Psalm 8 - Majesty in Condescension

 


God, this psalm is a celebration of your majesty. The refrain of praise for your majestic name bookends this psalm. But, what is so utterly astonishing (and praiseworthy) is why you are celebrated as majestic.

David certainly has in mind the glories of all creation - the work of your hands, the heavens, the stars, and the moon. But, it is in the light of this majesty that you are seen as even more majestic - it is a majesty of condescension. In your all-powerful strength, you would condescend to find strength over your enemies in the praise of babies and infants (v. 2). What? Are you serious? That the creator of billions of galaxies would find strength in the unintelligible praise of a baby?

And God, you are also seen as majestic because, as the creator of all, you would actually give those very babies dominion to rule over your creation. God, who are we that you would give us that kind of authority, power, dignity, and dominion?

But, really the question is, who are you - that you would be the kind of God that would share your glory with the likes of us?

But, God, while we were created to rule in your image, we have so destructively marred that image. We have dehumanized fellow image-bearers. We have ruled in selfishness. We have used others for our own benefit. And when we’re not trying to destroy one another, we are worshiping the image we see in the mirror or on the screen.

God, in light of this, thank you that you condescended even more - that you sent your son to become one of those babies - that he would become a son of man. The baby who became a servant to the point of death, even death on the cross. And God, Philippians 2 and Hebrews 2 make clear that you then raised him from the dead and he now perfectly rules over all things.

Jesus, thank you for succeeding where we most miserably failed. You truly are majestic!
Amen


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Psalm 20 - Lord, Save the King

Image
  Lord, with some sanctified imagination, I can imagine Peter, James, and John praying this psalm in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night of your betrayal. They knew the threats against you, and as they were fighting sleep, I can hear them praying for your protection (v. 1). They likely would have been praying for the Father to send help and to keep in mind how you have lived a fully devoted life (v. 2-3). Lord, maybe after you had to wake them up, they got back to this psalm and continued praying for you to receive your heart's desire and that God would grant victory to you and them (v. 4-5). And then, after being awakened by you again, they continue with an assurance that God will truly save his anointed. Others may trust in chariots, but if you had taught them anything, it was to trust in the Lord. And so, they confidently affirmed that they (and you) would rise in triumph (v. 6-8). And as they concluded this prayer with, "O lord, save the king" (v. 9), they dozed off
Read more

Psalm 13 - “How long?”

Image
                                                                                                 Orbon Alija/E+/Getty Images How long? God, unlike irritated parents on a road trip after hours of relentless “How much longer” from the back seat, you seem to invite that question. Actually, it is so much more than a question, it’s a heart’s cry. Fifteen times in the Psalter, this question is asked of you. And four of those times are in this psalm alone. For David, it’s not just that the road trip is taking so long, but he’s literally wondering if dad even knows where he’s going. And like a four-year-old who can’t take it anymore, he’s wondering if he’ll even survive this trip. God, if I were honest, I don’t allow my heart to act like a four-year-old before you. So instead, I filter my prayers through a theology that tells me that God is sovereign, his timing is perfect; he will never leave or forsake me; he knows all, so of course, he will never forget me; he has a wonderful plan fo
Read more

Psalm 24 - Every Six Steps

Image
God, we don’t know for sure the occasion for this psalm, but it certainly could have been when David brought the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem in 2 Samuel 6. During that scene in 2 Samuel 6, the narrative is colored by tragedy as the Ark of God makes its way to Jerusalem. The tragedy is when the Ark begins to topple when the ox stumbles, and Uzzah reaches out his hand, touching the Ark to steady it. And, in touching the Ark, he immediately dies. Three months later, determined to get the Ark to Jerusalem, David tries again. But, knowing that he was moving You, the creator God, and that no unclean hands could touch the Ark (as in Uzzah’s case), and because only those with pure hearts could be in Your presence, they would only take six steps at a time and then stop to sacrifice a bull and a fattened calf (2 Samuel 6:13). God, every six steps a sacrifice was required to stay clean and pure! To be honest, that sounds just about right for my heart. The only reason I might think t
Read more