Psalm 8:5 Lowered, Crowned

Psalm 8:5 You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honour.

Psalm 8 is headed For the director of music. According to gittith. A psalm of David. It is a well known psalm quoted in the New Testament (in Hebrews 2) as a messianic psalm, presumably on the basis that Messiah is the archetypal man who restores mankind to its original role and status. On this basis verse 5 refers very clearly not only to man's creation and blessing but also to Christ's two main states. On the one hand there is his state of humiliation - You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings. On the other, there is his state of exaltation - and crowned him with glory and honour. Those who are in Christ share in his humiliation and exaltation. Now in this present age they are like all men a little lower than the heavenly beings but one day in him they too will be crowned with glory and honour. This is the privilege of all who put their faith in Jesus Christ. In the New Testament the writer to the Hebrews says that we do not yet see everything under his feet (as in verse 6) which is true. We will see it one day, however. Although this was the purpose of the original creation, we do not see everything under our feet in this creation but just as his exaltation is certain and his dominion increasing so in him the future is certain for all his own too.