Thursday 22nd December
Read Psalm 8:5-9
“You have made them a little lower than the angels
and crowned them with glory and honour.
6 You made them rulers over the works of your hands;
you put everything under their feet:
7 all flocks and herds,
and the animals of the wild,
8 the birds in the sky,
and the fish in the sea,
all that swim the paths of the seas.
9 Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!” (NIVUK)
The mystery of the insignificance of humanity is only made that much greater by the immensely privileged role we have in the universe. If the Lord is ‘majestic in all the earth’ (v1, 9) than the ‘crowning’ of humanity (v5) is incomprehensible. Creation itself is humanity’s to rule, all the animals both domesticated and wild, are under our command. Historically this Psalm was used to justify farming and all sorts of land management. Margaret Petersen in her dissertation on Psalm 8 noted that in the Middle Ages the Butchers’ Company took verse 6 and 7 as their motto, whilst the Dutch interpreted verse 8 as justification for the building and draining of dykes to control the fish!
The subjugation of nature implied by this Psalm resulted in environmental outcomes that were less than worthy in many cases. David however is reflecting on the Creation narrative in Genesis 1 and the mystery of a God who creates the heavenly lights, and plants and animals and birds and fish placing all of that handiwork under the control of humanity. Even if that trust has been frequently misplaced, the ideal that we rule in partnership with a majestic God has never been lost. It is simply that up until David’s time no one had ever been found worthy of the honour humanity was granted.
“‘You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honour and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they were created
and have their being.’
5 Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. 2 And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, ‘Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?’ 3 But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. 4 I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. 5 Then one of the elders said to me, ‘Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.’” (Revelation 4:11-5:5) (NIVUK)
At Christmas we remember the ‘Root of David’, the triumphant King of Creation!
