Journal

Psalm 8 - The skies clear

Posted on March 4th, 2006, in the afternoon

I've been reading and meditating on Psalm 8 for a couple of weeks as part of my series on Worshipping with the Psalms.

In terms of tone and orientation Psalm 8 couldn't be more of a contrast to Psalms 3-7. Psalm 8 picks up all the themes from the preceding psalms, and translates each from a self-orientated struggle into exaltation of God. If Psalms 3-8 are read through together, the tension building through Psalms 3-7 is perfectly released in Psalm 8.

Where before from the first line we have had a focus on the psalmist himself - "Answer me when I call, O God", "Give ear to my words O LORD", "O LORD do not rebuke me in your anger" - Psalm 8 opens (and closes) with the famous and transcendent overture:

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

Psalm 8.1, NASB

Where in the previous psalms we have had "How many are my foes!", "Make them bear their guilt, O God!", "Lift yourself up against the fury of my enemies!", here we have praise of God's triumph over his cosmic enemies:

From the mouth of infants and nursing babes
You have established strength
Because of Your adversaries

Psalm 8.2, NASB

The self-seeking assertiveness of "I plead my case to you", "judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness", is replaced with humble wonder:

When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have ordained;
What is man that You take thought of him,
And the son of man that You care for him?

Psalm 8.3-4, NASB

It's almost hard to believe that these now familiar themes could be dealt with in such a profoundly different way!

An important part of what I understand as Christian worship is precisely this orientation towards God, and away from our own concerns. That's not at all to suggest that we need to suppress our concerns when we come to worship, but we must realise that worship will put them in perspective. In true worship our own lives are set in proper perspective in relation to others, to the universe, and most significantly to God who is rightly the object of that worship. We can't hold on to small things if we are reaching for the infinite.

The flow of Psalms 3-8 seem to uphold that sense, but it's nonetheless interesting to note how much space there is in the psalter for the small, grasping, not-seeing part of proper perspective. At church meetings I think we (I) tend to skip the struggle of Psalms 3-7 and expect people to be ready for the clarity and transcendence of Psalm 8. Whether that's a right expectation and even whether that is the right place to pitch church meetings are intersting questions, which I will aim to come back to as I continue with this series.