Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands. Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. Hebrews 2:7-8
While rummaging among some of my old books in the storage room, my grandson and I came across a couple of very old scrapbooks that someone in a generation before me had created. The scrapbooks were collections of animal stories, wonderful stories about heroic and faithful dogs, magnificent and heroic horses, and other animals with amazing characteristics. We all know of animals who show traits that we find admirable, like the picture I saw recently of a faithful old dog that had dug a hole big enough to crawl into, under his master’s gravestone so that he could be near his master again. Such touching stories remind us of how wonderful animals can be. And yet, when God created this world, He did not place any of the animals at the top of the pyramid of life; He placed mankind there in a special place of authority and responsibility. And yet, we have failed to live up to the position that God gave us. But the Lord Jesus didn’t fail.
We were made a little lower than the angels so that in our limited capabilities we would learn to trust and serve God. Unlike angels, we were given a free will so that God could receive worship from willing hearts. Instead, we rebelled. We have all gone astray and turned every one to his own way (Isaiah 53:6). But in His first coming, the Lord Jesus was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death (Hebrews 2:9). His obedience and devotion displayed what Adam and all of humanity should have displayed.
God gave to Adam the responsibility over all of the animals and the rest of creation. It is true that man has dominion over all over creatures, but man has abused this glory and honour for selfish and foolish purposes. Many creatures are now extinct because man has foolishly destroyed them and their habitats. We must be ashamed at how we have mismanaged what God placed into our hands. In His second coming, the Lord Jesus will display to God and to man how man was supposed to exercise his authority over creation. Under His government, deserts will blossom, creation will flourish, and the lion and lamb will graze together in green pastures. Truly, all things will be in subjection under His feet. He will be Lord of all.
Remember, you and I are not members of the animal kingdom, although we have many of their physical characteristics. Genesis 2:7 tells us that the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul. Although lower than angels, we have been made higher than animals. We have a spiritual dimension that they lack.
Animals do not, cannot, know and worship their God. We can, and do, worship our God. We didn’t always do so, before we learned to recognize Him as Lord. But in our salvation is a requirement that we recognize Him as Lord (Romans 10:9). And now, we can live up to the position that our Creator gave us. – Jim MacIntosh