The Creation of Man, Part Five

A Devotional Series from Genesis

2/28 Reading Portions: Exodus 11-12:21; Luke 14; Job 29; 1 Corinthians 15

Genesis 2:7

then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.

BREATHS

The man, or literally, the Adam, became a living soul when YHVH God breathed into his nostrils the breaths of lives. The breath of life, from the original Hebrew is plural נשׁמת חיים (nish-MAWT CHAIY-yeeym). This makes sense, for in the creation of man, our Redeemer God, Yehovah, the Great I AM from the burning bush (Gen 3:14), wants us to know that He is the same Creator God, Elohiym, who created the heavens and the earth in the beginning (Gen 1:1), who also gave us all the wonderful details for the six days of creation earlier (Gen 1:3-31). There is no true life, no eternal life, apart from the breath of God (as we had seen in yesterday’s devotional thought). The Redeemer is the Creator, and therefore, the creation of man is most definitely a prophetic foreshadow of fallen man’s recreation. The Redeemer and Creator is the Re-creator of man’s eternal life. The redemption and salvation of fallen man, by the internal and eternal regeneration of a man, woman, or child, cannot happen apart from the active transformational work that comes from the sovereign God alone—that is, from power and might originating outside of man that changes the inside of man. As Adam was born by the breaths of lives from God, you and I are born-again by the same breaths of lives from YHVH God. John says it like this:

But to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. John 1:12-13

Let me express it this way: we could not receive Jesus, believe in His name, or be given the right to become children of God (John 1:12), unless we are born of God through the breaths of lives that comes from YHVH God alone (John 1:13). It cannot come from natural progeny, being born into the “right” family (not of blood, or literally from the Greek, ‘not of bloods’). It cannot come from man’s determined work or activity (nor of the will of the flesh). It cannot come from man’s determined decision (nor of the will of man). Just as dusty, muddy, earth-formed, clay-molded Adam could not have a living soul until God breathed the breaths of lives into him, neither are we born-again as living souls without that breath. This may seem redundant (from the Dept. of Redundancy Department), but yesterday’s devotional emphasized the connection made by God’s breathing life. Today, we emphasize the sovereignty and singularity of our God in that work. Hallelujah! What a Savior!