Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Why Didn't God Speak Man Into Being?

Call it the end of year nostalgia, or a brainwave, but the question about the meaning and origin of life has puzzled my mind a lot in these past couple of days. I've found myself wondering, "What does life really mean and what does it mean to be alive?"

Now I have all the reasons in the world to be grateful and thankful to God for being alive - and I do that the best I could - but neither as much nor as often as I should. I owe Him what I am, have, and will have.
He has done so much for me and has been faithful to me - inspite of myself.

In my quest for an answer I opened Bible to the Book of Genesis - the book about the beginning. I read about the "...Let there be...." and about the "...then God made..." I found that He spoke some into existence and some He brought to being by making them. And as for man He made him after His own image and after His own likeness.

"Have you ever wondered why God didn't speak man into being, but instead chose to form him?"

2 comments:

john said...

The word "formed" (yatsar - in Hebrew) was used for man while "created" (bara' - in Hebrew) was used for the other creations.

Yatsar means to mold into a form as a potter molds clay into a predetermined form. Yatsar also means to press, as in squeezing. But, yatsar also has a figurative meaning "to be in distress."

Adam was fashioned from the elements of the ground. Adam was an earthly man, a physical being of flesh and blood. Rather than speaking Adam into existence, "yatsar" reveals God was using his hands to mold and shape Adam from clay, as a potter molds his work. This process of molding requires some squeezing and pressing (kneading) in order to shape Adam. His created man would be formed through this pressing and molding process. Figuratively, yatsar means to be formed by distress and vexation.

When God was pressing Adam from the clay He foreknew the bride of the Spirit (Christian) would also be formed by a similar process of molding the spiritual man. Molding by faith in a time of distress and trouble. "Yatsar" is the potter's wheel of God. (1Peter 1:6-7).

john said...

Again I don't think you are having a brainwave or end of year nostalgia - well except the year has been a spectacularly and exceptionally great one for you. We all do have moments in our lives when God tugs our heart to draw us closer to Him. Remember when God called Samuel.