this is why we praise Him

1 O Lord, our Lord,
               how majestic is your name in all the earth!
      You have set your glory above the heavens.
2 Out of the mouth of babies and infants,
             You have established strength because of Your foes,
       to still the enemy and the avenger.

3 When I look at Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
             the moon and the stars, which You have set in place,
4 what is man that You are mindful of him,
           and the son of man that You care for him?

 5 Yet You have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings 
                and crowned him with glory and honor.
 6 You have given him dominion over the works of Your hands;
                 You have put all things under his feet,
 7 all sheep and oxen,
                   and also the beasts of the field,
 8 the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,
             whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

 9 O Lord, our Lord,
              how majestic is Your name in all the earth!” Psalm 8

Unlike the psalms of lamentation that we have been reading recently, psalm 8 is a song of joy and praise.  It is a glorious psalm that shows us reasons why we praise Him. We often seek to find motivation for our praise in what the Lord has done for us and, while that is a part of the reasons why David praises God in this way, he shows us clearly that the ultimate reason for his praise is who God is over what He has done for us. 

We praise Him for who He is

David begins and ends with the words, “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth!” The majestic name of the Lord is the inspiration of the psalm.  Everything else that flows from his mouth is due to the majesty of the Lord. His majesty extends “throughout the earth” and He has set “His glory above the heavens.” Everything in the heavens above and the earth below declare the glory and majesty of our Lord.  This truth is not dependent on whether we acknowledge it or not. The Lord is truly majestic in all the earth! The psalmist then uses the rest of the psalm to show how the majesty of God is displayed in the earth, follow with me…

it is displayed in the weakness of God’s chosen people

 David writes that it is ”out of the mouth of babes and infants” that the Lord has shown His strength over His foes and stilled His enemy’s.  He acknowledges that God uses the “weak to shame the strong” (1 Cor. 1). The Lord’s majesty is shown through the weakness of His chosen people. 

it is displayed in the work of His hands

David brings to remembrance the story of creation and how all things were created by God.  The heavens are the work of His fingers and the moon and stars were set in place by Him. He even shows that man was not only created by Him but that the Lord is mindful of him and cares for him.  God is constantly at work in His creation declaring the majesty of His name.  Isaiah 40 tells us that no stars go missing because the Lord holds them in place.  Colossians 1 tells us that He holds all things together. And yet He even cares for man.  God did not create and then remove His hands from His creation but instead He is involved in every detail of what takes place on this earth.  He is truly majestic!

it is displayed in the glory He gives to His people

The Lord has given glory to His people.  Ephesians 2 tells us that we are his workmanship. Romans 8 tells us that He has those whom he justified are also glorified.  The Lord is not only mindful and caring towards us but has seated us with Christ in the heavenly realms and granted us glory because of His majesty.  But this is not because of anything we have done but only through the grace of Jesus Christ.  David asks the Lord, “what is man that you are mindful of him…?” Who am I that You, my Lord, are mindful of me? and finally…

it is displayed in the glory He has given Jesus Christ

The author of Hebrews shows us that this passage is also a declaration of the glory that will be given to the Son of Man.  That, even though He was at one point lower than the angels in His earthly ministry, He has been crowned with all glory and honor (Hebrews 2:6-9). He is the head of all things.  One day every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord (Phil. 2).

O LORD, OUR LORD, HOW MAJESTIC IS YOUR NAME IN ALL THE EARTH!

- one who has seen the majesty of the Lord