FRIDAY, AUGUST 11
Genesis 2:4-17
Genesis 2:7

"…the LORD God…
breathed into his nostrils the breath of life;
and man became a living soul."

HUMAN SPIRIT/SOUL AND BODY/FLESH (1)

When the Triune God created the first man, even Adam, in His image and after His likeness, "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" (Gen 2:7; cf. 1:26). God breathed into man’s nostrils "the breath of life." "Breath" in Hebrew is neshamah; with twenty-four occurrences. The KJV translates it as "breath" seventeen times, "blast" three times, "spirit" twice (Job 26:4; Prov 20:27), "inspiration" once (Job 32:8), and "souls" once (Isa 57:16).

Thanks to God’s "breath", man is "a living soul." The term "soul" in Hebrew is nephesh; with 753 occurrences. The KJV translates it as "soul" 475 times, "life" 117 times, "person" twenty-nine times (Lev 27:2; Deut 10:22), "mind" fifteen times (Gen 23:8; Deut 18:6), "heart" fifteen times (2 Chron 1:11; Prov 27:9), "creature" nine times (Gen 1:21,24; 2:19), "body" eight times (Lev 21:11; Num 9:6-7), "himself " eight times (Judg 16:30; Prov 16:26), "yourselves" six times (Deut 4:15; Josh 23:11), "dead" five times (Lev 19:28; 21:1; 22:4), "will" four times (Deut 21:14; Ezek 16:27), "desire" four times (Eccles 6:9; Hab 2:5), "man" three times (Lev 24:17; 2 Kings 12:4), "themselves" three times (Isa 46:2; 47:14 ), "any" three times (Lev 2:1; Deut 24:7), "appetite" twice (Prov 23:2; Eccles 6:7), and translated miscellaneously forty-seven times including "lust" (Exod 15:9), "me" (Judg 16:30), "ghost" (Jer 15:9), etc.

Thus, man is a living being consisting of the immaterial part (spirit/soul) and the material part (body/flesh). The human spirit/soul being made in the image of God is that part of man (including his will, mind, heart, desire, etc) which can have a relationship with God and communicate with mankind. The human body/flesh is like a vessel or an instrument carrying out what is in his spirit/soul. Due to the disobedience of Adam and Eve, physical and spiritual death entered into the world. The sinful body/flesh and sinful spirit/soul separated from God will suffer eternal damnation in the lake of fire (Rev 21:8). How man needs God’s grace and salvation!

THOUGHT: (Read Psalm 139:14.)
PRAYER: Lord, how I thank Thee for wonderfully creating me!