Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
back to:
Psalms
Book: Psalms
Chapter: 8
Overview:
God is to be glorified, for making known himself to us.
(1,2)
And for making even the heavenly bodies useful to
Man, thereby
placing him but little lower than the angels.
(3-9)
1,2 The psalmist seeks to give unto
God the
Glory due to his
name. How bright this
Glory shines even in this lower world! He
is ours, for he made us, protects us, and takes special care of
us. The
Birth,
Life, preaching, miracles, suffering,
Death,
resurrection, and
Ascension of
Jesus are known through the
world.
No name is
So universal,
No power and influence
So
generally felt, as those of the
Saviour of mankind. But how much
brighter it shines in the upper world! We,
On this
Earth, only
hear
God's excellent name, and praise that; the angels and
blessed spirits above, see his
Glory, and praise that; yet he is
exalted far above even their blessing and praise. Sometimes the
Grace of
God appears wonderfully in young children. Sometimes
the power of
God brings to pass great things in his
Church,
By
very weak and unlikely instruments, that the excellency of the
power might the more evidently appear to be of
God, and not of
Man. This he does, because of his enemies, that he may
Put them
to silence.
3-9 We are to consider the heavens, that
Man thus may be
directed to set his affections
On things above. What is
Man,
So
mean a
Creature, that he should be thus honoured!
So sinful a
Creature, that he should be thus favoured!
Man has sovereign
dominion over the inferior creatures, under
God, and is
appointed their
Lord. This refers to
Christ. In Heb 2:6-8, the
Apostle, to prove the sovereign dominion of
Christ, shows he is
that
Man, that
Son of Man, here spoken of, whom
God has made to
have dominion over the
Works of his hands. The greatest favour
ever showed to the human race, and the greatest honour ever
Put
upon human nature, were exemplified in the
Lord Jesus. With good
reason does the psalmist conclude as he began,
Lord, how
excellent is thy name in all the
Earth, which has been honoured
with the presence of the
Redeemer, and is still enlightened
By
his
Gospel, and governed
By his
Wisdom and power! What words can
reach his praises, who has a right to our obedience as our
Redeemer?