I consider the 2 most basic questions of each human are “Who am I?” and “Who’re you?” We always ask these inquiries to ourselves and others. This was the case even earlier than the Fall: the primary query was answered by God (Gen. 1:26-27), and the second query was raised and answered by man (Adam): “This finally is bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh” (Gen. 2:23).[1] As Genesis illustrates, these ontological questions have at all times been probably the most basic inquiry of humanity. To place it otherwise, to be human is to establish—an infinite quest of figuring out self and others.
There are two methods to reply these creaturely questions: God’s approach or one other approach, and our selection will lead us down completely different paths. In Genesis 3, the serpent’s questions sound like this: “Who’re you, Eve? No, not what God says. Who’re you actually? What are you able to? Who do you actually need to be?” By questioning what God truly mentioned, the serpent stirred Eve’s coronary heart to query God’s goodness and authority. Consequently, she tried to re-identify herself—her energy, autonomy, and everlasting glory. This selection of self-worship, together with Adam’s cooperation, modified the identification and future of humanity.
“O LORD, Our Lord”: God’s Power in Our Weak point
As we see in Psalm 8, David had the identical questions as Adam and Eve, and maybe the identical need as they did: energy, autonomy, and glory. As a substitute of looking for these or the reply to the questions, nonetheless, David praised God first (vv. 1-2);
O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your identify in all of the earth!
You may have set your glory above the heavens.
Out of the mouth of infants and infants,
you may have established power due to your foes,
to nonetheless the enemy and the avenger.
To David, who God is issues greater than who I’m, as a result of energy and authority belong to the Lord. If we are able to select between power and weak spot, all of us would select to be robust “to nonetheless the enemy and the avenger.” Our Creator, nonetheless, establishes power “out of the mouth of infants and infants.” This is without doubt one of the core ideas of who we’re: we’re robust once we are weak. Jesus taught His disciples to be servants—to be the least to be the best (Matt. 23:11, Luke 9:48), and He set a mannequin of God-glorifying weak spot to interrupt the stronghold of demise (Phil. 2:5-8). God usually solutions our prayers for power by saying, “My grace is enough for you, for my energy is made good in weak spot” (2 Cor. 12:9).
Once we search power, we develop into weak identical to Adam and Eve. Once we search God who is robust, nonetheless, we develop into robust although we’re weak.[2] On the core of our identification is God’s power.
“Once I Take a look at Your Heavens”: God’s Conscious Take care of the Weak
Within the following verses (vv. 3-4), David continued his reward of the Lord:
Once I take a look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the celebrities, which you may have set in place,
what’s man that you’re conscious of him,
and the son of man that you take care of him?
When David appeared as much as the sky, he couldn’t assist however ask God a query: “What’s man? What’s the son of man?” In comparison with the wondrous creation, he feels small and unworthy. Nonetheless, he knew that his Creator was conscious of him and cared for him. Similar to all issues within the created world, David was absolutely identified by God (“For he is aware of our body, he remembers that we’re mud.” Ps. 103:14), and such thorough information was the inspiration of God’s conscious look after him. Based mostly on his understanding of the Lord, David’s questions led to an acknowledgment of God’s full information of him and intimate look after him.
Once we search autonomy (self-care) mindlessly and carelessly, we lose the conscious care of our Creator. Once we search God who cares for us, we are cared for by our loving Father. On the core of our identification is God’s care and mindfulness of us.
“Topped Him with Glory and Honor”: God’s Final Present of Sacrifice
After elevating a rhetorical query, David guides his readers to the climax of his reward to the Lord (vv. 5-8):
But you may have made him somewhat decrease than the heavenly beings
and topped him with glory and honor.
You may have given him dominion over the works of your fingers;
you may have put all issues below his ft,
all sheep and oxen, and in addition the beasts of the sphere,
the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the ocean,
no matter passes alongside the paths of the seas.
This passage is a achievement and an illustration of Genesis 1:28, the primary divine blessing for humanity.[3] As creatures who search glory and honor, we would need to consider what “somewhat decrease than the heavenly beings” truly means. The main focus right here, nonetheless, shouldn’t be on our identification—our present state or standing.[4] Relatively, David factors us towards the One to be topped with glory and honor. The creator of Hebrews additionally helps this by quoting Psalm 8:4-5 after which including his feedback that Christ was “topped with glory and honor due to the struggling of demise, in order that by the grace of God he would possibly style demise for everybody” (Heb. 2:9). To deliver glory and honor to us, Jesus gave Himself as an atoning sacrifice.
Once we search to glorify ourselves, we are going to stroll as enemies of the cross of Christ (Phil. 3:19). Once we try to deliver glory to the Father, He’ll crown us with glory and honor. On the core of our identification is the glory of God.
“How Majestic is Your Identify in All of the Earth!”: Our Identification in Christ
Because the descendants of Adam and Eve, we’re vulnerable to shout out, “How majestic is my identify in all of the earth!” In different phrases, we attempt to reply the ontological query “Who am I?” by securing our energy, autonomy, and glory. The true reply to the query of our identification, nonetheless, comes from God our Creator, who strengthens us, cares for us, and crowns us with glory and honor. Being strengthened by the Spirit, cared by the Son, and topped by the Father, we are able to confess and declare like Paul: “However by the grace of God I’m what I’m, and his grace towards me was not in useless. Quite the opposite, I labored tougher than any of them, although it was not I, however the grace of God that’s with me” (1 Cor. 15:10).
Questions for Reflection
- In your personal religion journey, what do you do to safe your energy, autonomy, glory, and identification?
- Who/the place/what’s the supply of your energy, autonomy, glory, and identification? Why have you ever made them your supply? Has it been profitable or not, and why do you assume so?
[1] I used English Normal Model (ESV) Bible on this article.
[2] For counseling those that really feel weak and belittled, you’ll be able to assign Scripture memorization and meditation (e.g., Josh. 1:6-9; Ps.73:26; Isa. 41:10; 2 Tim. 1:7) and a few songs to pay attention and sing (e.g., God Is The Power Of My Coronary heart, You Are My All In All, and The Lord Is My Power and My Track).
[3] “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the ocean and over the birds of the heavens and over each dwelling factor that strikes on the earth.”
[4] State as conditional (internal-external elements), standing as hierarchical (a relative place of rank).
