Isaiah 40:7
The grass withers, the flower fades, Because the breath of The LORD blows upon it; Surely the people are grass.
THE BREATH OF THE LORD
The breath of The LORD has power. David's song of deliverance in 2 Samuel 22:16 tells us, "The channels of the sea appeared, and the foundations of the world were exposed at the rebuke of the LORD, at the blast of the breath of His nostrils." That's a mighty strong breath: the channels-the valleys beneath the sea, the seabeds-were exposed. This is just a mere chiding of The LORD's breath.
Moses sang a song of deliverance, as well, after Pharaoh and his army were destroyed. Exodus 15:8-10 "At the blast of Your nostrils the waters piled up; like a wall the currents stood firm; the depths congealed in the heart of the sea. The enemy declared, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake. I will divide the spoils; I will gorge myself on them. I will draw my sword; my hand will destroy them.’ But You blew with Your breath, and the sea covered them. They sank like lead in the mighty waters."
The LORD's breath can both deliver and destroy. Job 4:8,9
" As I have observed, those who plow iniquity and those who sow trouble reap the same. By the breath of God they perish, and by the blast of His anger they are consumed."
The breath of The LORD creates winter. Job 37:10 "By the breath of God the ice is formed and the watery expanses are frozen."
The breath of God burns. Isaiah 30:33 says, "For Topheth (a place of burning, of cremation; a city near Jerusalem) has long been prepared; it has been made ready for the king. Its funeral pyre is deep and wide, with plenty of fire and wood. The breath of the LORD, like a torrent of burning sulfur, sets it ablaze."
Job 33:4 "The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of The Almighty gives me life."
With His breath God speaks life and death. Life to the people who love Him, honor Him, believe His Word and receive His Son. Death to the people who rebel against Him, deny Him, disobey His Word and receive not His Son. Life to they who seek His face and not just His hand; who want to be near Him, not just want something from Him. Death to they who refuse to enter His presence and deny that anything they have, including every breath they take, comes from God.
With His breath God created the earth and everything in and on and around it. Genesis 1. Psalm 33:6 "the stars". Psalm 104:5-30 "His works, creations".
SALVATION A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH
Most of us know the story of the dry bones, but have we ever paid attention to what God told Ezekiel? Read Ezekiel 37:1-14 , specifically verse 9 for our study today, "Then He said to me, “Prophesy to The Breath; prophesy, son of man, and tell The Breath that this is what the Lord GOD says: Come from the four winds, O Breath, and breathe into these slain, so that they may live!” (italics mine).
Without The Breath of God, The Spirit of God, there cannot be Life. Jesus informed Nicodemus (John 3:5) that without water and Spirit no one could be born again. It is The Spirit that gives life (John 6:63). Christ is The Word. The Spirit is The Life. The Word cannot speak unless The Spirit, The Breath, makes it possible (John 5:16-30).
In the baptism of water we make a confession of faith in Jesus Christ. In the baptism of fire we receive The Breath of life from God, His precious Holy Spirit.
I need The Word and The Spirit. The Word gives Life Eternal and The Spirit is that Life. I am nothing without both. I am just dry bones, dry bones lying in a desert wilderness. But I saw the Light and repented of all my sins against God. And The Word gave me Life when I believed God and trusted God.
You can have Life, too. All you have to do is believe God's Word is True and Faithful. Repent of your sins against God, turn away from doing those things and do the things which God wants you to do. Receive The Holy Spirit, The Breath of God, into you by the power of God's Word, His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ and begin to live this new life which God has birthed into you.
