Our Excellent God
The eighth Psalm is unique, not in that it is the shortest Psalm, as there are several that are shorter. Neither is it the longest. One unique thing about the eighth Psalm is that the first and last phrase in that Psalm is exactly the same. That phrase is: O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! This occurs in the beginning of verse 1 and comprises the entirety of verse 8.
What a wonderful expression to describe our God! Excellence by definition is: “the quality of being outstanding or extremely good”. One need only to look into the account of creation to see how “excellent” God is. We know the first verse of Genesis tells us that God “created” the heaven and the earth, but we can surely see the excellence of His power when we read how God created. In Genesis 1:3 we read: “And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.”
As we continue to read the creation account, we see in verses 4, 10, 12, 18, 21 and 25 that God saw that what He had created was good. Then, in verse 31 we read of the end of creation and “behold, it was very good”. All of this “work of God” was accomplished in six days. I don’t see how anyone could describe this in any way other than excellent. In fact, in the prophecy of Isaiah, the Spirit had the prophet remind Israel in Isaiah 28:29 that all that comes from the Lord is wonderful and excellent. This also cometh forth from the LORD of hosts, which is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working.
The Spirit previously had the Psalmist in Psalm 73:1 tell us that God had been good to Israel. It is also written that those of a good heart could know the goodness of God. Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart. God surely was good to Israel. He provided for them when there was no corn in Canaan with the excellent plan God had to sustain His people, the descendants of Abraham. Gen 42:2 shows that Jacob took advantage of God’s providence for his family, although he did not know at the time it was God who had done it. And he said, Behold, I have heard that there is corn in Egypt: get you down thither, and buy for us from thence; that we may live, and not die.
After his brethren made a couple of trips to Egypt to buy corn to sustain the family, Joseph, whom they had sold into bondage, revealed himself to them. He did so without malice, but to show them the excellency of God. Genesis 45:4-7 gives us this record and tells why the events transpired as they did. And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. 5 Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life. 6 For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest. 7 And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.
God had separated out the Jews as His People and had given them a Law. The purpose was to bring His Son into the world to carry out that plan to save souls from sin. Much later, after Israel had been delivered from Egypt through God’s plan, Israel forgot how excellent God is and as a result of their sinful ways, were again in bondage. Our excellent God had a plan, and no one was going to prevent that plan from being fulfilled. God’s excellent plan to save the Jews for this purpose was to be carried out by Esther while Israel was again in bondage. Mordecai advised Esther in Esther 4:13-14 that her presence in the palace was part of God’s excellent plan for the nation. Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther, Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king's house, more than all the Jews. 14 For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this? The nation was spared, and God’s plan moved forward.
And move forward it did. In Gal 4:4-5 we see that God’s excellent plan had come to fruition. But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. We know that the gospel was first preached in Jerusalem as prophesied, when the Spirit came on the apostles on the first Pentecost after Jesus ascended back to the Father after His death, burial and resurrection. We are also told in Romans 1:16 that the gospel is God’s Power unto salvation. For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. Therefore, whosever will obey the gospel will become a child of God. This is the reaction we see of those Jews gathered for Pentecost in Acts 2:41 after they heard the gospel. Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. According to Acts 2:47, these who were baptized were added to the church by God Himself. How excellent!
Our excellent Savior brought man the excellent plan of Salvation as He did His Father’s Will. Our excellent God has preserved that plan for us in His Holy Word. In Ephesians 1:8-9 we read how God has demonstrated His excellence and His Providence for all humanity. Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; 9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: You can obey God’s excellent plan today. Let us help you save your soul.
Dennis Strickland – Mooresville church of Christ
