11/14/2008
Psalms 8:3 - 9 (HCSB) 3 When I observe Your heavens,
the work of Your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which You set in place,
4 what is man that You remember him,
the son of man that You look after him?
5 You made him little less than [the angels]
and crowned him with glory and honor.
6 You made him lord over the works of Your hands;
You put everything under his [authority]:
7 all the sheep and oxen,
as well as animals in the wild,
8 birds of the sky,
and fish of the sea
passing through the currents of the seas.
9 LORD, OUR LORD,
how magnificent is Your name throughout the earth!
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Evolutionists for years have been trying to convince us of how insignificant we are. They argue that if we are evolved, then we are merely just another accident of nature among all the millions, and perhaps billions, of other accidents of nature. They argue that if we are evolved here on this planet, that surely somewhere out there in space, there are perhaps millions of other populated planets. They say, man is insignificant and all that makes us unique, is our ability to realize it.
The psalmist wrote these verses above. I can only imagine that while David looked up at a clear star-lit night that he pondered the insignificance of man: “What is man, that you (God) are mindful of him?” It truly seems that humans are insignificant when you compare us with the immensity of all creation.
The work of God’s hands is often masked by the work of man’s hands. If we live in any kind of urbanized area, we rarely get to see raw nature. Even in rural areas, we are often confronted with groomed fields of one crop or another littered with power-lines, or oil pumps, or barbed wire fences. There are very few places left on this earth where we can experience the starkness of raw nature. But if you can ever find a place like that, it is easy to ponder the magnificence of God’s handiwork: the majesty of a mountain as it juts toward the sky with unabashed grandeur, the carpet of trees and grass, the complex balance of wildlife.
And yet, amid all this complexity and beauty, God holds mankind in special regard. Why?
God created mankind and placed him (and her) in authority over all the rest of creation. God gave all this to us. Why?
Why would God care about one of His creations above all others?
The answer lies in the fact that we were created in His image (see Genesis 1). This does not mean that God has a physical form with two arms two legs, ten fingers, etc. But rather, God created us with a spirit that understands the creative potential. This same spirit has potential to know good from evil. We were given a hunger for God and a method by which we could encounter Him. God created us to be with Him. There are special conditions that go with that relationship, but I’ll save that for another day.
Today, I want to focus on the fact that God made everything, and then made us. We were the crowning jewel of all creation. All of creation was prepared for us, and we were created for Him.
I encourage you today to find some form of nature that you can spend a few moments pondering. Find a park or an undeveloped area, or just observe a single tree. Consider how wonderfully and skillfully it is made. And yet, you are vastly more wonderful in God’s eyes.
Oh Lord, OUR Lord! How magnificent is YOUR name throughout the earth.
Jeff Justus
Cleff Publishing
www.cleffpublishing.com
©2008 Cleff Publishing, all rights reserved.
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