What Is Man That Thou Art Mindful of Him? (Part 1)

Below is an excerpt from the April 2010 issue of my monthly newsletter called: "to the Saving of the Soul".

In the beginning God created (Heb. BARA—to bring something into existence from nothing that exists) the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1). God then made (Heb. ASAH—to make something from materials that already exist) the firmament or atmosphere around the earth (Genesis 1:7) and subsequently made everything else in the earth (Genesis 1:9-25; 2:19-20). God created the spirit-man (Genesis 1:27), formed (Heb. YATSAR—to mould or squeeze into shape like a potter does) his body from the dust of the earth and infused the created spirit-man into the body He had made (Genesis 2:7). God ‘breathed’ (Heb. NAPHACH—to breathe out) the ‘breath’ (Heb. NESHAMAH—breath, respiration) of ‘life’ (Heb. CHAYIM – lives {plural, from CHAYAH—to live, revive or preserve alive}) into the body. By this act ‘man’ (Heb. ISH) became a living ‘soul’ (Heb. NEPHESH—a breathing, living, spirit-organism). The ‘breath of lives’ caused the body and spirit to function together. In all of this man was innocent, not knowing evil and connected to God spiritually.

God saw that man was alone so He took a rib from man’s side and ‘made’ (Heb. PANAH—built, skillfully formed {not ASAH, the ordinary word for made}) ‘woman’ (Heb. ISH SHAH—she man or womb-man) as a help for him (Genesis 2:21-22). Woman (she had not yet been named) was made from under man’s arm, by his side, not to be ahead of or behind him, not to be above or beneath him, but to be loved and protected by him and to be equal to him. She was not a mere physical help but an intellectual/spiritual help as well. The scripture says they were both naked and were not ashamed (Genesis 2:25).

In the Messianic Psalm 8 David entreats God, asking a very profound question!
“What is man, that thou art mindful of him? And the son of man, that thou visitest him?” (v. 4)
David asks about two very different aspects of man. First, when David asked: “What is man…” his question referred to ‘man’ (Heb. ENOSH—mortal, weak, sickly) in his fallen state; man separated from God from birth. He asked God why He was still ‘mindful’ of this fallen man. Second, when David asked: “…And the ‘son of man’…” his question referred not only to Jesus the Messiah (Hebrews 2:6-9) but by extension to all ‘man’ (Heb. ADAM—created man) born again through Jesus the Messiah!

You may print the entire study from the link below or download it in PDF format:
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