The Excellence of God’s Name

By: Edward Cortez

 

In Psalm 8, David uses the word excellent to describe the name of the Lord. He proclaims, “O LORD, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth, who have set your glory above the heavens!” Excellence means great, majestic, and glorious. What makes the name of the Lord excellent? David offers a couple of insights: the magnificence of God’s creation seen in nature and the marvel of human creation.

David is overwhelmed by the majestic beauty of the skies as he reflects, “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars which you have ordained.” It is impossible not to be drawn to worship when we look at the grandeur of the universe before us and how it is intricately designed by a grand designer. The heavenly bodies work in perfect, complex order and it is hard to believe that they are all just a product of chance and evolution.

And then David moves from nature to humans, “Out of the mouths of babes and nursing infants you have ordained strength.” I like how John Calvin breaks this verse down and I will quote him, “The process of the conception and birth of an infant displays God’s splendor so clearly that even a nursing infant brings down to the ground the fury of God’s enemies”

In verse 5, David posits the inestimable value of a human being, “You have crowned him with glory and honor.” Every person is created in the image and likeness of God and he is to be treated with dignity and honor. He is the homeless man on the street. She is the refugee from war-torn countries. He is the tiny, little, hapless soul inside a mother’s womb in an abortion clinic.

In view of the sheer vastness of God’s creation, David asks a rhetorical question, “What is man that you are mindful of him and the son of man that you visit him?” God is mindful of us because we are His masterpiece, the summit of His creation and as such we are worth redeeming for especially when that very creation of God was marred by sin. The cross proves His love for us. Jesus solved the problem of sin that separated us from God by offering Himself as the once-and-for-all sacrifice for our sins.

In verse 9, after having witnessed the breathtaking beauty of the glory of God through His creation, David doubles down on his worship, “O LORD, our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth!” Psalm 8 is a masterpiece both in its beauty and depth. It’s impossible not to be moved to worship the God of creation and wonder when we read it with an open heart.