SATURDAY, AUGUST 12
Ezekiel 36:22-33
Ezekiel 36:26

"A new heart also will I give you,
and a new spirit will I put within you…"

HUMAN SPIRIT/SOUL AND BODY/FLESH (2)

The almighty and loving God created man in His image and after His likeness, not in the physical sense as "God is a Spirit" (John 4:24), but in a spiritual sense – with created spirit/soul, heart, mind, etc, that animals do not have!

"Spirit" in Hebrew is ruach, meaning spirit, wind, breath. God’s Spirit is ruach (Gen 1:2), human spirit is ruach, and the spirit of animals is also ruach. But Ecclesiastes 3:21 says, "Who knoweth the spirit (ruach) of man that goeth upward, and the spirit (ruach) of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?" Thus, each ruach has a different meaning. God’s ruach is of the Creator: "The Spirit (ruach) of God hath made me…" (Job 33:4). Human ruach was created in God’s image, while animals’ ruach was created by God’s spoken Word (Gen 1:24). Similarly, the "soul" (nephesh) of God, of human beings and of animals are not the same. God’s soul is the Creator’s nephesh (Lev 26:11; Isa 42:1), the human soul was created in God’s image (Gen 2:7), while the soul/life of animals was created by God’s spoken Word. "Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life (nephesh)" (Gen 1:20). In like manner, the "heart" (lēbāb) and "mind" or "soul" (nephesh) of God the Creator (1 Sam 2:35) are not the same as human "heart" (lēbāb) and "mind" or "soul" (nephesh) that are created in His image (Deut 6:5). Similarly, God’s "thoughts" (mahašābāh) are not like human "thoughts" which are created in His image (Isa 55:8-9).

Sadly, after the Fall of Adam and Eve, human nature is so sinful and depraved that even God’s chosen people Israel could not keep His Word. Thus, the only remedy for sinful human beings is not to improve the spirit or heart, but to have a new spirit and a new heart given by the Creator. "A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit (ruach) will I put within you…" (Ezek 36:26). Jesus said to Nicodemus, "Ye must be born again" (John 3:7). It is the Creator’s work alone. All thanks and glory must be to God alone!

THOUGHT: The human heart is too depraved to be fixed/improved.
PRAYER: Lord, I thank Thee for giving me a new spirit and heart.