Psalm 8

The great I AM is not only the Lord of those who worship Him; He is the God of all the earth. His Name, His essence, His attributes, and all His glory are the very definition and fountainhead of majesty. He is far above everything else that would pretend to be His rival.

For some lesser being to demand our absolute attention and our supreme obedience is a pride that should be resisted. But for the Lord to reserve for Himself all worship is not arrogance. It is only right. He has created the heavens and the earth, and has made His Name majestic over everything. Until we bow before Him with reverence and worship Him will all obedience something is out of order upon the earth.

Even the smallest baby and the toddlers who have just begun to walk should praise the Lord. At present our God has angelic and human foes who challenge Him. They come with proud boasts, even demanding the worship of others, and placing themselves right within His church as they defy His Name. The true worship of the youngest saints toward the real God by the power of the Holy Spirit will put such imposters to shame one day, and will shut their mouths which today speak so much blasphemy.

Look up in the night skies and behold the testimony that comes forth from the heavens! See the moon and stars in their place. Where did this all come from? God is above all. Why would He bother with us?

The account of creation in Genesis is unambiguous about the great care that God has for man. He gave dominion over all the created things to the first man, Adam. He created man, male and female, in His image. Adam was to rule for His great Sovereign, the Lord. He was made to worship the Almighty God, and to exercise divine authority over all the realms that God created.

But there is a problem now in Adam's world because of sin, and the misery and death that follow close on sin's heals. God has sentenced Adam's world to futility, but He has not abandoned His creation or His plan of glory.

To bring about the great reclamation of the earth, God sent His Son as the second Adam. He is the covenant Head of a new world that is now coming into being. That world is reserved in the present heaven, but finds expression on the earth even now in the worship and obedience of the body of Christ.

Jesus, the Son of God, gave His life for everyone in that new world that is coming into being. Through faith in Him we are united to our Mediator, and brought into the Lord's worshiping community, His church, that calls upon His Name.

Jesus, like Adam, has been given dominion over all. He who is God forever, was made man for our salvation. He was made to be beneath the angels for a time in His outward glory. This was necessary in order for Him to suffer the death that was required for our restoration. Now He has ascended far above the heavens, and has a Name that is far superior to any of the angelic host. He is the Lord.

From His place of rule in heaven, He is currently putting everything under His feet in the new resurrection world that is coming in to being. He is the King and Head of the church, and has all power and authority to renew us and to bring the vengeance of God against His enemies.

Presently we do not see everything in submission to Him, but one day we will live in the resurrection world, and the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord. Then the second Adam will visibly reign with perfect dominion over the earth. The beasts of the field, the birds of the air, the fish of the sea, and all the forces of nature will be known by all as His. Most importantly, all of humanity will serve Him without the slightest hint of sin or rebellion.

O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Today we can bow the knee to our Lord, even though we live in a world of suffering and violence. We stand by faith in the Son of God who came into this world and experienced that violence and who knew suffering and temptation, yet without sin.

The adversaries of the Almighty hit Jesus of Nazareth with their entire arsenal of trouble, yet He displayed to the world a power of holiness that was far more than a match for their weapons of rebellion. In Him we have access to a world of light in the realms where He now reigns with the Father of Lights.

Though we face many difficulties in Adam's world, which is still under the divine sentence of futility, we have been granted a living hope in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. When our days here below are completed, and we have run the race that God has set before us, we enter into the new world of life. We can taste that life even today, breathing in the air of heaven in Word, sacrament, prayer, and a life of love. And even now, Jesus reigns over all, despite any appearance to the contrary.