The Eighth Psalm

[John Reece]

I have not had any energy to do any original exegesis lately. What little I have has been taken up following interesting bloggers re the presidential election.

In the course of the above mentioned pursuit, I have come upon this biblical reference by Mark Steyn:


As the Eighth Psalm says:

What is man that thou art mindful of him ... ? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet: All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field; The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea.
You can say that's a lot of Judeo-Christian hooey. But that's not the point. The Psalmist, regardless of whether he got it from God, has characterized the reality of our lives better than Suzuki's alleged scientific classification does. The Eighth Psalm describes the central fact of our modern existence. It was a lot less plausible when it was written, when man's domain stretched barely to the horizon, when ravenous beasts lurked in the undergrowth, when the oceans were uncharted and the maps dribbled away with the words "Here be monsters ..." Back in those days, if PBS jetsetting finger-wagger Bill Moyers was sitting under some tree in the South African bush bemoaning man as a "cancer on the planet," nobody in Connecticut would be able to hear a word he was yakking on about, oh happy day.

But, over the millennia, the Eighth Psalm has held up, which is more than you can say for Fritz Lang or those 1970s eco-apocalyptics. By contrast, Suzuki's "We're All Animals Here" is a pitiful reductio, an expression not so much of evolutionary theory as devolutionary theory: We've evolved from the beasts, and, with a bit of a nudge from Moyers and Suzuki and PETA, we can evolve back. And if that means those fieldhands in southern Ethiopia have to eke out their four decades in the rustic version of Metropolis, so be it.

There's no such thing as "sustainable" development. Human progress and individual liberty have advanced on the backs of one unsustainable development after another: When we needed trees for heating and transportation, we chopped 'em down. Then we discovered oil, and the trees grew back. When the oil runs out, we won't notice because our SUVs will be powered by something else. Bet on human ingenuity every time. We're not animals, and it's a cult as deranged as the screwiest fringe religion to insist we are. Earth's most valuable resource is us.

http://www.steynonline.com/index2.cfm?edit_id=67

[George Murphy]

I have not had any energy to do any original exegesis lately. What little I have has been taken up following interesting bloggers re the presidential election.

In the course of the above mentioned pursuit, I have come upon this biblical reference by Mark Steyn:




As the Eighth Psalm says:





What is man that thou art mindful of him ... ? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet: All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field; The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea.You can say that's a lot of Judeo-Christian hooey. But that's not the point. The Psalmist, regardless of whether he got it from God, has characterized the reality of our lives better than Suzuki's alleged scientific classification does. The Eighth Psalm describes the central fact of our modern existence. It was a lot less plausible when it was written, when man's domain stretched barely to the horizon, when ravenous beasts lurked in the undergrowth, when the oceans were uncharted and the maps dribbled away with the words "Here be monsters ..." Back in those days, if PBS jetsetting finger-wagger Bill Moyers was sitting under some tree in the South African bush bemoaning man as a "cancer on the planet," nobody in Connecticut would be able to hear a word he was yakking on about, oh happy day.



But, over the millennia, the Eighth Psalm has held up, which is more than you can say for Fritz Lang or those 1970s eco-apocalyptics. By contrast, Suzuki's "We're All Animals Here" is a pitiful reductio, an expression not so much of evolutionary theory as devolutionary theory: We've evolved from the beasts, and, with a bit of a nudge from Moyers and Suzuki and PETA, we can evolve back. And if that means those fieldhands in southern Ethiopia have to eke out their four decades in the rustic version of Metropolis, so be it.

There's no such thing as "sustainable" development. Human progress and individual liberty have advanced on the backs of one unsustainable development after another: When we needed trees for heating and transportation, we chopped 'em down. Then we discovered oil, and the trees grew back. When the oil runs out, we won't notice because our SUVs will be powered by something else. Bet on human ingenuity every time. We're not animals, and it's a cult as deranged as the screwiest fringe religion to insist we are. Earth's most valuable resource is us.

http://www.steynonline.com/index2.cfm?edit_id=67



This is an example of something that the RCs call "tantamount to heresy." The definitive interpretation of Psalm 8 is that in Hebrews 2, where it's applied to Christ. The pattern of genuine humanity given to us is Jesus Christ, whose dominion is completely different from the chain saw and bulldozer model. OTOH folks with views like Steyn's need to hear Ezekiel 28:1-19.

Shalom,
George

[John Reece]

This is an example of something that the RCs call "tantamount to heresy." The definitive interpretation of Psalm 8 is that in Hebrews 2, where it's applied to Christ. The pattern of genuine humanity given to us is Jesus Christ, whose dominion is completely different from the chain saw and bulldozer model. OTOH folks with views like Steyn's need to hear Ezekiel 28:1-19.

Shalom,
George

I just re-read Hebrews 2 and Ezekiel 1-19.

Of course Hebrews 2 is the definitive interpretation of Psalm 8, but that does not amount to a refutation of Steyn's thesis ("We're not animals"), which is not antithetical to either Hebrews 2 or Ezekiel 1:1-19 - the pejorative "chain and bulldozer model" mischaracterization not withstanding.

[George Murphy]

I just re-read Hebrews 2 and Ezekiel 1-19.

Of course Hebrews 2 is the definitive interpretation of Psalm 8, but that does not amount to a refutation of Steyn's thesis ("We're not animals"), which is not antithetical to either Hebrews 2 or Ezekiel 1:1-19 - the pejorative "chain and bulldozer model" mischaracterization not withstanding.1) Hebrews 2 is not a refutation of Steyn's thesis only if you pay no attention to the way Jesus is spoken of in the rest of the NT.

2) I didn't pause to refute Steyn's claim that "We're not animals" because it's so obviously false. Are we vegetables? Minerals? Disembodied spirits? There would have been some value in his claim if he'd said "We're not just animals" or "there are tremendous differences between humans and other animals" but he didn't. He doesn't seem to have much use for nuance.

3) If you read Ezekiel 1:1-19 you probably will have seen no connection with Steyn's claim. I referred to Ezekiel 28:1-19 which is a condemnation (actually 2 condemnations) of the King of Tyre - and by extension those like him - who, because of their wealth and wisdom say "I am a god; I sit in the seat of the gods." It's a fair enough characterization of Steyn's attitude.

4) Given the style of Steyn's harangue, pejorative language in response was not inappropriate.

5) "Chainsaw and bulldozer model" is an accurate characterization of the view of someone who says "When we needed trees for heating and transportation, we chopped 'em down. Then we discovered oil, and the trees grew back. When the oil runs out, we won't notice because our SUVs will be powered by something else." (& the statement "the trees grew back" is a vast oversimplification.)

6) I don't know whether Steyn claims to be a Christian or not. If he doesn't then his statement is just wrong, not "tantamount to heresy." In either case Christians have no business endorsing this sort of stuff. Inter alia, God has given us no promise that we will always be able to maintain the standard of living to which we've become accustomed.

Shalom,
George

[John Reece]

. . .

3) If you read Ezekiel 1:1-19 you probably will have seen no connection with Steyn's claim. I referred to Ezekiel 28:1-19 which is a condemnation (actually 2 condemnations) of the King of Tyre - and by extension those like him - who, because of their wealth and wisdom say "I am a god; I sit in the seat of the gods." It's a fair enough characterization of Steyn's attitude.

. . .

. . . In either case Christians have no business endorsing this sort of stuff. Inter alia, God has given us no promise that we will always be able to maintain the standard of living to which we've become accustomed.

Shalom,
George


I did indeed read Ezekiel 28:1-19; Ezekiel 1:1-19 was a typo.

You project into Steyn's comments more than and other than what he actually wrote.

I identify with Steyn, and - contrary to your assertion - neither he nor I are "one who, because of their wealth and wisdom say "I am a god; I sit in the seat of the gods."

I read Steyn regularly and have not yet perceived in his writings anything that does not set well with a sense of the Spirit of Christ within me - which will continue to be the standard for what I, as a Christian, endorse.

Blessings,

John

[George Murphy]

I did indeed read Ezekiel 28:1-19; Ezekiel 1:1-19 was a typo.

You project into Steyn's comments more than and other than what he actually wrote.

I identify with Steyn, and - contrary to your assertion - neither he nor I are "one who, because of their wealth and wisdom say "I am a god; I sit in the seat of the gods."

I read Steyn regularly and have not yet perceived in his writings anything that does not set well with a sense of the Spirit of Christ within me - which will continue to be the standard for what I, as a Christian, endorse.

Blessings,

JohnAnybody can claim to have the Spirit. The proper standard for Christians is Jesus Christ as he is witnessed to in Holy Scripture.

If you call the distribution service of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (1-800-638-3522) they'll send you (I think for a nominal fee) a copy of the church's social statement "Caring for Creation." It was adopted 11 years ago but I think it's still pretty good. (I was on the task force that developed it.)

Shalom,
George