Psalm 8

This remarkable Psalm of David captures the conundrum of our existence in perfectly balanced but entirely contradictory terms.

God’s majesty, framed by and displayed in the heavens and the earth, suggests we are insignificant – we are less than we imagine.  

But, being made a little lower than God, being crowned with glory and honour, made for dominion, we are significant – we are more than we imagine.  

Which is it then?  Both! Overwhelmed by the vastness and wonder of creation we are insignificant but being made in the image of the creator we are significant.  A whole person lives with both; not so the person, dangerous to themselves, who believe themselves to be nothing, or the person, dangerous to others, who believes themselves to be everything. 

“You have set your glory above the heavens … 

when I look at the heavens, the work of your fingers, 

the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,  

what is man that you are mindful of him,

and the son of man that your care for him?” 

Much of this world, and what goes on in it, makes no reference to us, and isn’t dependant on us.  It exists as if we didn’t. We are snared in hubris thinking anything else.  

The world we see exists as an articulation of God’s glory without any reliance on or ratification by us.   It is on its own terms. It would appear it is neither mindful of nor caring for humankind. 

“Yet you have made him a little lower

than the heavenly beings

and crowned him with glory and honour.

You have given him dominion over the 

works of your hands,

and have put all things under his feet.”  

“Yet …” Something in humankind isn’t found in the world or the heavens.  It comes from elsewhere. God has imaged himself in us, providing crowning dignity and dominion purpose, something not found in any other creature of God’s imagining.  

Exclusive to the human is this image, this living likeness, this active statue erected to himself.  We mirror the one who shows himself to none, except by image and the tracing out of his power and glory in creation - animate and inanimate.  

This calls an exclamation of praise from David.  It is the same as the one he penned of God’s majesty in the material creation at the start of this Psalm. 

“O Lord, our Lord,

how majestic is your name in all the earth!”