Beloved, I am glad to share with you today the above theme from Ps 8:1 and following. Indeed, this psalm begins by establishing the smallness of man in relation to creation, an impression that each of us has been able to feel while contemplating, for example, the prodigious immensity of a starry sky. “What is man”? Then, brought back to our humble dimension, we learn that, nevertheless, God had in sight magnificent and glorious things for man and through man. But how to achieve them with a sinful and mortal being? It is impossible to crown with glory and honor a creature plunged into misery and corruption. Then what God could not do either for or through the first Adam, He accomplished in Christ the second Man. Yes, the Creator has, so to speak, clothed himself with the body he had created. “He was made a little inferior to the angels.” Heb 2:5-9, who quotes in supplementing them our versets 5 to 7, gives the unfathomable reason: because of the death he must have known. And it is in this human nature that the Son received universal dominion. In him man finds more than what Adam had lost (versets 6-9; 1 Cor 15:20-28). Crowned with glory and honor, Christ, the risen man, will introduce other men with him into heaven and share his glory with them.
What is said here, is still said by the mouth of the residue, considered as delivered. “Eternal, our Lord.” It is in vain that the nations have risen up against you! “How magnificent your name is by all the earth; you have put your majesty above the heavens! ». This is not the King in Zion, although he will certainly reign as such; – but of a glory that is established above the heavens. It is not only the people of the great King, who are thus blessed; but we have before us the glory of the name of the Lord, the Lord of Israel, in whatever place the children of men dwell; not as if there were any mention in this Psalm of christ’s establishment on the holy mountain of Zion; but the Word presents us here with this glory in relation to the elevation of the Son of man, not only above the sons of men, but above all the works of his hands in all the places of his domination, without any being excepted.
And who is this Son of man? It has been made a little less than the angels, because of the passion of death, crowned now with glory and honor, and established (the epistle to the Hebrews shows us that this is not yet accomplished) on all the works of god’s hands (for thesmallness of man, compared to the greatness of creation in heaven, gives opportunity for the revelation of God’s counsel in man).” He could not be rejected as Christ (even though this title is also to be realized later in him, by the One who, from heaven, laughs at the helpless rage of the kings of the earth) without God’s counsel having prepared for him an even more glorious position, namely to be crowned with glory in heaven and established dominator over all things. The titles of Son of God and Son of David, King in Zion, are His titles on earth (John 1:49-51); but his first rejection as such, opens to him that more extensive glory which he has also rightly acquired, – which belongs to the Son of man according to the counsel of God.
Car Christ had received witness as the Son of God in that he had resurrected Lazarus (John 11); as the Son of David, in his entry into Jerusalem (John 12:12-19); as the Son of man, when the Greeks had ascended (John 12:20-23), but he had to die to have the latter glory (John 12:24). In the last days all will not fail in this way on earth, but will be accomplished in power: in the meantime he is crowned with glory and honor in a more excellent place. Forthe Psalm we are dealing with has a character of elevation and energy commensurate with the great deliverance it celebrates. Man is so little before creation: what is man when we consider the extent and glory of the universe? But look to Christ, and all this magnificence will fade before the excellent glory of the One under whose feet all things are placed. These very things will receive a new brilliance. Man is, in fact, great and elevated above all things in Him, the Son of man, established over all things.
This is not the place to point out the use that the New Testament makes of this Ps. 8, but the use that is made of it makes obvious both its meaning and its importance. For 1 Cor 15:27 shows us that he is fulfilled in resurrection; in Hebrews 2. 6-8, we learn that the subjugation of all things under the feet of the Son of man will take place in the world to come, and that these things are not yet placed under the feet of Christ, but that he is already now crowned with glory and honor; in Eph 1. 20-23), we see moreover that the Assembly is united to him in this position of glory, but this point does not in any way enter into the purpose and scope of the Psalm, for it is part of the mystery hidden from centuries and generations (Col 1:26).
We saw first the residue of the last days, then God’s counsel concerning the Messiah. But the kings and princes of the earth rise against the Lord and against his Anointed: yet he will be established King in Zion. We then found, in Ps. 3 to 7, the great principles of the walk of the residue in the midst of the circumstances in which he will find himself: one does not encounter these profound expressions of the feelings produced elsewhere by the greatness of distress, but only those which relate to the feelings of trust and faith that grace gives rise to in the position where the residue is. In Ps. 3 we find trust; in Ps. 4, the imploration addressed to the God of righteousness, and the path of the righteous; in Ps. 5, the righteous cry out to the Lord, because the Lord distinguishes evil from good, and so the wicked must be removed and Jehovah must bless the righteous who trust in him.
These are the main elements of jehovah’s relationship and the remnant of His people on that day. How precious it will be for the faithful to find for their faith in this way a support and an expression, raised above their fears, by means of these testimonies of grace of the Spirit of Christ, in order to be led by them, justified in their best hopes and calmed in the midst of their most just fears! Christ was in all their affliction; he has felt it, but he has not felt, as with other afflictions, what those who have immersed themselves in it, and who, because of their faults, necessarily and precisely, are occupied with themselves. He was filled with divine love for his oppressors. His sympathies being perfect, they brought him into all the circumstances and feelings of the residue, and provided the divine expression of it.
The following verses have been compiled for your edification and grouped together for your better understanding.
The magnificence of God’s name:
· Excellence divine
Jb 37:23 We cannot reach the Almighty, great by force, by justice, by sovereign right: He does not answer! Ps 8:2 Eternal, our Lord! How beautiful your name is all over the earth! Your majesty rises above the heavens. Isa 12:5 Celebrate the Lord, for He has done magnificent things: Let them be known by all the earth! Isaiah 28:29 This too comes from the Lord of hosts; Admirable is his advice, and great is his wisdom.
· Strength in weakness, promised
Ps 8:3 Through the mouths of children and those who are at the udder You have founded your glory, to confuse your opponents, to impose silence on the enemy and the vindictive. 1 Cor 1:27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to confuse the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to confuse the strong; 2 Cor 12:9-10 and he said to me: My grace is enough for you, for my power is fulfilled in weakness. I will therefore boast much more willingly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 That is why I delight in weaknesses, in outrages, in calamities, in persecutions, in distress, for Christ; for when I am weak, that is when I am strong. Hb 11:33-34 who, by faith, conquered kingdoms, exercised righteousness, obtained promises, closed the mouths of lions, 34 extinguished the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, healed of their diseases, were valiant in war, put foreign armies on the run.
· Domination of man
Gen 1:26 Then God said: Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness, and let him rule over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the sky, over the cattle, over all the earth, and over all the reptiles that crawl on the earth. Gen 9.2 You will be a subject of fear and terror for every animal on earth, for every bird in the sky, for all that moves on earth, and for all the fish of the sea: they are delivered into your hands. Ps 8:7 You have given him dominion over the works of your hands, You have put everything under his feet, Hb 2:8 You have put all things under his feet. Indeed, in submitting all things to Him, God left nothing that was not submitted to Him. However, we do not yet see now that all things are submitted to him. James 3:7 All species of beasts and birds, reptiles and marine animals, are tamed and have been tamed by human nature;
· Name of the Lord, powerful
Neh 9:5 And the Levites Joshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Haschabnia, Sherebia, Hodija, Schebania, and Pethachja, said: Rise up, bless the Lord your God, from eternity to eternity! May we bless your glorious name, which is above all blessing and praise! Ps 113:3 From sunrise to sunset, May the name of the Lord be celebrated! Pr 18:10 The name of the Lord is a strong tower; The righteous take refuge there, and is safe. Isaiah 50:10 Whoever among you fears the Lord, let him listen to the voice of his servant! Whoever walks in darkness and lacks light, let him trust in the name of Jehovah, and rely on his God! Ml 1:11 For from the dawn of the sun until its setting, My name is great among the nations, And in every place incense is burned in honor of my name And pure offerings are presented; For great is my name among the nations, said the Lord of hosts.
From all of the above, we note that this psalm describes the morning anticipated by Jesus or by the pious man upon his awakening in Ps. 3. Then the praise rises, according to the vow that has just been expressed at the end of the previous psalm, the wicked having been exterminated and the congregation gathered. The Lord quotes this psalm in relation to the hosannas whom he was greeted during his royal visit to Jerusalem (Mat 21:15). For these hosannas were, in principle, as in this psalm, the praises of the kingdom. And the creation joins his voice to this choir. For in Psalm 2 we have considered the kingship of the Messiah, Son of David, Son of God; here we see the lordship of the Son of man, his dominion over the works of God. All these glories that belong to him will be effective and manifested in the days of the millennium. 1 Corinthians 15:27-28 illustrates how later scriptures develop, without altering them, previous scriptures. The apostle confirms every statement of the psalmist, attributing dominion to Christ according to Psalm 8. But he goes further: the inspired psalmist had left, as well as put, the universal lordship, or the kingdom, in the hands of Christ. And the apostle, commenting on the significance of the psalmist’s words, is led by the same Spirit to give revelation of a glorious scene that goes beyond the kingdom in the hands of Christ. For there was grace toward Israel, but it was grace to man, to man in Christ: “and the Lord of Israel, Jehovah, thus had a magnificent name throughout the earth. Then we reach there on the second morning – the eighth day, that of the resurrection – the advent of the kingdom or “the day of the Lord”. Our prayers are with you all.
PRAYER OF ACCEPTANCE OF JESUS CHRIST AS LORD AND PERSONAL SAVIOR
I now invite every person who wants to become a new creation by walking in the truth, to pray with me the following prayer:
Lord Jesus, I have long walked in the lusts of the world ignoring your love for humans. I admit to having sinned against you and ask your forgiveness for all my sins, because today I have decided to give you my life by taking you as Lord and personal Savior. I recognize that you died on the cross of Calvary and rose from the dead for me.
I am now saved and born again by the power of the Holy Spirit. Lead me every day to the eternal life that you give to all who obey your Word. Reveal yourself to me and strengthen my heart and faith, so that your light may shine in my life right now.
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for accepting me into your divine family, so that I may also contemplate the wonders of your kingdom.
I will now choose a nearby waterpoint to baptize myself by immersion, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
All adoration, power and glory are yours, now and forever and ever. Amen!
I would be happy to respond to any questions and comments you may have, before sharing with you tomorrow “God reveals Himself in Creation and in His word.”
May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you abundantly.
David Feze, Servant of the Almighty God.