In this message we come to Psalm 8. The more we read this psalm, the more we have to admit that it is altogether heavenly language. No mere human word could express the divine concept in this psalm. The heavenly language in it must come from the divine revelation.
In the previous message, we saw David's concepts concerning a godly life in Psalms 3—7. In this message we want to see his inspired praise of the excellency of Christ in Psalm 8. If we read Psalms 3—7 with much prayer, we can realize that they all are on the same level and in the same category. They describe many bad things, showing that the earth is a messy earth. But when we read Psalm 8, we feel that we are not on this messy earth. When we come to Psalm 8, the tone changes.
I would like to read this psalm so that we can consider it verse by verse. In verse 1 David said, "O Jehovah our Lord,/ How excellent is Your name/In all the earth,/You who have set Your splendor above the heavens!" This one verse covers both the earth and the heavens. In Psalms 3—7 the earth is a mess, but in Psalm 8 there is something excellent on the earth. This excellent item is the excellent name of the Lord Jesus. He is not here today physically, but His name is here. This earth today is nothing but a mess. But, thank the Lord, at least on this earth there is something excellent—the name of Jesus! His name is the exalted name, the glorified name.
Verse 1 mentions both the earth and the heavens. We need to realize that this psalm tries the best to link the earth to the heavens and to bring down the heavens to the earth. In verse 1 we can see this linking. Jehovah's name is excellent in all the earth, and He has set His splendor above the heavens. Actually, the heavens are the source of the excellency. The excellency does not initiate from the earth, but from the heavens.
Verse 2 says, "Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings/ You have established strength/Because of Your adversaries,/ To stop the enemy and the avenger." This verse shows us three negative categories of persons: the adversaries, the enemy, and the avenger. Above the heavens is God's splendor, and on the earth Jesus' name is excellent. But in this universe, there are still many adversaries, enemies, and avengers. Adversaries are those who are within, enemies are those who are without, and the avengers are those who run back and forth (cf. Job 1:7). Satan can be signified by these three categories. First, Satan was within God's kingdom. Then Satan became an enemy without, outside the kingdom of God. He is also the avenger, running back and forth. Above the heavens there is splendor, and on the earth there is the excellent name. But in between the heavens and the earth, there are the adversaries within, the enemy without, and the avenger running back and forth.
What would God do about this? God does something in a consummate way. He establishes His praises out of the mouths of babes and sucklings, the youngest, smallest, and weakest ones. Babes are a little stronger than sucklings, and sucklings are somewhat smaller than the babes, but both of them are in the category of the smallest and weakest.