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The second feature of Psa. 8: is the reference to man being made a little lower than
the angels. The reader's attention is drawn to the series "IN ADAM", article No.4 in
Volume 37: Rom. 5: 14 supplies the link:
"Adam . . . . . who is the figure of Him that was to come",
and I Cor. 15: 45-47 supplements:
"The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam a life-giving Spirit . . . . .
The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second Man is the Lord from heaven."
Psa. 8: looks back to the first and forward to the second Man. Viewing Adam in his
frailty and fall the Psalmist says, "What is man that Thou art mindful of him?" Viewing
man in the person of the Lord from heaven, he sees the crown of glory and honour placed
upon One Who will never fail or forfeit. The apostle's eye is not fixed upon frailty and
forfeiture, but upon honour and glory--"but we see Jesus", "consider the Apostle and
High Priest of our profession" he writes; rather than think of Moses and Aaron, "look off
unto Jesus"; rather than to the cloud of witnesses enumerated in chapter 11:, consider
the end of the conversation of those who have spoken unto you the word of God--"Jesus
Christ the same yesterday, and today, and unto the age" (13: 8).
(1)
We see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels.
(2)
We see Jesus, crowned with glory and honour.
Both the A.V. and the R.V. read, "a little lower than the angels", and place in the
margin, "a little while inferior to", "for a little while lower". The element of time does
not enter into Heb. 1: 4 where is shown the superior dignity of the Son in virtue of His
inherited name. This influences the interpretation of Heb. 2: He Who now is infinitely
above angels achieved that glory by humbling Himself, suffering and dying. It is as
important to the right understanding of the crown of glory and honour that we see the
depth of the Lord's humiliation, as it is to the right understanding of His excellent glory
that we realize His position at the right hand of God. In both cases angels are taken as the
standard of comparison, for their position remains unchanged, whereas man fallen in
Adam will be exalted in Christ, and so cannot be so easily compared.
The Psalmist does not glory in the exalted position of man. He does not bid us look at
his excellency, only just a little lower than angels; he rather considers man's low estate,
saying, as he looks abroad upon the creation, "What is man, that Thou art mindful of
him?" The humiliation of the Lord was for a purpose:--
"Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself
likewise took part of the same; that through death He might destroy him that had the
power of death, that is, the devil . . . . . for verily He took not on Him the nature of
angels" (Heb. 2: 14-16).
The argument is parallel, and is Paul's own explanation. This we can readily follow
by referring to the structure. In both cases it leads to Christ, either as the archegon or the
archiereus, and in both capacities He is set forth as One Who has suffered. Phil. 2: 6-13
is a passage to which all readers should prayerfully refer.