In this framework, sin is understood as a disordering of love—specifically, loving oneself or created things more than loving God. It involves a turning inward that seeks credit, recognition, and satisfaction apart from God's glory. Thinkers like Thomas Manton and Stephen Charnock describe sin as rooted in inordinate self-love or pride—the desire to elevate oneself above God's rightful place. Such disordered love leads to rebellion, idolatry, and the suppression of divine truth. Edwards describes sinful self-love as a willful opposition to divine order—a love of creatures (including oneself) that seeks autonomy from God’s sovereignty. This manifests in pride, arrogance, and the desire to take credit for what belongs to God alone. Augustine’s insight that sin distorts love—causing us to love the wrong object supremely—resonates here, as sin replaces the love of God's infinite goodness with love of self or other created things. A core theme in this reflection is God's self-love—His perfect, infinite love for Himself, which is the highest standard of goodness and the ultimate cause of creation. This idea finds robust expression in the works of Jonathan Edwards, particularly in *The End for Which God Created the World*. Edwards contends that God's love for His own infinite excellence is not selfish in a sinful sense but morally necessary; it is the very foundation of divine goodness. God's self-glorification is not a selfish act but an act of moral perfection, expressing His unchanging, infinite worth. Would you like this expanded reflection to be further elaborated or tailored for a specific purpose? While God's self-love is perfect and non-competitive—being part of the divine Trinity, where love is shared eternally among the Persons—human self-love can become sinful when disordered. Proper self-love, rooted in being made in God's image, is good and necessary. Jesus’ command to "love your neighbor as yourself" (Mark 12:31) presupposes a healthy love of self—an awareness of one's worth derived ultimately from God's love. The problem arises when this love becomes prideful, autonomous, or self-exalting. The reflection on Psalm 8:5-6 (ESV: "Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You have made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet") draws deeply from biblical truth, integrating it into a rich theological framework centered on God's self-glorifying love, the imago Dei (the image of God in man), the purpose of creation, and the nature of sin as a disordering of love—specifically, love directed away from God toward oneself or created things. The broader biblical narrative emphasizes that human dominion is stewardship—serving God's glory by caring for His creation, not exploiting it for selfish gain. Psalm 8’s praise of God's majesty sets the tone: human authority is rooted in reflecting God's glory, not in asserting independence from Him. This approach aligns strongly with certain strands of Reformed or Calvinist theology, particularly emphasizing God's ultimate end in all things being His own glory. Thinkers like Jonathan Edwards have profoundly articulated this view, emphasizing that God's primary purpose in creation is the manifestation and enjoyment of His own glory. The reflection seeks to interpret Psalm 8 not merely as a poetic marvel at humanity's exalted yet subordinate position in creation but as a window into the divine economy—an economy rooted in God's self-glorification and love. In sum, this interpretation of Psalm 8 robustly reflects Reformed theological emphases: creation is designed to glorify God; humans, made in His image, reflect His majesty; and sin results when love is disordered—when self is exalted above God. The ultimate purpose of all creation is the display of God's glory, and humanity’s role is to reflect and magnify that glory through obedient worship and stewardship. Recognizing our giftedness should lead us to humble praise, glorifying the Giver and fulfilling our divine calling. This perspective invites us into worship—acknowledging that our exalted dignity is rooted in God's sovereign grace and love, and that true human flourishing is found only in rightly ordered love that centers on God’s self-glorification. From this perspective, blessing oneself—taking credit for gifts from God—arises from pride and self-glorification. Conversely, humility involves acknowledging that all gifts and goodness come from God, leading to praise and worship. Cursing oneself, in this context, could be seen as a form of pride—an attempt to elevate oneself above God's sovereignty—though traditionally, cursing oneself would be a form of despair or rejection of God's goodness. God’s acts—creation, providence, redemption—are ultimately aimed at displaying and diffusing His glory. Edwards describes God's delight in the radiance of His own beauty; His desire to manifest His perfections—truth, goodness, beauty—serves His own self-glorification. Humanity, especially as made in God's image, is designed to reflect this glory back to God—knowing, loving, and praising Him. This cyclical reflection—God’s glory shining through humanity—fulfills our created purpose and aligns with the biblical teaching that the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever (Westminster Shorter Catechism Q1). Psalm 8 marvels at humanity’s exalted yet humble place within creation. It describes humans as being made "a little lower than the heavenly beings" (or "elohim" in Hebrew, often translated "gods" or "angels" in other texts like Hebrews 2:7). Despite this relative lowliness, God has crowned humans with glory and honor, bestowing upon them dominion over the works of His hands. This dominion, rooted in the creation narrative of Genesis 1:26-28, reflects humanity’s role as God's image-bearers—stewards who rule creation on God's behalf, not independently but as representatives of divine authority. Hebrews 2 applies Psalm 8 messianically, illustrating that Christ, as the perfect human, was made "lower than the angels" during His incarnation and suffering, yet now is crowned with glory through His resurrection and ascension. Christ's exaltation restores humanity’s lost dominion, fulfilling the divine purpose and exemplifying the highest form of obedience and love for God's glory. The fact that God creates man "like Himself" (imago Dei) is central to understanding the purpose of creation. Humanity’s role is to reflect God's glory—His communicable attributes such as reason, morality, relationality, and creativity. These qualities serve to manifest God's majesty and perfection to the rest of creation. Psalm 8 begins and ends with a declaration of God's majestic name ("O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!"), emphasizing that all human dignity and authority ultimately serve to magnify God's glory.