You made him little less than God and crowned him with glory and honor. You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet. (Psalm 8:3-6)

On Day 1 we saw the story of God building a place for His family, both divine and human, to live and from which to share in His reign as Adam and Eve spread the rule of God throughout the whole Earth. That's where we first see the idea of a "Sacred Space", a space where heaven and earth literally occupy the same space. (HINT: We'll see more of this as the study continues)

It's easy to think of God and the Heavenly Hosts as far removed from us mere mortals. It seems natural to classify ourselves as utterly insignificant in contrast to the glory and holiness of God, but that's not what Scripture frames for us in these passages. Yes, He did make us "a little lower than God" or in other places, "a little lower than the angels", but that isn't to say He didn't (and doesn't) have big plans for us.

To properly frame these passages, and the worldview they represent, we have to look beyond material reality. Psalm 8 invites us to make that shift of vision. David didn't view humanity as small and meaningless as he gazed to the sky, he sees men and women through God's eyes; crowned with glory, commissioned with monumental purpose, and drawn into divine partnership.

And this truth astounded him.

This isn't poetic exaggeration or a literary device. In the Bible’s worldview, heaven and earth are one integrated realm under God’s rule, populated by both divine and human members of His family.

The phrase “crowned with glory and honor” is language the Hebrew Scriptures use for the heavenly beings who surround God’s throne. By applying it to humanity, David shows that humans were created to share in that royal-council vocation; earthly priests mirroring the heavenly order.

Ezekiel 28 reinforces that picture. The prophet’s vision of Eden glimmers with gems, fire, and mountain imagery, which is the design language of the divine council sanctuary, as some scholars describe it. Eden wasn’t merely a botanical paradise; it was God’s throne room extended into material creation, where His heavenly and earthly families coexisted.

This truth reframes our entire sense of purpose and existence. Modern scientific culture tells us we are products of chance, building our own meaning at ground level. But Scripture teaches we inhabit a spiritual ecology: a ruled, relational universe where God’s presence fills and sustains all things, and human identity is tethered to that calling. Our vocation then stands to bring heaven’s order and goodness to earth.

N. T. Wright echoes this when he says, “The story of Scripture is not about escaping earth, but about heaven and earth being reunited.” The biblical worldview insists creation is sacred, not disposable; your life participates in a divine kingdom that unites the seen and unseen.

You and I were made to image God, to embody His reign, and to host His presence in the visible world. One scholar says the world is a "miniature working model" of the Kingdom of God itself.

And we are integral parts of its working.

If God has designed heaven and earth to function in unison, two different parts of one reality, how does that change the way you look at everyday life?