01.25. Conclusion

Conclusion The breath of God, his character or his name, functions within a unity. Throughout the Bible we see different manifestations of God. Some of these we have discussed, such as the fire that gives warmth, the cloud that gives shade, the ox that teaches, the bird that protects its young, the lord who brings life and the shepherd that protects the flock. These all work together in harmony to protect and provide for his people. While God has many names, he only has one name. The many characteristics of God function in unity. The ultimate purpose of this book is not only to show the characteristics of God, but also to show the potential characteristics of man. The filling of man “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.”

Genesis 1:27 (KJV)

While the above is a common translation for this verse, there are two words within it, that when translated from a Hebraic perspective, illuminate the passage in a new light. The first word is “arb” (bara), which in this verse cannot mean, “create something from nothing,” as another verse would contradict this translation.

“And Yahweh formed the man from the dust of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life.”

Genesis 2:7

God did not create the man out of nothing; instead he formed him out of the ground. With our new understanding of the word “arb,” discussed previously, he filled him with his image, which brings us to the next word. The word “~lc” (tselem), translated as “image” above, is also translated in other passages as an “idol,” which is an “image” of a god. A more Hebraic understanding of the word would be a “shadow.” An idol is meant to be a “shadow” of the original, a representation, just as a “shadow” is the image of the original. We can now read the above passage as:

“So God filled the man with his shadow, with the shadow of God he filled him; male and female he filled them.”

Genesis 1:27

Man was formed from the dust of the ground, but unlike the other animals, man was filled with the shadow of God. All that God is we were made to duplicate, just as a shadow duplicates the original. Genesis 2:7, quoted above, states that man was filled with God’s breath, therefore, the shadow of God is the same as his breath. From our previous discussion on the word “hmXn” (neshemah - breath), we see that God filled the man with a shadow of his breath, his character. The whole character (neshemah/shem/name) of man is meant to function as a shadow of God, a representative of his character. God filled us with his own character; he has placed his name within us. If we gain a clearer understanding of the character, or name, of God, we have a clearer understanding of our own character, or name. For this reason, it is essential that we have a good name, a name that will direct others to the name of all names.

“A good name is more desirable than riches, silver and gold.”

Proverbs 22:1

Yeshua “He is the image of the invisible God.”

Colossians 1:15 (NIV) “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.”

John 5:19 (NIV)

Yeshua came as the full representation of God; his life can be characterized as a perfect shadow of God, following in the footsteps of his father. His character, while unique in that no other individual has manifested the characteristics of God in such a perfect way, is not meant to be unique. He came to teach us our full potential, so that we can follow in his steps and even to surpass them.

“I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing.

He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.”

John 14:12 (NIV) The character of God in man

Within scripture we see individuals who manifest the same characteristics as God and we can see some of these in our own lives and have the potential to manifest them all. The father of the household manifests many of the characteristics of God to his family. He is the “la” (el - power), the older experienced ox that is yoked to his children to teach them. As the “!wda” (adon - lord) of the family it is his responsibility to bring life to the family through his own work, teaching and decision-making. He is the “$alm” (mela’ak - messenger), whose responsibility is to bring the messages of God to his family. He is the “[yXwm” (moshia - deliverer) of his family by protecting them from evil, both literal and figurative. As “arwb” (borey - creator) he creates new life. He is the “hnq” (qanah - jealous one) by guarding over his family. He is to be “Xwdq” (qadosh - set apart) from the world and devoted to God and his teachings.