The Majestic Name

What do you think of when you think of the word “majesty?” I often think of the view of Yosemite when you come out of the tunnel. The picture above is much better than the ones I took, but there is majesty and then there is Majesty. That’s the topic of our psalm this week.

I think you’ll understand what I mean when I say there are Psalms and then there are Psalms! Some just jump right off the page and get our attention—Psalm 8 is one of those Psalms. Kidner said, “This psalm is an unsurpassed example of what a hymn should be—celebrating as it does the glory and grace of God, rehearsing who He is and what He has done, and relating us and our world to Him.” He went on to point out that the range of thought expressed in these words take us above the heavens, back to the beginning, and on to the very end. It is an incredible example of the work of the Holy Spirit as He inspired David.

The incredible thing about this Psalm is that it not only points us to the majesty of God, but it also shows us our place in this world. It helps us know who we are, and it gives us a Biblical self-image that starts not from looking within ourselves, but by looking to God. That’s what David does first and what he sees is incredible.

In verses 1-2 and in verse 9 we find God’s Glory.

“O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.”

He then closes the Psalm with the same words, “O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” CS Lewis described this a “Short exquisite lyric.” O LORD, notice it is in all CAPS which means David uses the covenant name of God—Yahweh. Then he says, “our Lord,” and this time he uses the name Adonai which speaks of God as our Sovereign Master. Notice the intimacy of it, “O LORD, our Lord.” And then he says, “How majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.” The majesty and glory of His name is revealed to us in His Word, but it also shouts to us in His creation, but the Creation itself isn’t enough to contain the Creator’s glory.

His name is the sum-total of who He is, and He reveals himself to us as the majestic, the excellent, the glorious, and beautiful One! In Psalm 19 we find, “The heavens declare the glory of God,” and here we find His glory is above the heavens. The Jewish mind thought of heaven in terms of three arenas, the atmosphere where birds fly, the stars, and then the Heaven above heaven…the place where God is said to dwell and where we will spend an eternity. To truly understand who we are we must first understand our Creator…the all glorious and majestic One.

How glorious is He? When others rise up against Him—His glory is secure even with the weakest and most vulnerable—“Out of the mouths of babies and infants you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger.” The chorus of praise is heard from the insects and birds all the way to the babies and infants. The Message Bible translates verse 2 like this, “Nursing infants gurgle choruses about you; toddlers shout the songs that drown out enemy talk, and silence atheist babble.” He is able to defend His glory with something as simple as the babble of infants and babies.

Let’s pick up with verse 2 tomorrow, but pray these words, sing them, memorize them, and hide them deep in your heart!