When I
look up at your skies,
at what Your fingers made -
the moon
and the stars
that You set firmly in place -
what are
human beings that
You think about them;
what are
human beings that
You pay attention to them?
You've
made them only slightly
less than divine,
crowning
them with glory and grandeur.
You've
let them rule over Your handiwork,
putting
everything under their feet -
all sheep
and all cattle,
the wild
animals too,
the birds
in the sky,
the fish
of the ocean,
everything
that travels
the pathways of the sea.
Lord, our
Lord,
how majestic is Your name
throughout the earth!
Psalm
8:3-9 (CEV)
David wrote this Psalm. He went from a young, humble shepherd-boy,
to a mighty warrior, to the King of Israel. He had times when he was hunted,
times when he failed and times when he was victorious.
I'm now taking a Philosophy class on Worldviews. We were
assigned to read this Psalm and describe how David's view changed. As I read
through Psalm 8, I realized that David's view began as mine often does: in awe
and wonder at the world God has created. Even without all the scientific knowledge that we
have today on the universe and its vastness, David knew that it was greater
than what he could even begin to imagine. That wonder at the world, the heavens
and all the intricacies of the species and inhabitants of earth would make
anyone wonder how God could begin to take notice of one as small and finite as
man.
But I believe he makes a turn when he realizes that in all of what
God did create, the vastness of creation that makes us feel so minute, God
created man just a little lower than the angels.
“You’ve made them
only slightly less than divine,
crowning
them with glory and grandeur.
(Psalm 8:5 CEV).
God created us in His image to rule and reign over all else that
He created. We were not created as just another species, but as children of God
. . . almost, but not quite, divine. We are hand crafted from the dust, but it
was the breath of God that gave us life.
“Then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground
and breathed into his nostrils the breath or spirit of life . . .
“
(Genesis 2:7 AMP).
In
the middle of this short Psalm, David went from asking "Who am I? I'm just
a speck in the universe!" to "Who am I? Why, I am the one God created
and put in charge to rule and reign over the earth! I am a child of the
King! And I am who I am because God made me this way and put me in this place."
Who are you? Lift your eyes and look at all that God has created. And as you get lost in the wonder of it all, remember that you are a child of the King! And you are who you are because God made you that way and put you in this place!
Blessings!
