What is Man? Psalm 8

CreeksideDM

Bob Short :: Creekside Church :: Sunday, December 8, 2024 "O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth! ... What is man that You are mindful of him?..." For the 2nd Sunday of Advent, Bob Short explores Psalm chapter 8, the contrast between the majesty of God and the smallness of man, and the connection to Christmas. Bob's message follows and Advent reading by Bruce and Jill Cameron. The helpful resources Bob included in his sermon notes are included below. Worship music permitted under CCLI License #264436. RESOURCES: Chronological Reading Plan: https://www.blueletterbible.org/assets-v3/pdf/dbrp/1Yr_ChronologicalPlan.pdf Psalms Helps (source: Moody Bible Commentary, © 2014) Characteristics of Hebrew poetry: 1) Poetic language: Rich, concise word choice, powerful word pictures, e.g. "as the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants for You, O God" (42:1) 2) Inclusio: "Book ending" or "bracketing" of ideas with identical or parallel phrases to create a poetic unit of thought, e.g. "hope in God, for I shall again praise Him for the help of His presence"/ "Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God" (42:5, 11) 3) Parallelism: One idea presented in relation to another through parallel thoughts. Generally, parallelism is of three types: a) Synonymous parallelism: consecutive lines present the same or similar idea in different words, e.g “He raises the poor from the dust, and he lifts the needy from the ash heap.” (Ps 113:7) b) Antithetical parallelism: in which consecutive lines present contrasting or opposite ideas, e.g. The LORD keeps all who love Him, but all the wicked He will destroy. (Ps 145:20) c) Synthetic parallelism: in which consecutive lines present different, yet complementary ideas, e.g. “He trains my hands for battle, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. (Ps 18:34) 4) Acrostic Structure: Each verse in the psalm begins with a consecutive letter of the Hebrew alphabet (e.g. Psalm 119, the longest psalm, is an acrostic praise to the Lord and His Word. It has 22 stanzas of eight verses; each stanza begins with the same letter. Acrostic structure is a helpful memory device, and reflects God's truth from A to Z. 5) Musical Instruction: Written to be sung, identified as "song," "psalm," or mentioning musical instruments or the choir director in the heading Types of Psalms: 1) Psalms of Praise and Thanksgiving: Often related to specific incidences of personal deliverance. They include a proclamation of praise to God, a report of deliverance, a renewed determination to praise, and often instruction for corporate praise. 2) Hymnic Psalms: More specifically hymns, rather than related to personal deliverance. These have the common elements of: (1) call to praise; (2) cause for praise; and (3) concluding exhortation to praise. Often include a note regarding the choir or a musical notation. 3) Songs: To be sung, often including additional musical directions. 4) Laments: Cries or prayers of help in times of distress. Include (1) an introductory plea to the Lord, (2) the specific lament describing the issue, (4) petition for help, and (5) a vow to praise the Lord despite circumstances and regardless of deliverance. 5) Imprecatory Psalms: Calling for specific judgments to fall on the enemy - the plea of God's people for justice.