Purpose: To affirm what it means to be crowned with glory and honor.
Think about the most beautiful, awe-inspiring sight of nature that you have ever seen. Does the vastness of our universe or the mind-boggling intricacies of nature cause you to wonder about our position or worth within the context of all creation?
How would you describe the position of human beings in creation? Where exactly do we fit into God’s scheme?
Have there been any events in your life that have caused you to realize your worth in God’s eyes? Or any that have caused you to question your worth?
There is a lot of talk these days about the value of "self-worth"; that each and every person has an inherent value and worth. Are we all worthy of praise and privilege simply because of our existence?
What gives me worth? What am I worth to God? Today’s lesson will encourage humble self-understanding, but will also encourage our acknowledgment of being the crown of God’s creation. Learning to balance these two points of knowledge will assure us of our self-worth and give our lives meaning.
How do we honor God as the creator of our world and life?
O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. Out of the mouth of babes and infants, you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger.
(Psa 8:1-2 ESV)
From "Adult Bible Studies: Student":
Our Bible lesson starts out as a psalm that offers praise and glory to God. God created "the heavens" (Psalm 8:2). That alone is reason enough for us to praise God and offer to God the majesty and "official dignity" that God so richly deserves. Everything that is started with God, and everything continues only because of God. God created and God reigns. For us with eyes to see, all creation manifests the greatness and the glory of God.
Does God "need" to hear our words of praise? Probably not. I cannot imagine God saying, "I wish someone would say that I rock!" Thus, the first important truth this psalm offers to us is not that God needs our praise but that we need to offer to God our praise and worship. We need to say to God, "How majestic you are!" As we race in our daily lives to celebrate our position and privilege, it is important that we acknowledge that our wealth and possessions and talents and achievements are finally part of God’s good creation.
That is the point the psalmist makes: as we look at the stars and as we hear the sound of children, we learn that creation is an activity and expression of God. Even God’s name is "majestic" (Psalm 8:1). As we contemplate what goes on without our power or even our knowledge. (How many creatures have been hatched or born already today?), there should well up within us the desire to honor and glorify the One who is in charge of all that is and was and ever will be. As we wonder about our place in the universe and our value and worth on this earth, it is helpful first to understand Who it is who has created all that is and Who establishes our place in this incredible existence.
When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.
(Psa 8:3-5 ESV)
Does our mere existence make us deserving of being crowned with glory and honor?
What is it about man that God is mindful of him?
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
(Gen 1:27 ESV)
And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.
(Gen 1:31 ESV)
God created "very good" humans. What happened?
The "very good" humans acted very badly. They were rebellious and disobedient and lied to God to try to cover up their disobedience. What was the consequence of their sins?
Banishment from the garden, pain in childbirth, hard labor just to survive.
Did sin and it’s consequences in any way destroy or diminish God’s love for His creatures?
From The United Methodist Book of Worship, "The Great Thanksgiving" for use during Lent:
"When we had fallen into sin and became subject to evil and death, your love remained steadfast."
So what is it about us that makes God mindful of us and care for us?
It’s not about us! Human beings continually break covenant with God and rebel against God’s will. Yet God’s love always stands firm. God is mindful of us and cares for us because God’s nature is Love. The phrase "steadfast love" occurs many times in the Psalms. Turn to Psalm 136 and count how many times the phrase "for His steadfast love endures forever" appears.
What has caused us to be "crowned with glory and honor"?
How have we earned it? What have we done to deserve it?
It is out of love that God crowns us with glory and honor. We do not deserve this; we cannot earn it. It is gift of love and like all gifts, we can only receive it.
What are some ways that we, in our daily lives, experience God’s steadfast love?
I like to think that every breath is a blessing. God breathed into a handful of dust in the beginning and humans are still breathing in and out several times a minute. God’s gift of life, the world around us, the relationships that give this life meaning and purpose, the forgiveness that heals and frees us. The ways we continue to experience God’s love are countless and continual.
And undeserved.
You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas. O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
(Psa 8:6-9 ESV)
And God blessed them. And God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth." And God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food." And it was so.
(Gen 1:28-30 ESV)
What is the difference between "dominion" and "domination"?
While "dominion" and "domination" come from the same root word, there is a world of difference in their meanings.
How would you define "dominion" as it is used in this passage from Psalm 8?
To exercise "dominion" over God’s creatures is to treat them with respect and care. We are, in a sense, partners with God; we are to be good stewards of what God has entrusted us.
From "Adult Bible Studies: Teacher":
Perhaps it is human nature that freedom can be taken as license to do whatever we please. In his letter to the Galatians, Paul argued against Christians who believed they were no longer bound to the Jewish law. Because they were "free" through Christ, they reasoned that they could do anything they wanted. Paul argued strenuously that freedom in Christ is freedom to fulfill the law, the good and holy will of God (Galatians 5). Freedom and responsibility are inseperable.
When it comes to creatures over which God has given us dominion, we can use our power responsibly or irresponsibly. We can exploit the earth’s living resources by killing the members of a species until it reaches extinction, or by obliterating forests for their lumber, or by killing marine life through pollution of rivers and lakes.
There is no doubt that we have the power to do these things, but do we have the right? Psalm 8 reminds us that our power over creation and its creatures is God given. Therefore we must exercise our power in ways consistent with God’s intention for creation. As partners with God, we are called to find ways to enhance, preserve, and appropriately us God’s gift of creation. Exploitation and domination have no place in our relationship with creation.
The title of this lesson is "God Made Us Special". Our uniqueness is both a gift and responsibility. We are created to be God’s partners in caring for God’s creation. This means we have a unique responsibility to exercise our care of creation in good and responsible ways.
What are some examples of responsible dominion?
Let’s go back now to verse 3 and imagine the psalmist wandering out into the star-filled night and contemplating the mysteries of the universe. Is this immense sky full of far-flung stars any less awe-inspiring today than it was to this primitive psalm writer?
Can’t you just imagine thinking: "with a sky so immeasurable and stars so innumerable, what does human life matter?"
Are we lost in the immensity of the stars? All the preoccupations that daily accompany us seem tiny compared with the endless sky. We ourselves may feel tiny and insignificant.
Have our advances in science, physics, and astronomy made our universe seem any smaller than to the Psalm writer?
Actually the opposite has happened. The more we learn about our universe and world the larger it seems. We have discovered vast galaxies long hidden from our sight. Astronomers will tell us that what we now know to exist is only a small fraction of what actually is. Most matter is, in fact not visible at all, "dark matter" floating in the emptiness of space or hidden in black holes.
That psalm writer thought that what he could see was all there was and was overwhelmed by what he could see. It’s not only the heavens that dizzy us with thoughts of our own diminutive stature. Look at the world around us. How much do we know about this earth and the life on it?
Look at these headlines:
"New Shark Species Found in Sea of Cortez" March 4, 2006, Los Angeles Times.
"New Species found On Great Barrier Reef" Feb. 28, 2006, The Age.
"Science Team Finds Lost World." Beb. 7, 2006, BBC News.
An international team of scientists says it has found a "lost world" in the Indonesian jungle that is home to dozens of new animal and plant species. "It's as close to the Garden of Eden as you're going to find on Earth," said Bruce Beehler, co-leader of the group. The team recorded new butterflies, frogs, and a series of remarkable plants that included five new palms and a giant rhododendron flower. The survey also found a honeyeater bird that was previously unknown to science.
"New Large Mammal Species in Vietnam", "New Whale Species Announced By Japanese Scientists." "Three New Species of Lemurs Identified." And these are from just the first half page of a "Google" search.
Who are we in this amazing world we live in? What is our place? What is our worth?
We do not and we can not know who or what human beings are without reference to God. There are innumerable galaxies of stars, new species discovered every day. Our earth contains species as small as one-celled amoebas and bacteria that constantly mutate and change to whales that exceed 150 tons. There are waters so deep that to date we have not been capable of developing equipment durable enough to withstand the pressures to send equipment or people down to explore. It’s a pretty safe bet that we’ll never explore all of the heavens. And yet, in all of this only one was created in "His image". That cannot be said about any other living creature or inanimate object. We are the ones about whom God is "mindful". What is "mindful"? We are constantly on God’s mind. God thinks about us. Every one of us. We are the ones about whom God "cares".
What have we done to deserve such mindfulness and caring?
Are we such fascinating creatures that God sees a need to contemplate us and care for us?
It’s not about us! It’s all God’s gracious love.
How do we respond to this gracious mindfulness and care?
Quote from A. W. Tozer:
"If a poll should be taken to name the six greatest men in the world and our names would not be included, we would still have the same privileges in God’s world that they have! We can breathe God’s beautiful air, look at His blue sky, gaze into a never-ending array of stars in the night sky. We can stand upon the hard earth and stamp our little feet - and our big feet, too - and know that it will sustain us. We are as much a part of the human race as the greatest men and women."
How can maintain a healthy focus on our worth to God?
The psalm writer seemed amazed at the thought that God would entrust us with dominion over His creation. How can we take this responsibility seriously today?
What are some examples that we can point out of human dominion being carried out properly?
What are some examples that we can point out of human domination?
What does this psalm teach us about man?
What does this psalm teach us about God?
