Message: Look Up! / Psalm 8

 
O LORD, our Sovereign,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!
  You have set your glory above the heavens.
 Out of the mouths of babes and infants
    you have founded a bulwark because of your foes,
    to silence the enemy and the avenger.
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?
Yet you have made them a little lower than God,
    and crowned them with glory and honour.
You have given them dominion over the works of your hands;
    you have put all things under their feet,
all sheep and oxen,
    and also the beasts of the field,
    the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea,
    whatever passes along the paths of the seas.
 O LORD, our Sovereign,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!
 
Psalm 8 is one of the most beautiful hymns in the entire Book of Psalms. It poetically expresses what God’s creation means to humanity. But here’s an interesting question: why is this hymn about creation not placed at the very beginning of the Psalms but instead positioned as the 8th? The Psalms before it focus on asking for God’s protection and salvation, mentioning enemies and the wicked. Why, then, were the Psalms arranged in this way?


Many scholars suggest that deep theological reflection on creation among the ancient Israelites began during the Babylonian exile. Of course, they already believed in God as the Creator, but their theology of creation flourished, ironically, during a period of chaos, emptiness, and darkness.


In ancient times, wars between nations were seen as battles between gods. For this reason, when Israel was defeated by Babylon, the people of Israel were in tremendous shock. The temple, believed to be God’s dwelling place, was destroyed, and the walls they thought would protect them forever had fallen. Moreover, when they arrived in Babylon as captives, they felt overwhelmed as they saw the luxurious and grand architecture of the enormous city.


What made them even more despairing was the empire’s religious belief system, which justified their oppression. The Babylonian creation story claimed that the entire universe was the result of violence between the gods. According to their myth, Marduk, the chief god of Babylon, killed Tiamat, the goddess of the sea, and used her divided body to create the heavens and the earth. Marduk then killed Kingu, his adversary, and made humans from his blood mixed with clay. In this story, humans were merely slaves, created to do the gods' labour. Moreover, the Babylonian king was seen as the representative of Marduk, the only one on earth bearing the image of this powerful deity. This creation myth served to establish a worldview in which the world was based on violence and competition, and humans were compelled to accept their fate as slaves.


In this chaotic, empty, and dark experience, the Israelites felt helpless and broken. They faced mockery, shame, and discrimination in the foreign land, which stripped them of their dignity. In such a hopeless situation, they began to ask themselves deep, painful questions: “Why should we suffer? Why do we exist in a world filled with only misery, pain, and despair? What is our purpose in life?”


In those terrible moments, when they felt surrounded by threats on every side, some of them looked up to the sky and found God there. The first verses of Genesis describe it as follows: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form (chaos) and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters” (Genesis 1:1-2 / ESV).


When they looked up, there was God, who was ‘hovering’ over them. Even though they were captives in deep chaos, emptiness, and darkness, God had never abandoned them. Just as a mother bird watches over her young, God was watching over them. Baby birds in the nest may feel scared and confused when their mother isn’t in sight, but that doesn’t mean she does not exist. The mother bird is still hovering nearby, keeping watch, sometimes calling out to let them know she’s near.


Over the chaotic, empty, and dark surface of the deep, God spoke: “Let there be light.” This voice awakened the captives who were sinking into the endless depths. It was a call to lift them up. God saw that the light was good because it reminded everyone of the meaning of existence as God’s creation. It showed that the world was created not through violence, but with beauty and goodness. This light confirmed that humans were not slaves to gods or kings, but partners with the Creator, entrusted to care for God’s beautiful creation with freedom and love.


The psalmist of today’s Psalm saw this light. His gaze moved beyond his grim reality and looked up to the heavens. Through the moon and countless stars in the sky, he experienced the presence of God. At that moment, he realized that the Creator of the vast universe also cared for all human beings. Scholars suggest that the Hebrew word for “human beings” (enos) in Psalm 8 could derive from the original meaning “to be weak.” This fits well with the message of the Psalm: compared to the grand scale of the universe, humans are so tiny and vulnerable.


Our Earth is one of eight planets in the solar system. Our solar system is part of the Milky Way galaxy, which contains about 100 to 400 billion stars like the Sun. The Milky Way has a diameter of 100,000 light-years, meaning it takes light 100,000 years to travel across it. Moreover, there are at least 100 billion galaxies like this in the universe.


In such an immense universe, humans are like specks of dust. Yet, the psalmist praised God for being mindful of and caring for every single person. As he gazed at the work of God in the sky, he reflected on himself and realized that the God of the universe was the same God who formed him in his mother’s womb, knew the number of hairs on his head, and assured him by saying, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire, you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you” (Isaiah 43:2). Then, the psalmist exclaimed: “O LORD, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” He came to understand that our God is the God of all and the Ruler over all. In this sense, the structure of the Psalms is dramatic. The strong pleas for deliverance from the traps set by enemies and the wicked culminate in the 7th Psalm, and finally, in the 8th Psalm, we encounter a hymn of praise to God, the Sovereign who rules over the entire universe.


However, it is important to note that God’s dominion differs from the violent, oppressive rule of earthly kings. After entering the Promised Land, the Hebrews had no king for a time. However, as time passed, they desired a king like those of other nations. Through Samuel, God warned them that, unlike God who liberated the Hebrews from slavery, the king they wanted would oppress them, take their land, and exploit their labour, saying, “You shall be his slaves” (1 Samuel 8:1-18). In this regard, the “foes, enemies, and avengers” in today’s psalm refer to those oppressive rulers who reject God’s way of creation and liberation.


The meaning of “dominion over the works of God’s hands” is to work and care for creation, making it more beautiful as God's steward. That is our calling and our ministry. When all human beings strive for this mission, there will be true unity, peace, harmony, justice, and love. Therefore, whenever you face questions about the purpose and meaning of life, set aside what you are doing and take a moment to look up to the sky, which is full of God’s light, giving you hope and courage.


Jesus Christ is the One who shows us God’s light. He empowers those in chaos, emptiness, and darkness to lift their eyes to heaven. To those who despair, Christ encourages them to see our God hovering above. To lift the heads of those who are overwhelmed by the shadows of the world, Jesus gave his body and blood on the cross at Golgotha, becoming the eternal bread and wine for us.


Today, as we celebrate World Communion Sunday, we share in Christ’s bread and cup, remembering the care of Creator God and our mission as God’s stewards. Christians all around the world are gathering at the communion table today to bring light to those in chaos, emptiness, and darkness due to the challenges they face, such as illness, economic hardship, war, or the environmental crisis. May all the churches of the world be places that reveal God’s heaven to those who have forgotten to look up.


Thanks be to God. Amen.

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