God’s Breath of Life 神所赐的生命的呼吸

[Dexu Xia]

The Lord God . . . breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. Genesis 2:7

Today's Scripture  Genesis 2:1-7

Today’s insight:  Ancient Hebrew literature often conveyed meaning through intentional wordplays. In Genesis 2, the Hebrew word translated “man”—’adam (Genesis 2:7) is very similar to the Hebrew word translated “ground” (vv. 5-7)—’adamah. If a modern translation attempted to capture this wordplay, it might translate “man” (adam) as “earthling” and “ground” (’adamah) as “earth.” By pairing these words, the passage communicates key insights into human nature. Humanity was formed from the earth or ground (v. 7) and so is intimately connected to it. But humanity was also given a unique relationship to God, who gave human beings “the breath of life” (v. 7). Each breath we take is a reminder of God’s gift of physical life.

Today's Devotion  Researchers discovered that the water anole can stay underwater for twenty minutes without a fresh gulp of air. The tiny lizard has water-repelling skin, and after taking a deep dive it exhales a bubble of air that sticks to its snout. The clever creature then rebreathes the bubble again and again—something scientists believe is the recycling of the trapped air supply. Although water anoles possess this special ability, like many creatures, they must breathe to live.

In Genesis 2, we read that God “breathed into [Adam’s] nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being” (v. 7). As He created all things in “the heavens and the earth” (v. 4), He also created man from “the dust of the ground” (v. 7). But it took God’s breath of life to make His creation fully alive. He transformed the first human into a living being—a living soul. Later, He formed Eve from Adam’s rib (v. 22). As spiritual beings, we’re able to enjoy fellowship with Him by belief in Christ. Jesus “breathed on” the disciples and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20:22). One commentator writes that this “‘inbreathing’ of the Holy Spirit is essential in order for people to enjoy fellowship with God.”

Each breath we take is God’s gift of physical life. As believers in Jesus, it’s also a reflection of our eternal life and being indwelt by the life-giving Spirit (Romans 8:11).

Reflect & Pray

What does God’s breath of life mean to you? How has the Spirit made you spiritually alive?

Loving God, thank You for eternal life and Your breath of life.

By Tom Felton

耶和华神……将生气吹在他鼻孔里，他就成了有灵的活人。（创世记 2:7）

今日经文：创世记 2:1-7

今日洞见：古代希伯来文学常通过刻意的文字游戏来传达深意。在创世记2章中，译为“人”的希伯来词 adam（创世记 2:7）与译为“土地”或“地”的希伯来词 adamah（5-7节）非常相似。若现代译本试图捕捉这种文字游戏，可能会将“人”（adam）译为“土生者”（earthling），将“地”（adamah）译为“土”或“大地”（earth）。通过将这些词语并列，这段经文传达了关于人性的重要见解：人类是由大地或泥土（7节）塑造而成的，因此与大地有着紧密的联系；但人类同时也与神建立了一种独特的关系，因为是神赐予了人类“生命之气”（7节）。我们每一次呼吸都在提醒我们，肉身的生命是神所赐。

今日灵修：研究人员发现，水安乐蜥可以在水下停留二十分钟而无需换气。这种小蜥蜴拥有拒水皮肤，在深潜后，它会呼出一个气泡，使其附着在吻部。随后，这只聪明的生物会反复吸入这个气泡，科学家认为这是一种对滞留空气的循环利用。尽管水安乐蜥拥有这种特殊能力，但像许多生物一样，它们仍需呼吸才能生存。

 在创世记2章中，我们读到神“将生气吹在[亚当]鼻孔里，他就成了有灵的活人”（7节）。当神创造“天地万物”（4节）时，祂也用“地上的尘土”（7节）造了人。然而，唯有神的生命之气才能使祂的受造物真正活过来。祂将第一个人变成了有灵的活人,一个活生生的生命。后来，祂用亚当的肋骨造了夏娃（22节）。作为属灵的生命，我们因信基督而能够与神建立亲密的团契关系。耶稣向门徒“吹了一口气”，说：“你们受圣灵”（约翰福音 20:22）。一位解经家写道，这种“圣灵的‘吹入’，对于人享受与神的团契至关重要。”

 我们每一次呼吸，都是神所赐予的肉身生命。作为信靠耶稣的人，我们属灵的呼吸见证了我们拥有永生，就是赐生命的圣灵住在我们里面的事实（罗马书 8:11）。

 反思与祷告 神所赐的生命之气对你而言意味着什么？圣灵如何使你得着属灵的生命？ 慈爱的神，感谢祢赐予永生和生命之气。

 作者：汤姆·费尔顿