Radio Talk given 1-3-98

Good morning listeners. You’re listening to VOTC, and I’m your host Tim De Vos, back for another stint behind the desk. I hope that you enjoyed the last few weeks with John Houweling. I’ll be with you for the next 5 weeks. There’s a host of topics to be covered in the next few weeks. We’ll be looking at some popular psalms and how they are still relevant for us today. We’ll also be taking a look at the work of the Holy Spirit, that somewhat mysterious but essential part of the Triune God. There will be the occasional interview, and a choice selection of psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. I’m excited to be back, and look forward to your company over the next 5 weeks, after which John H is scheduled to resume the chair. Friends, about two months ago, I presented a series on the wonders of creation We explored the majesty and power of god Almighty, and how his might is reflected in all of creation. Well, today, we will be having a look at Ps 8. The book of psalms is a beautiful book. The psalms cover a variety of topics and life circumstances. There are lamentations, prayers, and songs of dedicated praise. Today’s psalm, Ps 8 is a psalm of praise to God the Creator. 

Today I would like to read to you Psalm 8; a beautiful Psalm which speaks to us about the glory of the Lord in Creation. This Psalm was composed by David, an ancient king of Israel. Before David became Israel’s king, he as a shepherd looked after his fathers flock. David became a great king and was also a great soldier and poet. He wrote many beautiful Psalms of praise to God. Although he made mistakes and did wrong like any sinful man, he never failed to repent and ask God to forgive him.`

It is quite possible that David composed Psalm 8 during the night. For he speaks about the heavens the moon and the stars, but he does not mention the sun by name. So perhaps David was on the roof of his palace or out in the open field one night, gazing at the broad expanse of the heavens which was studded with twinkling stars and a bright shining moon.

David is so filled by the beauty and majesty of this sight that he automatically gasps out with a very simple and yet beautiful confession of faith:

Not only does the Lord reveal Himself to us by means of His Word, He also manifests the majesty and glory of His name in all creation. Everything the Lord has ever made and everything He has ever done is a witness to the Lord's sovereign majesty and splendour. Heaven and earth show the beauty and order of the Lord's work. As David also said so beautifully in Psalm 19:

The might and the splendour of our Lord and King is evident everywhere.

In order to show how secure and clear the honour of God's name is, David points out that the only defence or bulwark the Lord needs against His enemies is the praise of babes and infants. In our society when someone is slandered he may engage a talented lawyer and take his slanderer before the courts in order to defend the honour of his own name.

But the Lord does not need wise men, great speakers and influential people to defend His name against those who slander Him. The honour of the Lord's name is so secure that He has entrusted it to the mouths of babes and infants. The simple, stuttering and broken words of little children are more than enough for God to form a defence against His enemies.

This is shown beautifully in Matthew 21 when Jesus Christ made his royal entry into Jerusalem. The little children were crying out in praise of him, "Hosanna to the Son of David." Then the chief priests and scribes (they were the Lord’s enemies) became angry saying to Jesus Christ: do you hear what these little children are saying? Yes, said Jesus: Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise.

The simple words of these little children were all the defence Jesus Christ needed to prove He was the Messiah, the Son of David. The confession of love and trust of little children is always the best answer to the accuser and his arsenal of doubts and slander.

The main point is that if the majesty, glory and honour of God's name are so easily defended by the praise of little children, then it must be exceedingly great and secure. There can be no doubt about the majesty and glory of the Lord our God. Everything the Lord has made both in heaven and on earth sings the praise and glory of His name.

However, after David makes this beautiful confession where he acknowledges the majesty and glory of God, it suddenly hits him that man is so insignificant. How is it possible that He who made the vast heavens along with everything in them could busy Himself with frail, puny man? Have you never experienced the same feeling? On a dark night when you gaze up at millions of twinkling stars, do you not get the feeling of being very small? How is it possible that the Sovereign Lord, so great in majesty and glory could even consider man, much less care for him?

For an answer to this troubling question David turns back to the first page of Scriptures, Genesis 1. There the full majesty and glory of God are revealed as He creates heaven and earth along with everything in them in six simple days. Each day was a step forward as the Lord made the earth more beautiful and habitable for the final and crowning piece of creation, namely the creation of man. For the Lord God did not create man like any of the other creatures. God decided:

Or to put it in David's own words:

What a breath-taking statement. The Lord created man as His own image so that man was only a little less then God. He invested man with an honour and glory which was second only to His own. He crowned man as His Representative Ruler and King over the entire world which He had just created. This meant that the Lord gave man the special office and responsibility to show the majesty and glory of God in all his thoughts, words and actions. He was to mirror or reflect God's majesty and glory as he ruled wisely over creation, with the result that everything in heaven and on earth sings the praise and glory of God.

Is man insignificant? Not at all! The Lord made man something special. He showed His goodness to man by making him the crowning piece of all creation. It was through man that God wanted to make Hìs majesty and glory all the more clear! However, we should be aware that there is a dark side to the glorious and dignified creation of man. There was the fall into sin. In his fallen state man can no longer reflect the majesty and glory of God. Instead he reflects the slavery to sin and Satan. He no longer exercises dominion and control over all creation. Instead he lives in a world which can make life very miserable and even dangerous. Man's glory and honour were destroyed by sin.

But the Lord was still mindful of man, and He still cared for man. It was at this point that God showed His majesty and glory to its widest and fullest extent. He sent His own Son into the world to be born of a woman. God's Son was sent to do what man failed to do, namely live in the honour and glory which God originally gave man in Paradise. In Jesus Christ the purpose of creation did not fail. For he lived as the perfect man, daily showing the full majesty and glory of God as he perfectly obeyed the will of his heavenly Father in all things. He not only did what man did not do, he also bore our punishment for sin by suffering humiliation throughout his entire life, ending in the bitter and shameful death of the cross. In this way Jesus Christ conquered the powers of sin and death and he fully regained the glory and honour and the image of God. He regained the honour and glory of being Ruler and King over all God had created. This means good news for us. All who believe in Jesus Christ will receive the forgiveness of their sins and be renewed as the image of God to reflect His glory and majesty in all their thoughts, words and actions.

Can there be any doubt in our minds that the Lord God loves His people and that they are important to Him? There can be no greater proof of God's love and care than that He not only created man with such glory and dignity, but He also saved and restored man to this position through His own beloved Son Jesus Christ. What a comfort is our God. Our Creator and Saviour is indeed glorious and majestic. Just like David or little children we must confess:

We’ve just heard an explanation of Ps 8. I hope it has left you with a sense of awe at the greatness of God the Creator. Friends, He is worthy of all praise. In fact, he created mankind so that He might receive praise. The idea that God receives gory and praise throughout the mouth of children is indeed very real. I have here in front of me a selection of children’s writing. The children are from John Calvin School. I’d like to share some with you. They were asked to write down their favourite spot around Albany, and briefly write how it made them feel in the light of God’s majestic power. This one is written by.......

The spot I am going to describe is the Cascades, in Pemberton. It is a series of small waterfalls which goes for about 500m. In winter the water comes pouring down but in summer it is just a trickle. We saw it in winter and it looked really nice.

You can really see the majesty of God in the cascades because all the water tumbling down and the sun shining looks very beautiful. If you look in a certain way you can see a rainbow. There is not much sound so you can hear the birds and other animals. Places like that also show that not everything is entirely spoilt by sin.

My favourite spot is Castle Rock. Castle Rock is a massive rock which on one side is about 3 or 4 stories high. There is a long uphill walk to it through beautiful bush. There is a ladder leading to the top on the uphill side which is about one and a half stories high. It has a spectacular view. Next to this rock is a large round rock on top of another rock. This shows how mighty God is, to create such a marvellous form. No man could ever shape that rock or move it.

Bornholm is my family’s favourite fishing spot; we normally go fishing there. The water is not good for swimming or surfing. You have to go down a track and a hill that you have to go down really slow. God shows us His power by the water, sand and the mountains with trees on it. The only problem is that many people litter. Wonders of wonders are found at Bornholm. Nearly every time we go something has changed.

My favourite spot is our bush at the backyard. It is very bushy and contains lots of peppermint trees and lots of our cubbys.

Lots of God’s animals shelter in the bushes and trees. God has also made the land bush damp and green. God’s majesty is every where in our bush if you just sit quietly and look, listen and smell around our bush.

My favourite spot is Frenchman’s Bay. It has massive rolling waves once you get out to sea, but in the bay it is calm as if it is glass. The snorkeling is absolutely beautiful. Sting-rays, fish, sea weed and other sea animals. Bommie Rock has a beautiful view. You can watch other boats sailing or even sail yourself. People ski or wind surfers surf. It is a magnificent place. The rocks near the rock pools are fun to walk in and you can look for crabs in the rocks. Right at the end of Frenchman’s Bay there is a place in the water where it is like a spa. There is even rocks that look like tiles. Jelly fish and sting-rays float by and it is like living under the sea.

God make the sea and has the power to make waves smash against rocks out at sea, whereas in the bay it is calm. God made all those animals and the way they swim and protect themselves it is wonderful.

CLOSE

Friends, when we look around us, we see an awful lot of misery. Marriages fall apart, sexual and physical abuse is rampant, the drug problem seems out of control. Basically, society seems to be falling apart at the seams. Suicide is on the increase and people feel as though life just doesn’t make sense any more. Well it’s quite understandable really. We live in a world of sin, a world in which the devil has a foothold. Satan is a born loser, yet, he wants the world to think otherwise. He knows he has lost the battle, but he continues to fight to drag as many people to hell as he can. Think about that for a moment. And then think about God almighty as portrayed in Ps 8. He’s got the whole world in His hands. He wants our praise, and he sure is worthy of it. I pray that the Holy Spirit will work the power of repentance in you heart. Friends, God’s truth will set you free. If you like to have further information you can write to VOTC PO BOX 1196 ALBANY 6331. We’d love to hear from you. Don’t forget the Bible course we have on offer. The course covers the essential elements of the Christian faith, and it won’t cost you a cent. You can contact us by writing to VOTC PO BOX 1196 ALBANY 6331. VOTC is brought to you by the FRC, located on the corners of North and Beaufort Rds. Church services are held every Sunday at 8.45 and 2.30, or 11.45 and 4.30. We invite you to worship with us. Next week, we’ll be looking at another popular psalm, possibly the most popular: Ps 23. I hope you can join us next week.

Last modified: September 11, 1999