HOW
MAJESTIC IS YOUR NAME . . . - Some simply run past this phrase as synonymous
with "Lord," which appears in the first line. But what does that mean? "Your
Name in all the earth"? The Hebrew word translated, "name" denotes character
and essence; everything in the world gives evidence of God’s sovereign
activity.
SHIFT AND CONTRAST - If you’re counting, the five preceding psalms have
been of the kind, "Get me out of this jam!" But now with Psalm 8 we have a
hymn-the first to appear in Psalms-that celebrates the majestic nature of
God’s name in all the earth and the dignity and distinctive place that humans
hold as earth’s inhabitants.
DISTINCTIONS IN THE PSALM - As mentioned, this is the first hymn or song of
praise to appear; also, while other hymnal pieces seek to draw the
reader/listener into praise by providing specific reasons for praise (e.g. For
the LORD is faithful . . .), here we stay in the second person singular-"You"
and speak directly to God. A recent distinction has Psalm 8 as part of our
space exploration history. This psalm was the first biblical text to reach the
moon, when the Apollo 11 mission left a silicon disc containing messages from
seventy-three nations, including the Vatican, which contributed the text of
this psalm. What an appropriate text for astronauts and space exploration! [1]
You have given them
dominion over the works of your hands (v. 6). It is remarkable that God
entrusts human beings with a major role in the care of the earth. Following
the Franciscan model of faithfulness in action, write down five things you can
do this week to lovingly care for your home and garden, your city and the
earth and the sky. [2]
Try . . . to perceive the connection-even physical and natural-which binds
your labor with the building of the kingdom of heaven. -Pierre Teilhard de
Chardin
This psalm is framed by
the proclamation of God’s sovereignty and at the center of the structure is
the question of human sovereignty in light of God’s.
Begin with Walter Brueggemann’s claim that "the crucial interpretative move
is to hold the boundaries and the center together." Talk about God’s
sovereignty apart from any partnership with us is to deny our real
participation and thus, responsibility for the care of the earth and its
inhabitants. On the other hand, talk about humanity as the center and we deny
God’s sovereignty. Our lesser sovereignties are derivative, not original.
Dominion without recognition of God’s claim on us and on the earth becomes
evil domination. To leave God out of the partnership invites disaster. We
already have too much ecological evidence of polluted streams and depletion of
the ozone and fossil fuels to know where that path leads when we dominate
outside the partnership of God.
So allow your meditation on this psalm to recognize the spheres of freedom
within a partnership that when in proper alignment, will continue to make
God’s name majestic in all the earth. [3]
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[1] NASA News Release No. 69-83F (July 1969), referenced in NIB IV, page
710.
[2] Spiritual Formation Bible (Zondervan: 1999), page 698.
[3] This idea for a homily is taken from NIB IV, page 712.
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