reported her dog missing and posted an add that read: LOST DOG with 3 legs, blind in left eye, missing right ear, tail broken and recently castrated. Answers to the name of "Lucky." 

 

You might feel like “Lucky” the dog. You might feel just as lame, blind, ugly and impotent as “Lucky”, but that makes you an even greater candidate for God to use.   Weak unlikely

After being Contemplating the Glory of God – David then considers THE GRACE OF GOD  v.3-8

A)It was David’s observation of the Glory and Power of God in the heavens that made him understand how far God must stoop in order to bless us.

 

B) When I consider the Heavens - & realize they were the works of your fingers –meaning – No effort involved – spoke into existence

1)   I am blown away – that you an awesome mighty & Majestic God – would even consider man at all.

 

C) Especially in light of what man did to you

1)   David in v 5-8 describes man in the Glory of his original existence put over the earth – crowned w/ Glory & honor all things put under his feet

 

D) But as the writer of Hebrews puts it in Ch 2 we don’t now see all things put under man –

1)   Man forfeited his position of Dominion at the Fall

 

David knows this – which makes it even more powerful when he says –I don’t understand why you are mindful of man

A)Understanding God’s greatness, David understands the GRACIOUS CONDESENCION of God to man.

 

B)“Lord, what is man” -  Sinful, weak, miserable man. “That You are mindful of him”

1) Man is a creature so forgetful of God and his duty to God

 

C) AMAZING God takes time to be mindful of man who is NOT mindful of Him.

 1)APPLICATION  This should change the way that we look at the unbeliever.

 

PERSONAL: The “Sagittarius girl” at the Bed and Breakfast. He wanted to get up and leave but the Lord said: Be polite to her… She isn’t mindful of Me, she’s worshipping the stars, but I am mindful of her.

I was so convicted when he told me that because I can be so  impatient w/ unbelievers like that – blow them off – ignore –

A)But God is mindful of them – So this should change our outlook toward the unbeliever & it should change our outlook of ourselves

 

B) Reminded: Your life matters to God. You are SIGNIFICANT because God is interested in you.

1) IN reality - The search for significance ends when you understand that God is mindful of you.

 

C) But catch what else David says there in v.4 - 4What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him?

 

God not only thinks of man, feeds man, protects & provides for mankind, but God visited him as one friend visits another.

A)The word VISIT means much more than what we normally would think .

      PROPHETIC -  It points powerfully to Jesus Christ.

 

B)VISIT = to seek, look about for.

 1) We could read this verse as What is man that God should come and seek for him?

 

Luke 19:10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. (KJV)

 

C) WHY would God do that? Man has done nothing but rebel against and walk away from the God of the universe.

  1) God WANTS to have fellowship with man….. With YOU.

 

D) So Jesus LEFT His throne of glory, left the worship of angels, emptied Himself of the rightful expression of His glory,

1) and became a man to VISIT mankind….. SEEK for mankind.

 

 

The writer of Hebrews put it this way – But now we do not yet see all things put under MAN. 9But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.

 

 2 Corinthians 8:9 For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.

 

QUOTE: He descended that we might ascend (John 6:38, 14:3).

     He became poor that we might become rich (2 Cor. 8:9, Jas. 2:5).

     He was born that we might be born again (John 1:14, 3:2,7).

     He became a servant that we might become sons (Phil. 2:7; Gal. 4:6, 7).

     He had no home that we might have a home in heaven (Matt. 8:20; )

     He was hungry that we might be fed (Matt. 4:2; John 6:50).

     He was thirsty that we might be satisfied (John 19:26).

     He was stripped that we might be clothed (Matt. 27:28; Gal. 3:27).

     He was forsaken that we might not be forsaken (Matt. 27:26; 28:20).

     He was sad that we might become glad (Isa. 53:3; Phil. 4:4).

     He was bound that we might go free (Matt. 27:2; John 8:32-36).

     He was made sin that we might be made righteous (2 Cor. 5:21).

     He died that we might live (John 5:24, 25).

     He came down that we might be caught up (1 Thess. 4:16, 17).

 

APP That He, being so great, would be mindful of you , visit you, and seek you, should make you want to love Him and worship Him forever. A)David found himself moved to write this psalm of praise unto the Lord because of God’s Glory, God’s Power, and God’s Grace.

 

B) This Psalm tells us that We should want to praise God for His:

  GLORY is above the heavens -

 

C) Because God’s NAME is glorious. It tells us that He wants to become to us all that we could ever need.

 1) He wants to become your PROVIDER, your VICTORY, your PEACE, and your RIGHTEOUSNESS.

For HIS POWER!

A)His power working in children. His power working in weak people like us

    

For HIS GRACE!

A)Grace that makes God REMEMBER you and made God REDEEM you.

 

B)You have significance because God is mindful of you. You have salvation because God sought you.

 

 

O LORD, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth