Psalm 8:4  What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?

The phrase: “what is man” is found 6 times in the Bible. It is an important question to consider. Why would God take so much interest in man? We read in Genesis 2 that God formed man from the dust of the ground. God fashioned man from the dust. He took extra time to form him before He breathed into man the breath of life. God did not do that with any of the animals, or birds or any other thing He made.
We know that all of Creation was designed to glorify God. We enjoy the singing of the birds. It is interesting to watch the different birds working in the yard. Some, like the robin are looking for worms. It is interesting to watch them hop around and stop and look at a certain spot for a bit and then pick out a worm. How do they do that? Others go after grubs and ants. The birds are busy.
We also enjoy the flowers. The many different types and the many different colours they produce. The bees and other insects as well as some birds move around them and pollinate them and they also benefit from the nectar they take from them. God demonstrated His wisdom in His creation.
But God did something different with man. All of my lifetime and longer, the standard teaching has been that man came from the monkey. Society is still struggling with this lie. Skin colour is often used to prejudge the value of a person. We are seeing some reversal of the idea that the white skinned people are better than others. Things are backfiring. Even though God took extra effort to make man, man seems intent on living in turmoil, rather than peace. What we observe from society is that without God, man cannot reason properly.
Yesterday our area held its annual graduation parade. This activity began during the Wuhan virus event. The governments decreed that large gatherings were not allowed, but somehow the grads needed to be recognized. Thus they came up with this parade event. In our area a firetruck led the parade with lights flashing and sirens blaring. Then the grads came, being driven in convertibles or trucks and a few in ordinary cars. Those young adults have spent a minimum of 12 years being brainwashed by adults who do not know the truth and who have also been brainwashed by a system that despises the truth.
It is no wonder that we have the governments we currently have in our country. A sane person would sit back and shake their head at the foolish governments we have, but a large sector of society accepts the system in place. As we look at our society a verse came to my mind:

Judges 18:7  Then the five men departed, and came to Laish, and saw the people that were therein, how they dwelt careless, after the manner of the Zidonians, quiet and secure; and there was no magistrate in the land, that might put them to shame in any thing; and they were far from the Zidonians, and had no business with any man.

The people of Laish were isolated from others. Possibly they assumed they had found the ideal place to settle. They were a distance away from others and they felt quite secure. We read that they dwelt careless. They seemed oblivious to the dangers that were around them. It also says there was no magistrate to put them to shame in any thing. They had no moral compass. They had obviously seared their consciences and were ignoring the work of God in their hearts.
The Danites were looking to expand and they came upon these people and noted the easy pickings there. The Danites reported back to the rest of their tribe and went and took Laish for themselves.
The Danites were no better than the people of Laish. They were idolaters. They were content to steal a false priest from another household and pay him to be their priest. Everything seemed good to them. They came to Laish and they were able to take over the place and they could settle in there. What more could they ask for?
We see a very familiar mentality here. Circumstantial evidence rules the day. The Danites had asked the false priest to pray to God for guidance. The false priest consulted his false god and gave them guidance. They came to Laish and were successful in taking the city and so obviously it must have been with the blessing of God, right? They were able to rename the place and to move in and rebuild and things went well. It must have been the blessing of the Lord, right? They set up their idols and everything was in place.
What is man? Why is God mindful of man? The Psalmist did not end this Psalm with this verse. God directed David to write about His goodness in creating man and that the end result of this should cause man to praise the LORD.
That is why God made man. That is why He is mindful of man. That is why He visits man. That is why He sent His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ into this world to die on the cross of Calvary and shed His blood there for us. Jesus Christ did not stay on that cross. He was taken off that cross and buried and He rose again the third day proving victory over sin and death.
As our world lives in this vacuum of self-love and self-worth, it is necessary for those of us who are saved to remind ourselves and them of the purpose of man. We have value, but that value is only found in knowing the true God. Parades may make those involved feel good about themselves for a short time. Often that day ends in a drunken or drug influenced party in someone’s backyard. Then those brainwashed young adults will likely go to a college or university where they will be further trained not to listen to their conscience but to accept the corrupt philosophies of their instructors.
Amazingly, in the midst of all that, God is still able to override all the negatives and a few of those young adults will be brought to see their need of a Saviour. A few will become preachers and godly doctors and nurses or farmers or janitors. A few, but not many. Why does God take an interest in man? For His glory! Every time a sinner is saved, it is an amazing work of God. The Bible tells us there is joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth. The fact that He can take someone who is trained to live carelessly and He can cause that person to see his need to repent and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, is certainly an amazing work.
Those who are saved have a small part in helping others to see their need of salvation. We are saved to exalt the true God. There really is nothing to cheer about the graduation certificates handed out in the secular world. There is a need to pray and humbly submit to God’s will and be willing to help those young people and often their parents as well to see the need to know the true God and serve Him.
Passtor Bartel