In Genesis 1 & 2 God’s word shows our individual creation pattern. It begins on the fifth day of creation when God created all creatures with a soul. Then on the sixth day of creation He created man. It does not specifically state that He created the soul of man on the sixth day. It does specifically state that He created male and female on the sixth day. It also specifically states that He created man in His image according to His likeness.
Man was not yet in a physical form for in Genesis 2:5 it states that there was no man upon the earth for it had not yet rained on the earth. Then in 2:7 God creates a physical body for the male from the dust of the ground. Next, He breaths into the nostrils (face) of this physical body the breath of life (plural: lives) and man becomes a living (singular) soul (singular). At this point we have a male with a soul, physical body, and a spirit.
The phrase “breath of God” thoughout the Old Testament represent the “Spirit of God.” This breath of God which is the Spirit of God becomes the spirit of man giving him life. At the point of death this spirit returns back to God.
When the physical body of Eve is created, her soul had already been created in Genesis 1:27. All she needed was a physical body. That was given to her through the rib taken from Adam. God did not need to breath upon her to impart the spirit of life unto her. That spirit of life was in the rib from which her physical body was created. This is probably the inference in 2:7 when it is stated that “God breath into the nostrils of the man the breath of lives.” Modern day man has seen the reality of this truth in cloning from DNA.
From this brief and simply picture of man’s creation we see the pattern for the creation of man: soul, body, and spirit. This pattern remains true to form throughout scripture. The structure of this pattern will be manifested in the tabernacle, which becomes a physical model by its threefold structure of outer court, inner court, and holy of holies. This structure represents the triune being of man. The ministry in the tabernacle will demonstrate how this triune being is designed and created to function.
The pattern of man’s being is precise and orderly. God placed in His word how the three entities of being (soul, body, spirit) impact each other. The message in the Song of Songs is the struggle of the soul to find its ultimate fulfillment in love. The message in Job is the struggle of the soul against physical pain in the body. The message in Eccleseiastes is the struggle of the sould to find rest in its spirit. The Book of Proverbs is a textbook on the interaction of all three entities that make up our being. Proverbs reveals how this triune being is broken down and how it can be rebuilt. The need to understand emotional, mental, and spiritual breakdowns is revealed in Proverbs.
My question for you in this blog is do you see this pattern running throughout the Bible?