Psalms have been
considered poetry for millennia. Many of them have been ascribed to David, king of Israel, but there is some doubt as
to his authorship of all of them. In fact,
some have other authors. Psalm eight for
today has no named author, so we don’t know who to thank for this lovely bit of
poetry. It’s one of the Psalms that’s easy to read because it captures so many
thoughts and emotions that we all share.
The Psalm starts with an exaltation of God as Creator and
governor of all that is. It goes back to the Genesis stories of creation, where
God put everything in motion. According
to the Psalmist, even infants and children praise
God’s majesty. God is also the protector
against those who would seek to overpower or strike back at the people of God.
I love verse four, the one that talks about “When I consider
your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars you have set in
their courses.” That one verse pops into my
mind just about every time I go out at night and look up at the few stars I can
see from here. We must have our city lights which blank out most of the stars in the sky, but enough can
be seen to remind me of all the others, Like a little diamonds on a deep plush velvet.
The next verse is a bit touchy, mainly because it is something
that I feel can be misconstrued, especially in this day and time. “What is man that you should be mindful of him? the son
of man that you should seek him out?” The
problem I have with it is the question “What is man?” Now, I realize that we
often think about correctness and use the term human instead of man to be a
little more sensitive to the fact that it there are women in this world. Many
would possibly use the verse instead to accentuate that power was and is in the hands of men, especially when reading verse seven where it says, “You
give him mastery over the works of your hands; you put all things under his
feet.” There’s also the problem of verse six, “You have made them but a little
lower than the angels; you adorn him with glory and honor.”
The part about making man a little lower than the angels part bothers
me because, throughout most of my life, power has been the sole property of males. Women were to be subservient, meek,
and present only, as the old German
saying goes, for “Kinder, Kuchen, Kirche” (children, kitchen, church.) Even the
angels were male. Honestly, it was a
man’s world. Still is, in some places.
Perhaps I am petty about
this, but from my experience throughout my life, especially growing up in a
very different time than we live in now, I have a
somewhat jaundiced outlook on certain things. I remember the first time I heard
the Eucharistic prayer that included Sarah, Rebekah, Leah, and Rachel along with
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It was as if I heard it as a new story, one that
included essential people that had never been mentioned in that way before. It
was the beginning of my awareness that women indeed had significant parts in Biblical
history, whether it was acknowledged or not.
We have had women scientists, astronauts,
poet laureates, Nobel prize winners, conductors of major orchestras, artists,
and heads of corporations. There are a lot of places we haven’t been yet, but I
am sure they will at some point in time. I hope I live long enough to see it.
I have no problem reading this Psalm in the
way in which it was written, because I look back at the time of the writing,
the context of it, the culture from which it came, and understand that it was a
reflection of the way things were. God was male, Father, governor. Men made all
the decisions, but when women controlled something, even as small as a tavern
or even their own body, it seemed to point to them being prostitutes. Not very heartening for women at all.
The purpose of the Psalm was to glorify God.
It does that very clearly and very poetically. It reminds us of all that God
has done and all that has benefited us throughout the millennia. It’s something
we forget, though, especially now. We seem to have replaced the God of Psalm eight with
the god of money, power, and privilege. No longer is God our governor, or
exalted in all the world. Instead, the moguls of industry, the captains of real
estate, the lawyers, bankers, corporate CEOs, and politicians have taken the
place of God. We hear the teachings of Jesus on Sunday morning, but then it’s
off to the links, a nice restaurant, or home to watch a football game,
forgetting what we were told in church, sometimes before we even reached the
church door. That’s why we have scriptures like the Psalms. They are supposed
to be reminders to us of the way things should be. Hopefully, we’ll go back to
remembering that. Maybe one day, when the kingdom of God comes, we will see
this kingdom of equality and glory under God.
I hope it’s not too much to wish for.
God bless.
Originally published at Speaking to the Soul on Episcopal Café Saturday, October 20, 2018.
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