Journey Through The Scriptures
Psalms of Praise and Worship
Lesson 1: God's Awesome Majesty
(Scripture to Read: Psalm 8:19)
Psalm 8 begins and ends by ascribing to God the highest praise, and thus is a wonderful psalm with which to begin this study. In verses 1 and 9 the writer, identified in the superscript as King David, used the personal name of God that God gave to Moses at the burning bush (Exodus 3:14) – Yahweh, the God of Israel’s covenant. God’s majestic name is wonderfully appropriate to this psalm. God is personal in His interaction with His creation, being mindful of mankind and caring for us. He is also the Master of His creation who rules over all.
The psalm begins by declaring how majestic God’s name is. Then it moves from earth to heaven, from God to His people, and back again. We are to have a childlike sense of awe and wonder when it comes to the display of God’s glory. His great love for mankind is shown in that He cared enough to place us just underneath the angels in terms of rank in creation. Verse 9 ends the psalm the way it started, extolling the Lord’s majesty.
Study Questions
- Why did God ordain that His praise would come from the lips of children and infants?
- Why is the author in such awe of God’s creation?
- How can we tell from this psalm that God loves mankind more than all His earthly creations?
- What comfort can we find in the name of God (Yahweh) mentioned above?
Something to Think About
Are you in awe of God’s greatness when you look up at the stars? It is both exhilarating and humbling to realize that we are the object of God’s tender affection and care. Let us take a lesson from the children and cultivate a childlike sense of wonder at the things of God.
