Devotions

Psalms 8:6-9

6 You made him ruler over the creations of your hands; you put everything under his feet: 7 all the sheep and oxen, as well as the animals in the wild, 8 the birds of the sky, and the fish of the sea that pass through the currents of the seas. 9 Yahveh, our Lord, how honorable is your name throughout the land.

The image of God given to our ancestors in Eden primarily has to do with this conferred authority and responsibility to pass on God’s honor by managing his creations. Not only are we our brother’s keepers, but we are also keepers of the rest of creation.

Psalms 8:5 You made him little less than a god and crowned him with glory and honor.

That same honor that is manifested in the creation is humanity’s crown. We show that honor when we protect and preserve creation, keeping it from death and decay when we can. God did not give us the planet to exploit but to protect.

Psalms 8:3-4

3 When I gaze into your skies, the work of your fingers, the moon, and the stars, which you set in place, 4 what is a human being that you would think about him, a son of man that you look after him?

God’s other creations are so spectacular and complex that it is humbling to consider that his story focuses on his plan for us and how he is accomplishing that plan through Christ.

Psalms 8:2 From the mouths of infants and nursing babies, you have established a stronghold on account of your adversaries in order to silence the enemy and the vengeful one.

The NLT gives the sense of the verse:

Psalm 8:2 (NLT) You have taught children and infants to tell of your strength, silencing your enemies and all who oppose you.

So, not only nature, but also human nature gives witness to the honor of the Lord.

Psalms 8:1 Yahveh, our Lord, how honorable is your name throughout the land! You have covered the skies with your honor.

Nature reflects the glory and honor of its creator. This whole psalm is about the tremendous reputation of God— a reputation we human beings can reflect because he made us in his image.

Climbing mountains, crossing beautiful streams, getting color overload by looking at the trees— on the trail the truth of this verse is all too evident.

Psalms 7:17 I will thank Yahveh for his righteousness; I will sing about the name of Yahveh Most High.

The psalmist concludes his prayer with an anticipation of future praise. His expectations are not based on what he has accomplished, or even the fact that he has prayed. His hope is built on nothing less than who God is.

Psalms 7:14-16 Notice, the wicked one is pregnant with evil, conceives hardship, and gives birth to a lie. 15 He dug a pit and hollowed it out but fell into the hole he had made. 16 The hardship he plans for others comes back on his own head; his own violence comes down on top of his head.

The psalmist is adding a corrective nuance to the image of God as a warrior ready to punish evil. While it is true that God is ready to punish evildoers, he gives his victims an opportunity to repent and convert. If anyone is punished for their sins— whether in this life or on judgment day— it will be because of their deliberate actions.

Evildoers are described as pregnant women, as builders of traps. What they conceived and constructed to harm others will fall on them. God is just.

Psalms 7:12-13

12 If anyone will not repent, he will sharpen his sword; he has strung his bow and made it ready. 13 He has readied his deadly weapons; he tips his arrows with fire.

The psalmist feels like his enemies have assumed that God is all talk and no action. But he sees God as a warrior ready for battle— a sniper in position for a kill shot.

Lord, restore to us an awareness of your readiness to punish wrongdoing.

Psalms 7:11 God is a righteous judge and a God who demonstrates his wrath every day.

The psalmist is speaking to those who bank on a God who only interferes in human lives and events on some cosmic chronological scale. No, he says. God is constantly both judging and punishing those who disregard his laws. He didn’t just set things in motion in his universe and sit back with popcorn in hand and watch. He’s watching all right. But he is also acting.

Psalms 7:10 My shield is from God, who saves those who are upright in heart.

Having called on God to treat both himself and his enemies with the same justice, the psalmist now boasts of a protective shield from God. The Lord will act to right the wrongs inflicted on his servant. The Lord will save and vindicate those who are upright in heart.

Loyalty to Christ in an age like this one will require praying like this. We will have many enemies who claim we are being unjust, who will claim to be genuine, and accuse us of being hypocritical. We must trust in the shield of God. We must pray through those terrible accusations.