Psalm 8:3 - Printer Friendly

ESV: When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,

NIV: When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,

NASB: When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have set in place;

CSB: When I observe your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you set in place,

NLT: When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers — the moon and the stars you set in place —

KJV: When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;

NKJV: When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained,

It takes many millions of dollars to send astronauts into space and to place satellites into orbit around planets to photograph those distant marvels. However, scientists have only scratched the surface of outer space. Millions of stars, planets, and galaxies lie beyond man's present reach. However, as David noted in this verse, God created all the heavens as the work of His fingers, and He has put into orbit the moon and the stars.

When Abraham was alive, the Lord instructed Abraham to look at the heavens and number the stars, "if you are able to number them" (Genesis 15:5). He promised to give Abraham descendants as numerous as the stars. Our appreciation of God's majesty, wisdom, and power grows deeper if we take time during a clear, starry night to look up and scan the heavens. Pagans may worship the sun, moon, and stars, but their focus is poorly placed. It should be on the One who created all these heavenly bodies to give us further evidence that we ought to worship Him.

Psalm 8:3–9 parallels Genesis 2:8–15 in which God had provided abundantly for mankind and had given them dominion over all living creatures on the earth. Hebrews 2:5–9 applies this part of Psalm 8 to Jesus. He became a real human being on our behalf, and after His death for our sins, He arose from the dead and ascended to the right hand of God. Someday, He will sit upon the throne of David and hold dominion over the whole earth. What Adam lost by sinning, Jesus has restored by suffering (1 Corinthians 15:20–28).

In this psalm David reflects upon God's majesty that is displayed in the creation. The heavens declare God's glory. Against the backdrop of such glory, man seems insignificant, yet God chose man to rule the earth and all its creatures. By giving man this awesome responsibility, God has crowned him with glory and honor. The psalm has a messianic tone, because Jesus Christ became a little lower than the angels by becoming a human being. Someday, when Jesus rules the world, he will restore the dominion Adam lost. All nature, including all mankind, will submit to Jesus' rule. The psalm ends as it began with a declaration of the Lord's majestic name in all the earth.

This psalm is closely related to Genesis 1, which relates the account of God's creation of the heavens and the earth as well as every living thing. God's final creation, according to Genesis 1, was Adam and Eve, the first human beings, whom He created in His own image and placed in authority ''over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth'' (Genesis 1:28). Psalm 144:3 repeats Psalm 8:4, and Hebrews 2:5–9 applies Psalm 8:4–6 to Jesus. First Corinthians 15:45–47 names Adam as the first man, a man of dust, and refers to Jesus as the last Adam, a man from heaven.

The book of Psalms is composed of individual songs, hymns, or poems, each of which is a ''Psalm'' in and of itself. These works contain a wide variety of themes. Some Psalms focus on praising and worshipping God. Others cry out in anguish over the pain of life. Still other Psalms look forward to the coming of the Messiah. While some Psalms are related, each has its own historical and biblical context.

Accessed 11/21/2024 10:56:58 AM