HOW MAJESTIC IS YOUR NAME . . . - Some simply run past this phrase as synonymous with "Lord," which appears in the first line. But what does that mean? "Your Name in all the earth"? The Hebrew word translated, "name" denotes character and essence; everything in the world gives evidence of God’s sovereign activity.

SHIFT AND CONTRAST - If you’re counting, the five preceding psalms have been of the kind, "Get me out of this jam!" But now with Psalm 8 we have a hymn-the first to appear in Psalms-that celebrates the majestic nature of God’s name in all the earth and the dignity and distinctive place that humans hold as earth’s inhabitants.

DISTINCTIONS IN THE PSALM - As mentioned, this is the first hymn or song of praise to appear; also, while other hymnic pieces seek to draw the reader/listener into praise by providing specific reasons for praise (e.g. For the LORD is faithful . . .), here we stay in the second person singular-"You" and speak directly to God. A recent distinction has Psalm 8 as part of our space exploration history. This psalm was the first biblical text to reach the moon, when the Apollo 11 mission left a silicon disc containing messages from seventy-three nations, including the Vatican, which contributed the text of this psalm. What an appropriate text for astronauts and space exploration! [1]

You have given them dominion over the works of your hands (v. 6). It is remarkable that God entrusts human beings with a major role in the care of the earth. Following the Franciscan model of faithfulness in action, write down five things you can do this week to lovingly care for your home and garden, your city and the earth and the sky. [2]

Try . . . to perceive the connection-even physical and natural-which binds your labor with the building of the kingdom of heaven. -Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

This psalm is framed by the proclamation of God’s sovereignty and at the center of the structure is the question of human sovereignty in light of God’s.

Begin with Walter Brueggemann’s claim that "the crucial interpretative move is to hold the boundaries and the center together." Talk about God’s sovereignty apart from any partnership with us is to deny our real participation and thus, responsibility for the care of the earth and its inhabitants. On the other hand, talk about humanity as the center and we deny God’s sovereignty. Our lesser sovereignties are derivative, not original.

Dominion without recognition of God’s claim on us and on the earth becomes evil domination. To leave God out of the partnership invites disaster. We already have too much ecological evidence of polluted streams and depletion of the ozone and fossil fuels to know where that path leads when we dominate outside the partnership of God.

So allow your meditation on this psalm to recognize the spheres of freedom within a partnership that when in proper alignment, will continue to make God’s name majestic in all the earth. [3]

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[1] NASA News Release No. 69-83F (July 1969), referenced in NIB IV, page 710.
[2] Spiritual Formation Bible (Zondervan: 1999), page 698.
[3] This idea for a homily is taken from NIB IV, page 712.