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God’s Breath - part 1 of 3 (Amplified and KJV) “The wind bloweth where it listeth” -John 3:8 * = reference numbers from Strong’s Concordance For several weeks these initial words from John 3:8 have echoed within my spirit: “The wind (4151)* bloweth (4154) where it listeth.” I recalled in the original Greek the words “wind,” “spirit” and “breath” are related and that when referring to the moving of the Holy Spirit, we often use the expression “The wind of the Spirit.” Therefore, I broadly interpret the statement to mean that the Spirit of God moves according to the will of God, i.e. God will do what God wills to do. Searching past the English translation of the Bible to the original meanings and implications of the original Hebrew and Greek words often reveals treasures which otherwise remain hidden. Such research is essential to understanding and appreciating the interrelatedness of seemingly diverse scriptures. Connecting reference numbers, as well as original renderings and meanings, repetition, and overlap of basic definitions from Strong’s Concordance often brings clarity to what is being said. For example, the New Testament words “wind” and “Spirit,” referring to the Spirit of God, are both from the same Greek word. In “The wind (4151) bloweth (4154) where it listeth” (2309) …,” {John 3:8}, the word “wind”(“pněuma”) is from the Greek word for “bloweth” (“pněō”). While “wind” refers to “a current of air,” “a breath,” “blast” or “breeze,” it may also indicate “the rational soul or disposition,” “the vital spirit,” as of God, Christ or the Holy Spirit. The word “bloweth” is “pneh,” meaning “to breathe hard,” i.e. “a breeze” or “to blow.” “Listeth” means “to choose,” “to determine,” “to be inclined to (sometimes gladly).” The Hebrew equivalent implies “to delight in.” It was this implication of pleasurable anticipation which enhanced my appreciation of the second verse of Genesis. “In the beginning…the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” {Gen 1:1-2}. The word “Spirit” (7307)( rűwach) also carries with it the meaning of “breath,” as in “puff,” “wind,” “angry or vital breath.” While in a negative sense “Spirit” can mean “to blow away,” or “to destroy,” the positive connotation is one of “Divine inspiration” and “intellect.” Even more significant is the meaning relating to perception (“to anticipate” or “to enjoy”). The Amplified Bible’s states that “The Spirit of God was moving (hovering, brooding) over the face of the waters” {Gen 1:2}. With what joyful anticipation God set about His work of breathing forth a creative word and of fashioning the creatures who were to inhabit His earth. With how much more expectancy does He continue to hover over those who have become partakers with Christ of His life-giving Spirit? In recognizing God as the source of his life, Elihu uses both the word “Spirit” and “breath”: “The Spirit (7307 rűwach-“wind,” by resemblance “breath”) of God hath made me, and the breath (5397- “a puff,” “a wind,” “a vital breath”) of the Almighty hath given me life” {Job 33:4}. But he does not limit God’s Spirit or breath to touching only the human realm. In fact, he attributes the cycles and vicissitudes of nature to the breath of God: “By the breath of God frost is given and the breadth of the waters is straitened” {Job 37:10}. Several winters ago when I was complaining and grumbling about the snow and ice, the Holy Spirit used this chapter of Job to convict me about my disregard for God’s sovereignty and purposes: “For He says to the snow, Fall on the earth; likewise He speaks to the showers and to the downpour of His mighty rains. God seals up (stops, brings to a standstill by severe weather) the hand of every man [and now under His seal their hands are forced to inactivity], that all men whom He has made may know His doings (His sovereign power and their subjection to it)” {Job 37:6-7}. Verse 10 in the Amplified reads, “By the breath of God ice is given, and the breadth of the waters is frozen over.” That God uses these elements for His purposes is clear: “Whether it be for correction or for His earth generally or for His mercy and loving-kindness, He causes it to come” {Job 37:13}. The Psalmist encourages God’s people to render Him praise for His magnificent acts with snow and ice: “Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem! Praise your God, O Zion! For…He gives [to the earth] snow like [blanket of] wool; He scatters the hoarfrost like ashes, He casts forth His ice like crumbs; who can stand before His cold? He sends out His word, and melts [ice and snow]; He causes His winds to blow and the waters to flow” {Ps 147:12, 16-18}. Breathed out from Him Who is Spirit, God’s Word carries with it with life-giving power. And just as His word melts the ice and snow, so His word melts the icy heart, giving a new heart in its place and so saturating the innermost regions of its possessor that “From his innermost being shall flow [continuously] springs and rivers of living water” {John 7:38}. May His breath so saturate our very being. -Ruth French January Newsletter 2006 | Steadfast Unto the End | The Eye of a Needle part 2 of 2 Pastor's Journal January 2005 | Understanding Habits part 1 of 2 | God's Breath part 1 of 3 |
Biblical Counseling for Leaders
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