Genesis 2:7. 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.
Over the past couple days, we have been looking at the same verse from Genesis. It’s a very important verse when it comes to understanding who we are. First, we are a body – God formed the man of the dust of the ground. Then we are a spirit – and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. The result? Man became a living creature. In Hebrew these are the words nepes hayyah.
Throughout the Old Testament this word nepes is translated as soul. We are living souls. What is really interesting is that the word for soul comes from the word for throat. The word that refers to breathing and drinking water. Why would God call us living throats? Because we feel our thirsts through our throats. We long for air to breathe through our throats. Have you ever been so thirsty that you just had to have a glass of water? Have you ever been unable to breathe? I have. A couple times. Once in the fifth grade I choked on a cookie during lunch. My teacher, Mr. Neip, smacked me on the back until it came loose. I can tell you that when you can’t breathe the only thing you desire is to be able to get air again.
That’s why God calls us throats, because we have desires for things that give us life. Things like air and water, but also things like love and goodness, and God himself. Consider the language David used to describe the desires of his soul.
Psalm 42:1. As a deer thirsts for flowing streams, so thirsts my soul for you, O God.
Psalm 63:1. O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
Notice how David connected his soul to his desire for God. To image God is to be this living soul. To desire as he does. To long for love and goodness the same way that God does within himself as a Trinity. But to image God is not to only desire, it is to have every one of our desires satisfied by God.
Psalm 107:9. For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things.
Whether you realize it or not, you have a lot of desires. Can you think of some?
Some of our desires come from having a body. Have you ever desired a snack? Of course you have. That’s a physical desire that comes from your body. We already mentioned air and water as physical desires. When God created Adam and Eve and put them in the garden, he gave them everything they could ever want or need for their physical life – plants to eat, water to drink, air to breathe, and much more.
But remember, we aren’t just a body. We are also a spirit. That means that we also have spiritual desires. The desire for love, for friendship, for kindness, for respect, and much more. God provided Adam with everything he needed to be satisfied spiritually too. How? By simply being there with Adam, walking and talking with him in the Garden. Loving and honoring him just like God loves and honors himself.
Understanding our desires is super important. Why? Because we become like whatever we want the most. This is especially true when we want Jesus the most. Desiring Jesus is what makes us like Jesus. For example, if you really want the love of Jesus, and if you let Jesus love you, then you will become loving like Jesus. The good news is that with Jesus in your heart, all your desires can be changed. Your soul can be changed so that it not only wants to know Jesus the most, but it also wants what Jesus wants too.
Questions: Can you name some physical things you desire? Some spiritual things? Does your soul desire Jesus the most? How can you choose what Jesus wants today?
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