Читать книгу Holy Smoke! Unholy Fire! - Robert C McKibben - Страница 9

Breath is the substance of life in the Bible too. “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” (Genesis 2:7 ESV emphasis mine). The Hebrew word for breath is ruâh (sometimes ruach). Ezekiel uses the same word to describe the breath of God in his prophecy of the Valley of Dry Bones (Ezekiel 37:1-14). “Come from the four winds, O Breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.” Those bones came together, grew skin, and came to life! There was life, even in the midst of death.

In the New Testament, the Greek word for spirit, just like the Hebrew ruâh, can mean wind or breath. In John’s gospel account, Jesus makes an appearance to His disciples after His resurrection. Jesus came into the room where the disciples were hiding, breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20:22 ESV). Again, the breath of God brings life out of death and for John this breath of life is none other than the Holy Spirit, which is the presence of the Living Christ.

In the Acts of the Apostles, Luke describes the Holy Spirit a little differently. After Jesus rose from the dead and ascended into heaven right before their very eyes the disciples returned to Jerusalem and met in the upper room. The second chapter of Acts tells us, “And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting” (Acts 2:2 ESV). Again, the image of wind represents the Holy Spirit; only this time it is an image of power and strength. The rush of a mighty wind, the breath of God, the Holy Spirit, recreated those frightened, discouraged men into a dynamic powerful force – called the Church.

God created Adam from the dust of the earth and with His Holy Spirit breathed life into Adam. God, through His Holy Spirit, breathed new life into His chosen people as symbolized by Ezekiel’s prophecy of the Valley of Dry Bones. God, through His Holy Spirit breathed new life into the disciples of Jesus and created the Church. God, through His Holy Spirit, used Larry’s friend to breath new life into a little girl’s lungs. God’s gift of the Holy Spirit is first and foremost the gift of life. The Holy Spirit is also God’s gift of His unending presence with us.