WHAT IS A MAN?

Psalm 8:4-6 (NASB 1995) What is man that You take thought of him, and the son of man that You care for him? Yet You have made him a little lower than God, and You crown him with glory and majesty! You make him to rule over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet.

It seems we are being given a look behind the scenes at some angels conversing and the psalmist recording it. They wanted to know what, exactly, is a man? It’s as if they were saying, “We have been around a long time, and we have seen a lot of things you have created, but never anything like this. God, why do you think about this man; why do you care for this man?” The KJV says, “What is a man that You visit him?” meaning why do You go down to the Earth and visit with this Adam? The angels were perplexed with this creation. I don’t think it had to do with his human form, or his appearance. It was more than that. This was a brand-new thing; and, for the angels, it shook up the order of things. The next verse tells us why they were so perplexed. It basically says, “God, you made this man a little lower in authority than You. What is up with that?” It is interesting that the orignal word for God here is ELOHIM, which means the supreme God. The angels were wondering how they got bumped below a man. They, also, wanted to understand why this man was crowned in God’s glory. Why did this man get to wear the presence of God for clothing. Remember, God made man from the dust of the Earth, but then, God breathed the breath of life, His very own breath, into him. God’s very life went into Adam. The angels were wondering who this creature was who was like the Almighty God, who was created in God’s likeness and image. He was not God, but he sure looked a lot like God. How exciting to know that because of the new birth, we are also recreated in God’s likeness and image; and we, too, have the breath of God in us. Remember when Jesus, after the resurrection (when He was all God again), breathed on the disciples and said, “Receive the Holy Ghost”? That’s when man got their breath back after they had lost it when Adam and Eve fell. Glory!

The last verse says some very important things that a lot in the church do not understand. Psalm 115:16 says that God gave the Earth to the children of men. God had every right to give the Earth to men because it was His by right of creation; and He absolutely gave the Earth to Adam and Eve. Psalm 8:6 (NASB 1995) clearly states it, “You made him to rule over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet.” It can’t get any clearer than that. God gave the Earth to men, and He has never taken it back. Genesis 1:26-28 also, very definitely, tells us that Adam and Eve were given the Earth. He told them to take dominion, replenish the Earth, and to subdue it. He very clearly said what He gave them authority over, and it was over the entire Earth. He even gave them authority over everything that creeped on the ground, and Satan came as a snake, so, yes, they even had authority over the devil. It is important to know that although God is definitely the owner of the Earth, He is not responsible for all the bad things that happen on the Earth because He sublet the Earth to men and let’s be honest, men have messed it up. That’s the one thing that cleared up for me why the will of God is not always done on the Earth.