BREATHED INTO LIFE FROM THE DUST

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.

Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth and no plant had yet sprung up, for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground, but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground.

Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

Genesis 2:4-7

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

In Genesis, chapter 2, we find a rehashing of God’s creation story which includes some critical elements not found in the day-by-day, play-by-play found within chapter 1. One of the more interesting account additions occurs in verses 4 through 7 as we learn more about the first man God created. Look again at those words here:

This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.

Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth and no plant had yet sprung up, for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground, but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground.

Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

In Genesis 1, we see that "God created man in His own image" (v.27) but there is little detail about how He did it. For that, we go to this passage where we learn that “the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground".

Of interest here, the Hebrew word translated “formed” is most commonly used to the work of a potter as they fashion vessels out of clay. Further, if we fast forward in the Old Testament to the Book of Isaiah, we find the prophet saying this:

“Yet You, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, You are the potter; we are all the work of Your hand.” (64:8)

Add to this, these words from David in the 139th Psalm:

“...You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” (Vv.13-14)

Here, we find two good illustrations of how our lives are granted and governed by God from beginning to end. He forms and breathes life into us at conception, knits us together in our mother’s womb, and then molds and shapes us as we go through life living with Him and for Him. Then, when He deems this life is complete, He will remove the breath of life from our bodies and they (our bodies) will decompose and become dust.

Before we close, we shouldn’t miss the amazing, miraculous work that God does here. For if you have ever tried to form anything from mere dust, you will find how virtually impossible it is. Even of you manage to wet the dust, you will still have difficulty but will at least have a little more to work with.

God had no such problems. He took dust, formed man like a potter would fashion a bowl or vase or jug, and then put his breath into the dust-shaped man, bringing him to life. This isn’t some kind of magic we’re talking about here because it’s no illusion. God created Adam from the dust, period, and if He can do that, we should be more than convinced that He indeed can do anything. As the scriptures proclaim, nothing is impossible with Him. We need to remember this as we deal with the circumstances of life.

Once last point regarding the life-sustaining breathing that we do.

Did you know that we do this, breathe in and out approximately 21,600 times a day on average?

That’s a lot of breaths, each one ordained by our Creator God who not only breathed life into us but sustains those breaths through our lifetime. Think about this the next time you inhale and exhale, and then give thanks, give thanks to the God who made you and provides all you need in order to carry out what He desires through every day He blesses you with.  

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.