Click here to read PSALM 8 in poetic form.
Background
This Psalm was well known to Jesus Christ. He quotes verse 2 in Matthew 21:16 in response to the chief priests and scribes being displeased that the people said “Hosanna to the Son of David.” These people were in the temple and praising God for sending the Messiah, for Jesus Christ had just entered in triumph to Jerusalem.
Like Psalm 2, this Psalm shows the Messiah’s victory over the enemy.
Structure
(Verse 1)The Lord’s name is excellent in the earth, for He will send the Messiah there
(Verse 1) God’s glory set above the heavens
(Verse 2) God’s strength in the simple and childlike to overcome Messiah’s enemies
(Verse 3) God’s glory in the heavens
(Verses 4-8) God’s dominion given to man as fully seen in the Messiah
(Verse 9) The Lord’s name is excellent in the earth, for He will send the Messiah there
Key Scriptures
Verse 2—“Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength.” A babe is a young child. In I Samuel 17, David is called the “youngest” (verse 14), “a youth” (verses 33,55), “ruddy” (verse 42), and a “stripling” (verse 56). Jesus Christ had just reached adulthood when he began his ministry.
Verse 5—“For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels.” The Hebrew word translated “angels” is Elohim, the name for God the Creator. God gave Adam and Eve full authority over the creation and saw that it was good (Genesis 1:26-31). When Adam and Eve disobeyed God and were forced to leave the garden, God promised to send a redeemer (Genesis 3:15). That was the promised Messiah, Jesus Christ, who is called the “final Adam” (I Corinthians 15:45). Jesus Christ got back for mankind much more than Adam lost (Romans 5:17).
Verses 4-6—This section is quoted in Hebrews 2:6-8, and the following verses there show that Jesus Christ was a man (not God or an angel) who suffered for every man. He became our “captain” (archēgon, first leader) of salvation.
Verse 8—”and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.” God’s Word has been the source of great discoveries in the sea. American naval officer and oceanographer Matthew Maury (1806-1873) was a Christian who loved reading his Bible and had no doubts about its accuracy. And this led him to some remarkable discoveries in science. Beginning in 1842, Maury devoted 19 years to study the winds, clouds, weather, and ocean. While reading the Bible, the words of Psalm 8 aroused his interest, for it speaks of “the paths of the seas.” Maury set out to find these paths that the Creator spoke of. Maury devised an study with floating glass bottles to develop charts of ocean currents. Thus the “paths of the seas” were known and greatly helped sailors and navigators. See “Our Father’s Loving Design: Part 2, Genesis 1 and True Science” for more details.
Verse 9—The subscript includes the Hebrew word Muth-labben, relates to David’s victory over Goliath (I Samuel 17). Just as David was a man after God’s own heart who overcame the adversary’s greatest champion, so the son of David, Jesus Christ, would know the Father’s heart like no other person and overcome the Devil, mankind’s adversary, to redeem all men.
FOR FURTHER STUDY
All 150 of The Psalms in Poetic Form are available from Amazon in a book, either Large Print or a smaller Bedside Reader. Also available for free with a Kindle Unlimited membership. Enjoy!
The entire blog series is now available in the publication The Psalms: Background & Structure with Key Scriptures Explained.
