As we boarded the bus in Beijing on the first morning of the Ockenga Fellows trip to China, our fearless leader, Dr. David Horn, director of the Ockenga Institute at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, led us in a devotional from Psalm 8. This Psalm of David testifies to the majesty of God throughout the earth. As “Emperor Horn” (as we affectionately dubbed him) read the words aloud and elucidated their meaning, I remember thinking about how appropriate this Psalm was for a group of New England pastors as we embarked upon a two week journey to see how God is working in China. Little did I know at the time, but God would continue to impress the refrain of this Psalm, “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth,” into my heart throughout our expedition.
In this morning’s sermon, I would like to share with you a series of stories from our adventure in China to illustrate some of the key themes imbedded in Psalm 8. As I exposit the Psalm and tell some stories, I hope that you will catch a glimpse of the inspiration that I received from seeing God’s majesty in China.
God’s Majesty Displayed in Weakness (1-2)
As soon as our airplane touched down in Beijing and we dropped our luggage off at our hotel, we swiftly headed off to see Tiananmen Square, one of the largest most famous public squares in the whole world. It was first constructed in 1651 and over the years it has been enlarged to cover an area of over 100 acres. The square derives its name from the massive stone Tiananmen (“Gate of Heavenly Peace”) which is situated at the northern end. To the south is the Mao Zedong Memorial Hall, where the body of the communist dictator still lies in state.
It is quite ironic that the name Tiananmen means “Gate of Heavenly Peace” when one considers the history of conflict and carnage that has occurred on that square. Some of you may remember the Tiananmen Square Massacre that took place in 1989, where the Chinese army opened fire on a massive group of demonstrators who were protesting the oppressive Chinese government. Hundreds of people were killed and thousands more were wounded in the clash.
As I stood in the square and watched droves of modern Chinese soldiers march in mechanical unison, I took a deep breath and tried to imagine what that scene must have looked like in 1989. When I closed my eyes, I could almost hear the harrowing gunshots and haunting screams. I could smell the terror and blood lingering in the square. And that is when something startled me. I felt a hand grip my thigh and latch onto my right leg. At first, I thought it must be a thief trying to pick my pocket, but when I opened my eyes, to my great surprise I saw a little Chinese boy. He must have been only 2 or 3 years old. He squeezed my leg and looked up with a big grin on his face. For a moment, I wondered if he got mixed up and thought that I was his father, but then I saw his parents standing a few feet away shrugging their shoulders and laughing hysterically. The little boy started speaking to me, but I couldn’t understand a single word he said. (I can barely understand my own 2 year old, let alone 2 year old Chinese.)
After I patted him on the head and spoke to him in English, he released my leg and ran giggling back to his mother. Even with a major language barrier between us, I could easily read the universal parental code on her face. Without uttering a word, she said, “Thank you for being a good sport with my boy.” As I reflected back on those few minutes, I realized the incredible irony of what just took place. I was standing in a place that was infamous for its violence and bloodshed, and this little boy and I shared a moment of gentle innocence and pure love. Truly, God’s majesty was displayed in the gesture and weakness of this little child.
This is exactly what King David was writing about in Psalm 8:2—“Out of the mouths of babes and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and avenger.” This means that God often uses the weak to defeat the mighty. His strength is more than sufficient to empower the weakest of men and to overturn the mightiest of foes. We have seen this principle revealed throughout biblical history and I experienced it again in Tiananmen Square less than two weeks ago—a sweet child speaking in the place of totalitarian oppression!
Have you seen God’s majesty displayed in weakness? I’m sure that we could all bear personal testimony, but the greatest example of this is Jesus dying on the cross. Through his weakness and sacrifice, Jesus triumphed over the strength of his enemies and the oppression of sin!
God’s Majesty Displayed in Creation and Creatures (3-4)
Psalm 8 continues with David reasoning that humanity’s position seems insignificant when compared to the majesty of God’s creation: “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place.” David was familiar with the night sky. In his youth before he became King of Israel he was a lowly shepherd. In his pastoral days, tending his father’s flocks in the hills near Bethlehem, he often slept under the stars. Lying on his back he would survey the constelations above him. He recognized that the heavens, with the moon and stars, were the work of God’s fingers and as he contemplated their greatness and mystery, he cried out: “What is man that you are mindful of him?” Compared to God’s creation of the heavens and earth, humans seem like such an insignificant part of the universe, but it is not true. God is mindful of every human being on earth and he cares deeply about each one!
I pondered this truth multiple times while in China. When I climbed the Great Wall and peered across the jagged and majestic mountains, I was blown away by the work of God’s fingers. It was amazing to contemplate how God could sculpt these massive rocks and then surround them with forests and rivers and lakes. Standing there, I understood the significance that David felt as he considered God’s handiwork in the night sky.
Likewise, it is easy to feel insignificant when visiting the most populous nation on the planet. China’s has 1,371,890,000 people, which represents almost 19% of the world population. It has more than four times as many people as the United States. Shanghai and Beijing are two of the world’s three largest cities. Shanghai’s population of 24,150,000 people, which is roughly three times larger than New York City. It makes the “Big Apple” look like “the Little Cherry!”
But even considering the vastness of God’s creation and billions of people on this earth, it is astounding that God knows and cares for every one of us! In Luke 12:7, Jesus tells us that even the very hairs on our head are numbered. Remember that God knows you intimately; he knows everything about you; and he cares for you. Yes, God’s majesty is revealed in his creation and every one of his creatures.
God’s Majesty Displayed in Divine and Human Authority (5-8)
In verses 5-8, David moves from the smallness of human beings in comparison to the vastness of the universe to the authority which God has given us on earth. David was astonished that the creator of the galaxies would bestow such a significant role to rule over his creation. Our position of only slight inferiority to the heavenly beings is supremely seen in our authority. Only the supreme God could elevate those so low to a position so high—dominion over creation. Heavenly beings have a spirit but no body. Animals have a body but no spirit. Only humans have both, and they are given authority to rule over the earth.
I saw God’s majesty displayed in human authority when I witnessed the marvelous architectural wonders of China. Certainly the greatest of these was the Great Wall. I had seen many pictures of it, but to walk on it in person was awe-inspiring. The wall was originally conceived by Emperor Qin Shi Huang (c. 259-210 B.C.) in the third century B.C. as a means of preventing incursions from barbarian nomads into the Chinese Empire, the wall is one of the most extensive construction projects ever completed. Over the next millennia, the wall, in its entirety, would extend over 14,000 miles (more than 4 times across the surface of the United States.)
I also saw God’ majesty displayed when I cycled around the top of the Xian city wall. Xian is one of the oldest cities in the world and served as China’s capital for over 1,000 years. The wall was constructed in 1370 by the Ming Dynasty and is still in mint condition today. The wall is 40ft. high, 50ft. thick, and 9 miles around.
Finally, I saw another great achievement of human authority when I visited the famed Terracotta Warrior museum outside Xian. This marvelous mausoleum for the first Qin emperor contains over 6,000 life sized terracotta soldiers and horses which the emperor had constructed to protect him during the afterlife. They had remained buried for 2,000 years until two farmers accidently uncovered them while drilling a well in 1974.
Gazing upon these architectural feats makes one appreciate human authority, creativity, and effort. But sites like these also raise the potential for people to elevate human ingenuity to the level of idolatry. What I mean is that most people are pretty good at remembering that they have authority to rule over the earth, but few like to acknowledge that God is the one who has given us this authority. We are more apt to hear phrases like “Look at what I have done!” than “Praise to the Lord for what he has given us!” We need to remember that even though we do have authority over this earth, God is the one who has given it to us and that he is still above us. It is his majesty, not ours!
I certainly witnessed God’s majesty in every aspect of my trip to China, and I am so thankful to have had the opportunity. On the last night of our trip, our director led us in a time of reflection and sharing. He asked us the question, “Of all of the things that you have seen and learned on this trip, what is your biggest take away?” Here was my answer: Wherever you go in this vast world, people are essentially the same!
Even though China is on the other side of the world and the people speak a different language, have a different history, live in a different culture, inhabit a different landscape, eat different food (really different), and are ruled by complexly different government systems, I was most profoundly struck by our similarities. What is it that makes us human beings? We laugh and love; we hurt and hide; we worry and weep. We are all created in God’s image and have been marred by sin of our common forefathers. And just as we all see the same moon and stars and sun in the sky, we all share the same need for Jesus.
I saw this most clearly when I attended a Chinese house church two Sunday’s ago. After having the privilege of preaching to a congregation that was mostly comprised of young attorneys, we broke into small groups to share prayer requests and pray together. As we went around the circle, do you know what people wanted to pray about? Marital problems, family conflicts, work issues, health concerns, and spiritual guidance! The exact same things that we pray for in our churches here in Vermont!
Whether we are living in American democracy or Chinese communism, we can join with our brothers and sisters in Christ and proclaim together, “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all of the earth!”