Good morning. It is such a brief and seemingly simple question, but if we are willing to give it any thought the word “simple” clearly does not apply. The question of which I am speaking is found in Psalm 8:4 what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? – ESV
The Easy-to-Read-Version uses more words for the verse, and I think that in this case it does a better job of conveying its intention:
And I wonder, “Why are people so important to you?
Why do you even think about them?
Why do you care so much about humans?
Why do you even notice them?”
The context in which we find this verse makes the question more reasonable, but it doesn’t attempt to give an answer:
When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
what is man that you are mindful of him,
and the son of man that you care for him?
Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honor. Psalm 8:3-5 ESV
How can we feel important when we compare ourselves to the vast array of the heavens and their incredible complexity? And yet, here we are, crowned with glory and honor. Here we are, able to be mentioned in the same breath as the wonderous beings of the heavenly realm.
What is man? Well, we have been God’s most vexing problem. If compared to everything else in creation, it isn’t even close.
What is man? We are needy, rebellious, obstinate, selfish, and unkind. That list of negatives could go on and on.
What is man? Of all creation God breathed into mankind His Spirit, resulting in each of us becoming “living beings”. This means that we are unique in creation, existing with physical bodies for a time but ready to be glorified as we shed these mortal “tents” to join our Creator in the heavenly realm.
What is man? We are God’s kids, and He loves us. With a love more powerful than any love we can imagine, God loves His children. We are special, we are all different even while we are all the same. God will not give up on His children, not one of us. We may choose to reject Him, and God will honor that decision. With a broken heart He will honor the choice of those who refuse His love. What is man? We are all greatly loved by God. What else can be said?
Vern