Would He Devote That Sacred Head…?
“But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory; that He by the grace of God should taste death for every man.” Hebrews 2:9
Going back to verse 5 in Hebrews 9, we see that God created angels to be His ministering spirits or helpers to men, not to rule over them. The writer of Hebrews had returned to his earlier discussion of the superiority and divinity of Jesus Christ over angels and over mankind. Angels did not control the world at the time of the writing of Hebrews and neither will they have control in the kingdom of Christ when He returns. Their task will be to continue as ministering spirits throughout eternity. The writer then quoted from Psalms 8:3-9 which was written by King David to glorify and praise God for His mighty works and His love for mankind. David wrote, “When I consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which Thou hast ordained; What is man, that Thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that Thou visitest him? For Thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honor. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of Thy hands; Thou hast put all things under his feet:” Was David speaking of man, God’s creation, or was he speaking of Jesus Christ? I think he was referring to both Christ and man.
We know that our world is in turmoil. We have been through dark days, and there are certainly more to come. However, when I look up at the bright blue sky or a star-filled night, when I see the beautiful flowers in my garden, hear the melodious sound of music, hear my granddaughter say, “I love you, Grannie”, see the smile on my grandson’s face, see my beautiful daughter, or think about the blessed years that I spent with my parents, my husband, and my son, I can’t help but wonder why God has been so good to me. Who am I that God cares so much about me? I can identify with the songwriter who wrote: “Alas and did my Savior bleed, And did my Sovereign die? Would He devote that sacred head, For such a worm as I?” Some folks get offended at being referred to as a “worm”, but without Christ, we are less than a worm, yet He chose to die in our stead to give us eternal life with Him. I may be a worm, but I feel pretty special that the God of all creation would have me on His mind.
When God created man, He gave him the position of earth’s overseer. He was given dominion over all animals and sea creatures. Man was not to abuse animals but to use them in whatever capacity for which they were designed. Both man and beast were designed to eat vegetables. No animal preyed upon another nor upon man. Adam was given the task of naming all the cattle, birds, and beasts of the field. Since animals were not meat-eaters at the time of creation, Adam did not have to fear any of them, but became their master (Genesis 1:28-2:20). All of this changed, however, after Adam and Eve sinned and severed their intimate and protected relationship with their Creator. Man and beast became predators upon each other and upon their own kind. Sin disrupted God’s perfect balance of both man’s nature and the nature of the physical world. God created man to be His companion, giving him everything necessary to live an abundant and happy life. Man was God’s ultimate creation, given a place of honor and respect. He created the earth for man, not for angels or devils or any other creatures, but for humans created in His image.
Everything changed when Adam and Eve sinned. Man’s dominance and place of authority over all that God had given him gave way to man becoming a slave to what he once ruled over. God told Adam that there would be no more “free ride”. Man would have to labor to eke out a living and, in the end, die and return to the dust of the ground (Genesis 3:17-19). No more “garden of Eden” and no more walks with God in the cool of the day (Genesis 3:8). Man’s story is one of “from riches to rags”, but thank God, this is not the end of the story.
The writer of Hebrews than turned his attention to Jesus, the One who was given the ultimate crown of glory and honor. He is the One to whom all creation came under subjection, not completely for now, but when He returns “every knee will bow, and every tongue confess Jesus as Lord” (Romans 14:11; Philippians 2:10-11: Isaiah 45:23). Jesus, in becoming a Man, was also made a little lower than the angels in order that He could suffer and die for man. Jesus is the One who lived life on earth as God intended, completely obedient and in perfect harmony with His Father. God had intended for His creation to be obedient and walk with Him, living unto Him in loyalty and in submission to His will. In return, He would provide every need and bless His creation with His love and mercy. However, as we all know, man did not live up to the standard that God set, but Jesus did. Because of Jesus’ sacrifice, men and women, boy and girls, will one day be able to live in that perfect world that God intended all along.