What is man?

 
 Psalm 8:3-5 
(English Standard Version) "​When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, 4 "What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? 5 Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor." 
In these three little verses lies the answer of man's greatest question: "Who am I?"
This month earth observed a solar marvel: A full solar eclipse.  It had the whole world stopping for an afternoon and just looking up.  A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, majestically obscuring the Sun. A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon's apparent diameter is larger than the Sun's, blocking all direct sunlight. A beautiful corona of light shines around the blackened sun. Totality occurs only in a limited path across Earth's surface, with the partial solar eclipse visible over a larger surrounding region.

Millions of earthlings (us) had to wear protective eye coverings to enjoy the beautiful dance of celestial nature. In fact, anyone looking directly at the eclipse for even a few seconds would have permanent eye damage.

What is man, that You are mindful of him?

The world marveled at the power of a moon, planet and sun coming into line. Yet, many ignored the Creator of this.  Even fewer yet understand our standing in the theater of creation. We, as made in the image of God, are the pinnacle of creation. (Ephesians 4:22-24, Colossians 3:10) Sometimes this is hard to accept when we look at celestial systems that make us mere points on an infinite map. Yet, God makes great effort to show us how much He loved us. All of this was created as our holy work station.  The stars and planets, though vast, were created on the fourth day of creation, as markers for days, weeks, and years. It was man, whom God bestowed as a living soul, was the caretaker and to be student of the stars and planets. All of this --- for man to enjoy. It is most humbling to consider.

What is man, that You are mindful of him?

So, juxtaposed against a huge backdrop of cosmos, stands little man on earth.  His eyes are so delicate that they cannot even look at the eclipse without damage.  His brain is the size of a cantaloupe; his life so dependent on air, water and food that just 5 minutes without breathing will end his consciousness.

This verse of the Psalmist captures our situation perfectly:
What is man, that You are mindful of him?

In Psalm 8, the word "mindful" in Hebrew is "zakar", to remember continually. It shows that God did not just create and walk away; His eye is upon us.  Scholars translate "mindful" as a "perpetual incense rising", or to "keep continually in merciful view".

The great writer James Weldon Johnson said, "This great God, like a mammy bending over her baby, kneeled down in the dust toiling over a lump of clay till He shaped it in His own image." God gave us creation, including the universe, and is with us in enjoying/exploring His vast array. The fact that God condescends to us, loves us, desires relationship with us, is too marvelous to comprehend in one sitting.   Now go further, God then saw our sin-need, put His redemption plan in motion, and sent His only Son to redeem us. God can create a thousand moons and stars with just a word. Eclipses are cheap to Him. But to save us, it cost Him much, much more. 

What is man, that You are mindful of him?

The thought of Christ, the Prince of Heaven, coming to us in complete nakedness, living, dying and resurrecting for us, eclipses even the finest of solar eclipses. He, in taking our cup of wrath, juxtaposed Himself, flawless, in between our sin and God's wrath. The sky did turn black that day as well.  Unlike the solar event, we are called to look upon the cross with no protective eyewear, where Christ eclipsed death and sin, not for just a few seconds. Christ took all sin, once for all.  Instead of a fleeting glance (as with the solar eclipse) we are called to look deeply into the cross, to carry it daily, to absorb its story deep within us. No damage will come to our eyesight; in fact, we will see more clearly than ever.  A solar eclipse has power to harm you.  The cross has the power to transform you.

In 2024, millions looked up into the sky; they threw parties, took pictures, cheered.  Then they all went home. We should be more like the Psalmist. When he looked into the heavens and pondered, his next thought was relational. "Who am I in relation to the Creator of this?"  He did not go blithely back to his life after admiring space but launched into how God stooped to our world in love and mercy. He marveled that such a God looks upon us continually in love.  

Psalmist David answers our question of "Who am I" with a different kind of statement.
He says, "Whose am I", then answers with a truth that shocks our understanding.  The same God who placed billions of systems in space, knows every star by name, still continually thinks upon me in mercy. You, my friend, have a place in the mind of God. A loving place, where sin is eclipsed by Christ's blood. It's not who you are, but whose you are.  Rest in belonging to Creator God, Dying God, Rising God, and Mindful God.

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