International Gospel Hour

Jeff Archey: Coming up from the International Gospel Hour, our Psalm-cast is just ahead and, well, let's just say, "O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is your name in all the earth." Praise God and our study is just ahead.

J. Webb: Hi, this is J. Webb for International Gospel Hour. Welcome to our broadcast today. For over 90 years, churches of Christ have proclaimed God's word through our broadcasts. Just ahead is another Bible-based lesson with Jeff Archey of International Gospel Hour. Let's begin.

Jeff Archey: Well, thank you always to our J. Webb for his kind words and greetings to all of you. Great having you with us today for our study here from the International Gospel Hour. Very quickly, let me mention something. From time to time, I like to always remind our listeners and even our viewers of our television broadcast that anything that we offer from International Gospel Hour will always be free.

You notice we don't ask for your money on the air, but we're able to provide materials absolutely free and we are most honored to do so. We want to let you know that. So anything that we offer that you want, feel free to reach out and ask us for it and we will get it to you as soon as we can.

Once again, welcome to our Psalm-cast and this is where we spend time in the wonderful book of Psalms. Today, let's consider Psalm 8. "O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is your name in all the earth, who have set your glory above the heavens. Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants you have ordained strength because of your enemies, that you may silence the enemy and the avenger.

When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars which you have ordained, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you visit him? For you have made him a little lower than the angels, and you have crowned him with glory and honor. You have made him to have dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen, even the beasts of the field, the birds of the air and the fish of the sea that pass through the paths of the sea. O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is your name in all the earth."

What a great Psalm. A Psalm actually that is considered a call to worship, as we see the Psalm beginning and ending the same: "O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is your name in all the earth." A writer by the name of Phillips thinks this praise was written after David conquered Goliath, and the description of the Psalm that we read as the Psalm begins—not within the text but notes above—mentions Gittith. Now, no one knows the meaning of that word, but some think it may be associated with Gath, a city of the Philistines. So maybe Phillips is onto something there. We don't know; we're just trying to grasp and understand.

Edmund Jacob calls Psalm 8 "Genesis 1 set to music" and the best commentary on Genesis 1. And when we take the superior God and come to him with our inferior souls, how excellent he is and how excellent we become. "O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is your name in all the earth, who have set your glory above the heavens." Let's continue our study in just a moment.

J. Webb: Our free publication today is Valor and Virtue, a Christian apologetics magazine for teens. It is a great resource, especially for the challenging teen years. Get your free copy today by calling toll-free at 855-444-6988. Leave your name and address and just say "Valor."

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Jeff Archey: And friends, let me say this, we have a number of Valor and Virtues we'd love to share with you. When you leave us that information, say "Valor 2," the number two, "Valor 2," and we'll send you an additional copy of Valor and Virtue. And it'll be a different copy; you'll get two separate editions of Valor and Virtue.

O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is your name. Let's talk about an excellent strength. We note this from verse two: "Out of the mouth of babes you have ordained strength, silence the enemy and the avenger." When Jesus in Matthew 11:25 said at that time, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes." Jesus is bringing forth what is being taught from Psalm 8 and verse 2.

In Matthew 21:15 and 16, when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, that is Jesus, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, "Hosanna to the son of David!" they were indignant and said to him, "Do you hear what these are saying?" And Jesus said to them, "Yes, have you not read: 'Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants you have perfected praise'?" Oh, dear friends, what a wonderful thought that children can reflect the excellent strength of God. Oh, the little songs that I remember singing as a child that praised God.

O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is your name. Not only an excellent strength, but an excellent structure: His creation. From verse three: "When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers. All sheep and oxen," verse seven, "the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, the fish of the sea." Psalm 33:8 and 9: "Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. For he spoke, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast." And in Psalm 19:1: "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows his handiwork." O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is your name.

An excellent Savior. From verse four of Psalm 8: "What is man that you are mindful of him?" And you know, friends, this part of the Psalm is called a Messianic Psalm as well because we find this referring to Christ. He's mindful of man whom he created, Genesis 1:26 and 27 and Psalm 139 and verse 14. Are we not astounded in science or anatomy and physiology of the creation of man?

My friend, Ronnie Kidd, wrote a book about David called *Stand Up, Face Up, Look Up: Lessons from David, a Man After God's Own Heart*. And for illustration of importance, Ronnie mentioned about the physical organ, the heart. It is linked by 100,000 miles of blood vessels, weighs less than a pound, beats approximately 70 times per minute, 100,000 beats per day, five quarts of blood per minute (pages 23 and 24). Now, friends, think about our other organs in our body and how, yes indeed, according to Psalm 139:14, we are fearfully and wonderfully made.

Back to the thought of the Psalm, the Messianic Psalm. I take us now to Hebrews 2:5 through 9: "For he has not put the world to come, of which we speak, in subjection to angels. But one testified in a certain place saying: 'What is man that you are mindful of him, or the son of man that you take care of him? You have made him a little lower than the angels; you have crowned him with glory and honor and set him over the works of your hands. You have put all things in subjection under his feet.'"

For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we do not yet see all things put under him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that he by the grace of God might taste death for everyone. An excellent strength, an excellent structure, an excellent Savior. O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is your name.

Oh, friends, I have to pause here for just a moment. Would you like to learn more about the excellence of God? How excellent is his name? We'd love to provide free materials, as I mentioned earlier. I'm going to pause for our J. Webb and here is our free Bible course by mail.

J. Webb: Our long-time free Bible study course by mail is always available. Have you tried it yet? Just call us toll-free at 855-444-6988 and leave your name, address, and just say "Home Study." That's it. You may also go to our website at internationalgospelhour.com. Click on the contact tab and leave us the same information: name, address, and type "Home Study" in the message box. Study the Bible at your own pace. Again, it's free from your friends here at International Gospel Hour.

Jeff Archey: And now, friends, let's also consider an excellent supremacy. We wrap up with verses six and seven of his protection and how he had dominion over the works and all. Dominion under his feet. Building off the Savior Jesus Christ, we note 1 Corinthians 15:25: "He must reign till he has put all enemies under his feet."

And 1 Corinthians 15:27: "For he has put all things under his feet." For when he says all things are put under him, it is evident that he who put all things under him is excepted. Ephesians 1:22 and 23: "He put all things under his feet and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him that fills all in all."

O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is your name in all the earth. Oh, how he's excellent in his love for mankind in that Jesus died for us (John 3:16). And how excellent is his grace that teaches us salvation (Titus 2:11 through 14). Excellent in his mercy that is extended (Ephesians 2:1 through 9).

How excellent we find his salvation for man, that if we will believe in Christ (John 8:24), repent of our sins (Luke 13:3 and 5), confess him (Matthew 10:32 and 33), and yes, baptized upon the command of Christ (Mark 16 and verse 16) for our sins to be washed away (Acts 22 and verse 16). And how baptism doth now also save us, not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God (1 Peter 3:21).

O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is your name. What a wonderful Psalm of Psalm 8. And friends, we'll study the Psalms together at another time. We'll continue our studies here, so join us once again very soon here on the International Gospel Hour. I'm Jeff Archey and friends, keep listening.

J. Webb: Thank you for listening to our broadcast today and we hope you continue onward with your search and study of God's word. Please join us next time and visit our website at internationalgospelhour.com. Oh, Lord, be with you till we meet again.