Wow, just Wow!
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Address
Address
To the choirmaster
We understand that Tabernacle (David didn’t get to build the Temple) worship was well-organized during David’s rule
He understood it to be important; 1 Chron. 16-18 lays it out
According to Gittith; most likely an instrument, possibly a tune
A psalm of David—that one is easy
Knowing the author gives us some hints as to what may have been on his mind
Could have been one of his flight periods: from Saul, from Absalom; could have been when he was just looking at a sunrise, sunset, sky...
During his repentance after a period of sin
We know his mind—after God’s own heart—even though he had failures,
This is the first among “Praise Psalms”
It appears to exist to express nothing but statements concerning God’s greatness
I could easily envision a shepherd, lying on his back on a hillside during an afternoon in July singing, then writing, this song of...
Adoration
Adoration
LORD
our Lord
Yahweh-Jehovah; the name by which He made Himself known to Israel
“I AM WHO I AM” from the burning bush incident
Lord, translates Adonai, our sovereign, our master, the one who has authority over us
In this opening—and closing—David sets his understanding of God and His value
“Majestic” is indicative of power, strength, magnificence...
“Name” is more than just that by which God was called, also history, reputation, character
Hang onto that idea of name/reputation for a bit...
Also, the totality of His reign: “all the earth”
Throughout the OT, a history of regional pagan gods—God is the God over all the earth
The 3rd line of v. 1 could be understood as where the heavens declare and celebrate His glory or could be the a statement of where God dwells—translations struggle with this one
You could make a case for either
The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens!
His glory is visible for all to see… That’s the major thing to grasp here!
His power is acknowledged…and maybe even proven...by the statements of babies and young children (both terms can mean children of nursing age to the point of weaning)
Jesus used this phrase—from the Septuagint—to combat the hostility of the chief priests and scribes after cleansing temple on the day of His triumphal entry
But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant,
and they 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 infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise’?”
We might extend that thought to Paul’s statement about the wisdom of the wise...
But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;
God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are,
Acknowledgement
Acknowledgement
In some ways, this replays, or alludes to, Genesis chapter 1—the account of creation
Heavens, moons, stars…animals, birds, fish, other critter-life
…and the crowning work: mankind
There’s anthropomorphism—assigning human characteristics to God—here: the “fingers”
Detail, along with it
It is with the major muscle groups we do our bulk work; fingers do the fine work
In His creative work, God paid great attention to detail, nothing being left to chance
Awareness
Awareness
The question: “What is man...” makes us take notice of our place in God’s plan
He created mankind “a little lower than the heavenly beings”
Yet:
Crowned him with glory and honor
Given man dominance over His handwork
Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
What did mankind do to deserve that? NOTHING
However, it was with a purpose
“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”
Ultimately, dominion…subjection… would be to one man, the Son of Man, Jesus Christ
Paul told the Corinthians
For “God has put all things in subjection under his feet.” But when it says, “all things are put in subjection,” it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him.
When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all.
The author of Hebrews continues the thought with
Hebrews 2:8 (ESV)
...putting everything in subjection under his feet.” Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control.
David understood God only to the extent of the revelation then given
We have that further revelation of Jesus Heb 1 3
Hebrews 1:3 (ESV)
He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high....
having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.
So, Adam and his race of man was created a little lower than the angels; but Jesus, the “second Adam” is superior to the angels!
Paul tells us: Philippians 2 9
Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,
so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Application
Application
Where we make it personal—maybe we could say, that here we ought to put a “selah”
Pause and ponder what we’ve just read and spoken
Even though none of us will ever fully comprehend God, even when complete in eternity, David was surely on the right track
He got a lot of things right, as we see from this and other of his Psalms
If nothing else, he understood that God—Jehovah God—was entitled to be worshiped as sovereign, in all the earth
Let’s start there
Are we “wowed” by God
Do we adore Him
Sure, we sing “O, Come let us Adore Him…Christ the Lord
Do we grasp the splendor of His majesty…all we need is to look at creation
Paul tells us
For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.
For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
Despite that visible display, do we really acknowledge Him?
Or are we somewhat indifferent?
In the stars His handiwork I see, on the wind He speaks with majesty;
Sure, He ruleth over land and sea. What is that to me
…or pay Him lip service, use Him as a genie in a bottle when we need something…and get angry, disgruntled when we don’t get our way
(Bobbi’s brother, not getting healed…mocks her faith...
Our culture is driving us farther and father from an accurate understanding of WHO GOD IS, when the evidence of His being is all around us
Do we have an accurate understanding of WHO WE ARE?
We have a specific spot in the created order: “a little lower than the heavenly beings....”
We are SPECIAL! Created to have dominion over the rest of the earth--
We should be good stewards
We should be responsible users and managers
We should not flip things upside-down as some do, at the extreme, arguing for life of animals over life of mankind
A nesting bird is protected, and unborn infant is not
All these are rebellions against the created order—God’s design
Where is the Fix?
Where is the Fix?
Placing God back where He belongs
The same song quoted above gives us guidance
‘Til by grace I met Him face to face, and felt the wonder of His grace...
O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!