In one of David’s psalms, he marvels at the exalted status of human beings, dominant over all other creatures of the earth, and only slightly below heavenly beings:
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 honour.
Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet.
Psalm 8:3-6
David is amazed at the importance God gives to His children, given how small and unimportant we seem in the context of the universe.
Paul adds another dimension to this passage when he quotes it in His epistle to the Hebrews. Since Jesus rules over the angels, Paul marvels that He was willing to live in mortality, placing Himself just below them:
We see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.
For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
Hebrews 2:9-10
An angel asked Nephi the searching question, “Knowest thou the condescension of God?” Not an easy question to answer! Even if you could provide a reasonable factual explanation, can any of us really say that we fully appreciate what the Savior has done for us? No wonder Nephi answered cautiously: “I know that he loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things” (1 Nephi 11:16-17).
The fundamental truth of the gospel is that Jesus came down from heaven to save us. (See 3 Nephi 27:13-20.) Even if we understand that intellectually, it’s staggering to think of how much He has done for us, how far He descended in order to lift us. In the words of Paul:
He took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham.
Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.
Hebrews 2:16-17
Today, I will remember the Savior’s willingness to descend from heaven to be with us, “a little lower than the angels.”
Great post! Amen 🙏
One thing that added additional meaning and understanding for me was a commentary that said the greek word “little” has reference to TIME and could thus be understood “little while”.
Thank you for your wonderful daily insightss, that bless and inspire me in my own study!
Thank you for that insight! That interpretation works very well in context, since the text indicates that Jesus is now “crowned with glory and honour” (Hebrews 2:9). Have a great day!