3 When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, 4 what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him? 5 For You have made him a little lower than the angels, and You have crowned him with glory and honor. —Psalm 8:3-5
Someone once said, “No one goes to the Grand Canyon to feel better about one’s self.” When you look at the Grand Canyon, the mighty oceans, or the majesty of the Alps or Himalayas, you don’t walk away thinking, Man, I am awesome!
David has the proper perspective. He says, “Lord, when I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars . . . what am I in the midst of all of this?” He answers his own question: Man was made a “little lower than [lit.] Elohim” [“God,” in the original]. The truth is that man will never be equal to God, yet in all of God’s creation, man is the highest order of being. Yes, the Bible says that God has made man “a little lower than angels” (Heb 2:6-8) in our subjection to hunger, thirst, pain, and death, all due to the sin of Adam and Eve in the Garden. And yet angels are “spirits sent forth to minister to those who will inherit salvation” (Heb 1:14). We also read “Do you not know that we shall judge angels?” (1 Cor 6:3).
Does the lesser judge the greater? No, man in his restored sinless and glorified state will judge the angels with the Lord, because men, not angels, are created in the image and likeness of God. The highest order of living beings in all of the heavens and the earth is obviously of great value to God.
David says, “Lord, in light of all your vast creation, the magnificent heavens, and the countless stars and planets, what is man that you are mindful of and visit him?” God’s answer, in essence: “Man is made in My likeness and image, and human life is therefore sacred above all else.” Ignoring that one fact has brought us the world we have today.
That’s a lot to ponder. May the Lord continue to draw us and to open our eyes to the wonders of His creation and His incredible plan to include us in His future plans!
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