Daily Devotions

Hebrews

Hebrews 
Day 
Day 36

"Crowned him with glory and honour"

Text: Hebrews 2:7

THE ORIGINAL FOCUS OF PSALM 8

The human author of Psalm 8 was the psalmist David. In this psalm David showed fascination at the way God made man. His theology of man may be summarised in the following way:-

1. Man is to be understood in comparison to the universe God created.

2. Man is to be further understood in comparison to the angels God also created.

In this light, the psalmist David rightly poses the question.

“What is man that You are mindful of him,
And the son of man that You take care of him?
You have made him a little lower than the angels ”
Hebrews 2:6-7a

a) Man is “miniscule” in the context of the entire created universe.
b) Man is “minor” in comparison to the mighty angels of God.

3. Man is nevertheless not without significance.

a) God Himself crowned him with glory and honour (Hebrews 2:7b)
b) God set him over the works of His hands (Hebrews 2:7c)

“Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image,
according to our likeness; let them have dominion
over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air,
and over the cattle, over all the earth and over
every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
Genesis 1:26

THE SAD AND DISMAL FAILURE OF MAN

The Biblical record of man indicates that he has fallen sharply from grace. All the glory and honour that God had planned for him could not be fully realised!
In other psalms David lamented the depravity of man (Cf.Psalm 14, 58 etc). Man had become sinfully wicked! He was estranged from God. He was capable of performing terribly wicked deeds.

WAS PSALM 8 LIMITED TO ITS ORIGINAL CONTEXT?

The author of Hebrews did not limit the application of Psalm 8 to its original context! He did not limit its application to mere (sinful) man. Wonderfully, he applied Psalm 8 to the Second Adam, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself!