Psalm 8- How Majestic is Your Name

 Psalm 8- How Majestic is Your Name in All the Earth

Psalms 8:1-9 (NASB95) 

1 For the choir director; on the Gittith. A Psalm of David. 

O LORD, our Lord, How majestic is Your name in all the earth, Who have displayed Your splendor above the heavens! 2 From the mouth of infants and nursing babes You have established strength Because of Your adversaries, To make the enemy and the revengeful cease. 

3 When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained; 4 What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for him? 5 Yet You have made him a little lower than God, And You crown him with glory and majesty! 6 You make him to rule 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 through the paths of the seas. 

9 O LORD, our Lord, How majestic is Your name in all the earth!

How Majestic

Psalm 8:1 O LORD, our Lord, How majestic is Your name in all the earth, Who have displayed Your splendor above the heavens!…

3 When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained;…

7 All sheep and oxen, And also the beasts of the field, 8 The birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea,…

These verses remind me of my own personal testimony of coming to the Lord. A long time ago, in a land far away, I was a student at a national laboratory in northern Illinois. This was in the age of the hippie revolution and anti Vietnam war protests, and I was all in with the counterculture of that day. I was also studying high energy physics so was also influenced by the secular thinking of the scientific community. We were looking for meaning in the inner workings of the universe without acknowledging the creator of it all. It was the age of love,  peace, and rock and roll, but we had neither love nor peace.

There was only one visible Christian student at my college, and as it happened, we were both studying at the national laboratory that semester. One day we had lunch together, and we talked about God. I told him I wasn’t sure that God even existed. He challenged me, as a scientist, to do an experiment. It was simple, just ask God to prove to me that he exists. I agreed since it seemed simple enough and surely no harm would be done when nothing happened. Boy was I wrong!

Later that evening, I was thinking about all this while walking though the woods. This national lab is in the middle of a forest preserve, partly to isolate the sensitive and sometimes dangerous experiments from the public. The original nuclear pile reactor from the University of Chicago is stored there. Anyway, I was pretty deep in the woods, thinking how silly the concept of god was, so decided to turn around and return to my room. At that exact moment, all the wild animals of the forest began to speak to me. Some birds flew up at me from the reeds around a pond that I had already passed, and other animals in the woods began to howl and hoot. This was a bit disturbing to me, but I discounted it as a coincidence and walked a bit further into the woods. After a bit I though to myself that this was a silly pursuit and tuned to return the way I had come. Again the same thing happened, more birds, more coyotes and other wild animals raised a ruckus. It was as if nature itself was speaking to me, telling me of the glory of their creator. This time I believed and turned to continue forward. I’ve been walking forward, following the Lord to this day. I don’t always follow Him perfectly, but when I need encouragement to continue on, I can always look to nature to see the splendor of the heavens and the other wonders which are the works of HIs hand. O LORD, our Lord, How majestic is Your name in all the earth,

What is Man

Another mystery is hidden in this psalm. Just reading the text alone doesn’t reveal this, but fortunately, we have the New Testament to explain it. The writer of Hebrews, in chapter 2, explains how this psalm is a prophesy of the coming Messiah and how Jesus was the perfect fulfillment of this word.

Hebrews 2:6-9 (NASB95)

6 But one has testified somewhere, saying, 

“WHAT IS MAN, THAT YOU REMEMBER HIM? OR THE SON OF MAN, THAT YOU ARE CONCERNED ABOUT HIM? 7 “YOU HAVE MADE HIM FOR A LITTLE WHILE LOWER THAN THE ANGELS; YOU HAVE CROWNED HIM WITH GLORY AND HONOR, AND HAVE APPOINTED HIM OVER THE WORKS OF YOUR HANDS; 8 YOU HAVE PUT ALL THINGS IN SUBJECTION UNDER HIS FEET.” 

For in subjecting all things to him, He left nothing that is not subject to him. But now we do not yet see all things subjected to him. 9 But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.

Thus, nature not only speaks to us of the glory of God, but also it shows us how little we are in comparison to the universe. It then explains how Jesus became the least of all of us in order to redeem us, and reclaim the crown of glory lost in the fall of Adam. By allowing himself to be made lower than the angels, Jesus triumphed over sin and death and now all things are in subjection under His feet. He tasted death that we should live and reign forever with him. O LORD, our Lord, How majestic is Your name in all the earth!

Psalm 6-7, Enemies

 Psalm 6-7, Enemies

Psalms 6:1-10 (NET) 

1 LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger! Do not discipline me in your raging fury! 2 Have mercy on me, LORD, for I am frail! Heal me, LORD, for my bones are shaking! 3 I am absolutely terrified, and you, LORD - how long will this continue? 

4 Relent, LORD, rescue me! Deliver me because of your faithfulness! 5 For no one remembers you in the realm of death, In Sheol who gives you thanks? 

6 I am exhausted as I groan; all night long I drench my bed in tears; my tears saturate the cushion beneath me. 7 My eyes grow dim from suffering; they grow weak because of all my enemies. 

8 Turn back from me, all you who behave wickedly, for the LORD has heard the sound of my weeping! 9 The LORD has heard my appeal for mercy; the LORD has accepted my prayer. 10 May all my enemies be humiliated and absolutely terrified! May they turn back and be suddenly humiliated!

Psalms 7:1-17 (NET) 1 O LORD my God, in you I have taken shelter. Deliver me from all who chase me! Rescue me! 2 Otherwise they will rip me to shreds like a lion; they will tear me to bits and no one will be able to rescue me. 

3 O LORD my God, if I have done what they say, or am guilty of unjust actions, 4 or have wronged my ally, or helped his lawless enemy, 5 may an enemy relentlessly chase me and catch me; may he trample me to death and leave me lying dishonored in the dust. (Selah) 

6 Stand up angrily, LORD! Rise up with raging fury against my enemies! Wake up for my sake and execute the judgment you have decreed for them! 7 The countries are assembled all around you; take once more your rightful place over them! 

8 The LORD judges the nations. Vindicate me, LORD, because I am innocent, because I am blameless, O Exalted One! 9 May the evil deeds of the wicked come to an end! But make the innocent secure, O righteous God, you who examine inner thoughts and motives! 10 The Exalted God is my shield, the one who delivers the morally upright. 11 God is a just judge; he is angry throughout the day. 

12 If a person does not repent, God sharpens his sword and prepares to shoot his bow. 13 He prepares to use deadly weapons against him; he gets ready to shoot flaming arrows. 14 See the one who is pregnant with wickedness, who conceives destructive plans, and gives birth to harmful lies - 15 he digs a pit and then falls into the hole he has made. 16 He becomes the victim of his own destructive plans and the violence he intended for others falls on his own head. 

17 I will thank the LORD for his justice; I will sing praises to the sovereign LORD! 

I have been reluctant to write about these two psalms because they deal with uncomfortable subjects. A Christian is not supposed to hate his enemies, be depressed about his condition or be afraid , or be angry. The psalmist here expresses all these strong emotions, and that makes us uncomfortable. 

6:1 LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger! 2 Have mercy on me, LORD, for I am frail! Heal me, LORD, for my bones are shaking! 3 I am absolutely terrified, and you, LORD - how long will this continue? 

What has he done that he is afraid that the Lord is angry? What has happened to make him so terrified that his bones shake? Why is he in despair that things will ever get better? We are taught not express such emotions lest people thing we are weak or depressed, and they have drugs for that. Many people are out in psychoactive drugs to numb their mind so they can’t feel or express these kinds of feelings. 

6:8 Turn back from me, all you who behave wickedly, for the LORD has heard the sound of my weeping! 9 The LORD has heard my appeal for mercy; the LORD has accepted my prayer. 10 May all my enemies be humiliated and absolutely terrified! May they turn back and be suddenly humiliated!

The psalmist does have hope however. Even in his deep despair, he knows that the Lord has heard his prayer and is sending help to deliver him from his enemies. The psalmist was probably thinking of earthy enemies, but our true enemies are the evil spirits behind these people. We are in a spiritual war and we need spiritual weapons and spiritual assistance to overcome there enemies.

6:8 Turn back from me, all you who behave wickedly, for the LORD has heard the sound of my weeping! 9 The LORD has heard my appeal for mercy; the LORD has accepted my prayer. 10 May all my enemies be humiliated and absolutely terrified! May they turn back and be suddenly humiliated!

Even in the depths of his despair, the psalmist has hope and confidence that the Lord will overcome his enemies. I’m not sure it is appropriate for a modern Christian to pray that our enemies be humiliated and terrified. Jesus said to love our enemies and pray for them, but we certainly want our spiritual enemies to be totally defeated and terrified to attack us again.

7:1 O LORD my God, in you I have taken shelter. Deliver me from all who chase me! Rescue me! 2 Otherwise they will rip me to shreds like a lion; they will tear me to bits and no one will be able to rescue me. 

Psalm 7 continues in much the same vein. The psalmist seems to be beyond Hope here. He says that his his problems are so. Ad that no one can rescue him.

3 O LORD my God, if I have done what they say, or am guilty of unjust actions, 4 or have wronged my ally, …

The psalmist has discovered a key here; repentance. He turns away from any wrong that he might have done and accepts the consequences of any wrongs that he might have done. This is a key first step.

7:8 The LORD judges the nations. Vindicate me, LORD, because I am innocent, because I am blameless, O Exalted One! 9 May the evil deeds of the wicked come to an end! But make the innocent secure, O righteous God, you who examine inner thoughts and motives! 10 The Exalted God is my shield, the one who delivers the morally upright. 11 God is a just judge; he is angry throughout the day. 

But then he calls upon the Lord, the righteous judge, to examine is inner thoughts and motives and vindicate him. He trusts in the Lord to defend him when he has been sincerely trying to follow the Lord and to overcome his enemies.

12 If a person does not repent, God sharpens his sword and prepares to shoot his bow. 13 He prepares to use deadly weapons against him; he gets ready to shoot flaming arrows. 14 See the one who is pregnant with wickedness, who conceives destructive plans, and gives birth to harmful lies - 15 he digs a pit and then falls into the hole he has made. 16 He becomes the victim of his own destructive plans and the violence he intended for others falls on his own head. 

Next he warns his enemies the consequences of opposing the Lord. It is proper here for him to warn them that their evil actions will come back on themselves. We can take Hope in that, that wickedness has its own reward, and it is not pleasant! The worlds people that oppose us may seem to prosper,  it in the end, they will bring down their evil in their ow. Heads.

17 I will thank the LORD for his justice; I will sing praises to the sovereign LORD! 

Finally, he thanks the Lord for his justice, it is always good to be thankful and praise the Lord, even in difficult circumstances. Or maybe I should say, especially in difficult circumstances! I think if Paul and Silas in prison in Acts 16:25. They were in a dark and dank dungeon at midnight, but they were praising God. They had every right to be depressed, instead they were thankful and were praising God when the angel came to deliver them. 

I don’t know what problems you have today. We each have our own struggles. I certainly have things that I tend to get depressed about; problems that seem insoluble. But God… it takes a conscious effort to thank God and Praise Him in the midst of your problems,  it that is the key to finding Hope in the Lord. 

Psalm 5- O Lord in the Morning

 Psalm 5- O Lord in the Morning

Psalms 5:1-12 (NET) 

1 Listen to what I say, LORD! Carefully consider my complaint! 2 Pay attention to my cry for help, my king and my God, for I am praying to you! 3 LORD, in the morning you will hear me; in the morning I will present my case to you and then wait expectantly for an answer. 

4 Certainly you are not a God who approves of evil; evil people cannot dwell with you. 5 Arrogant people cannot stand in your presence; you hate all who behave wickedly. 6 You destroy liars; the LORD despises violent and deceitful people. 

7 But as for me, because of your great faithfulness I will enter your house; I will bow down toward your holy temple as I worship you. 8 LORD, lead me in your righteousness because of those who wait to ambush me, remove the obstacles in the way in which you are guiding me! 9 For they do not speak the truth; their stomachs are like the place of destruction, their throats like an open grave, their tongues like a steep slope leading into it. 10 Condemn them, O God! May their own schemes be their downfall! Drive them away because of their many acts of insurrection, for they have rebelled against you. 

11 But may all who take shelter in you be happy! May they continually shout for joy! Shelter them so that those who are loyal to you may rejoice! 12 Certainly you reward the godly, LORD. Like a shield you protect them in your good favor.

O Lord, In the Morning

There is a beautiful song, set to the words of Psalm 5, verses 1 to 3 in the King James.

Psalms 5:1-3 (KJV) 1 Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my meditation. 2 Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray. 3 My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct [my prayer] unto thee, and will look up.

This is one of my favorite Psalms, especially as it is sung by one of my first pastors in Pittsburgh. The version I know was new back in 1975, so that dates me somewhat. You can find it on YourTube by the Maranatha Singers.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=1y_R7DnMc2I&feature=share9

Singing this song is a wonderful way to start the morning. It helps you direct your prayer to the Lord and to look up to Him. It is good to start your day looking to the goodness of the Lord.

Consider my Meditation

There is a rather curious word in verse 1. The Hebrew word hagig (h1901 הָגִיג) can be translated as meditation, complaint, groaning, a whisper or musing. That is quite a range of meanings. Hebrew is a colorful language that is down to earth. You can almost see the psalmist here in his morning prayers, meditation on the Lord, but groaning and complaining in a quiet whisper. Have you ever been so disturbed that you were a loss for words? The Lord wants you to be honest with Him and doesn’t mind a few complaints if it is done in the proper attitude. But even if you can’t find appropriate words, the Lord can understand your groaning and crying as you meditate on His word.

I think the important thing is to start your day meditating on the Lord. Let the Lord know what is on your heart. He will hear you and direct your prayer if you look up to Him and listen to His voice.

Arrogant People

Verse 5 continues: “Arrogant people cannot stand in your presence”…

10 Condemn them, O God! May their own schemes be their downfall!

One of the surest ways to to ruin a relationship with the Lord is to be arrogant and proud. In ministering to men, in particular, this can be a a serious problem. A man who doesn’t think he needs help cannot be helped! Don’t be afraid to acknowledge your need and call out to the Lord. You also should be open to asking a trusted brother in the Lord for help as well. It is arrogant to think that you can do it all yourself and don’t need help. Anyone with that attitude cannot stand in the presence of the Lord and their own schemes will lead their downfall.

Abundant Lovingkindness

Psalms 5:7 (NASB)

7 But as for me, by Your abundant lovingkindness I will enter Your house,

At Your holy temple I will bow in reverence for You.

But we are not like that. We look to the Lord’s abundant lovingkindness, bowing to HIm in reverence in the house of the Lord.

The word used here for “abundant lovingkindness” is very interesting. The Hebrew word chesed (h2617a חֶסֶד) is very descriptive of many attributes of the Lord: goodness, kindness, devotion, faithfulness, favor, loving kindness, mercy, righteousness and unchanging love.

That is why we can trust in the Lord, knowing he loves us and that His fundamental character is “chesed”! Personally, I have trouble comprehending this abundant lovingkindness. I am fundamentally an intellectual type of person, and such a concept cannot be understood  by simply thinking about it. It must be felt and experienced. Understanding emotions is not the native language of my brain, so I have trouble with this, but I’m working on it. But one day, I will be able to go the heaven and see Him face to face, and then I will be able to understand how much He loves me. In the meantime, I do my best to bow to Him in reverence in the house of the Lord.

Rejoice

Psalms 5:11-12 (NKJV)

11 But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You;

Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them;

Let those also who love Your name

Be joyful in You.

12 For You, O LORD, will bless the righteous;

With favor You will surround him as with a shield.

The results of dedicating your life to trusting the Lord are quite impressive: “Rejoice”, “shout for joy”, “be joyful”, “be blessed”, “find favor” and “shielded”. That is a list that should motivate you to serve the Lord. Who doesn’t want to live in joy, blessing and favor of the Lord! 

So in conclusion, start your day meditating on the Lord, even if you have to complain about your current circumstances. But keep praying and meditating until you can come to a place of rejoicing. You will be blessed and experience the abundant lovingkindness of the Lord. And if you are like me and have trouble with some of this, get with some trusted brothers in the Lord so you can enter into this joy and blessing together.

Psalm 4- Rest in the Lord

 Psalm 4- Rest in the Lord

Psalms 4:1-8 (NET) 

1 When I call out, answer me, O God who vindicates me! Though I am hemmed in, you will lead me into a wide, open place. Have mercy on me and respond to my prayer! 2 You men, how long will you try to turn my honor into shame? How long will you love what is worthless and search for what is deceptive? (Selah) 

3 Realize that the LORD shows the godly special favor; the LORD responds when I cry out to him. 4 Tremble with fear and do not sin! Meditate as you lie in bed, and repent of your ways! (Selah) 

5 Offer the prescribed sacrifices and trust in the LORD! 6 Many say, "Who can show us anything good?" Smile upon us, LORD! 7 You make me happier than those who have abundant grain and wine. 8 I will lie down and sleep peacefully, for you, LORD, make me safe and secure.

New Testament quotes

Verse 4 is quoted by the Apostle Paul in the Epistle to the Ephesians. We can see this most clearly in the NKJV which is a translation familiar to most of us.

Psalms 4:4 (NKJV)

4 Be angry, and do not sin.

Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still.

Selah

Ephesians 4:26-27 (NKJV)

26 “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, 27 nor give place to the devil.

The NET Bible translates it a bit differently:

Psalms 4:4 (NET)

4 Tremble with fear and do not sin!

Meditate as you lie in bed, and repent of your ways! (Selah)

The NET version brings out the earthy flavor of the Hebrew language. In effect, he is saying, “Even though you are so angry or fearful that you are trembling, chill out and get some sleep. The Lord has this!” The Hebrew language has a way of being very down to earth and descriptive of emotions. The Greeks would have described this more intellectually, but the Hebrews describe the contrast between the physical motions of trembling and being still. Sometimes it is just that simple. When things seem so completely out of control that you are physically shaking, find a quiet spot, calm down and take a nap! Let God be God and acknowledge that you are not in control of everything!

Rest in the Lord

This psalm ends with an admonition to trust in the Lord and rest in assurance of His care:

Psalm 4:5-8

5 Offer the prescribed sacrifices and trust in the LORD! 6 Many say, "Who can show us anything good?" Smile upon us, LORD! 7 You make me happier than those who have abundant grain and wine. 8 I will lie down and sleep peacefully, for you, LORD, make me safe and secure.

A more colloquial translation of verse 5 would be “Do what you have to do, but then then relax and trust in the Lord.” When you have done all that you know that you should do, the only thing left is to “lie down and sleep peacefully.” 

This reminds be of the story of Jesus and his disciples in a boat in the storm. (Mt 4:23-27) Some of the disciples were fishermen, so they knew what to do to control a boat, but this storm exceeded their ability to manage the boat. They had done all they knew to do, but instead of trusting in Jesus, they were panicking. Jesus, on the other hand, was asleep. When they woke him up, he rebuked them for their lack of faith.  Are you able to sleep through the storm? That seems to be a pretty simple measure of your faith; whether or not you can sleep through the storm like Jesus did.

I suppose I’m preaching to myself here because we had a severe storm last night here in 

Texas. It knocked out the power so we had no AC in near hundred degree heat and my CPAP machine wouldn’t work without power. Therefore, I didn’t get much sleep last night. Also my wife is having eye surgery today, so there is that concern also. Is it possible to rest in the Lord in this kind of storm? The scriptures say that it is, so pray for me to increase my faith so I can rest in full trust in Jesus!

The Psalm ends with the phrase, “for you, Lord, make me safe and secure.” We need to be ever mindful of this. The world is full of storms and trials. In fact, in the message at church last night, the pastor expressed it in this way: “If the battle is large, the blessing will be large!” So don’t be discouraged when you experience various trials, but be encouraged that the Lord is with you. He cares for you. And where He calls you, He provides the way. So have faith, trust in the Lord, and get some sleep!