Psalms Chapter 8
Psalms Chapter 8 is a Psalm which expresses how
great God is. There is none greater. This is a very important truth to remember
because men tend to lift up themselves and trust in their own strength. Men tend
to praise their own abilities and accomplishments. Men are dust. God is great.
Psalms 8:1 says, “O LORD our Lord, how excellent is
thy name in all the earth! Who hast set thy glory
above the heavens.” The word excellent can also be translated famous. People
are considered famous when everyone else knows their name, like
Of course, there are infinite reasons the name of
the LORD is excellent in all the earth: the first being that Jesus died for the
sins of the world. But there are so many more that you could fill all the
libraries of this world listing those reasons. Jesus is so famous and His deeds
have had a greater impact on everyone in this world than any deeds of men. Even
our sense of time is divided into B.C. (before Christ) and A.D. (in the year of
our Lord.) What year is it? Currently it is the year 2011. 2011 years since
what? Since the birth and death of Christ.
The truth, however, is that we live in an ignorant
world. How many people know the name of the Lord is excellent? Do those, that
use Jesus name as a curse word? No, they are ignorant.
It is always wrong to take the Lord’s name in vain. Even though they are
ignorant of the glory of Jesus’ name, we should have compassion on them.
In their ignorance they do not know how excellent is the name
of the LORD. A name is something that surmises a person’s character and
accomplishments: who a person is and what they have done. For example, when you
hear the name Adolf Hitler what things do you associate with that name? It is
no wonder the wisest people of this world will profess, “Jesus’ name is above
all names: wonderful counselor, mighty God, Prince of Peace, and Jealous.” Who
is more famous than Jesus? No one is.
Psalms 8:2 says, “Out
of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou
ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou
mightest still the enemy and the avenger.” God
created speech. Why? So that men might praise God. Often there are times we
fail to say the right things. Words affect people. God made it that way.
Proverbs 25:11 says, “A Word fitly spoken is like
apples of gold in pictures of silver.” Sometimes all it takes is just
one word. There is no word more excellent than the name, Jesus. If you know all
that is associated with the name Jesus then simply think on His name and you
will find strength and everything that you need in this life. Of course, don’t
just stop with His name but continue with His Word. His word, the Bible, will
tell you everything you need to know about His name. Words are powerful. And
every word in the Bible is fitly spoken.
It may seem strange that this verse says out of
the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou perfected
strength.” It brings into question what strength really is, doesn’t it? People
do not think of a little child as strong but as something weak and totally
dependant on others. The world will never know what strength truly is until
they know Jesus. Ephesians 5:1 says, “Be ye therefore followers of God as dear children.”
Perhaps it is because children are often quick to be trusting. God wants us to
be that way with Him: like little children in our faith and quick to trust His
promises without question. He wants us to have faith in His total control of
all that happens in this world. Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou perfected strength.
Strength is found by trusting in Jesus.
The things you say are very important. Every idle
word that men shall speak they shall give account of at the judgment. One way
of measuring how strong you are as a human being is by whether or not you say
the right things to other people in each circumstance. Jesus said in Matthew
12:34, “O generation of vipers, how can ye, being
evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of
the heart the mouth speaketh.”
Psalms 8:2 says, “Out
of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou
ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou
mightest still the enemy and the avenger.” In
this verse the word enemy is used twice but it’s not the same word. The second
time it is used, it is a word that means adversary. The word avenger literally
means to breathe forcefully. An adversary is someone that opposes what you do.
An adversary is someone that seeks to destroy you and your opportunities in
anyway that he or she can. The reason this word is translated “enemy” is because it is not an adversary in the
sense of a fair competition between people competing in a sport. It is a
spiritual contest. And the forces of evil do not play fair. First Peter 5:8
says, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your
adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh
about, seeking whom he may devour.” Your greatest
adversary is the devil. Of course, there are many people that are adversaries
of the truth. Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings
hast thou perfected strength. It’s very important to
follow God as a little child and to be sure to say the things that are true.
For example: “O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!” The
Word “avenger” basically means a person who
keeps a grudge or who seeks revenge on what others do to him. The governments
of this world will use their power to avenge those that break their laws. This
verse is not telling governments to not do that. This verse is talking about
people who become vengeful against others. There is too much vengeance in this
world. Perhaps the idea in this verse is simply instead of seeking revenge on
people for whatever they do to you, simply be like a child and say the right
things in regards to the truth. This is the way God wants Christians to handle
the enemy and the avenger. And this is the way to be strong. If you say the
wrong things, out of anger or revenge, the evil people of this world will
attempt to use those things against you anyway. It is best to always speak the
truth and to remember how excellent is the name of the LORD.
It is good and right for governments to use their
power to seek revenge on those that do wrong. God has given them this
power. Romans 13:3-4 says, “For rulers are not
a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the
power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: For he is the minister of
God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of
God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.” Aside from what God lets governmental
powers do, men themselves should not seek revenge. Romans 12:19 says, “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it
is written, Vengeance is mine;
I will repay, saith the Lord.”
There are many ways people seek revenge on others. These two words, enemy and
avenger, in Psalms 8:2 surmise those. People plot and manipulate, scheme, use
violence, and oppose. The word avenger however means to breathe forcibly. This
means the words that you say. Don’t even use your words to get revenge on
people. There are those that will respond this way.
Perhaps the first and best example
that God does not want anyone to seek revenge is given in Genesis 4:15, “And
the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.
And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.”
Cain slew his brother Abel and God did not want others seeking revenge on him
even for murder. Of course, in those days the world did not have governmental
powers. Things worked differently. However, being vengeful never works out. For
those who sought revenge on Cain, the Lord said he would take revenge on them
sevenfold. You’re a sinner. You’re going to make mistakes and others are going
to make mistakes against you. You will have enemies and avengers.
Psalms 8:2 says, “Out of the
mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained
strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.” Many people live by the
philosophy: do unto others as they have done unto you. Sometimes
people to try to hide how vengeful they are and will call it something else,
like reflection. But there is no justification for ever doing unto
others vengefully. How to still the enemy and the avenger and all those that
oppose the truth? Apply Psalms 8:1, “O LORD, our
lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth.”
Psalms 8:3-4, “When I
consider thy heavens, the works of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which
thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? And the son of
man, that thou visitest him?” The word “ordained” is used both in verse 2 and verse 3 but
it is not the same word. In verse 2 it primarily is used to mean foundation. In
verse 3 it has the idea of to exist. The earth and the heavens exist because
God created them. It is wise to look at God’s creation and to consider His
works because there is much to learn about God. It has been said a picture is
worth a thousand words. We know the power of God’s word and we know that all
creation was created by God speaking. Thus in a way when you consider the
heavens you are meditating on his word. One could go so far as to say there is the written word, the living word, and also the spoken or
visual word which is God’s creation. When King David considered the heavens he
learned a lesson in humility. Psalms
34:18 says, “The LORD is nigh unto them that are of
a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite
spirit.” Isaiah 66:2 says, “For all those
things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith
the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a
contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.”
It takes a contrite heart to admit one’s
sinfulness and to trust in Christ. If only Christians could stay at that point
of penitence and humility all their lives. One way to help yourself be a humble
person so that Jesus will draw nigh unto you is to consider God’s creation and
to remember how excellent is the name of the LORD. God is great. Men are dust. How marvelous, how glorious are the heavens. And yet God
looks past all that and places His greatest energies and efforts outpouring all
His love and mercy and grace toward man: towards those who have hated Jesus and
rebelled against him, mocked him, taken his name in vain, and gone a-whoring after
other gods. How stiff necked we are indeed even when we imagine we are
humble. How marvelous then is the grace of God through Jesus Christ.
Psalms
8:3-4, “When I consider thy heavens, the works of
thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man,
that thou art mindful of him? And the son of man, that thou visitest
him?” Psalms
5-8 goes on to say, “For thou hast made him a
little lower than the angels and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have
dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:
All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field; The
fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth
through the paths of the sea.” Considering how great God is and what men
are, it is also amazing that God has taken all his creation and placed man in
dominion over it. If the president of the
First Peter 1:24-25, “For
all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The
grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: But the word of the Lord endureth
for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.”
The primary way to become a part of God’s
work is to make sure you know His word: the written word, the visual word, and
most importantly the living word, Jesus. It is amazing what you can learn in
the Bible if you just take the time to study it. For example, take a look at
this verse in Psalms 8:8. “The
fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth
through the paths of the seas.”
Notice that it mentions the paths of the sea.
0ver 3,000 years ago King David lived and wrote down these words of God.
If people had carefully studied God’s word, they would have understood in those
days about the paths of the sea, or ocean currents. There has been mention of
ocean currents by people such as Aristotle but it was not until the 15th
century that sailors understood and began taking advantage of ocean currents to
sail the sea. The point is: even though the Bible is not a science book, and
even though the Bible is not a geography book, because the Bible is true,
whenever it touches on such things, the things it says are true and usually
quite profound. After all, it is God’s creation. He knows all about it. The
most important lessens to learn are, of course, the spiritual truths of the Bible.
Psalms 8:9, “O LORD our LORD, how excellent is thy name in all the
earth!” Apparently, to truly be able to understand the physical world in
which you live and to learn about it as completely as you can, you must first
understand this fundamental truth about God: how excellent is His name. It is a
wonder what great advances in science and medicine and technology would be
discovered if only more people lived under this first important foundational
truth about the physical world in which they live. If your heart is open to the
truth, then you will see that everything in God’s creation shows forth His
glory. If only more people would see how excellent is the name of Jesus. There
is no name on this earth, certainly none among men, that is more excellent.
___________________________________________________
Copyright; 2011 by Charles
F. (Rick) Creech
All Rights Reserved