Psalm 8 (2025-2026A)

O Love, my Beloved, How powerful is your Name in all the earth!
You, whose glory is sung in heaven by the angels and saints,
Who with he innocence and spontaneity of a child,
Confound those who are mighty and proud,
You comfort the unloving and fearful.
When I look up at the heavens, at the work of Love’s creation, at the infinite variety of your Plan,
What is woman that You rejoice in her, And man that You delight in him?
You have made us in your image, You fill us with your Love;
You have made us co-creators of the earth! guardians of the planet! 
to care for all your creatures, to tend the land, the sea, and the air we breathe; 
all You have made, You have placed in our hands.
O Love, my Beloved, How powerful is your Name in all the earth!
Nan C. Merrill Psalms for Praying

Psalm 8

Reflection:

You have made us co-creators with You; stewards of the earth, caretakers of Your good creation.
You entrust to us the land, the sea, and the air we breathe; all You have made, You place in our care, not our control.

Some translations of Psalm 8 say that God has made people “rulers,” given them “dominion” over the earth, and placed all creation under their feet. Words matter. These words can be misunderstood—twisted into claims of power, authority, and control, as though humanity were granted a divine right to dominate, conquer, or elevate itself above others.

We confess that such distortions have too often been used to justify harm; to creation, to communities, and to the very witness of the Church. Ideologies like white Christian nationalism claim God’s authority for human power, fusing faith with national identity and elevating some while excluding others. In doing so, they make an idol of nation and power, rather than honoring You alone.

But this is not the song the psalmist sings.

Throughout the Psalms, power belongs to You, God. And when it is entrusted to us, it is always for the sake of care, justice, and protection of the vulnerable. Dominion is not domination; it is responsibility. It is a calling to reflect Your mercy in how we live among all Your creatures.

You have made us capable of love, of tending, of nurturing life.
In this way, we participate in Your ongoing creation, not as rulers above it, but as servants within it.

So we pray for those who have been drawn into fear, exclusion, and the misuse of faith—
that hearts may be softened, that truth may be seen, that love may cast out fear.

Teach us again that true power is not control, but compassion.
Not dominance, but service.
Not fear, but Love.

O Love, our Beloved how majestic is Your Name in all the earth!

Check out other psalm reflections in the links below or find more of my writing published in Presbyterian Outlook or listen to my experiments in podcasting on the Period Pastor Podcast.  Follow me @periodpastor

Past reflection links:
Psalm 8 Year C (2024-2025)
Psalm 8 Year C (2021-2022)
Psalm 8 Year B (2020-2021)

I began writing Psalm reflections during Lent of 2020.  Shortly after, we decided to close the church building, work from home, and worship via zoom. Many churches use the Revised Common Lectionary (RLC) that rotates scripture on a three-year cycle (A, B, and C).  Starting in Advent 2019, the church decided to worship with the texts from Year D, which is still not circulated as are years A, B, and C.  Year D was created with the goal of including scriptures that were left out or not used as frequently as others.  While we were using Psalms in year D, most other lectionary followers were using Year A.  In Advent of 2020 we rejoined those who use the lectionary in year B.  Advent of 2021 year C.  When we returned to in person worship, we took the psalm reflections out of the order of worship.  I continued to write them for the blog.  Advent of 2022 year A.  I left church work in July of 2023 but continued the practice of writing psalm reflections.  Advent of 2023 year B.  Advent of 2024 year C.  I finished year C early, so I began work on psalms I missed: Psalm 119,  Year D and others not in the lectionary.  By the end of 2025, I have written a reflection for each psalm.  

Advent of 2025 year A.

I use the Vanderbilt Divinity Library’s resource for lectionary readings and the PCUSA planning calendar to make text selections.

Year A Psalms

1^st Sunday in Advent Psalm 122, 2^nd Sunday in Advent Psalm 72, 3^rd Sunday in Advent Psalm 146, 4^th Sunday in Advent Psalm 80, Christmas Psalm 96, Psalm 97, Psalm 98, 1^st Sunday after Christmas Psalm 148, 2^nd Sunday after Christmas Psalm 147, 1^st Sunday after Epiphany Psalm 29, 2^nd Sunday after Epiphany Psalm 40, 3^rd Sunday after Epiphany Psalm 27, 4^th Sunday after Epiphany Psalm 15, 5^th Sunday after Epiphany Psalm 112, Transfiguration Sunday Psalm 2 or Psalm 99.

1^st Sunday in Lent Psalm 32, 2^nd Sunday in Lent Psalm 121, 3^rdSunday in Lent Psalm 95, 4^th Sunday in Lent Psalm 23, 5^th Sunday in Lent Psalm 130, 6^th Sunday in Lent Psalm 118 or Psalm 31.

Easter Psalm 118 or Psalm 114, 2^nd Sunday of Easter Psalm 16 or Psalm 111, 3^rd Sunday of Easter Psalm 116 or Psalm 34, 4^th Sunday of Easter Psalm 23 or Psalm 100, 5^th Sunday of Easter Psalm 31 or Psalm 119: 9-32, 6^th Sunday of Easter Psalm 66 or Psalm 115, 7^th Sunday of Easter Psalm 68 or Psalm 21, Pentecost Psalm 104.

1^st Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 8, 2^nd Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 33 or Psalm 50, 3^rd Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 116 or Psalm 100, 4^th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 86 or Psalm 69, 5^th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 13 or Psalm 89, 6^th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 45 or Psalm 145, 7^th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 119 or Psalm 65, 8^th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 139 or Psalm 86, 9^th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 105 or Psalm 119, 10^th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 17 or Psalm 145, 11^th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 105 or Psalm 85, 12^th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 133 or Psalm 67, 13^th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 124 or Psalm 138, 14^th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 105 or Psalm 26, 15^thSunday after Pentecost Psalm 149 or Psalm 119, 16^th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 114 or Psalm 103, 17^th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 105 or Psalm 145, 18^th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 78 or Psalm 25, 19^th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 19 or Psalm 80, 20^th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 106 or Psalm 23, 21^st Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 99 or Psalm 96, 22^nd Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 90 or Psalm 1, 23^rd Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 107 or Psalm 43, 24^th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 78 or Psalm 70, 25^th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 123 or Psalm 90, 26^th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 100 or Psalm 95.

Sources and notes:

“Psalm 8 is the first hymn of praise in the Psalter. It interrupts the sequence of prayers for salvation to say something very important about the God to whom the prayers are made: The LORD is the cosmic sovereign whose majesty is visible in the whole world. The psalm also discloses why the salvation of those who pray is so important for the reign of God: As human beings, they have an office in God’s kingdom.” Mays p. 65

“The LORD who is sovereign over the congregation that sings the hymn possesses a cosmic majesty evident in all the earth. The psalm does not imply that the sovereign self of God is apparent in the visible world. There is no pantheism here. The majesty to be seen is that of the name of the LORD. The content of “name” is the works and words of the one whose identity and will are expressed through them. The psalm sees in all the earth the work of the word of the LORD and views the work of the LORD as the word of the LORD’s sovereignty. The body of the hymn praises the LORD as creator, but there and here the language distinguishes between creator and creation while marveling at the majesty of the one discernible in the other.” Mays p. 65

“In the psalm, the question [what is man?] is not an invitation to philosophical reasoning or scientific research. In all the appearances of Psalm 8 in the Old Testament, including this one, the psalm’s purpose is to acknowledge the finiteness of a human being, his unimportance and limits (144:3-4; Job 7:17; 15:14). The recognition is evoked here by contemplation of the vast depth of the night sky with its moon and myriad mysterious stars, an experience to which people of many times and places have testified. The experience is not, however, that of being “lost in the cosmos”; rather, it is of awe and wonder at the marvelous majesty of God, who can make and has made a royal regent of this mere moral. The question is asked in the psalm to serve the purpose of the hymn, praise of the LORD.” Mays p. 68

Creach notes that this text is often used to abuse (dominate) the earth because people are to have ‘dominion’, but that is not the intention or proper interpretation as “humans serve not as owners over creation, but as tenants” p. 73 or we could think of ourselves as having a “sublease” p.75. If we took care of the earth as the owner would, we would be lovingly caring and protecting all of it.

“…dominion without the recognition of God’s claim on us and on the earth becomes domination.” NIB p. 327

“The movement from Psalms 3-7 to Psalm 8 suggests at least that the royal status and vocation of humanity are not diminished by suffering. In fact, as regards the human, we may conclude that to be created in the “image of God” inevitably means that we will suffer. As regards God, we may conclude that divine partnership with humanity inevitably involves God suffering. These same conclusions are articulated in the book of Job.” NIB p. 327

“At its center is an affirmation of human power and authority. At its boundaries are affirmations of praise to God. The center (v.5) and the boundaries (vv. 1,9) must be read together; either taken alone will miss the point. Human power is always bounded and surrounded by divine praise. Doxology gives dominion its context and legitimacy. The two must be held together. Praise of God without human authority is addiction and “leaving it all to God,” which this psalm does not urge. But to use human power without the context of praise of God is to profane human regency over creation and so usurp more than has been granted. Human persons are to rule, but they are not to receive the ultimate loyalty of creation. Such loyalty must be directed only to God.” Brueggemann, The Message of the Psalms pp. 37-38

“This psalm struggles with a delicacy not raised in the other statements on creation we have considered. It recognizes that humankind is the crown and pinnacle of creation, but even human power is shaped and qualified by doxology. Finally, it is glad and submitting doxology the receives and confirms the well-oriented creation of God. These psalms of creation provide a sure and bold beginning point for the full world of psalmic faith.” Brueggemann, The Message of the Psalms p. 38

Alter, Robert.  2007.  The Book of Psalms: A Translation with Commentary New York: W. W. Norton & Company

WBC Allen, Leslie C. 1983. Word Biblical Commentary: Psalms 101-150. Vol. 21. Waco, TX: Word Books, Publisher.

Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. 1974. Psalms: The Prayer Book of the Bible. 8th ed. Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Press.

Bourgeault, C. (2006). Chanting the psalms: A practical guide Audio Book. New Seeds.

Brueggemann, Walter. 2007. Praying the Psalms: Engaging Scripture and the Life of the Spirit. 2nd ed. Eugene, OR: Cascade.

Brueggemann, Walter. 2014. From Whom No Secrets Are Hid: Introducing the Psalms. Edited by Brent A. Strawn. 1st ed. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press.

Brueggemann, Walter. Davis Hanskins, Editor. 2022.  Our Hearts Wait: Worshiping Through Praise and Lament in the Psalms Westminster John Knox Press, Louisville KY.

Brueggemann, Walter. (2002). Spirituality of the psalms. Augsburg Pub. House. 

Brueggemann, Walter. (1984). The Message of the Psalms: A Theological Commentary. Minneapolis: Augsburg.

Chilson, Richard, ed. You Shall Not Want: A Spiritual Journey Based on the Psalms. Ave Maria Press, 2009.

Chittister, Joan. (2011). Songs of the heart: reflections on the psalms. John Garratt Publishing. 

Cudjoe-Wilkes and Wilkes Cudjoe-Wilkes, G., Wilkes, A. J., & Moss, O. (2022). Psalms for black lives: Reflections for the work of Liberation. Upper Room Books. 

WBC Craigie, Peter C. 1983. Psalms 1-50–Word Biblical Commentary. Vol. 19. Waco, TX: Word Books.

Creach, Jerome Frederick Davis. 1998. Psalms: Interpretation Bible Studies. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press.

DAFLER, J. (2021). PSOBRIETY: A journey of recovery through the psalms. Louisville, KY: WESTMINSTER JOHN KNOX.

W de Claisse-Walford, Nancy L. WISDOM COMMENTARY: Psalms Bks. 4-5. Edited by Barbara E. Reid. Vol. 22. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical, 2020. 

Green, Barbara. 1997. Like a Tree Planted: An Exploration of Psalms and Parables Through Metaphor. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press. 

W Hopkins, Denise Dombkowski. WISDOM COMMENTARY: Psalms Bks. 2-3. Edited by Barbara E. Reid. Vol. 21. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical, 2016. 

NIB Keck, Leander E. 2015. The New Interpreters Bible Commentary. Vol. 3. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press.

Lewis, C. S. (2017). Reflections on the Psalms. Harper One, an imprint of Harper Collins Publishers. 

Mays, James Luther. 1994. Psalms. Louisville, KY: John Knox Press.

McCann, J. C. (1993). A theological introduction to the book of Psalms: The Psalms as Torah. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press.

McCann, J. C., & Howell, J. C. 2001. Preaching the Psalms. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press.

Merrill, N. C. (2020). Psalms for praying an invitation to wholeness (10th Anniversary Edition ed.). London, England: Bloomsbury Publishing.

Miller, Patrick D. 1986. Interpreting the Psalms. Philadelphia, PA: Fortress Press.

Morgan, Michael. 2010.  The Psalter for Christian Worship Revised Edition. Westminster John Knox Press.

Schlimm, Matthew Richard. 2018. 70 Hebrew Words Every Christian Should Know. Nashville, TN: Abington Press.

Spong, M. (Ed.). (2020). The words of her mouth: Psalms for the struggle. Cleveland, OH: The Pilgrim Press.

WBC Tate, Marvin E. 1990. Word Biblical Commentary: Psalms 51-100. Edited by David Allan. Hubbard and Glenn W. Barker. Vol. 20. Waco, TX: Word.

Weems, Ann. 1995. Psalm of Lament. Westminster John Knox Pres

OTL Weiser, Artur. 1998. Old Testament Library: Psalms. Translated by Herbert Hartwell. 3rd ed. New York, NY: Manchester University Press.