MAN IS EVERYTHING AND NOTHING

Psalm 8
MAN IS EVERYTHING AND NOTHING
When I consider your heavens.... what is man that you are mindful of him...? (vv.3,4)

A story is told of a man who died and found himself in a strange place. He enquired where he was, but was asked instead where he came from. When he said Earth, no one had ever heard of it. He was referred to a public library where he might locate Earth and perhaps find his bearings. For hours, he searched through the volumes of reference works. He finally found Earth: it was listed as one of the millions of planets in the galaxies.

Such a story cannot but raise the question, "What is man?" The same question confronted the shepherd boy David as he lay on his back pondering beneath the starry night sky. However, the way the question is asked makes a world of difference. "What is man?" may be an expression of scorn, or it may be an exclamation of wonder.

The estimate of man often leans towards one of two opposite errors. Some over-estimate man, and extol him above God. If so, we do well to remember how small man is. If we would spend more time looking upwards into the vast expanse of the heavens, we would be less arrogant about ourselves.

The other mistake is to under-estimate man, and to consider him no more than dirt, a chance collection of atoms. Then we need to remind ourselves of how God sees man. To David, the minute size of man relative to the universe calls for, not scorn, but wonder. That the infinitely greater Creator should think of and care for the infinitesimally lesser creature calls for joyful amazement.

Man may be insignificant when judged by size, but when God places value on him by giving him attention and dominion, size becomes irrelevant. Thus when the psalmist asks "What is man?", it is nothing short of a gasp of wonder, an outburst of praise to God.

Man is everything with God, and nothing without Him.