Category: devotional

  • Ruach: Wind, Breath, and the Holy Spirit Who Gives Life

    I watched the wind blow across the countryside through the wheat fields. The waves of wheat reminded me of the ocean. The view changed moment by moment at the wind’s whim.

    The train of thought is too long to explain, but I ended up thinking of wind in the bible. The Hebrew word is ruach, but it means much more than wind.  It also means breath and spirit. One word, three meanings.

    I think the word leaves a fabulous trail through the Scriptures

    We see the spirit, the wind, the breath of God from the very beginning. 

    The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Genesis 1:2 ESV

    A few verses later, God breaths life into Adam. A different word is used, but it’s still God’s Spirit.

    Fast forward to Ezekiel standing in the valley of dry bones. The Spirit breathes life into the dead bones, and they rise.

    The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.” So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them. But there was no breath in them. Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army. Ezekiel 37:1-10 ESV

    Now let’s skip ahead to the New Testament; the wording is Greek now, not Hebrew, but it’s the same Spirit.

    Jesus is speaking… 

    And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. John 20:22 ESV

    God’s Holy Spirit is the giver of life and rebirth. 

    When you feel as dry and empty as dead bones, remember where life comes from. It’s God who gives life; turn to Him. Breathe Him in again.

    May you be filled with the Spirit today.

    Kevin

    SUMMARY

    Watching wind move through a wheat field sent me tracing ruach, the Hebrew word for wind, breath, and spirit. From Genesis to Ezekiel’s dry bones to John, it shows that God’s Holy Spirit is the giver of life and rebirth.

    TAKEAWAY

    Ruach means wind, breath, and spirit, so the Spirit of God hovering over the waters in Genesis 1:2 is the same breath of God you can trace through all of Scripture.

    In Ezekiel’s valley, the bones had sinews, flesh, and skin, yet no breath was in them until God sent it. The life you need is His to give.

    When you feel as dry and empty as dead bones, remember where life comes from. Turn to God and breathe Him in again, the same Holy Spirit Jesus gave with a breath in John 20:22.

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  • Bears and the Bible

    Local social media has been buzzing with reports of black bears in town. It’s that time of year; the bears are trying to fatten up for winter.  

    We had a similar issue when we lived in Clearwater, BC. The community sits next to Wells Gray Park and hundreds of thousands of acres of forest land. Black bear sightings in the community happened almost daily, and they were often near or in our yard. There were also frequent grizzly bear sightings in the general area.

    Kathy and I drove along a local forest service road on a spring day and saw 23 bears in 25 km (some were mothers with multiple cubs). That was an unusually large number, but we seldom ventured out without seeing a bear or two.

    All the bear sightings locally got me thinking of bears in the Bible. Bears appear 12 times in the Bible. Actual/literal bears or bear imagery show up in 10 verses, and in Revelation and Daniel we see them as symbolic beasts.

    One bear account in the bible has always puzzled me somewhat. Elisha the prophet is traveling towards Bethel, an area known for its idol worship.

    He went up from there to Bethel, and while he was going up on the way, some small boys came out of the city and jeered at him, saying, “Go up, you baldhead! Go up, you baldhead!” And he turned around, and when he saw them, he cursed them in the name of the Lord. And two she-bears came out of the woods and tore forty-two of the boys. 2 Kings 2:23-24 ESV

    That always seemed to me to be a bit excessive, so I did some digging. The word translated “boys” in some translations (“youths”) in others also applies equally to young men. This isn’t a group of young kids teasing a traveler; it’s a mob of young men harassing and insulting a prophet of God. 

    The bears tore into 42 of the young men, so it’s likely there were more, although we simply can’t know for sure.

    Baldness in those days carried a great deal of social stigma. Here, it seems to suggest a rejection of Elisha’s call to leadership and a mockery of God’s power, demonstrated through Elijah’s ascension. Maybe they were challenging him to rise up to heaven in a chariot as Elijah had done. Whatever the specifics, this unruly mob was harassing and insulting the man of God and paid a heavy price.

    The Scriptures give clear warning

    Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. Galatians 6:7 ESV

    God is both gracious and just. Sometimes we pay the penalty for our sin later; other times God judges on the spot (e.g., Korah and the rebels in Numbers, or Ananias and Sapphira in Acts). 

    It’s highly unlikely that you or I will be mauled by bears for mocking a prophet, but we do need to be cautious of the words that leave our mouths. Yes, as Christians, we are forgiven the eternal consequences of sin, but we may still face earthly consequences and God’s discipline.

    The next time you see a bear, pause for a moment and give God thanks for your salvation. We might not be in a mob harassing a prophet, but we are all just as guilty of sin.

    Be blessed,

    Kevin

    Today’s image is a reader submission from years ago.

    SUMMARY

    Local black bear sightings got me thinking about the bears that mauled the young men who mocked Elisha in 2 Kings 2. It’s a sobering reminder that our words carry real consequences, even under grace.

    TAKEAWAY

    We need to be cautious of the words that leave our mouths.

    We’re forgiven the eternal consequences of our sin, but we may still face earthly consequences and God’s discipline.

    The next time you see a bear, pause and give God thanks for your salvation.

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