Psalms 8

Psalms 8THEME: A messianic psalm emphasizing the humanity of Christ and His ultimate victory as ManMessianic psalms are so called because they are quoted in the New Testament in direct reference to the Lord Jesus Christ. Psalms 8 is quoted three times in the New Testament. In fact, the Lord Jesus Himself quoted from this psalm. In Matthew 21 we have recorded what is called the triumphal entry of Christ into Jerusalem. The children in the temple were saying, “…Hosanna to the son of David” (Mat_21:9). The chief priests and the scribes said, “Do you hear what they are saying?” It was at this time that Jesus said, “…Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?” (Mat_21:16).

Our Lord was quoting Psa_8:2. He was telling the chief priests and the scribes that it would be a good idea if they read this Scripture so that they would understand why the children were saying this. The second quotation from this psalm is found in 1Co_15:27, the resurrection chapter: “For he hath put all things under his feet” (v. Psa_8:6). It is quite obvious that this psalm does not refer to our day, as Paul explains: “For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him.” We today do not see all things put under Him, that is for sure. However, the most complete quotation is found in Heb_2:5-8, which makes it very clear that Psalms 8 refers to our Lord Jesus Christ: “For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak. But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that thou visitest him? Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands: Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him.” Again it is called to our attention that you and I live in a day when all things are not put under Him. Obviously Psalms 8 looks to the future. Read Heb_2:9: “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.” Psalms 8 is talking about Jesus. Now this second great messianic psalm begins with the statement: “O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!” And the psalm closes with “O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!” This is not a reference to the present hour in which we are living. God’s name is not very excellent in the world today. Not long ago on the golf course I heard an old man, who was standing right on the threshold of eternity, use the name of the Lord in vain in a way that was absolutely uncalled for. Walking down the street I heard a very nicely dressed, refined looking, gentle-woman, who looked like a grandmother, swear. My, how she could swear! God’s name is not very excellent today.

The fact of the matter is that people today are not saying very much about God. I notice on the newscasts that God is never mentioned. He makes the news, too, but He is never brought into the picture. God is recognized in insurance policies that insure houses that are destroyed by fire or by an “act of God”! Do they think the Lord is running around destroying houses? That is the only publicity God gets today.

It is all bad as far as He is concerned. He is being left out and left out purposely. His Word is not wanted in the schools. These broad-minded liberals, who believe that everybody should be heard, think pornography should be permitted because the liberties of people should not be curtailed. Well, friend, don’t I have a share in that liberty? I would like to have prayer in schools for my grandchildren.

How about you? I would like some public recognition of God. I would like to have prayer in public places. Have I no liberties any longer in this land of ours? No, God’s name is not excellent today. The other night I watched a thrilling travelogue on television. Some men climbed to the top of Mount Everest, and the wind at the top was terrific. That old mountain was really talking back to them, letting them know that man is nothing. But there was no mention of God. Mountains are just a bunch of dirt, rocks, and a few trees; they do not talk or become violent or make men feel little. It is the God who made the mountain who does that. It was God on top of Mount Everest who let those men know how really insignificant they were. But the men did not learn how great God is; they just talked about nature. May I say to you that God’s name is not excellent in the world today. Not at all. This first verse in Psalms 8 is a prophecy. It looks to the future, a glorious future. It is a messianic psalm in which we see God’s Man. It emphasizes the humanity of Christ and His ultimate victory as Man. In Psalms 2 we saw man in rejection and man’s rebellion against God. In Psalms 8 we see that man finally gains control of this earth, and the day will come when God’s name will be excellent in all the earth. At this point I should mention that this psalm is addressed to “the chief Musician upon Gittith.” Both Psalms 81 and Psalms 84 are also dedicated to “The chief Musician upon Gittith.” What does that mean? The “gittith” has generally been interpreted as a musical instrument, a type of lyre. A Jewish scholar said that the word gittith was taken from the name Gath, and it was an instrument known in Gath. You will recall that David found shelter in Gath when he was escaping from King Saul. He probably learned to play this strange instrument at that time, and later introduced it to Israel. The Vulgate and the Septuagint translate the word gittith as “winepress.” I think there is significance in that also, as Psalms 8 reveals the winepress of suffering that the Lord Jesus went into for you and me.

As Man He tasted death for all men; He tasted the bitterness of the winepress. Later on, Isaiah will tell us that the Lord Jesus is coming from Edom. He says: “I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment” (Isa_63:3). The juice of the grapes on His garments is not His own blood but that of His enemies. You see, if the blood of Christ means nothing to you now and you are not saved, you will have to be judged. It is either His blood, or yours, my friend.

That is the position of man in the world today. Psalms 8 is a psalm of David. There are those who try to read into it “the death for the son,” supposing that David wrote it at the time of the death of Bathsheba’s infant son or on the occasion of the death of the giant Goliath. I mention all of these theories because this is a psalm that apparently has a great and deep meaning. I had a professor once who gave this psalm the title: “Stars and Sucklings.” This psalm goes all the way from the heavensthe moon and the starsto nursing children. Also this psalm goes along with Psalms 19, another nature psalm, which speaks of the Scriptures and the sun. But the sun is not mentioned here in Psalms 8 at all.

Psalms 8:1

The Lord made the truth of this verse clear when He said on earth, “…Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Mat_18:3). It was children who cried, “…Hosanna to the son of David …” (Mat_21:15) during His so-called triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Actually I do not consider it a triumphal entry. We must wait until He comes to earth again; then He will have a real triumphal entry. This is just a little picture of the fact that He is coming to earth again; and, when He does, He will establish His kingdom. In the meantime we must be converted and become as little children.

I think this means that you and I must be born again and become little children. Like little children, we put aside all of our boasting and come in simple faith. How tremendous is the faith of a little child. In this psalm we see the Lord as Creator. You have nature, the creation, and you have man, the creature. You have a relationship here.

Psalms 8:3

“Which thou hast ordained” means that God put them in their places. In Southern California I often look at the moon and a star that is very bright when it gets over into the southwestwhich means it is located out yonder over the South Pacific. I have often wondered why it is there. I know only that it is there because Jesus wants it to be there. He put it there. In my study I have certain things placed here and there. I have a book in a certain placebecause that is where I want it. Now the stars are not arranged according to the way I want themI might move that one out in the southwestbut they are placed where our Lord Jesus wants them to be. He is the One who is ordaining. The heavens are the work of His fingers. It is interesting that when the Word speaks of salvation, it refers to the bared arm of the Lord: “Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?” (Isa_53:1). But when it speaks of the creation of the heavens and the earth, it calls it His finger-work. As John Wesley put it, “God created the heavens and the earth and didn’t half try.” Creation was His finger-work, like the crocheting of a woman. God put His glory above His creation. It is great to us, and there is a glory in creation, but we don’t worship His creation. We worship the Creator. His finger-work tells out His glory and His power.

Psalms 8:4

There are those still working on the problem of, “What is man?” Man is a complicated creature. He is a human being. He belongs to the human race, and there are people still trying to figure out how he got here. The Bible says that God created us and put us on earth. Then man went afoul, he turned aside, he disbelieved God, and he disobeyed Him. Why would God be mindful of man? Why didn’t God just wipe man out and get rid of him? Man is a great failure. We don’t like to hear that. We want to hear about success. Sometimes I think the most difficult job in the world is to be a cancer specialist. Since I have had cancer, I have gotten pretty close to that group, and they are pessimists, as I see it. They don’t have many success stories in their field.

Well, man doesn’t have a success story; he is really a miserable failure. He has gotten his world in a mess. The psalmist asks, “What is man, that thou art mindful of him?” I will tell you why man is important. About nineteen hundred years ago the Lord Jesus Christ visited him. He made a trip to earth and died on a cross to let us know that He loved us. He did not save us by love; He saved us by grace because we did not have anything to offerwe were not worth saving.

Yet God the Son came to this earth. I don’t know if there are any other planets which are inhabitedthere may bebut I know that Christ has not been there to die on a cross. He came only here for that purpose.

Psalms 8:5

When the Lord Jesus made Old Testament appearances, He came as the Angel of the Lord; but when He came to Bethlehem, He came much lower than thatHe came to the level of man.

Psalms 8:6

Man was given dominion over the works of God’s hands, but man lost that. Man does not control this universe today. Science thought it had things under control, but now we find that science has polluted this earth; and it looks as if our earth will become a big garbage can. Science is responsible for polluting this earth. If you have been worshiping science and want to get out of the garbage can, you need a God who can help you. “Thou madest him to have dominion …thou hast put all things under his feet"but they haven’t been put there yet, and won’t be until Jesus returns.

Psalms 8:7

God made it all. He is the Creator. God made the beasts of the field, the fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea. God made it all. He is the Creator. He made you and me. In Rom_1:20 Paul says, “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.” We can see God’s handiwork by simply looking around.

Psalms 8:9

Not today, but someday the name of the Lord will be excellent in all the earth. In our time, we live in a universe that is groaning, travailing in pain, waiting for the redemption (Rom_8:22). But God is above all creation. He has set His glory above the heavens. And up yonder is that Man who over nineteen hundred years ago came down to this earth to be born in Bethlehem. He is seated now in glory at God’s right hand. Only by faith will we be able to see Him. “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2Co_3:18). “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is” (1Jn_3:2). What a glorious prospect this is for the child of God! Once again I would like to remind you that this is a messianic psalm. It emphasizes the humanity of Christ and His ultimate victory as Man. We have just stood on the fringe of this glorious psalm, friend, that sings praises to our Savior.