God or Angels?
When I attended Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in the late 1990s, I took an Old Testament class from Dr. Boo Heflin. I loved the way he taught the class. He was always so passionate and his lectures were filled with inspiring knowledge.
One of the passages I distinctly remember studying was Psalm 8. Verse 5 of that psalm states,"Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honor." (Psalm 8:5 ESV, bold added)Dr. Heflin argued that "heavenly beings" referred to God Himself, or, more specifically, the Trinity. Because man is God's ultimate creation, it's impossible for man to be placed lower than the angels in the order of creation, he argued. Of course, he used the original text to back up his interpretation, but I have since lost those notes. I always resonated with that interpretation, but now that I am studying the passage in depth on my own, I am finding little support for such an argument. In fact, the passage is quoted in Hebrews and there the author uses the word "angels." I'm certain Dr. Heflin would have addressed that discrepancy; I just don't have an recollection how he did that. So, for those of you who are Bible scholars, how do you interpret Psalm 8:5?
1 comment
Oct 21, 2009
Bryan said...
By no means am I commenting with the assumption of being a Bible scholar. With that being said, Psalm 8:5 does point to the interpretation that "heavenly beings" is meant to mean God or the Trinity. For we are created in His image as His masterpiece and His intent was that we be holy and just as He is holy and just. To reconcile that with the passage in Hebrews 2, you must look carefully at the subtle transition that is made from man- in general to the son of man-Jesus. For it is Jesus specifically, and not man in general, who was a "for a little while lower than the angels." I would say this was when He was on the cross for our sins that He was made lower, but God has since "crowned him with glory and honor."
