What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
Gazing at the heavens, the work of God's fingers, the moon and the stars He ordained, the question rises how one so small — like vanity and dust beside that vastness — could be remembered and personally cared for by the infinite God. The son of man made lower than the angels and crowned with glory and honor is Jesus, who took human nature to join humanity to God, bear its sins, and make its members sons and daughters of God unto eternal life. Nothing answers why such lowly, unworthy beings should be so visited except God's gift of His Son to be made sin for them and die for them, revealing the immense worth He places upon them and exalting obedient sons of Adam to live with Him in glory. The dominion over creation first given to Adam and forfeited by sin will be restored under Jesus when He comes as King over all the earth, when peace prevails, creation's groaning ceases in praise, and God again beholds the earth as very good. Beholding such majesty therefore humbles pride in wealth, talent, and learning, and calls for reverence, trust, dependence, and wholehearted service, with all true science laid at the feet of the God of science.
Wonder at Starry Heavens
The wondering question rises while looking up at the heavens, the work of divine fingers, the moon and the stars set in order, and pondering the love shown toward humankind. It contemplates the character and love of God revealed in created things, and proclaims the excellence of His name in all the earth. Against that vastness man appears very small, like mere vanity whose days are as a passing shadow. Even the greatest and most learned are like infants in understanding, and people of every age, learning, rank, wealth, honor, culture, education, and rulership are as little children and no more than dust beside the universe and beside the knowledge of eternity. Human knowledge of God, of His ways, His mind, and His character is so slight that it is a subject as high as heaven and as broad as the world, too great for language to express.
Yet the infinite God is mindful of man, taking knowledge of him, making account of him, remembering him, and visiting him with personal care. The contrast is between the vast heavens and human smallness on the one hand, and God's remembering and caring visitation on the other. The works of creation display His power and wisdom and His parental love in garnishing the heavens and making the earth grand and beautiful. They magnify Him and lead the mind from nature to its Creator, to reverence, love, faith, trust, and dependence on the living God, and to praise of His excellent name and marvelous works. Creation's beauty is best appreciated in connection with its Creator and with the future home prepared for those who love Him, beside whose glories even the lasting hills are nothing.
Man himself is the crowning work of all that God has made and a being to be prized.
Christ's Redemption and Dominion
The words that follow about the one made a little lower than the angels and crowned with glory and honor point to Jesus, although all things are not yet seen put under Him, for ample provision has been made through Him. He took human nature and stood as Mediator between God and humanity, joining humanity to God so that men and women might become sons and daughters of God. In taking that nature He bore the sins of humanity in order to redeem men and women and open the way to eternal life.
The question of why the infinite One should be mindful of one who is nothing by comparison is answered by the gift of His Son, which shows how great His care and love are. That price paid in Christ's death reveals the immense worth placed upon people and what makes them the objects of such attention. So great a sacrifice for so lowly a creature calls forth wonder at such love.
Though man is lowly and unworthy, the Son of God came to earth to be made sin for men that they might be reconciled to God. By His death He carried forward the great plan of redemption. Through that reconciliation and through a life of obedience the sons of Adam may at last be exalted to the throne of God, lifted up to live with Him in glory and in His mansions.
The dominion over creation first entrusted to Adam and forfeited through sin is to be given to Jesus when He comes a second time as King over all the earth. Then the animal kingdom will change its nature and be subdued to Him, and universal peace will prevail. The groanings of creation will cease and break into songs of praise, and God will again look upon the earth and pronounce it very good.
Humility and Reverent Living
The question teaches reverence, love, faith, trust and dependence on the living God, set against the vast heavens that show how small human beings are while God is still mindful of them and visits them with care. Those who follow Christ are thereby called to recognize God's greatness and submit reverently to His discipline and instruction. The greatness of God's works in nature awakens this wonder at His care, so that in the presence of creation's majesty the heart asks why He remembers people.
Beholding that majesty humbles people before the Infinite One and calls them to abandon pride in wealth, talents and personal beauty. Even the most gifted, those of broadest mind and deepest understanding, the most cultured and educated, and those who stand as rulers in the world, are infants compared with God in understanding eternal things. Man knows so little of God, of His ways, His mind and His character, and because of that limited knowledge he is in danger of making himself a god, a subject as high as heaven and as broad as the world and too great for language to express. Rightly asked, the question makes a man look upon himself in a different light, confess himself unclean, and clothe himself daily with humility.
Those who search the heavens, the devotees of science, and those who profess to minister at God's altar especially need to ask it with humility of heart and true hunger of soul when beholding God's wondrous works. Instead of trying in pride with but a human mind to find out and explain God, an effort that leaves the worldly wise defeated and disheartened, they are to inquire what is truth, the truth for this time to be cherished, lived, honored and obeyed. Those who seek to find God through science need this confession of how small man is before God's greatness and how marvelous it is that God remembers and cares for him.
The question moves the speaker to seek greater nearness to God and wholehearted, faithful service without fear of the world. Creation's beauty is best appreciated when connected with its Creator and with the future home He is preparing for those who love Him, for the lasting hills are nothing beside the glories awaiting the worshipers of the true God. Because man is the crowning work of all that God has made and a being to be prized, man is the proper study of every learner, and true unadulterated science in all its achievements is to be laid at the feet of the God of science.
Gazing at the heavens, the work of God's fingers, the moon and the stars He ordained, the question rises how one so small — like vanity and dust beside that vastness — could be remembered and personally cared for by the infinite God. The son of man made lower than the angels and crowned with glory and honor is Jesus, who took human nature to join humanity to God, bear its sins, and make its members sons and daughters of God unto eternal life. Nothing answers why such lowly, unworthy beings should be so visited except God's gift of His Son to be made sin for them and die for them, revealing the immense worth He places upon them and exalting obedient sons of Adam to live with Him in glory. The dominion over creation first given to Adam and forfeited by sin will be restored under Jesus when He comes as King over all the earth, when peace prevails, creation's groaning ceases in praise, and God again beholds the earth as very good. Beholding such majesty therefore humbles pride in wealth, talent, and learning, and calls for reverence, trust, dependence, and wholehearted service, with all true science laid at the feet of the God of science.
Wonder at Starry Heavens
The wondering question rises while looking up at the heavens, the work of divine fingers, the moon and the stars set in order, and pondering the love shown toward humankind. It contemplates the character and love of God revealed in created things, and proclaims the excellence of His name in all the earth. Against that vastness man appears very small, like mere vanity whose days are as a passing shadow. Even the greatest and most learned are like infants in understanding, and people of every age, learning, rank, wealth, honor, culture, education, and rulership are as little children and no more than dust beside the universe and beside the knowledge of eternity. Human knowledge of God, of His ways, His mind, and His character is so slight that it is a subject as high as heaven and as broad as the world, too great for language to express.
Yet the infinite God is mindful of man, taking knowledge of him, making account of him, remembering him, and visiting him with personal care. The contrast is between the vast heavens and human smallness on the one hand, and God's remembering and caring visitation on the other. The works of creation display His power and wisdom and His parental love in garnishing the heavens and making the earth grand and beautiful. They magnify Him and lead the mind from nature to its Creator, to reverence, love, faith, trust, and dependence on the living God, and to praise of His excellent name and marvelous works. Creation's beauty is best appreciated in connection with its Creator and with the future home prepared for those who love Him, beside whose glories even the lasting hills are nothing.
Man himself is the crowning work of all that God has made and a being to be prized.
Christ's Redemption and Dominion
The words that follow about the one made a little lower than the angels and crowned with glory and honor point to Jesus, although all things are not yet seen put under Him, for ample provision has been made through Him. He took human nature and stood as Mediator between God and humanity, joining humanity to God so that men and women might become sons and daughters of God. In taking that nature He bore the sins of humanity in order to redeem men and women and open the way to eternal life.
The question of why the infinite One should be mindful of one who is nothing by comparison is answered by the gift of His Son, which shows how great His care and love are. That price paid in Christ's death reveals the immense worth placed upon people and what makes them the objects of such attention. So great a sacrifice for so lowly a creature calls forth wonder at such love.
Though man is lowly and unworthy, the Son of God came to earth to be made sin for men that they might be reconciled to God. By His death He carried forward the great plan of redemption. Through that reconciliation and through a life of obedience the sons of Adam may at last be exalted to the throne of God, lifted up to live with Him in glory and in His mansions.
The dominion over creation first entrusted to Adam and forfeited through sin is to be given to Jesus when He comes a second time as King over all the earth. Then the animal kingdom will change its nature and be subdued to Him, and universal peace will prevail. The groanings of creation will cease and break into songs of praise, and God will again look upon the earth and pronounce it very good.
Humility and Reverent Living
The question teaches reverence, love, faith, trust and dependence on the living God, set against the vast heavens that show how small human beings are while God is still mindful of them and visits them with care. Those who follow Christ are thereby called to recognize God's greatness and submit reverently to His discipline and instruction. The greatness of God's works in nature awakens this wonder at His care, so that in the presence of creation's majesty the heart asks why He remembers people.
Beholding that majesty humbles people before the Infinite One and calls them to abandon pride in wealth, talents and personal beauty. Even the most gifted, those of broadest mind and deepest understanding, the most cultured and educated, and those who stand as rulers in the world, are infants compared with God in understanding eternal things. Man knows so little of God, of His ways, His mind and His character, and because of that limited knowledge he is in danger of making himself a god, a subject as high as heaven and as broad as the world and too great for language to express. Rightly asked, the question makes a man look upon himself in a different light, confess himself unclean, and clothe himself daily with humility.
Those who search the heavens, the devotees of science, and those who profess to minister at God's altar especially need to ask it with humility of heart and true hunger of soul when beholding God's wondrous works. Instead of trying in pride with but a human mind to find out and explain God, an effort that leaves the worldly wise defeated and disheartened, they are to inquire what is truth, the truth for this time to be cherished, lived, honored and obeyed. Those who seek to find God through science need this confession of how small man is before God's greatness and how marvelous it is that God remembers and cares for him.
The question moves the speaker to seek greater nearness to God and wholehearted, faithful service without fear of the world. Creation's beauty is best appreciated when connected with its Creator and with the future home He is preparing for those who love Him, for the lasting hills are nothing beside the glories awaiting the worshipers of the true God. Because man is the crowning work of all that God has made and a being to be prized, man is the proper study of every learner, and true unadulterated science in all its achievements is to be laid at the feet of the God of science.