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The man of science to-day, after contemplating the heavens, and computing the
distance of the stars in the light years, answers the question "what is man?" by referring
to the earth as a whirling speck of dust in the immensity of the universe.
"The tendency of verses 3 and 4, as commonly quoted, is to crush man; to make
him feel his nothingness in the presence of the numberless orbs revealed by astronomy"
(W. Kay, D.D.).
The reverse is the teaching of Psa. 8: The word "mindful" is the Hebrew zakar
"to remember" and it is used many times in connection with covenant relationships:
"And God remembered Noah--Abraham--His covenant" (Gen. 8: 1; 19: 29;
Exod. 2: 24).
Or as in Psa. 103: 14 "He remembereth that we are dust". In like manner "visit" is
often employed. The Hebrew word is paqad. "The Lord visited Sarah"; "I have surely
visited you"; "God will surely visit you". Once it is translated "avenge" "I will avenge
the blood of Jezreel" (Hos. 1: 4) and so this remembering and visiting has to do not only
with the performance of covenant promises but with stilling the enemy and avenger. As
Heb. 2: 14, 15 indicates, Christ is both Destroyer and Deliverer.
Continuing the reply to the question "What is man?" the Psalmist said:
"For Thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with
glory and honour" (Psa. 8: 5).
The word translated "angels" is elohim. Had we only the O.T. before us, we might
feel that it was necessary to translate Psa. 8: 5 "Thou hast made him a little lower than
God (or gods)" but the N.T. has endorsed the LXX rendering "angels" and that is, to us,
final. "To make lower" is literally "to make to lack". Chaser, the Hebrew word here
translated "to make lower" occurs twenty-one times, and is only translated "lower" once.
It is rendered "lack"; "have lack"; "be abated"; "decrease"; "fail" and "want". The
corresponding Greek word elattoo, means "to decrease", as in John 3: 30 "He must
increase, but I must decrease". Elattoneo is translated "to have lack" (II Cor. 8: 15),
and elasson is translated "less", "under", "younger" and "that which is worse"
(Heb. 7: 7; Rom. 9: 12). The relationship of man to angels indicated by this term is
illustrated by the attitude of John the Baptist to the Saviour. Immediately following the
words "I must decrease" we read, as an expansion of the idea: "He that cometh from
above is above all; he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaking of the earth: He that
cometh from above is above all" (John 3: 31). While the words used are not the same,
we are forcibly reminded of I Cor. 15: again, where we read:
"The first man is of the earth, earthy, the second Man is the Lord from heaven."
The comparison here is not between Adam and angel, as in Psa. 8:, but between
Adam and the Lord. Although man was created a little lower than the angels, he is
signally honoured in that he was made in the image of God, a statement never used of
angels. He was also "crowned", Hebrew atar, used of the crown of a king