In view of God's greatness and man's relative lowliness it was marvelous to the psalmist that God would entrust His creation to humankind.
8:3-4 In view of the insignificance of mankind compared with the rest of creation, especially the heavenly bodies, David marvelled that God would even think about man (cf. 144:3-4; Job 7:17; 25:6). He spoke of the starry host as God's finger work. It was as easy for God to create the heavens as it is for a human being to make something with his fingers rather than by using his arms and whole body. It required so little effort. Genesis 1 describes God as creating the whole material universe with just a few words. The Hebrew word translated "man"is enosthat elsewhere describes man as a weak mortal being.
"God's remembering always implies his movement toward the object of his memory."38
8:5 The NIV and AV versions have interpreted the Hebrew word elohimas meaning "heavenly beings"or "angels."However this word usually refers to God Himself, and we should probably understand it in this sense here too.39God made man a little lower than Himself, in His own image that no other created beings bear. Many scholars believe the image of God includes what God has enabled man to do as well as what he is essentially. This includes ruling over lower forms of life (Gen. 1:26) as God rules over all. God has crowned man with glory and majesty by giving him the authority to rule over creation as His agent. Of course, man has failed to do what God made him to do (Heb. 2:6-8). Jesus Christ, the last Adam (1 Cor. 15:45, 47), will fulfill mankind's destiny when He returns to earth and brings all creation under His control (1 Cor. 15:27-28).
8:6-8 God placed all living creatures under the control of Adam and Eve before the Fall. Because they sinned man has never been able to fulfill the destiny for which God created him, namely to be king of the earth. Man has tamed and even domesticated many kinds of animals, though he finds it impossible to control himself without divine assistance (James 2:7-8).
