Listen up, little ones
Listen for the words man or human.
Reading
Psalm 8:4–6—Ruler Over Creation
Optional Reading
Hebrews 2:5–9
Keys for kids
- Man is small and weak compared to all of creation.
- Yet he has a special place ruling over God’s creation.
- Jesus is the main man who rules.
Questions
- What is man?
- What role has God given humans?
- In what way is Jesus the ultimate human?
Notes
(See below for all authors.)
What is man? When we consider the wonder of the creation that God has made, what are humans, frail and weak that we are? The word for man or human being here in v 4 is not the word from which we get the name of the first man, Adam. This word means mankind more generally and the Hebrew word is thought to be derived from a word that means to be weak or sick. So, in the Book of Psalms for Worship, the line What is man, so frail and weak … is reflecting both the reality of our nature and the word used in the text.
So, what is man? What is a human being? Philosophers might identify a human being as a rational, conscious, ethical, social being with a will and a soul. In our text we are given hints into what man is. Man is one whom God remembers and cares for. We have no clockmaker who wound up the world and simply lets it run.
Instead, we have God running the world and making mankind the steward of this world. As such, God is placing all things under his feet. The New Testament tells us that it is Jesus Himself, One of mankind, who is the principal ruler over creation. And that he must reign until he puts all his enemies under his feet (1 Co 15:25).
Swedish Method questions
Praise
Psalm 8c, 65c
Prayer
- Ask God to help you fulfill His role for you in His creation.
- Pray for the reading and preaching of God’s word tomorrow.
- Pray for a member of our church, for your family, and for a non-Christian friend/family member.