PSALM 7:

1. This Psalm has the inscription "Shiggaion of David, which he sang unto the LORD, concerning the words, of Cush the Benjamite."

A. "Shiggaion" = praise; this is what the Psalms are about; notice David "sang" this unto the LORD.

B. "David" = "he" = the sweet Psalmist of Israel, who was the author--human instrument--of this Psalm.

C. "LORD" = Jehovah; the self-existent one who stands alone with no aid from anybody or any other being in this world or out of this world; the self-existent one who wants to reveal Himself to man.

D. "Concerning the words of Cush the Benjamite" = we do not know for sure who Cush is; he may have been a kinsman of Saul who was a Benjamite; some say Cush was a poetic name for King Saul himself; whoever he is he was an enemy of David (Saul was for sure); Cush means "black" and whoever this refers to was a black hearted villain, but really he was just the human instrument used by Satan, the real enemy. (Eph. 6:12)

2. The occasion of this Psalm: It seems that this Cush slandered David and his name and character. The name "Devil" means slanderer--a malicious slanderer. Slander is one of the most difficult things to fight. A man's good name or reputation can be destroyed by a lying, jealous tongue and his whole life laid in ruins. Slander is one of Satan's favorite weapons. It is done in secret and usually behind the back of the victim. The more a slanderous charge is denied the more it seems true in the minds of those who have been poisoned by it. David realized that, so instead of fighting the enemy, he turned to the Lord. There are times it is right to fight. David had done that many times. But there are times when you must wholly and completely turn to the Lord and leave it totally in His hands. (Rom. 12:19) That is what David did in this Psalm.

3. The title of this Psalm could be, "What to do when faced with the enemy." Notice "when" not "if" for we will be faced with the enemy--the forces of unrighteousness. When that happens we need to do what David did--trust, pray, search, testify, warn, and praise. These six things can be seen as we study this Psalm.

V. 1

1. "O" = a cry of desperation..

2. "LORD" = Jehovah; the self-existent one who stands alone with no aid from anybody or any other being in this world or out of this world; the self-existent one who wants to reveal Himself to man.

3. "My" = "I" = "me" = David the penman of this Psalm.

4. "God" = "thee" = Elohim; equivalent to Jehovah; this name communicates the strength, power, and greatness of our Lord.

5. "In thee" = has the idea of hiding in a secret place of refuge.

6. "Trust" = to flee; to confide in; seek refuge; to hope in; to lean on; to stay upon; equivalent to the NT word "faith."

7. "Save" = deliver "from all them that persecute me" = those who run after with a hostile intent; protect my life; rescue me from their power.

8. "Persecute" = to run after; word refers to those who sought his life, who endeavored to deprive him of his freedom; could apply to Saul, Absalom, and others but due to the inscription of this Psalm it refers to the opposition of Cush the Benjamite.

9. "Deliver me" = rescue me; from this expression and from the following verse, it would seem there was more involved than just reproachful words for his life seemed to be actually in danger.

V. 2

1. "Lest" = for fear that.

2. "He" = Cush as the inscription bears out; to my knowledge there is no other passage of Scripture that speaks of this incident; this Cush is not Ham's son for David was not alive during his life and he is facing the Cush he is referring to here.

3. "Tear my soul like a lion" = David uses the imagery of the fierceness of the lion which was well understood in David's day due to lions abounding in those days.

4. "Soul" = refers to life; David was fearful for his life.

5. "Rending it in pieces" = as a lion does a sheep; refers to the act of a lion, crushing or breaking the bones of his victim as he devours it.

6. "While there is none to deliver" = no human helper willing and able to rescue him.

7. David felt that if God did not intervene, he would fall into the hands of this fierce and wrathful enemy.

V. 3

1. "O LORD my God" = see notes on verse 1.

2. "I" = "my" = David.

3. "If" = David gives three hypothetical statements in verses 3-4.

4. "If I have done this" = this thing I am charged with; it is evident that Cush, whoever he was, had accused David of some wrong thing--some wicked action.

5. "Iniquity" = denotes unjust possessions; refers to property that had been unjustly taken from another.

6. "If there be iniquity in my hands" = if he had in his possession what had been wrongfully taken from another; David is not denying human weakness and imperfections.

V. 4

1. "I" = "me" = "mine" = David.

2. "If I have rewarded evil unto him that was at peace with me" = if I have retaliated against one that was friendly with me; this may have also been the substance of Cush's accusation.

3. "(Yea, I have delivered him that without cause is mine enemy)" = the parenthesis encloses a phrase that is just the opposite of the first phrase of this verse; David had done this very thing, twice, when he delivered Saul, who was his enemy without a cause (I Sam. 24:5-7; 26:7-11); Cush, being a Benjamite, no doubt knew of these incidents.

4. David is saying not only have I not injured a friend, but I have gone so far as to let my enemy escape me.

V. 5

1. Now David states that if I'm guilty of the three hypothetical statements of verse 3-4 (probably accusations from Cush) then let the following happen to me.

2. "The enemy" = "him" = in context probably refers to Cush the Benjamite.

3. "Persecute" = to run after; pursue.

4. "My" = "mine" = David.

5. "Soul" = refers to life.

6. "Take it" = make it his prey; obtain full power over it; means to put David to death; if he had been guilty he would not complain even if he were cut off from the land of the living.

7. "Yea, let him tread down my life upon the earth" = means to utterly bring him to ruin; the allusion here is to the manner in which the defeated in battle were treated as they were rode over by horses, or trampled by men into the dust; the idea of David is, that if he were guilty he would be willing that his enemy should triumph over him, subdue him, and treat him with utmost indignity and scorn.

8. "And lay mine honour in the dust" = equivalent to "bring me down to the grave with shame."

9. "Selah" = stop and think about what I just said for a while.

10. David was willing to be utterly degraded and humbled, if he had been guilty of what Cush accused him of.

V. 6

1. "Arise" = to get up; to lift up; to set up; to raise up; militarily speaking it means to engage in battle; the verb designates an intense spirit of prayer--a call generally made when God's forbearance toward His enemies is thought to have been excessive and His tolerance too great.

2. "O" = a cry of desperation.

3. "LORD" = "thine" = "thyself" = "thou" = Jehovah; the self-existent one who stands alone with no aid from anybody or any other being in this world or out of this world; the self-existent one who wants to reveal Himself to man.

4. "In thine anger" = to entreat God to vindicate His cause against those opposed to him and to visit them with some open manifestations of His displeasure.

5. "Lift up thyself" = this is a stronger expression than "arise;" this is a call on God to appear in His full strength.

6. "Because" = introduces the reason for such a strong prayer request = "of the rage of mine enemies" = not only this particular enemy, but of those who were associated with him and perhaps of all his foes.

7. "Rage" = an outburst of passion.

8. "Mine" = "me" = David.

9. "Awake for me" = arouse thyself on my behalf.

10. "To the judgment that thou hast commanded" = to execute the judgment which thou has appointed or ordered; surely now is the time for it.

V. 7

1. "So shall the congregation of the people compass thee about" = such an act of showing Himself in judgment would inspire confidence in Him as a just and holy God, and that, as the result, His people would gather around Him to express their gratitude and to render Him praise.

2. "Congregation of the people" = "their" = does not necessarily refer to any congregation or assembly as such, then existing, but it means a great multitude would surround (compass) Him and worship Him as the result of His intervention.

3. "For their sakes" = on their account; secure this result in regard to them--the congregation of the people.

4. "Return thou on high" = the language is as if He had come down from His throne, as if He had not been engaged in dispensing justice, and David now calls on Him to re-ascend the throne, and to execute righteous judgment among men.

5. The whole idea in this passage is that God seemed to delay in the execution of His judgment, and the psalmist entreats Him to hasten it.

V. 8

1. "LORD" = Jehovah; the self-existent one who stands alone with no aid from anybody or any other being in this world or out of this world; the self-existent one who wants to reveal Himself to man.

2. "The LORD shall judge his people" = up to now judgment, had been prayed for and now it is announced.

3. "Me" = "my" = "mine" = David.

4. "Judge me" = a bold prayer; means to hear my case and render a decision; to vindicate him from these charges--whatever they were.

5. "According to my righteousness" = David is referring to this particular case--slander by Cush; he does not say that he wished his own righteousness to be made the basis of judgment but he felt in this case that he was not guilty of the charge brought against him.

6. "According to mine integrity that is in me" = refers to his absolute innocence in respect to the points under consideration.

V. 9

1. "Oh" = a word of entreaty usually rendered "I pray."

2. "Let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end" = this is not just the wickedness in this case only, but wickedness of all forms and in all lands; it is not the removal of the wicked that David prays for but the removal of their wickedness; he separates the sin from the sinner for he knew who was behind it all = our chief enemy, the devil.

3. "But" = reveals the contrast of David's desire between the sinner and the saint.

4. "Establish the just" = protect, strengthen, and sustain the righteous (just.)

5. "Righteous" = just; the saved or saints of God.

6. "God" = Elohim; the strong one.

7. "Trieth" = to test; to investigate.

8. "Hearts" = denotes the seat of the thoughts, understanding, and will.

9. "Reins" = seat of natural impulses, affections, and passions; denotes the most secret feelings, purposes, and devices of the soul.

10. "The hearts and reins" = an expression used to let us know that God is intimately acquainted with all the thoughts and feelings of men--He thoroughly understands the character of all men.

V. 10

1. "My" = David.

2. "Defence" = a shield; a protector.

3. "Is of God" = means Elohim, the strong one was David's protector and that in his troubles he confided in Him.

4. "Which" = who; God is a person not a thing; this is masculine gender not neuter.

5. "Saveth the upright in heart" = protect all He sees to be upright or to be sincere, truthful, and just when He searches the heart. (verse 9)

V. 11

1. "God" = Elohim, the strong One.

2. "God judgeth the righteous" = He pronounces a just judgment on their behalf--He vindicates their character.

3. "God is angry with the wicked" = "with the wicked" = is in italics thus supplied by the translators; the Psalmist is speaking of these in contrast with the righteous, thus this phrase is rightly supplied; the words "God is angry" must be understood in a manner in accordance with the Divine nature; it means His nature, His laws, His government, and His feelings are all arrayed against the wicked; that He cannot regard the conduct of the wicked with favor; that He will punish them; while He will vindicate (defend; justify) the righteous, He will cut off and punish the wicked.

4. "Every day" = continually; constantly; always; this is designed to qualify the previous expression; it is not temporary passion, such as we see in men; it is the steady and uniform attribute of His unchanging nature to be always opposed to the wicked--to all forms of sin; and in Him, in this respect, there will be no change; time will make no change in this respect and the wicked can have no hope on the ground that the feelings of God towards sin and the sinner (as such) will ever be in any way different from what it is at the present moment. (Mal. 3:6)

5. Some preachers use this verse to teach you that God does not love sinners. That is totally foreign to Scripture. (Rom. 5:8) What the Psalmist means to positively declare is that God's anger continues against the wicked as long as their wickedness continues. And even then He is good and longsuffering, and holds back His anger to give every sinner an opportunity to repent. (Rom. 2:4)

V. 12

1. First "he" = the wicked--sinner.

2. Second "he" = "his" = God.

3. "If he turn not" = if the sinner does not repent, God is preparing for them the instruments of punishment and He will certainly bring destruction upon them.

4. "He will whet his sword" = God will sharpen His sword preparatory to inflicting punishment; the sword is an instrument of punishment; to "whet" = denotes He would prepare to execute judgment. (Deut. 32:41)

5. "He hath bent his bow" = the bow, like the sword, was used in battle as a means of destroying an enemy.

6. "Made it ready" = fixed it; placed an arrow in the bow making it ready to shoot; indicate preparations are made to execute punishment on the wicked.

7. If man does not repent, God will execute punishment upon him. But until the door of opportunity is closed for a sinner He forbears (holds back punishment), giving a space for repentance to be worked.

V. 13

1. "He" = "his" = God.

2. "Him" = the wicked sinner.

3. "He hath also prepared for him the instruments of death" = the instruments of punishment are already prepared and God can use them when He pleases; the idea is that arrangements are made for the destruction of the wicked and that the destruction must come upon them.

4. "Death" = denotes punishment.

5. "He ordaineth his arrows against the persecutors" = the Hebrew actually says, "He maketh his arrows flaming" alluding to the ancient custom of shooting ignited darts or arrows into besieged towns for the purpose of setting them on fire and inflicting greater personal injury.

6. What is said here pertains to all the wicked unless they repent.

V. 14

1. "Behold" = to observe with care; used to call special attention to what the Psalmist is about to say.

2. "He" = the wicked; the sinner.

3. "Travaileth" = to writhe in pain; the allusion is to the pains of childbirth; the idea is that the wicked man labors or struggles, even with great pain, to accomplish his purposes of iniquity (wickedness).

4. "Hath conceived mischief" = he hath formed a scheme of mischief; the allusion here is common when speaking of forming a plan of evil.

5. "Brought forth falsehood" = the birth is falsehood; the idea is that after all his efforts and pains, after having formed his scheme, and labored hard (as if in the pangs of childbirth) to bring it forth, it brought forth nothing but untruth.

V. 15

1. "He" = the wicked; the sinner.

2. "He made a pit" = the allusion here is to the method of hunting wild beasts which was common in ancient times; it consists in digging a pit and covering it over with brush and grass so as to deceive the animals and then encircling them and driving them into it.

3. "And digged it" = hollowed it out so as to be large enough to contain his prey, and so deep that he could not escape if he fell into it; the idea is that the enemy here referred to had laid a secret and artful plan to destroy others.

4. "And is fallen into the ditch which he made" = he had been snared in his own devices and instead of bringing ruin on others he had only managed to bring it on himself; Haman, in the book of Esther, was hanged upon the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai. (Esther 7:10)

V. 16

1. "His" = the wicked; the sinner.

2. "Mischief" = intended harm or damage done by design; refers to the mischief he had designed for others.

3. "Shall return upon his own head" = shall come upon himself; fulfilment of Gal. 6:7.

4. "Violent dealing" = violence; injustice; oppression; wrong.

5. "Shall come down upon his own pate" = "pate" means the crown of the head; the idea is that it would come upon himself--he would be treated as he had designed to treat others.

V. 17

1. "I" = David.

2. "Will praise" = to revere and worship with extended hands; public act of praise.

3. "The LORD" = "his" = Jehovah; the self-existent one who stands alone with no aid from anybody or any other being in this world or out of this world; the self-existent one who wants to reveal Himself to man.

4. "According to his righteousness" = refers to Jehovah being right in His dealings with the righteous by protecting him and with the wicked by bringing deserved punishment upon him; David is saying he will praise Jehovah for His character and attributes which does not change.

5. "And will sing praises to the name of the Lord" = not only revere and worship Jehovah but sing praises because He is worthy. (Psa. 40:1-3)

6. "Most high" = the name of the LORD; communicates the idea of exaltation and indescribable majesty; means God of control.

7. David had been accused with words by Cush the Benjamite, even to the extent he felt his life was in danger. What did he do? Presented his case before the Lord, left it in His hands, and praised Him who is worthy to be praised because He is in control.

8. The theme of this Psalm: What to do when faced with the enemy. Do what David did.

A. He trusted. (Rom. 1:17; Mat. 17:20)

B. He prayed. (II Cor. 10:4-5)

C. He searched

1) Himself.

2) Ask God to make search of his heart--He knows it.

D. He testified--that God is sufficient and that he was satisfied with Him.

E. He warned--you'll reap what you sow.

F. He praised--because He is worthy.

G. He left the rest to Him--He will take care of our enemies in His time for His glory. (Heb. 10:30-31)

PSALM 8:

1. This Psalm has the inscription "To the chief musician upon Gittith, a Psalm of David."

A. "To the chief Musician" = means that this Psalm was intended for the choir-leader and was given to him to regulate the manner of performing it; the idea is that the Psalm is to be performed under his direction.

B. "Gittith" = refers to a musical instrument common among the Gittites, inhabitants of Gath, among who David resided for some time; the word means winepress thus, it could denote an instrument that was used by those accustomed to treading the wine-vat and intended to accompany the songs of vintage--the time of harvest; it is not known whether this instrument was a stringed instrument or a wind instrument.

C. "A Psalm of David" = means David, the sweet Psalmist of Israel, was the author--the human instrument--of this Psalm.

2. We do not know on what occasion David wrote this Psalm but it could have been one night when David was musing (meditating in silence) about Sovereign God's creation and His control over it.

V. 1

1. "O" = a cry of amazement in this context.

2. "LORD" = "thy" = "who" = Jehovah; the self-existent one who stands alone with no aid from anybody or any other being in this world or out of this world; the self-existent one who wants to reveal Himself to man.

3. "Lord" = Adonai; means master, ruler, and owner; communicates the extreme commitment between God and His people; by using this name David acknowledges Jehovah to be the rightful ruler, king, and master of everything.

4. "Excellent" = powerful; mighty; noble; famous; glorious; principal; goodly; worthy; the Hebrew word is used 27 times and is translated all of these English words.

5. "Thy name" = the "name" of God expresses the character of God; there is no doubt that this Psalm refers to the Lord Jesus Christ who is in control of all the universe. (Col. 1:15-17; Phil. 2:9-11)

6. "In all the earth" = the manifestation of His perfect character was not confined to any one country but was seen in all lands and among all people.

7. "Set" = give; placed.

8. "Glory" = grandeur; the manifestation of that which brings forth praise.

9. "Above the heavens" = refers to what David was gazing on when he penned this Psalm.

10. David's desire was that His name would be exalted in the highest degree and to the highest place, even above the heavens on which he was gazing.

V. 2

1. "Babes" = little ones; infants; just children.

2. "Sucklings" = little nursing children.

3. "Thou" = "thine" = Lord--Adonai.

4. "Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength" = "strength" in the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the OT Hebrew) is rendered "praise;" Jesus, in responding to the disapproving priests, used this verse to show that God will get praise to Himself, even from those who men regard as insignificant (Mat. 21:12-16); the idea here seems to be that even from babes and sucklings, those who were in themselves so feeble, God had taken occasion to accomplish a work requiring great power; He had made those who were so feeble the instrument of accomplishing a great work; for example: to humble mighty Pharaoh's empire, God did not summon Assyria or any other country; instead He sent a baby to a Hebrew home; the babe was hidden among the bulrushes and was found by Pharoah's daughter; as the princess looked at the handsome little boy he cried; a tear ran down his cheek and Almighty God wrote the downfall of a kingdom; the tear pierced the royal lady's heart and she raised him as her own; she called him Moses and in fulness of time, Moses humbled Egypt to the dust--"out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength."

5. "Because of thine enemies" = in respect to thine enemies; in order to accomplish something in regard to them.

6. "That thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger" = might cause to rest or cease; here it means to bring to an end the purposes of the enemy and the avenger.

7. "The enemy" = the enemy of the Psalmist, regarded also as the enemy of God.

8. "The avenger" = one who was trying to take revenge or who was acting as if determined to avenge some imaginary or real wrong.

9. This could refer to Goliath who was overcome by David. He had no power of himself to accomplish what was done, but God had condescended to honor one who was in himself weak and feeble as a child.

V. 3

1. Verse 4 completes the sentence started in verse 3.

2. "I" = David.

3. "Thy" = "thou" = Adonai--the Lord.

4. "Consider" = to see; to look; to behold; to perceive, discern, or distinguish.

5. "Heavens" = called the work of God's fingers.

6. "Thy heavens" = called His because He made them and also they are His abode.

7. "Work" = a product; the Hebrew word is translated in Exo. 26:36 "wrought with needlework;" David in essence looked at the night skies and called them "needlework of God"--His embroidery, His art work, and His great canvas.

8. "Thy fingers" = the fingers are the instruments by which we construct a piece of work: this could be equivalent to the "hand of God."

9. "The moon and stars" = placed in the heavens on the fourth day of creation to rule the night (Gen. 1:14-18); this lets us know David penned this Psalm at night.

10. "Which thou hast ordained" = to establish; make firm; fix; to stabilize.

11. The language of this verse lets us know that David was talking to God. What David saw in the moon and stars spoke volumes as he plainly stated in Psa. 19:1-4. Those who study the stars with spiritual insight will tell you that certain star groups picture a Virgin setting in the heavens holding a Branch in her hand--one of Jesus' ancient titles. Another has her (a Virgin) actually holding a baby boy. Some depict a Cross, others the Resurrection, and others the Holy Spirit being "outpoured" at Pentecost. And still others picture a giant heroic Personage who is trampling a serpent under His feet. I am told this yet I do not know for sure.

12. Remember that from Adam to Moses, a period of about 2500 years, mankind had no written Bible but Adonai wrote in the heavens with His fingers and declared the glory of God; therefore, man is without excuse. (Rom. 1:20)

V. 4

1. After considering the heavens (the night sky) David asked the Lord some questions.

2. "What is man?" = David viewing the vastness of the heavens (the innumerable stars, planets, suns, and moons) saw man small compared to the creation of God so he asked this question; the vastness of the heavens eclipses man.

3. "Man" = "him" = refers to man as a weak and frail human subject to failures and eventually death.

4. "Thou" = Adonai, the master, ruler, and king of everything.

5. "Mindful" = to remember; to think upon; to call to mind; the Lord has not forgotten us. (Isa. 49:15)

6. "The son of man" = any descendant of man; anyone of the human race; the design of both these questions was to express the idea that there was nothing in man that entitled him to this honor--to be remembered by the Lord.

7. "Visitest" = to count or number; to oversee or govern; expresses a visitation for any purpose; here it refers to the attention bestowed by God on man in conferring on him such favor as He had done, such attention that He never seemed to forget him but was constantly coming to him with some new proof of favor.

8. God has visited man. How? Through His darling Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, the perfect Son of man. He was made flesh and dwelt among us. (John 1:1,14)

V. 5

1. "Thou" = Adonai in context; it doesn’t matter what name you use for God, He is still the Creator.

2. "Him" = Man; a human being.

3. "Angels" = the Hebrew word is Elohim which is translated God in rest of the OT; the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the OT Hebrew) uses the Greek word for "angels" thus rendered so here and in Heb. 2:7

4. "Thou hast made him a little lower than the angels" = the phrase expresses how man has been favored by God, goes back in thought to His creation in Gen. 1:26-27; God created man in His own image; in respect to his dominion over the earth, man (Adam) was placed in a condition comparatively but a little inferior to God Himself; but Adam fell and all mankind since Adam was born in Adam's image; when Heb. 2:7 refers to the Lord Jesus it is referring to His humanity--taking on the form of man through the virgin's womb; this phrase definitely puts a stop to the theory of evolution.

5. "Crowned" = to encircle.

6. "Glory" = splendor.

7. "Honour" = magnificence.

8. "And hast crowned him with glory and honour" = this was done by giving Adam a nature which was a little short of the Divine One; only God can give real glory and honor and that is exactly what He does when one is saved because then man becomes a new creation (II Cor. 5:17) thus being back in the image of God.

V. 6

1. "Thou" = "thy" = Adonai.

2. "Him" = "his" = man.

3. "Dominion" = has the idea of rulership or governorship.

4. "Thou makest him to have dominion over the works of thy hand" = refers to rulership over the whole earth as the Lord spoke to Adam in Gen. 1:28; by these words man's right of dominion was established.

5. "Thou has put all things under his feet" = this is quoted in Eph. 1:22 where it refers to the Lord Jesus--the God-man; it applies to all those in Christ (saved) for one day we will rule and reign with Him. (Rev. 5:10; 20:6)

V. 7

1. David begins to list "all things" that man has dominion over.

2. "All sheep and oxen" = flocks and herds; nothing is more manifest than the control which man exercises over flocks and herds--making them subservient to his use, and obedient to his will.

3. "Yea" = also.

4. "And the beasts of the field" = means the beast that roam at large--wild beast; the Bible separates cattle from the beast of the field in Gen. 2:20; 3:14.

V. 8

1. "The fowl of the air" = dominion was given to Adam in the garden (Gen. 1:26) and also to Noah after the flood (Gen. 9:2); dominion of the fowl is more remarkable than the beast of the field, because the birds of the air seem to be beyond the reach of man, yet they are subject to his control. Job 12:7 states that God's creation teaches us spiritual truths to point us to God, but man uses evolution to point us away from God.

2. "The fish of the sea" = this must be understood in a general sense, and this is perhaps still more remarkable than the dominion over the beast of the field and the fowls of the air, for the fish that swim in the ocean seem to be placed still farther from the control of man.

3. "And whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas" = everything, in general, that passes through the paths of the sea, as if the ocean was formed with paths or highways for them to pass over; refers to everything which moves in the waters.

4. The idea is that man has a wide and universal dominion. A dominion so wide as to excite amazement, wonder, and gratitude, that it has been granted to one so feeble as man is.

5. This Psalm is also definitely referring to the Lord Jesus Christ. He had dominion or control over the animals while He walked upon this earth. Think about:

A. The fish that had a coin divinely lodged in its mouth one day? (Mat. 17:24-27)

B. The school of fish that went to the right (not left) side of the boat (at Jesus' command)to be caught by the disciples? (John 21:5-6)

C. The rooster that crowed at the right time--when Peter denied the Lord the third time? (Luke 22:54-62)

D. The colt He rode on which no man had set? (Mark 11:1-10)

E. Also during the 1000 year reign when the wolf will dwell with the lamb? (Isa. 11:6-8)

6. Jesus is the perfect fulfillment of Psalm 8.

V. 9

1. This verse is a repetition of verse 1 with the exception of the last phrase.

2. "O" = a cry of amazement in this context.

2. "LORD" = "thy" = "who" = Jehovah; the self-existent one who stands alone with no aid from anybody or any other being in this world or out of this world; the self-existent one who wants to reveal Himself to man.

3. "Lord" = Adonai; means master, ruler, and owner; communicates the extreme commitment between God and His people; by using this name David acknowledges Jehovah to be the rightful ruler, king, and master of everything.

4. "Excellent" = powerful; mighty; noble; famous; glorious; principal; goodly; worthy; the Hebrew word is used 27 times and is translated all of these English words.

5. "Thy name" = the "name" of God expresses the character of God; there is no doubt that this Psalm refers to the Lord Jesus Christ who is in control of all the universe. (Col. 1:15-17; Phil. 2:9-11)

6. "In all the earth" = the manifestation of His perfect character was not confined to any one country but was seen in all lands and among all people.