What Are Human Beings?
Douglas Scalise, Brewster Baptist Church
Psalm 8
I know the calendar says that summer doesn’t officially begin for several more weeks, but for me, summer runs from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day weekend. For the summer, I am going to be preaching from the Book of Psalms, which is the prayer and song book of the Bible. I will share more background about Psalms the next time I preach. Psalm 8 is a hymn of praise to God whose glory and majesty are seen throughout the earth. It also speaks of the place of human beings in relationship to God and the universe.
[powerpress]
1 O Lord, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.
2 Out of the mouths of babes and infants you have founded a bulwark because of your foes, to silence the enemy and the avenger.
3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars that you have established;
4 what are human beings that you are mindful of them,
mortals that you care for them?
5 Yet you have made them a little lower than God,
and crowned them with glory and honor.
6 You have given them dominion over the works of your hands;
you have put all things under their feet,
7 all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field,
8 the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea,
whatever passes along the paths of the seas.
9 O Lord, our Sovereign,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!”
The cover of the December 2009 issue of National Geographic, featured a stunning backdrop of a sky billowing with stars with the words, “Are We Alone?”
“Searching the Heavens for Another Earth,” reads the subtitle, and the article inside details the scientific search for Earth-like planets outside our solar system, planets that might be able to sustain life. The author of Psalm 8 stands under the same sky ablaze with stars and asks a different, but related, question: “What are human beings?” Keenly aware of God’s presence, the psalmist does not wonder whether humanity is alone. The author wonders instead how the God who created the heavens and set the stars in their courses could have any regard at all for mere human beings: “When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established; what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them?”
Driving home from Fine Arts Night at Nauset High School on Thursday the large waning moon was playing hide and seek with the clouds over Town Cove in Orleans and it was just so beautiful and it made me think again about these verses from Psalm 8. Confronted with the vastness and timelessness of the night sky, the psalmist knows his or her own insignificance. How much more should we wonder at our place in the world and the cosmos, we who have delved into some of the mysteries of that sky more than the psalmist could have ever imagined thanks to the Hubble Telescope, for example? The magnitude of the Milky Way galaxy, let alone the universe, boggles the mind. To take a smaller example, if one were to scale down the size of the Solar System so that the Sun was the size of a tennis ball, the Earth would be the size of a grain of sand about 27 feet away. And the next nearest star to the Sun would be more than 1400 miles away (or using this scale, a little south of Orlando, Florida)! The Milky Way itself is 100,000 light years across, and is only one of billions of galaxies, each containing billions of stars!
“What are human beings?” Faced with such knowledge of the vastness of the universe, the answer seems to be, “pretty insignificant.” The psalmist, however, gives no such answer. Instead, he writes, “Yet you have made them a little lower than God (or ‘the gods’ or ‘the heavenly beings’), and crowned them with glory and honor. You have given them dominion over the works of your hands.” Like Genesis 1, the psalmist proclaims the similarity of humanity to the divine. Humanity is given a place in the cosmos only a little lower than the divine beings. People are given dominion over the rest of the works of God’s hands: animals, domestic and wild, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, even “whatever passes along the paths of the sea.” God has placed “all things under humanity’s feet,” a manner of speaking used in the ancient Near East to describe the rule of kings. It is a bold statement and a great and sobering responsibility, perhaps even a dangerous one given the effects of short-sighted human greed and carelessness on this rare and beautiful planet as we are witnessing in an especially terrible way in the Gulf of Mexico right now.
Sometimes when I am in a darker or more pessimistic mood, I reflect on the wars, violence, bloodshed, depravity, and stupidity reflected throughout all human history up to and including the present and I think the human race resembles nothing more than a growing swarm of locusts that are using up and laying waste to the earth and to each other. The thought depresses me and I feel like Bildad, one of Job’s so called friends, who said, humanity is “a maggot…a worm!” (Job 25:6). The philosopher Blaise Pascal wrote, I presume when he wasn’t having a good day either: “What a mystery, then is man! What a novelty; what a monster; what a chaos, what a subject of contradiction; what a prodigy!
A judge of all things, stupid worm of the earth; depository of truth, sink of uncertainty and error; glory and refuse of the universe!”[1]
Psalm 8 lifts us up from depressing thoughts about humanity – whether our own or someone else’s. Looking at the beauty of the moon and the night sky and thinking of Psalm 8 helps to restore our perspective by reminding us both of the vastness and timelessness of God and the universe and the call of God for us to live for a higher lasting purpose. Psalm 8 is a hymn of praise reminding us we are called to a higher destiny than merely consuming and ravaging everything in our path like locusts. Psalm 8 espouses a high view of humanity yet that view is grounded in, it begins and ends with, praise of God: “O LORD, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” The psalm begins and ends with the same refrain. Such praise puts into perspective where honor is due. We are made in God’s image. We are given a very exalted place, indeed. But we are not God. Our proper duty is to praise and serve the Creator. It is just such a sentiment that may lie behind the obscure language of verse 2 which is very hard to translate: “Out of the mouths of babes and infants you have founded a bulwark [literally, ‘strength’ or praise] because of your foes, to silence the enemy and the avenger.” In other words, praise of God guards against evil. The praise even of infants exalts God and silences the enemy. Praise and thanks are the proper response to the precious gift of life that God has given us all.
The Book of Psalms is one of the three Old Testament pillars on which the New Testament rests. It is one of the three most quoted books along with Isaiah and Deuteronomy. Jesus quotes verse 2 in Matthew 21:16 at the end of what we call Palm Sunday. After Jesus enters Jerusalem, he goes into the temple and drives out all who are buying and selling and overturns the tables of the money changers. Matthew 21:14-16 says, “The blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he cured them. But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the amazing things that he did, and heard the children crying out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they became angry and said to him, “Do you hear what these are saying?” Jesus said to them, “Yes; have you never read, ‘Out of the mouths of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise for yourself’?”
Jesus responds to their criticism by quoting from their own prayer book, Psalm 8:2, a verse to remind them of even children’s heartfelt and authentic need and desire to praise God which needs to be honored and not disrespected.
Psalm 8 also teaches us that part of how we praise God is by taking seriously the great responsibility that comes with exercising stewardship or “dominion” of the earth. The same creatures over whom humanity is given dominion in Psalm 8 are listed in Psalm 148 as those called upon to praise the Lord. Wild and domestic animals, sea creatures, birds, all are exhorted to sing “hallelujah,” along with sun, moon, and stars, mountains and hills, fruit trees and cedars, and people of every age and social level. Praise of God is not only the proper duty of human beings, but also the proper duty of every created being. But humanity has interfered with that praise. “The heavens declare the glory of God,” says Psalm 19:1, but not as clearly when the heavens are filled with smog and light pollution. When we interfere with the ability of creation to praise its Maker, we sin against Creator and creature alike.
“What are human beings?” The composer of Psalm 8 gazes at the vast night sky ablaze with stars, and feels an altogether proper humility. The psalmist also, however, knows the special regard God has for humanity and the great responsibility God gives humanity. Such knowledge of the place of humanity in creation leads to praise: “O Lord, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” God’s name certainly seems majestic on Cape Cod in the beauty of late spring as the leaves are out, different flowers and trees have been blooming in their turn, the alewives have returned, the stripers are running, the light grows longer each day, and the birds start singing their songs before 5:00 am.
O Lord, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth!”
Notice that it is “our” and not “my,” just as in the Lord’s Prayer it is “Our” Father, not “my” Father. In both cases this is because these verses came to be used by groups of people to express their praise and their prayers. If you ask the moon and the stars what are human beings, they would respond, “Something incredibly puny and insignificant.” God’s answer is, “A creature of mine a little less than divine.” The question for us is can we try to live each day as if we truly believe that.
Psalm 8 and Memorial Day which will be observed tomorrow both make me think of the saying, “Yesterday is history, tomorrow a mystery, today is a gift, that is why we call it the present.” I have already done 11 memorial services this year and several were for men like Ed Mann, George Robbins, Jack Greenwood, and Hollis Davis who had been in the service during World War II or the Korean War. They were all able to return home and live long lives. On Memorial Day we will pause and remember those men and women who were not blessed to grow old but whose lives ended too soon in the service of their country, in the service of something higher than just personal happiness. This weekend a milestone was reached – 1,000 American service personnel have now died in Afghanistan. Six were still teenagers; the oldest man was 59 years old. 18 of the dead were women. Very few were famous like Pat Tillman who played professional football for the Arizona Cardinals. Most were known just to their loved ones and friends and in their hometowns, but each life is a story that ended too soon, each person unique and yet the same in their sacrifice.
Memorial Day is a time to remember just how precious the gift of life is and Psalm 8 is an encouragement to us not to forget that the God who created a universe – the order and size of which literally staggers the imagination – also genuinely cares for each of us and God grieves with every family that has lost a loved one in war or other ways.
Just as many who have died in war did so in order that others might live so did Jesus. Psalm 8 is referenced several times in the New Testament including 1 Corinthians 15:27 and Hebrews 2:6-18 and both references speak of Jesus willingly choosing to suffer and die so that death and the fear it creates might be defeated. Hebrews 2:14b-15 says, “He himself likewise shared the same things, so that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by the fear of death.”
I close with this final thought about Psalm 8 – if you look closely there is not a single request or petition or “please give me,” it is all praise. It runs from heavenly bodies to tiny babies, from all the animals and birds and creatures of the sea to the words of little children – all praising God The psalm itself is the result of a person looking at a moonlit, star-filled sky and wondering with awe, what are human beings in the face of all that? The answer is we are made a little lower than God and that is something to live up to and to praise God for each day.
As you are leaving today, the Worship Welcomers have a little something for you to help remind you of the gift of life you have been given; to encourage you to think of your connection with God and seeing each day you have on this earth as a gift. It is two pieces of ribbon tied together. You can put it where you will see it each day. Use it as a bookmark in your Bible or a book you are reading as a visual reminder that every day is a precious gift to be unwrapped and enjoyed and savored. Everyone loves to receive gifts – every day you have is a gift – the fun ones and the hard ones, the joyful days and the sad days – everyone is unique and a once in a lifetime experience that we have from God and with God and for which we are to praise God, whose majesty fills the earth and the universe.
Blessing Ephesians 1:17-22
17 I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, 18 so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power. 20 God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. 22 And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.”
A few Psalm 8 references in the New Testament
Hebrews 2:6-18
6 But someone has testified somewhere,
“What are human beings that you are mindful of them,
or mortals, that you care for them?
7 You have made them for a little while lower than the angels;
you have crowned them with glory and honor,
8 subjecting all things under their feet.”
Now in subjecting all things to them, God left nothing outside their control. As it is, we do not yet see everything in subjection to them, 9 but we do see Jesus, who for a little while was made lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
10 It was fitting that God, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings. 11 For the one who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one Father. For this reason Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters, 12 saying,
“I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters,
in the midst of the congregation I will praise you.”
13 And again, “I will put my trust in him.”
And again,
“Here am I and the children whom God has given me.”
14 Since, therefore, the children share flesh and blood, he himself likewise shared the same things, so that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by the fear of death. 16 For it is clear that he did not come to help angels, but the descendants of Abraham. 17 Therefore he had to become like his brothers and sisters in every respect, so that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the people. 18 Because he himself was tested by what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested.”
Psalm 8 is referenced in 1 Corinthians 15:25-27 where Paul uses it to say that God has made even death subject to or under the power of Christ. “For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For “God has put all things in subjection under his feet.”
[1] Blaise Pascal, Thoughts, section 3, no. 206.