Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Adult Sunday School Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/bb/bb19951224.htm

PSALMS: DIARIES OF GODLY OLD TESTAMENT SAINTS
Psalm Eight: Overcoming A Low Self Esteem GOD'S Way
(Psalm 8:1-9)
  1. Introduction
    1. One of the most painful challenges man can face is the threat of low self esteem. One who is bitten by this problem feels too inadequate or worthlessness to interact effectively with others. If left to go to the extreme, one with low self esteem can even become suicidal.
    2. The cause of this problem is a false perception of being of less value than one can possibly attain.
    3. To correct this problem, many secular counselors try to convince the afflicted one that he really is intrinsically valuable to others. However, if a crisis demonstrates to the afflicted one that he is not that appreciated or gifted as he had been told he was, the suicidal tendencies can become a tragic reality.
    4. Opposite the secular deception to deal with a low self esteem, Psalm 8:1-9 provides God's accurate and marvelous solution to low self esteem.
  2. Overcoming A Low Self Esteem GOD'S Way, Psalm 8:1-9.
    1. When David addressed God in Psalm 8:1a, the English Bible reports that he said: "O LORD our Lord . . . " but the Hebrew text reports it as: "O Jahweh (the 'I Am') our Adonai ('Master'). In effect, he addressed Israel's covenant keepin g Lord as man's Sovereign God!
    2. The glory of God that David praised in Psalm 8:1b as being above the heavens is detailed in verse 2: God has GRACIOUSLY ordained that the weak and unimportant people of earth (children and infants) be verbally equipped by God to silence the verbal taunts or activities of the foe and avenger of evil!
    3. Caught up in this fact of God's gracious equipping, David explains the thought in the following verses:
      1. David is amazed that the Creator who produced the huge and distant stellar bodies of the evening sky with His mere fingers (not "hand") is also mindful of mere man on earth, Ps. 8:3-4.
      2. The references to man in verse 4 covers all classes of men, rich and poor, lofty and otherwise:
        1. The first word translated "man" is the Hebrew word enosh, meaning mortal man considered as being transitory and lowly in contrast to Almighty God, Theol. Wordbook of the O.T., v. I, p. 59.
        2. The phrase "son of man" is in Hebrew benay adam, meaning "son of mankind" as adam is used in the generic sense of humanity as made in the image of God, Ibid., p. 10.
        3. Thus, the entire human race in its mortal state is viewed by David as being so innately insignificant as not to merit the attention of the Creator God, Psalm 8:4!
      3. Mankind has been made a little lower than God, and God has graciously crowned him with glory and honor as being made in the image of God, Ps. 8:5.
      4. In this state, God has put all creation under man's headship, Ps. 8:6-9:
        1. Flocks and herds of land animals larger than man are graciously put under his rule, v. 8a.
        2. The birds of the heavens that can fly where man cannot naturally fly and the fish of the sea who can swim where man cannot naturally swim are graciously put under his dominion, Ps. 8:8b.
    4. Finally, David ends his psalm of praise with a repeat of his opening phrase in verse 1: "O Jahweh, our Adonai, how majestic is Your Name in all the earth."
Lesson: Though man is intrinsically without value or prestige, he contains a value and honor GIVEN by God's having GRACIOUSLY created man in His image, and equipped him to rule the earth. As an EXTENSION of this grace, FALLEN man who attains God's GRACIOUS SALVATION is further gifted by God to counter the progress of wicked humans with much greater worldly ability or station than he naturally contains, Ps. 8:2 with 1 Cor. 1:26-31!

Application: Psalm 8 counters low self esteem by showing that (1) the secular concept of innate personal value is really ERRANT, for even in CREATION man was given esteem by GRACE. (2) Also, those considered impotent by other men (children and infants) are equipped by GRACE to overcome the works of those considered by the world's system to be superior in station or ability. Thus, ALL men have BORROWED value, but REAL value nonetheless, 1 Cor. 12:12-24. We then cannot really view ourselves as be ing too lowly (12:12-16) or to lofty compared to others (12:17-24).