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Fact Sheet for “Look to the Heavens” Psalm 8 Pastor Bob Singer 02/28/2021

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Fact Sheet for “Look to the Heavens” Psalm 8 Pastor Bob Singer 02/28/2021 Fact Sheet for “Look to the Heavens” Psalm 8 Pastor Bob Singer 02/28/2021 To the choirmaster: according to The Gittith. A Psalm of David. ESV 1 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name… in all the earth! You have set your glory… above the heavens. Think about each phrase in this. Compare this with the words of the Seraphim in Isaiah 6:3. 2 Out of the mouth of babies... and infants, you have established strength… because of your foes, to still the enemy… and the avenger. Paul echoes something similar in 1 Corinthians 1:26-29. On the day after Palm Sunday (Monday of Passion Week) Jesus began by overturning the tables of the moneychangers in the temple. Then he began to heal people there in the temple. Jesus would quote the 2nd half of Psalm 8:1 and the 1st half of verse 2 to the chief priests and scribes that day (Matthew 21:14-16). The 2nd half of verse 2 would not have been lost on the chief priests and scribes… “silencing your enemies and all who oppose you” (NLT). Was Jesus just quoting a passage from Psalm 8, or was Psalm 8:1-2 predictive of what Jesus would say that day after Palm Sunday? This question is impossible to sort out for sure. 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? When you look up at the heavens at night don’t you think of how small you really are? Don’t you think of how big God is? Isn’t it amazing that God cares for you? God wants the very best for us. He has graciously provided eternal life for us through his son, Jesus Christ. But He has also given us a blueprint of how to live, in a way that pleases Him… in a way He can bless… the Bible. But consider the things we sometimes do, things we sometimes think, what we sometimes say or write on social media… things that are incongruent with God’s desire for us. In those times haven’t we chosen to forget how big God is and how small we are? Haven’t we grown too full of ourselves and too dull to God’s gracious care for us? Haven’t we forgotten that one day we will go to Him? Perhaps we should take more time gazing up into the night sky. David continued with his thoughts of what God has done for us. 5 Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. Depending on your translation a question may arise in your mind here. The ESV and NET Bible read “heavenly beings”. The KJV, NIV, and NLT read “angels”, as does the LXX (Septuagint). But the CSB, NASB, and NLT read “God” Why? The Hebrew word being translated in Psalm 8 is “Elohim”, a plural word. When referring to God this is called a “plural of majesty”, much like a monarch using the plural “we” to refer to himself. Here is a quote from The Bible Knowledge Commentary. “Though in some cases elohim may refer to angels, this is not the main meaning. Man was created as God’s own representative on earth, over the Creation, but lower than God. David was amazed that God should exalt finite man to such a place of honor.”1 But is this commentator correct? This issue is discussed in the Expositor’s Bible Commentary, the Tyndale Old Testament Commentary, and even in the Soncino Jewish commentary. However these commentaries don’t come out strongly either way. Psalm 8:4-5 however is quoted in the book of Hebrews 2:5-9. And the word used there, as Psalm 8:5 is quoted is not “God” but “angels”. Because Hebrews 2 clearly uses the Greek word for “angels” I am drawn to that meaning of elohim in Psalm 8. God has also given man dominance over much of creation. 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. David has an obvious allusion to Genesis 1:26 here. Now, in case you missed it, let’s go back and pick-up how the author of Hebrews references Psalm 8. Pay attention to his clear reference to Jesus Christ. The author of Hebrews is employing a Jewish method of application to refer Psalm 8 to the foremost representative of man… Jesus. And this cements Psalm 8 as a Messianic Psalm. The Apostle Paul will reference Psalm 8 with the same thought, also referring this Psalm to Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:25-28). (The NLT has a good translation here.) So Psalm 8 takes its position as one of the great Messianic Psalms. If you are just reading Psalm 8 you would never suspect that the words there are predictive of Jesus Christ. However the NT makes it clear that God intended all along to have Psalm 8 refer to Christ. Even though Psalm 8 is a Messianic Psalm don’t miss its application to you. Look up into the night sky and ponder your relationship with the God of the universe. This is a healthy thing to do. Think about how big God is, and how small you are. Be so very thankful that he cares for you. But be mindful that one day this life will be over and that you will go to God if you have believed in Christ. David now ends the Psalm precisely where he began. 9 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name… in all the earth! Are you ready for eternity? Are you a believer in Jesus Christ? Are you living for Him daily? 1 The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Old Testament, p. 797. .
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