The word most often translated in Hebrew as “spirit” is “ruahh”. The term “ruahh” literally means breath or wind. The Hebrew culture saw the breath as the life of a person. Relating it to their natural realm, without breath there was no life.
From the very beginning it is obvious that God’s breath was the animating force that gave Adam life. Gen 2:7
This is continued in the rest of humanity as is made clear in Job —
Job 27
3For as long as life is in me,
And the breath of God is in my nostrils,
4My lips certainly will not speak unjustly,
Nor will my tongue mutter deceit.
Job 33
4″The Spirit of God has made me,
And the breath of the Almighty gives me life.
The same word for breath or wind is translated in other curious ways. —
Deut 33
13Of Joseph he said,
”Blessed of the LORD be his land,
With the choice things of heaven, with the dew, And from the deep lying beneath,
14And with the choice yield of the sun,
And with the choice produce of the months. (ruahh)
Job 31
32″The alien has not lodged outside,
For I have opened my doors to the traveler. (ruahh)
Exo 11
5and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of the Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the slave girl who is behind the millstones;(ruahh) all the firstborn of the cattle as well.
What does wind/breath, months, traveler, and millstone have in common? To understand that one must understand that the Hebrews did not view their world from an abstract intellectualized construct. A simple nomadic people they saw things in a very organic manner. They saw their world from a functional viewpoint. They related everything including the workings of God to the real and natural world and their culture. They viewed their world and God’s dealings with them through their five senses.
All of these things follow a prescribed path. The months from one to another. The traveler to his destination and the millstone on it’s continual circular path. In the same way the natural trade winds common in the Far East followed a prescribed path. These winds were a guide to these nomadic people. Though the wind itself cannot be seen, the effects of the wind can, in the moving of the leaves and the pressure of the moving air against their bodies.
God has a prescribed path for us to follow. It is straight and does not vary. The Hebrew word for straight is tsadirq and is often translated righteous.
Psalms 1
6For the LORD knows the way of the righteous,
But the way of the wicked will perish.
Psalms 27
11Teach me Your way, O LORD,
And lead me in a level path
When God gives us a new breath, His breath, He will cause us to follow His path.
Eze 36
26″Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit (breath) within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
27″I will put My Spirit (breath) within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.
It is also interesting to note that the word “holy” literally means set aside for a special purpose. When we see the terms “Holy Spirit” it literally means — the breath of God that is set aside as the source of life and to guide and direct you along the path of righteousness.
This understanding of the Holy Spirit easily translates into the New Testament. In fact the Greek word “pneuma” means exactly the same as “ruahh” in the Hebrew = Wind or breath.
God promises His special wind/breath will direct the Apostles along their prescribed path.
Acts 1:8
but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”
God also directed Jesus along his prescribed path.
Ats 10:38
”You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit (his special wind breath) and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.
Paul relied on the breath/wind of God in him to do what was prescribed on his path.
Romans 15:19
in the power of signs and wonders, in the power of the Spirit(breath of God); so that from Jerusalem and round about as far as Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.
We are commanded to have that same breath in us to guide us on our path.
Ephesians 3:16
that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit (wind/breath) in the inner man,
Jesus had this breath upon Him
Matthew 3:16
After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit (wind breath) of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him,
Jesus was full of the breath of God and led by it.
Luke 4:1
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, (special breath) returned from the Jordan and was led around by the Spirit (wind/breath) in the wilderness
We too are to be filled with the breath of God. If fact we are to be filled to the same degree as Jesus.
Eph 3
16that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man,
17so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
18may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,
19and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be FILLED UP TO ALL THE FULLNESS OF GOD.
What is the end of the prescribed path for us? That we become mature men, even as Christ our example.
Ephesians 4:13
until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.
