Reason for praise

Wednesday April 21, 2021

Reasons for praise

What is man, that you remember him, and the Son of man, that you take care of him ?... O Lord our Lord, how magnificent is your name in all Earth ! Psalm 8,5,10

Lord, what is man that you know him, the son of man that you think of him ?... O God, I will sing a new song in your honor. Psalm 144,3,9

David, the author of the two psalms quoted, asks two questions which lead him to very similar conclusions, applicable to the Christian of today.

In Psalm 8, David is amazed as he contemplates the wonders of creation. Already in his day, and despite the lack of current means to scrutinize the universe, creation, in its beauty and vastness, proclaims the eternal power and divinity of the Creator God (Romans 2:19,20). The Word abounds in descriptions of the details of creation, from the majestic cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop emerging from the wall (1 Kings 4:33). And man, was he not beautifully created (Psalm 139:14) ? These many verses are intended to establish the greatness of the works of God and the magnificence of his name, so that we may give him glory (1 Chronicle 16:26-29).

David's astonishment at God's concern for man is found in Psalm 144 ; however, this time it is the sense of man's fragility, his insignificance, the vanity of his life, his inability to escape slavery that brings him to the same question. Moreover, if the Word is rich in descriptions of nature, it nonetheless abounds in portraits of the condition of man : a worm (Job 25:6), a shadow, grass (Psalm 102:11), a breath (Psalm 78:39), a vapor (James 4:14). And yet, despite his littleness, man is the object of God’s love, grace and mercy. So God sacrificed his Son, Jesus Christ, to make whoever believes his child and a worshiper who expresses his worship with a new song.

A poet said : "Is it possible, O God, that a son of the dust... become your child ?" We have the joy of answering "Yes, I believe and I love".

Source (Pleasing the Lord)