Psalm 8 is a Psalm of Praise. It is a song founded on the person and character of God, on his gracious acts for humanity, to be used to extoll his name in public worship. In this Psalm we also recognise the relationship between God and humanity made in his image. Although so far beneath God’s greatness, he gifts us glory and honour— most especially in the incarnation of his Son.
The question posed by Psalm 1 is answered in Psalm 2. Who is the Lord’s Righteous One, ‘the man’ that was the subject of Psalm 1? Who is it that truly delights in God’s word, whose work the Lord propers, yielding fruit in season, enduring year after year? Psalm 2 gives us his profile, introduced in v2 as ‘the Lord’s Anointed’. He is God’s Son, the true King who rules all the nations.
David is the most prolific of the contributors to the book of Psalms. So many of David’s Psalms are deeply personal and so, as we immerse ourselves in these songs and prayers, we come to understand him well. But more importantly, as we take hold of these Psalms, the motifs and types, responses and prayers, form our understanding of Jesus Christ. Supremely, he is the one revealed through them.
At the conclusion of 2 Samuel we are given opportunity to reflect on David's life and his legacy. While he shares his own reflections, we are left pondering what really mattered at the end of David's life.
