Majestic is not a word that we use too much these days. The best example of something majestic is the treatment of the royal family in England. The trumpets are sounded, the royal carriages drawn by horses come forth, the riders dressed to the max. The band strikes up its tune. Flags are waved and adoring crowds bow their heads as the Queen passes by. This is a pretty majestic scene. Nobody does pomp like the British! They have had centuries to perfect it.
Or maybe we could think of the opening ceremony at the Olympic Games. That has lots of pizzazz, bells and whistles, purposeful grandeur and symbols of importance. Millions of people focused on one goal, the exaltation of the Olympic ideals, or at least that is what is supposed to be the goal. Instead it becomes the promotion of a country or the commercial value of the advertising timeslots. But I digress.
Our Psalm today starts and ends with a focus on the LORD, the one in charge. David points out to his readers and hearers just how majestic He is. I want to think about it this way, and I invite you to join me in this train of thought. Imagine everyone in the world, every organization, every government official, every news outlet, all coming together to highlight the greatness and compassion of our God on a single day. Everyone bowing and singing praises to the LORD in their own languages. All resources and energies focused on proclaiming Him to the universe.
David says the LORD has already done that for us. The greatness of the universe show forth His power and His divinity. The stars and other heavenly bodies say something to the human heart. We are not alone! Not like those who believe in aliens and their imminent invasion of planet earth would like us to believe, but the presence of the One who created it all and invaded our planet, His planet with His presence down through history.
The problem with most people is that they don’t take time to “consider” the greatness of it all. The starts just become the desktop image of their world. And with so many living in places where the ambient light prevents people from being able to see the stars, the stars are something of a mystery, but certainly beyond their consideration.
So, the One who created the vastness of the universe has us on His mind. He thinks about us. He takes care of us. How is that possible? Why should we have such a high position in this vast universe? Those who find no place for the LORD in their lives would say that we don’t have a high position in the world, that we are no different than the endangered species that inhabit our rock. They say we have used more than our fair share of the resources of this planet and must now make up for it. The most radical of all say we should cull the human race to bring its numbers back in line in order to balance the scales. Save the Cockroach!
And yet, the LORD has placed us as the top stewards of this world. Everything is under our feet. All the creatures are ours to attend. Only the angels in heaven and the LORD Himself are above us. And angels are servants of the LORD that sometimes are sent to serve us.
We certainly don’t deserve the position we hold in the universe. No wonder David proclaims just how majestic He is in all the earth. His Name, His being, His essence is majestic. Someone shoot some fireworks in celebration. Crank up the praise and worship music. Get the laser lights coordinated. He is majestic.
The Arnold Journey 