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Christ in the Psalms - Psalm 8

seyiodusPosted for Everyone to comment on, 6 years ago5 min read


Psalm 8: Ruler of creation


Psalm 8 is an example of a psalm of which it may not be clear at first sight that he speaks of Christ. Among other things, from the letter to the Hebrews we know that he is fulfilled in Jesus, so that we may also consider this psalm as a prophecy about Christ.
In Psalm 8, David reflects on God's omnipotence as he sees it in creation, and he has Genesis 1 in mind. "Lord our Lord, how powerful is your name on the whole earth. You who show your glory in the heavens "(Psalm 8: 2). Compared to the universe, as he sees it in the night sky, the man seems so void: "If I see the heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars confirmed by you there, then what is the mortal that you have to him? think, the human child that you look after him? "(vs 4-5).

David also thinks about those words in Genesis. God said there:

"Let us make people who are our image, who look like us, they must rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of heaven, over the cattle, over the whole earth and over everything that crawls on it..." (Genesis 1:26).

Man thus had the privilege of supervising God's creatures on earth. That is why David, speaking of man, continues:

"You have almost made him a god, crowned him with splendor and glory, entrusted him with the work of your hands and put everything on his feet: sheep, goats, all the cattle, and also the animals of the field, the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea, and all that draws about the ways of the seas "(Psalm 8: 6-9).

It is these last verses quoted in Hebrews 2. The fact that the text is slightly different is because the Greek translation of the Old Testament was used there, where "almost a god" has been translated as "something below the angels". Furthermore, in Greek, "the human child" is literally the same as the title "Son of man" that Jesus gave himself. The writer then applies these verses to Jesus. And he also goes further than you would create from Genesis himself. Jesus rules not only about the lower creatures but also about man. Then the writer explains that we do not yet see that everything is subject to Jesus:

"that everything is subject to him, we do not yet see" (Hebrews 2: 8).

That is, according to Hebrews, something that awaits us. The apostle Paul also applies this psalm to Christ, in his letters to Corinth (1 Corinthians 15:27) and Ephesus. The latter already sees a fulfillment:

"(God) has put everything on his feet and appointed him as head over everything, for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all" (Ephesians 1:22). -23).


The message of Psalm 8, according to the writers of the NT


With this additional explanation of the New Testament, we see that the central idea is that God has placed man as King over the earth. But Adam and his descendants have not proved that worthy. In their place, Christ will rule the earth, but not only about animals, but also about people. This idea is also encountered in the Old Testament, for example in the image of Daniel 2 and in Daniel 7:

In my nocturnal visions, I saw that with the clouds of heaven someone came who looked like a man [literally: 'a son of man '- see the NBG'51]. He approached the old sage and was led for him. Power, honor, and kingship were granted to him, and all nations and nations, whatever language they spoke, served him. His rule was an eternal reign that would never come to an end, his kingship would never perish. (Daniel 7: 13-14)*.

In the New Testament, the Kingdom of Christ is spoken much more often. There we see it in two meanings: a provisional fulfillment in an 'invisible' king but with 'visible' followers and a final fulfillment when the King returns "to restore the kingship over Israel". He will then gather his followers to reign with Him. The first meaning we saw in the letter to the Ephesians, the second in that to the Hebrews. and a final fulfillment when the King returns "to restore the kingship over Israel". He will then gather his followers to reign with Him. The first meaning we saw in the letter to the Ephesians, the second in that to the Hebrews. and a final fulfillment when the King returns "to restore the kingship over Israel". He will then gather his followers to reign with Him. The first meaning we saw in the letter to the Ephesians, the second in that to the Hebrews.

Conclusion

In this Psalm 8 is spoken about the kingship of Jesus. The writers of the New Testament are clear about this. He will rule and direct all nations. It thus describes a very literal dominion on earth. On the one hand, we see in the words of Paul to Ephesus that we already have a king in Jesus who directs his "body" (the churches). On the other hand, the words to Corinth, as well as the letter to the Hebrews, show that the full extent of his kingdom has not yet been reached. He will return to the earth as a king to literally rule over everything and to establish God's kingdom of peace.


Image by Couleur on pixabay


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