"What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that Thou visitest him?" (Psalm 8:4)
THE PSALMIST was moved to ask this question by his consideration of the natural creation. "When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is . . . " (verse 3). Without the aid of modern technology, the "sweet Psalmist" was struck with the immensity and orderliness of the universe. In view of this massive display of precision and beauty, how could the Lord fasten His attention upon "the son of man" – the offspring of Adam? Were the Lord to have confined His profound consideration of humanity to Adam, when he was pure and good, it might make a little more sense. But, "the son of man" – AFTER the fall?? That is certainly worthy pondering and engaging in extended meditation.
THE LORD'S PURPOSE for Adam was gracious. "Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth" (Gen 1:26; Psa 8:5-8). However, that was but an introduction to the Lord being "mindful" of man. This is the Lord's chief creation. Although made "a little lower than the angels" in the beginning, God has determined men will "judge angels" (1 Cor 6:3), and, in some respects, even be "equal to the angels" (Lk 20:36). In fact, "the world to come" has NOT been given to angels, but to men. "For unto the angels hath He not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak. But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that Thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that Thou visitest him?" (Heb 2:5-6). Why is such singular honor bestowed upon "man" or "the son of man?"
WE MAY REST ASSURED it is not because of any inherent worth or beauty in men. Apart from God, not a one of them is righteous (Rom 3:10). In a state of nature, man "drinks iniquity like water" (Job 15:16). The imaginations of men's hearts are "evil from their youth" (Gen 8:21), and their heart is "deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked" (Jer 17:9). Outside of Christ, all men are "as sheep going astray" (1 Pet 2:25), sinning and falling short of the glory of God (Rom 3:23). Indeed, if this was all we knew, it is too staggering to ponder why God is mindful of "the son of man."
HOWEVER, PRAISE THE LORD, Lord, this is not all we know about the matter. God has shown us His heart concerning man, or humanity. First, man, even fallen man, bears the likeness of God. Sin has distorted it, but it still remains. After the fall of man, and even after the flood, the Lord gave a law on murder, using this reasoning. "Whoever sheds man's blood, By man his blood shall be shed; For in the image of God He made man" (Gen 9:6). Lest we imagine this applied only to Adam, James writes, "Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we MEN, which ARE made after the similitude of God" (James 3:9).
BUT THERE IS MORE! God has also given the world to come into the charge of redeemed humanity. He has a lofty purpose for men, and thus is mindful of them, being thoughtful of the purpose for which He has made them. It will be of incalculable aid to us if we learn to think in the same manner.
– Given O. Blakely
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Ah; but what is man!?
ReplyDeleteUpon considering God’s great creation David wrote, “When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him”(Psalm 8:3-4)? In that consideration David saw that, God has made man “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, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas. O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth” (Psalm 8:5-9)!
David, a man after God’s own heart, evidently, considered this question often during his years on earth. It is recorded in the 144th Psalm that he again exclaimed, (verse 3) “LORD, what is man, that thou takest knowledge of him! or the son of man, that thou makest account of him!” Notice, these are exclaimations!
In his misery, Job asked his Creator, “What is man, that thou shouldest magnify him? and that thou shouldest set thine heart upon him? And that thou shouldest visit him every morning, and try him every moment? How long wilt thou not depart from me, nor let me alone till I swallow down my spittle? I have sinned; what shall I do unto thee, O thou preserver of men? why hast thou set me as a mark against thee, so that I am a burden to myself” (Job 7:17-20)?
It seems to me that most people do not give God much (or any) thought until they are in misery of some sort. But for us who love God we seek to know Him and why He made us. And when we do He reveals it to us.
“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them “ (Gen. 1:26-27).
Who was God talking to when He said “let us make man in our image”? I think He was talking to the Word’ (who eventually came in the flesh) and to the Spirit (who eventually came as the helper). If I am right, man was made in the image of these Three. In other words, we were made in the image of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Now we are getting into something to meditate on if we want an answer to the question, “What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him”
(Psalm 8:4)? Shall we continue!