Psalm 8:4-5, What is man that You are mindful of him? And the son of man that You visit him? For you have made him a little lower than the angels, and You have crowned him with glory and honor.

 

David is asking, “Who am I that God, the Creator of all things cares about me, that He even takes time to consider me; that He even takes time to give His grace and His honor to me? Read the entire Psalm and you will see David must have been gazing the heavens and wondering how God, in His magnificence, His power could give any thought to him or any other individual. David had to be wondering about the greatness of God, the God who has shown He is sinless giving any thought about the sinful and pitiful state of every person He had created. How does He give any consideration to each individual who is dead in his sin, wants nothing to do with Him, and is without hope?

 

But He does! 2 Peter 3:9 tells us God doe not want anyone, not one person, should perish; He desires that every person would turn away from their sin through repentance. This has to be the reason Jesus Christ has delayed His return to remove sin and evil from the world and establish His kingdom on earth. His delay, His patience in do so is actually a time to give each person the opportunity to repent. Repentance is more than just saying you are sorry! It says I am going to do all I can to make it right; repentance demands an action (Dr. Ed Newton). We are all familiar with John 3:16, God sent His son to this earth with the promise that all who come to Him through repentance will have eternal life with Him. However, we know that there will be few on the narrow way to eternal life in His kingdom and many who fail to repent, walking on the broad way to destruction.

 

God has always loved His creation. Notice that He created man after preparing the world for him to live in. It was man that He created in His image, not animals, or birds or creatures that live in the oceans. He created a “paradise” for man to live in with all the food needed, just the right climate for them, and he provided for their every need. He loved His creation, walking with them in the cool of the evening. But His creation messed up and the effects of sin continue even to today. Even after their fall, God provided the way to redemption by sending His Son to die on a cross for whoever would believe in Him.

 

By sending His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ was made to be little lower than the angels so He could be placed on the cross, the only way for mankind to be redeemed. This Psalm is written for the reader to direct their attention to the greatness, the majesty of God in comparison to man’s insignificance. It is meant to remind the reader that “their existence begins and end with the glory of God and who He is” (David Jeremiah). The psalm is meant to express to the reader the amazing honor God has given to humans – we were created for His glorious purpose. We are valuable to God as seen by His concern for each one of us. He is to be the object of our praise and the center for every thought, word spoken and action made. He is to be the reason we do what we do. There is no reason to praise ourselves; our favored position is due only to God’s grace!