Psalm 8 is Messianic

Establish the need: Is this Psalm Messianic? Many Bible scholars seems to think it is not, but what about you?

Purpose: In this session we will see three points concerning this Psalm’s Messianic character so that we would be at awe with God.

1. The New Testament interprets Psalms 2 is Messianic
2. Psalm 8:5 hints at the Incarnation
3. Psalm 8:6-8 anticipate the rule of the Messiah

The New Testament interprets Psalms 8 is Messianic

It is strange that there are contemporary conservative Bible scholars who think Psalm 8 is not Messianic; for instance John Goldingay states: “It does not refer to the Messiah but places a responsibility on and makes a promise to humanity.”[1]

But is that how inspired New Testament authors interpret Psalms 8?

The writer of Hebrews said: “But someone has testified somewhere, saying, “What is man, that You think of him? Or a son of man, that You are concerned about him? 7 You have made him [a]for a little while lower than angels; You have crowned him with glory and honor; 8 You have put everything in subjection under his feet.” For in subjecting all things to him, He left nothing that is not subject to him. But now we do not yet see all things subjected to him.” (Hebrews 2:6-8)

1. Hebrews 2:6-8 quotes Psalms 8:4-6.
2. In the context the passage argues that Jesus is superior to the angels.[2]
3. The author of Hebrews of course here is presupposing the Psalm is talking about Jesus.

The Apostle Paul states: “For He has put all things in subjection under His feet. But when He says, “All things are put in subjection,” it is clear that this excludes the Father who put all things in subjection to Him. 28 When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that God may be all in all.” (1 Corinthians 15:27-28)

1. Verse 27 quotes Psalm 8:6b.[3]
2. And this in the context is referring to Christ, see verse 23.
3. Paul here believes Psalm 8 is about Jesus Christ.

The Apostle Paul states: “And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and made Him head over all things to the church,” (Ephesians 1:22)

1. This verse quotes Psalm 8:6b.[4]
2. Paul here believes Psalm 8 is about Jesus Christ.

Psalm 8:5 hints at the Incarnation

Look at the verse: “Yet You have made him a little lower than God, And You crown him with glory and majesty!” (Psalm 8:5)

“Glory” and “Majesty” seems to refer to a Divine attribute that is possessed by this “Son of Man” (“Son of Man” is the Person being referred to earlier in verse 4)

1. The Hebrew terms for “Glory” is kabod and “honor” is hadar and they are synonymous with the terms used to praise God in verses 1 where “majestic” and “splendor” are respectively ‘Adir and Hod.[5]
2. “Glory” (kabod) and “honor” (hadar) as a combination together are used to refer to God’s glory, see Psalm 45:3-4, 96:3-8, Psalm 104:1, Psalm 104:31. [6]
3. This combination always refer to God with the possibility of an exception in Psalm 21.[7] But I would argue Psalm 21 is not an exception since it is a Psalm that is part of a group of Psalms about the Messiah and if the Messiah is Divine King we see no exception to this observation (Psalm 22 is about the Messiah as suffering Servant, Psalm 23 the Messiah as Shepherd and Psalm 21 and 24 wraps both Psalm 21-22 with Psalms on the Messiah as King).
   Note “You crown” in Psalm 8:5b indicates God is appointing this “Son of Man” to rule with Divine attribute of Glory.  Yet Isaiah 42:8 indicates God would never give His Divine Glory to another, which further reinforce the point that Psalm 8 has the incarnation of God the Son in view: “I am the Lord, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, Nor My praise to idols.”[8]

Making sense of the phrase “You have made him a little lower than God” in verse 5

1. The Hebrew term for “little” (5) could have a duration idea instead of degree as seen in Jeremiah 51:33, Hosea 1:4, Job 10:20, 24:24 and Ruth 2:7, etc.[9]
2. Hebrews 2:9 actually notes this temporal interpretation of “for a short time.”[10]
3. So this is not saying this Special Son of Man is not God in essence but that for a short time He lowered Himself, which is the theme of the Incarnation.

Psalm 8:6-8 anticipate the rule of the Messiah

1. Verse 6 indicates the authority of this “Son of Man:” “You have him rule over the works of Your hands; You have put everything under his feet”
   1. Having under feet in Hebrew have the idea of having authority over.[11]
   2. What is the domain of the Messiah’s authority? This verse mentioned the Son of Man will “rule over the works of Your hands” and “Your hands”makes readers think back to verse 3’s “works of Your fingers” which in context refer to God’s creation such as stars and heaven.[12]  This Son of Man is no ordinary generic “son of man.”
2. Verse 7-9 gives an expanded itemized listing of the domain of the Messiah’s reign: “All sheep and oxen, And also the animals of the field, 8 The birds of the sky, and the fish of the sea, Whatever passes through the paths of the seas. 9 Lord, our Lord, How majestic is Your name in all the earth!”

Verse 7-9 echoes Genesis 1. The terms for creatures is the same terms found in Genesis 1:21[13]: “And God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind; and God saw that it was good.”

Verse 7-9 also echoes Genesis 1:26, 28 and that should make us think about this Son of Man as a “Second Adam.”

The dominion of this Son of Man in verse 7-9 cannot be that of any ordinary human being presently.

1. The creatures mentioned here are not all domestic animals; some are wild animals. [14]
2. This dominion and authority is not a present authority because of the fall, where creation and creatures are frustrating man’s mandate in Genesis 3:17-19.[15]

But Jesus is only One who can and have fulfilled this, even with His wilderness experience: “And He was in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by Satan; and He was with the wild animals, and the angels were serving Him.” (Mark 1:13)= Note that the wild animals with the angels served Him!

[1] John Goldingay, Psalms : Volume 1 (Baker Commentary on the Old Testament Wisdom and Psalms) (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2006), 161.

[2] Source: https://drbarrick.org/files/studynotes/Psalms/Ps_008rev.pdf

[3] Source: https://drbarrick.org/files/studynotes/Psalms/Ps_008rev.pdf

[4] Source: https://drbarrick.org/files/studynotes/Psalms/Ps_008rev.pdf

[5] Josh Mathews, “Psalm 8: The Messianic Son of Adam” in The Moody Handbook of Messianic Prophecy (Chicago, Illinois: Moody Publishers, 2018), 507.

[6] Josh Mathews, “Psalm 8: The Messianic Son of Adam” in The Moody Handbook of Messianic Prophecy (Chicago, Illinois: Moody Publishers, 2018), 507.

[7] Josh Mathews, “Psalm 8: The Messianic Son of Adam” in The Moody Handbook of Messianic Prophecy (Chicago, Illinois: Moody Publishers, 2018), 507.

[8] An insight from James Whitaker.

[9] Josh Mathews, “Psalm 8: The Messianic Son of Adam” in The Moody Handbook of Messianic Prophecy (Chicago, Illinois: Moody Publishers, 2018), 506.

[10] Josh Mathews, “Psalm 8: The Messianic Son of Adam” in The Moody Handbook of Messianic Prophecy (Chicago, Illinois: Moody Publishers, 2018), 506.

[11] Josh Mathews, “Psalm 8: The Messianic Son of Adam” in The Moody Handbook of Messianic Prophecy (Chicago, Illinois: Moody Publishers, 2018), 509.

[12] Josh Mathews, “Psalm 8: The Messianic Son of Adam” in The Moody Handbook of Messianic Prophecy (Chicago, Illinois: Moody Publishers, 2018), 508.

[13] John Goldingay, Psalms : Volume 1 (Baker Commentary on the Old Testament Wisdom and Psalms) (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2006), 160.

[14] John Goldingay, Psalms : Volume 1 (Baker Commentary on the Old Testament Wisdom and Psalms) (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2006), 160.

[15] Josh Mathews, “Psalm 8: The Messianic Son of Adam” in The Moody Handbook of Messianic Prophecy (Chicago, Illinois: Moody Publishers, 2018), 509.