2005-07-31 - The Praise of Little Ones

Psalm 8, Part 3

And so the glory of God is made manifest in His creation of man, and the more so when He takes on the form of man Himself and becomes the son of man, that is the Messiah, Jesus.

Now I want to pass on just a small bit of technical information of Hebrew poetry, which may help you follow the outline of the psalm. The form of the psalm is what is called chiastic, referring to its outline. It starts with what above was verse 2, as verse 1 here:

A. God's excellent name (1)
  B. God's rule (2-3)
    C. Man's meanness (4)
    C. Man's greatness (5)
  B. Man's rule (6-8) ³
A. God's excellent name (9)

Verses 1-3: The specific pattern here is one of contrasts, but starting and ending on the truth of God's excellent name. Again the thrust is that God's glory is revealed in mankind in general and in Messiah specifically. In the final analysis, it is God Who rules. Whatever the circumstances, God is in control. God's name, which has we have previously noted is synonymous with God, is deserving of recognition through out the world. Unfortunately, He does not always receive this recognition and therefore He calls forth praise from even the little ones.

"The expression babes and sucklings may indicate children old enough to talk. Hebrew mothers often nursed their babies for four or five years." 1 1 Alden, pg. 25.

Even Jesus didn't always receive appropriate recognition, but on one occasion quotes this psalm, to validate on example of some recognition which He did receive.

"But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did, and the children shouting in the temple area, `Hosanna to the Son of David,' they were indignant. `Do you hear what these children are saying?' they asked him. `Yes,' replied Jesus, `have you never read, "From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise" ?' " (Matthew 21:15-16).

And so from the smallest babe, just having learned to talk, to the universe in total, the praise of God, the glorification of His name, must be given forth. God's glory is seen in the nighttime heavens. It is only on a clear night that the vastness of God's creation can truly be observed, and we can come to realize just how small we really are. And this revelation of God is available to all mankind.

Verse 4: It is in contrast to this greatness of God, demonstrated through His creation, that we come to realize our own finiteness, or as Alden puts it, "meanness." ⁴

If we truly understand the awesomeness of God, then is it any wonder that we might question why He would truly have any interest in us at all. After all, as we develop an accurate self-image, we see just how great the Lord is and how far short we fall of His desire for us.

³ Alden, Robert, Psalms Volume 1 -- Songs of Devotion, Moody Press, 1974, pg. 24.
⁴ Ibid.

Comments or Questions?
Geoff

GKragen@aol.com
http://www.cfdevotionals.org