Dec. 2nd Devotion
A Message from God – Chuck Swindoll
As though David continues his worship service, he opens his mouth and shares a message from God, which is the major theme of this composition. We can imagine his standing before the people and preaching about the needs of humanity and the grace of God.
First, he considers the pitiful inadequacy of humanity. Read verses 3 and 4 slowly. Think them over and enter into the mental picture David has in mind.
When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have ordained;
What is man that You take thought of him,
And the son of man that You care for him? (Psalm 8:3-4)
The Hebrew word translated "consider" is the common verb meaning "to see, behold, take a look." David was out among the splendor of natural phenomena. As he looked about him, he was gripped with the startling realization of God's greatness. Every one of us has had that experience. When we glance heavenward, we are struck with awe. We "take a look" at the expanse, and invariably, we are overwhelmed!
David refers to God's creation as "the work of Your fingers." Creating the universe was nothing more than "finger work" for God; salvation, however, represents His "arm work" (Isaiah 52:10; 53:1; 59:16; Psalm 77:15, KJV).
In asking the question, "What is man?" David uses a rather uncommon term for man. Enosh comes from a Hebrew verb that means "to be weak, sick, frail." In other words: "In comparison to your splendor and majesty, O Lord, what is puny, weak, frail humanity?" According to David, God overlooks our lowly status and acts on behalf of humanity in two significant ways: He takes thought of him and takes care of him.
What do these things mean? The first statement—"take thought of"—means that God remembers us, while the second phrase—"care for"—means He pays attention to us. What an amazing truth! If the daily grind of feeling overlooked has you in its grip, here is a thought worth massaging: the God who created all the magnificent surroundings of the universe actually remembers and pays attention to puny individuals like you and me. It is easy to believe that God has too many other things to concern Himself with than to care about us. Peter reminds us, however, that "[God] cares for you" (1 Peter 5:7). God never overlooks His own!
This prompts David to reflect on the grace of God.
Yet You have made him a little lower than God,
And You crown him with glory and majesty!
You make him to rule over the works of Your hands;
You have put all things under his feet,
All sheep and oxen,
And also the beasts of the field,
The birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea,
Whatever passes through the paths of the seas. (Psalm 8:5-8)
In spite of the vast difference between God and man, David declares that the Lord has set His love upon us and has given humanity a place of dignity and importance in this world. We are made lesser than angels in terms of power, but we are, nevertheless, crowned with glory and majesty. Moreover, He gave us the responsibility and privilege of ruling over the world as His vice-regents (Genesis 1:28-30). Hebrews 2:6-9 applies these verses to Jesus Christ, making this section of Psalm 8 messianic and prophetic. Historically, however, it is applicable to all humans. While Jesus is the Son of God, we share this honor and responsibility with Him. Amazing!
As though David continues his worship service, he opens his mouth and shares a message from God, which is the major theme of this composition. We can imagine his standing before the people and preaching about the needs of humanity and the grace of God.
First, he considers the pitiful inadequacy of humanity. Read verses 3 and 4 slowly. Think them over and enter into the mental picture David has in mind.
When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have ordained;
What is man that You take thought of him,
And the son of man that You care for him? (Psalm 8:3-4)
The Hebrew word translated "consider" is the common verb meaning "to see, behold, take a look." David was out among the splendor of natural phenomena. As he looked about him, he was gripped with the startling realization of God's greatness. Every one of us has had that experience. When we glance heavenward, we are struck with awe. We "take a look" at the expanse, and invariably, we are overwhelmed!
David refers to God's creation as "the work of Your fingers." Creating the universe was nothing more than "finger work" for God; salvation, however, represents His "arm work" (Isaiah 52:10; 53:1; 59:16; Psalm 77:15, KJV).
In asking the question, "What is man?" David uses a rather uncommon term for man. Enosh comes from a Hebrew verb that means "to be weak, sick, frail." In other words: "In comparison to your splendor and majesty, O Lord, what is puny, weak, frail humanity?" According to David, God overlooks our lowly status and acts on behalf of humanity in two significant ways: He takes thought of him and takes care of him.
What do these things mean? The first statement—"take thought of"—means that God remembers us, while the second phrase—"care for"—means He pays attention to us. What an amazing truth! If the daily grind of feeling overlooked has you in its grip, here is a thought worth massaging: the God who created all the magnificent surroundings of the universe actually remembers and pays attention to puny individuals like you and me. It is easy to believe that God has too many other things to concern Himself with than to care about us. Peter reminds us, however, that "[God] cares for you" (1 Peter 5:7). God never overlooks His own!
This prompts David to reflect on the grace of God.
Yet You have made him a little lower than God,
And You crown him with glory and majesty!
You make him to rule over the works of Your hands;
You have put all things under his feet,
All sheep and oxen,
And also the beasts of the field,
The birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea,
Whatever passes through the paths of the seas. (Psalm 8:5-8)
In spite of the vast difference between God and man, David declares that the Lord has set His love upon us and has given humanity a place of dignity and importance in this world. We are made lesser than angels in terms of power, but we are, nevertheless, crowned with glory and majesty. Moreover, He gave us the responsibility and privilege of ruling over the world as His vice-regents (Genesis 1:28-30). Hebrews 2:6-9 applies these verses to Jesus Christ, making this section of Psalm 8 messianic and prophetic. Historically, however, it is applicable to all humans. While Jesus is the Son of God, we share this honor and responsibility with Him. Amazing!
Posted in Devotions
Recent
Archive
2024
January
January 1st DevotionDecember 31st follow-upJanuary 2nd DevotionJanuary 3rd DevotionJanuary 4th DevotionJanuary 5th DevotionJanuary 8th DevotionJanuary 7th Follow-upJanuary 9th DevotionJanuary 10th DevotionJanuary 11th DevotionJanuary 12th DevotionJanuary 15th DevotionJanuary 14th Follow-upJanuary 16th DevotionJanuary 17th DevotionJanuary 18th DevotionJanuary 19th DevotionJanuary 21st follow-upJanuary 22nd DevotionJanuary 23rd DevotionJanuary 24th DevotionJanuary 25th DevotionJanuary 26th DevotionJanuary 29th Devotion1-28-24 follow-upJanuary 30th DevotionJanuary 31st Devotion
February
February 1st DevotionFebruary 2nd DevotionFebruary 5th DevotionFebruary 6th DevotionFebruary 4th Follow-upFebruary 7th DevotionFebruary 8th DevotionFebrtuary 9th DevotionFebruary 12th DevotionFebruary 11th Follow-upFebruary 13th DevotionFebruary 14th DevotionFebruary 15th DevotionFebruary 16th DevotionFebruary 19th DevotionFebruary 20th DevotionFebruary 21st DevotionFebruary 22nd DevotionFebruary 23rd DevotionFebruary 26th DevotionFebruary 27th DevotionFebruary 28th DevotionFebruary 29th Devotion
March
March 1st DevotionMarch 4th DevotionMarch 3rd follow-upMarch 5th DevotionMarch 6th DevotionMarch 7th, 2024March 8th DevotionMarch 11th DevotionMarch 12th DevotionMarch 13th DevotionMarch 14th DevotionMarch 15th DevotionMarch 18th DevotionMarch 19th DevotionMarch 20th devotionMarch 21st DevotionMarch 22nd DevotionMarch 25th DevotionMarch 26th DevotionMarch 27th DevotionMarch 28th DevotionMarch 29th Devotion
April
April 1str DevotionApril 2nd DevotionApril 3rd DevotionApril 4th DevotionApril 5th DevotionApril 8th DevotionApril 9th DevotionApril 10th DevotionApril 11th DevotionApril 12th DevotionApril 15th DevotionApril 16th DevotionApril 17th DevotionApril 18th DevotionApril 19th DevotionApril 22nd devotionApril 23rd DevotionApril 24th DevotionApril 25th Devotion
No Comments