“Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory in the heavens. Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger. When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor. You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet: all flocks and herds, and the animals of the wild, the birds in the sky, and the fish in the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas. Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!”—Psalm 8 (NIV) 

At the end of a meal at a restaurant. my uncle always used to say, “Take the leftovers home. We can make a nice sandwich!” There’s something about sandwiches Americans love. When reading this psalm, I couldn’t help but notice the first and last verses are identical, which sort of creates a sandwich. The two ends serve as the anchor, framework, and structure to hold what’s nestled in between—seven verses about the wonders of creation and mankind. Let’s dive into this sandwich!

David starts and ends by talking directly to the Lord, our Lord. The words he uses are “YHWH,” which is the proper name of the One True God, and “Adonai”, which puts us in relationship with the One True God as “our” Lord. His name is majestic, not just in Jerusalem and Israel but in all of the earth. How majestic is that?

Then David considers the heavens and the works of God’s hands. Starting with infants and children, who are weak and helpless, David remarks that God’s power, strength, and greatness are displayed. It’s just like God to use the weak to demonstrate His strength (1 Corinthians 1:27). 

Moving on to think about the rest of God’s creation—the magnificence of the moon and the stars, the perfect balance in the ecosystems, the order throughout nature, the vastness of the universe—all of it proclaims the majesty of God’s name, YHWH. In that detailed and vast context and with all of the complexities of the universe to take care of, “what are mere mortals that [God] should think about them, human beings that [God] should care for them?” (Psalm 8:4 NLT). It’s mind-blowing and almost unbelievable! The implication is that we’re nothing compared to the vastness of all God has made.

And yet He crowns us with glory and honor. He created us to rule. He made us a little lower than angels. “Elohim” is Hebrew for angels, which is another name for God Himself and indicates that human beings were made in God’s image. And rather than being subjected to the power, might, and vastness of the universe, as image bearers, we’re designed to rule over everything in it. This is language from Genesis 1 when God created everything perfectly and orderly. His design and intentionality has not changed. But let me caution that we’re not to rule like a dictator—the intention here is for us to be stewards like an owner or a caretaker.

The image of God in us has power. God is the King of kings and the Lord of lords and yet He shares some of His authority with us. He, being Almighty YHWH, could snap His fingers and cause us all to submit to His leadership. Instead, He cares for us and invites us into His care and stewardship of the earth, because He desires a relationship with us. In fact, He came down from heaven, leaving His throne, and was born as a weak and helpless infant in a feeding trough. Does that language sound familiar? His human birth truly demonstrates His greatness and strength. 

Let our consideration of the heavens and other humans cause us to marvel at the majesty of the name of the Lord our Lord.

Pause: What does it mean to be a steward of what God has given you? Are there any opportunities you have to be a better steward?

Practice: Tonight, go for a walk after dark and look up at the sky. How many stars can you count? Look at the moon and think about how it hangs there in the night sky. Consider the works of God throughout the heavens, and thank Him for everything you see.

Pray: Oh Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all of the earth. When I look at the stars, when I observe nature, when I see the smiles on my friends and families’ faces, I marvel at the wonders of You! Thank You for showing us Your power and Your character. Thank You for sharing Your authority with me. Help me to steward like You do as You build Your kingdom here on earth. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen