Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
Psalms 8:5-6 (ESV)
and crowned him with glory and honor.
You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;
you have put all things under his feet
This Psalm opens with a declaration of the glory and majesty of God. It then looks to the heavens and sees the relative insignificance of humanity. What are we in comparison to the heavens? Then he asks, “What is man that you care about him, or even give thought to him?”
The psalmist’s answer to his question is a reflection of Genesis 1:26-28. God created us. Regardless of how you see that happening, God is our creator.
And we were not just another element of his creation. God created us in his image. While there is much debate on exactly what is meant by being created in God’s image, it clearly indicates a unique status in the creation.
What is our place in the creation? The psalm tells us we were made a little lower than the heavenly beings. This could refer to angels, to the heavenly bodies deified by the surrounding pagans, or simply to the sun, moon, and stars.
But, while we are below the heavenly beings, we have a special status. God has crowned us with honor and glory. He has given us dominion over the earth. And he has put all things under our feet. All of these speak to royalty. We have a special place in creation, ruling over it.
What is significant about humanity? It is not in what we have accomplished or in what value we place on ourselves. As this Psalm says, what is significant is what God has done. He has made us, crowned us, given us dominion, and put all things under us.
No matter how great we might think we are, we would have no more significance than a rock or sheep apart from God. It is God who gives us value, significance, and purpose.
