We’re in our second week of our “Summer Psalms” Sermon Series (say that 5 times fast) and we spent our time together looking at Psalm 8. Of course, it should go without saying, the Psalms we don’t look at are no less God’s Word then the Psalms we do study. Take time out of your day to read a Psalm.

If you missed the sermon on Psalm 8 or you would like to listen to it again, you can find it here.

Psalm 8 is a Psalm of Praise. David declares in verse 1, “O LORD our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth”.

Verse 1 gives us the personal name of God, YHWH. This is the name God reveals to the children of Israel and it is the name that God gives Moses in Exodus 3 when he says, “I AM WHO I AM”. This name for God points to his self existence and eternality; it denotes “I am the One who is/will be”. The second “Lord” in verse 1 is David’s declaration that God is the Sovereign King over all things in earth and in the heavens. The eternal God is our Sovereign King over heaven and earth.

To call God majestic is to know who he is and that he is a holy, glorious, gracious, incredible, and a loving God. These words just do give justice to who God really is. He is the omnipresent, omnipotent, and omniscient God of all. There is no match for Him! And yet, this incredibly great and glorious God chose to reveal his majesty through weakness.

The message of Psalm 8 is that Yahweh reveals his majesty in this world by using weak people to do his great work. God reveals his majesty by defeating his enemies through the weakness of children (v. 2). He also reveals his majesty by ruling the world through weak, mortal human beings (vv. 3–8). God could have displayed his glory through any means imaginable, yet he chose mankind to reveal his glory.

Weak children and mortal men could not possibly be responsible for the power that works through them. The glory goes to Yahweh whose majestic name permeates Heaven and earth. God makes his name majestic by using weak people like you and me to do his great work.

It’s obvious that creation is not under our control as human beings the way God originally intended. But creation is under the control of one man. Christ has risen from the dead, and everything is under his feet. Everything on earth—beasts of the field, birds of the air, fish of the sea—submits to his authority. Everyone who is in Christ will reign with him as well (2 Timothy 2:12). Psalm 8 is looking forward to the day when God’s people will be renewed and take their rightful rule over the world.

How did Jesus take up his authority over all creation? Through the weakness of the cross. Christ crucified looked foolish, helpless, and weak. Yet through the cross God displayed his majesty most fully and brightly in this world.

God makes his name majestic through human weakness. He creates strength through the lisping words of babies. He rules creation through puny people. He saves the world through a crucified Messiah.

The Sovereign God and King of all things in heaven and in earth is our God who is using us to reveal his glory to the nations. Our purpose then is to glorify him in all things, because only the majestic name of all mighty God is worthy to be praised.

O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! (ESV)