Psalm 8 Part 6: All Things are Under our Feet
Psalm 8:6, Psalm 24:1 - What should be under our feet?
“You make him to rule over the works of Your hands;
You have put all things under his feet,”
Psalms 8:6 NASB1995
When I was growing up, my dear, late Dad would look at the busy activities of construction crews and builders and massive projects like dams and tall buildings and would always say “Man is a mighty ant”. My Mom and I would nod appropriately and agree with him, counting down the minutes until he said it again (bless his heart - that was one of his favorite sayings). God gave us dominion or rule over the works of His hands. The Blue Letter Bible lexicon for the words dominion or rule in Hebrew is mashal, which means to have power over something.
Humans these days are told to back off, especially by eco-warriors and animal rights groups, and not exercise this dominion in the way that God intended. We are supposedly just one of many species in the ecosystem and our dominance is destroying the Earth (or so we are told). We have been granted the power and ability by God to create things of beauty and utility and creativity or we can use our dominion to make slums and ecological disasters and weapons of war. David Guzik from Enduring Word has this to say about this dominion:
As part of this authority, mankind has the responsibility to wisely manage the creatures and resources of this earth in a way that gives God glory and is good for man. It means that it is wrong to see man as merely part of the ecosystem (thus denying his God-ordained dominion). It is also wrong for man to abuse the ecosystem, thus making him a bad manager of that which ultimately belongs to God (Psalm 24:1). The mandate of dominion asks man to use the creatures and resources of the earth, but to use them wisely and responsibly.
Guzik references Psalm 24:1 in this commentary:
“The earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains,
The world, and those who dwell in it.”
Psalms 24:1 NASB1995
We should not be held in bondage to the things of the world. As Guzik noted later in his commentary, we were born to have dominion over material things of the world and not be enslaved by those things. St. Peter’s Basilica (photo above) in Rome is spectacular and many millions were spent over the centuries to create the perfect marbles and artworks and vaulted ceilings. But those things do nothing to save us, as nice as they are to look at. I think our Good Shepherd would probably prefer a simple mountain meadow or garden path under His feet when He prays, because that breathes life, and life is the true great mystery that He has created.
My next devotional examines Psalm 8:7.
Heaven on Wheels Daily Prayer:
Dear Lord - Please help us to have the proper dominion over your creation so that we honor you as the Creator and not stand in bondage to the things of the world. Amen.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Commentary by David Guzik on Enduring Word is used with written permission.