Psalm 8: 5-6: Jesus: The Last Adam
Psalm 8:5-6: Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honor.
You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;
you have put all things under his feet. [1]
In the first four verses we have focused on human beings. But the rest of Psalm 8 forces us to realize that David is not talking about any mere human. [2] In fact, the whole Psalm has echoes of Genesis 1:26-28, which is a call “to fill the whole earth with God’s glory.” [3] But we know that Adam, and every human after him (including ourselves) has failed to fill the earth with the Lord’s glory. [4] This is why Christ had to become man in order to fulfill the role Adam and all of us failed to live: to live as the Triune God intended us to. [5]
Because all things have been put under Jesus’ feet, we have hope upon hope. Hebrews 2 and 4 make clear that Christ’s resurrection means those who believe in Him will have victory over death, and that His suffering gives us hope in ours. Paul’s quote of Psalm 8 in Ephesians 1:20-22 helps us understand that Jesus has secured our future blessings and hope. [6]
Friend, the Last Adam has purchased life, hope, and a blessed future for you, defeating death itself. [7] Will you receive it, or look for hope in the broken creation around you? Even as a Christian, when we run to our idols instead of Jesus we are looking for hope in what cannot give it. Embrace Christ and you will have a caring, intentional, and hope giving Savior. May the Lord Jesus be pleased to draw us all closer to Himself today.
This blog was written by Seth Dunn
[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Logos Bible Software. All Scripture references will be ESV unless noted otherwise.
[2] G.K. Beale A New Testament Biblical Theology: The Unfolding of the Old Testament in the New. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic Publisher, 2011), 50.
[3] Beale, A New Testament Biblical Theology, 37.
[4] Beale, A New Testament Biblical Theology, 50.
[5] Romans 5:1-12.
[6] Beale, A New Testament Biblical Theology, 277.
[7] 1 Corinthians 15:25-27.