In an earlier posting, the use of parallelism by the authors of the Psalms was noted. Psalm 8.1 is another example of that literary device:
"How majestic is your name in all the earth,
Who have displayed Your splendor above the heavens!"
First, let’s look at the two words majestic and splendor. At first sight, we might think these terms are synonymous. Yet, that is not the case. Actually, name and splendor are the synonyms, or, parallel terms.
Majestic has the sense of broadness or loftiness. So, throughout the earth, the name of God can be discerned. What further proof do we need in order to see that "name" implies more than an identifying tag. We know "the name" of God through the revelation of that name in Scripture. We can know about God’s name, his character, by considering the natural world.
Paul stated, "that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made."
Now, God’s love and grace are not expressed or known through the created order. Those are known, in their highest expression, through the Son. As John stated the case, "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. . . grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ."
Paul clearly stated that what has been shown to the human race is the "eternal power and divine nature" of God. In other words, the loftiness of God, his wide, unfathomable nature. While school boards and faculty councils debate the relative merits of the theory of evolution over against the theory of intelligent design, Scripture simply affirms that in creation, God has expressed a certain part of his character in order that human beings might place the proper value on themselves. God is the one who is charge, he is the magnificent one. So, this Psalm poses a sobering question. Having considered God’s majesty, David asked, "What is man, that you give him even a thought?"
David and Paul agreed: one need only consider the complex beauty of the natural world to know of God’s existence. Further, one can see, in the vastness of the heavens, more proof of God’s great name. Splendor can mean the light and glory God wears as a king. Thus, the splendor of God which is above the heavens, is visible for those who would see it. His splendor is "above the heavens" not in a spatial way, in the sense of being over or on top of, but in a transcendent way. God’s splendor is of greater significance than the heavens. When one looks at the stars, one sees beauty that points to a greater reality. The sun, moon, planets, stars, and galaxies are merely expressions of the power and divine nature of God.
The Tower of Babel was a testimony to mankind’s over-estimation of himself. In building that edifice of egotistical delight, the people declared, "Let us make for ourselves a name, otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth." Those ancient architects sought to establish their own power in order to define their own destiny. Sadly, the Lord was left out of their calculations.
How shallow and vain we are in our worship when we are concerned only for our temporary, physical comfort and well-being. Isaiah "saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple." What do we "see" when we worship the Lord? Do we see the "majesty of His Name?"
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