"What is man, that Thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that Thou visitest him?" —Psalm 8:4
The question before us in our text for today is sufficiently profound that it is somewhat presumptuous to address it in a short one page article such as this. However, we may be able to give some "starter thoughts" that will enable those interested to advance on their own.
First, note the perspective: The psalmist was contemplating the glory of God as reflected in the magnitude and magnificence of creation. "When I consider thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars which Thou hast ordained… [ v.3]" Without the benefit of the telescope, the writer was awestruck with the majesty of the Creator by reflecting on His handiwork. With science no more advanced, the apostle Paul considered the same phenomenon when he wrote of man's accountability to God, "… that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath showed it unto them. For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse [Rom. 1:19-20]."
Over against this incredible evidence of the glory of God, David sees "man" in the generic sense, and, I believe, himself— a man— in the particular sense, and the contrast is so great that he is overwhelmed at the thought that the Creator has a particular interest in man, or a significant interest in any particular man. Add the telescope and the microscope, and the magnitude of the creation is raised to a level whereby every man should be moved to ask the same question: "What is man that Thou art mindful of him?"
What distinguishes man, of course, and makes him significant in this vast and complex creation, is found in his origin: "…God created man in His own image [Gen. 1:27]." Whatever that means, it accounts for the fact that man is important to God. Dimension does not necessarily define value. Diamonds are tiny compared to granite boulders, yet the value we impute to them is many times greater.
In the beginning, man was made superior to all the rest of this creation. He was by divine design "king of the hill." God said, "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]." Man as created was, in fact, vice regent of the planet, "the god of this world." That is why, when man surrendered his authority to Satan, the devil became the god of this world (cf. II Cor. 4:4) and the whole world fell into chaotic disarray. So significant was man that when he sinned, the whole creation suffered in consequence, from then until now.
"Then Jesus came." "What is… the son of man, that Thou visitest him?" It seemed incredible to the psalmist, and It should seem no less incredible to us, that God would visit this polluted planet and its corrupted occupants. Nothing more emphatically underscores the significance of man than that God would "visit" us, in the Person of His Son, and for the purpose of our redemption and restoration to our former glory.
Man is important to God. Over against the vastness of this creation, individual men are important to God. This side of heaven, we will never understand why, but the incarnation, crucifixion and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, the man Christ Jesus; the last Adam, "the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His person," prove it so!
We live still in a day when God is not important to man. Most men would rather regard themselves as the offspring of a baboon than the handiwork of a personal God. But, individual men are still coming to the Savior and finding meaning and significance in an otherwise incoherent world. Are you one of them?
God is mindful of man, and He has visited us. Believe it; stand in awe, and worship Him!
For God's glory and our eternal good,
"Pastor" Frasier
The question before us in our text for today is sufficiently profound that it is somewhat presumptuous to address it in a short one page article such as this. However, we may be able to give some "starter thoughts" that will enable those interested to advance on their own.
First, note the perspective: The psalmist was contemplating the glory of God as reflected in the magnitude and magnificence of creation. "When I consider thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars which Thou hast ordained… [ v.3]" Without the benefit of the telescope, the writer was awestruck with the majesty of the Creator by reflecting on His handiwork. With science no more advanced, the apostle Paul considered the same phenomenon when he wrote of man's accountability to God, "… that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath showed it unto them. For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse [Rom. 1:19-20]."
Over against this incredible evidence of the glory of God, David sees "man" in the generic sense, and, I believe, himself— a man— in the particular sense, and the contrast is so great that he is overwhelmed at the thought that the Creator has a particular interest in man, or a significant interest in any particular man. Add the telescope and the microscope, and the magnitude of the creation is raised to a level whereby every man should be moved to ask the same question: "What is man that Thou art mindful of him?"
What distinguishes man, of course, and makes him significant in this vast and complex creation, is found in his origin: "…God created man in His own image [Gen. 1:27]." Whatever that means, it accounts for the fact that man is important to God. Dimension does not necessarily define value. Diamonds are tiny compared to granite boulders, yet the value we impute to them is many times greater.
In the beginning, man was made superior to all the rest of this creation. He was by divine design "king of the hill." God said, "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]." Man as created was, in fact, vice regent of the planet, "the god of this world." That is why, when man surrendered his authority to Satan, the devil became the god of this world (cf. II Cor. 4:4) and the whole world fell into chaotic disarray. So significant was man that when he sinned, the whole creation suffered in consequence, from then until now.
"Then Jesus came." "What is… the son of man, that Thou visitest him?" It seemed incredible to the psalmist, and It should seem no less incredible to us, that God would visit this polluted planet and its corrupted occupants. Nothing more emphatically underscores the significance of man than that God would "visit" us, in the Person of His Son, and for the purpose of our redemption and restoration to our former glory.
Man is important to God. Over against the vastness of this creation, individual men are important to God. This side of heaven, we will never understand why, but the incarnation, crucifixion and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, the man Christ Jesus; the last Adam, "the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His person," prove it so!
We live still in a day when God is not important to man. Most men would rather regard themselves as the offspring of a baboon than the handiwork of a personal God. But, individual men are still coming to the Savior and finding meaning and significance in an otherwise incoherent world. Are you one of them?
God is mindful of man, and He has visited us. Believe it; stand in awe, and worship Him!
For God's glory and our eternal good,
"Pastor" Frasier
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