The Spirit of God and the Breath of the Almighty

“The Spirit of God has made me,
    and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.”

Job 33:4 ESV

Plucked from a dialogue that had both good and bad points, this phrase comes from a young man named Elihu who delivers a fascinating take on the character of God. He claims that God’s Spirit has created him and sustains him. Like a flag blowing in the wind, the Spirit of God animates his life. 

Since Elihu’s complete response in Job 33 is fairly shortsighted and prideful, could his description of God’s Spirit in verse 4 have some backing? Does God’s Spirit create, animate, and sustain? To find out we have to go on a journey to the beginning…like, the very beginning.

Page one of the Bible — we are introduced to the Spirit of God (ruach elohim). The word for Spirit in Hebrew is ruach and can mean breath, wind, or spirit. The ruach was hovering over the dark and chaotic waters. The book of Genesis, like every book, has a primary target audience. Its target audience is the contextual historical audience — the people who were alive and in proximity to the writing. 

So we must come to this introduction of God’s Spirit on the Bible’s terms. The ancient Near East is filled with creation myths. A popular one from Ugarit, a city-state in ancient Syria tells the story of how Baal became king of the gods by slaying Yamm (a deity depicted as a sea monster symbolized as chaotic and violent). In summary, Baal had to strenuously battle against the chaotic force to establish his power. In Genesis, we find a very different picture. We see the Spirit hovering and the breath of God effortlessly conquering the darkness by simply speaking. How can this be? How can darkness disappear by syllables? How can such transformation come from a voice? How can humanity come to life with only breath? Only one conclusion is possible. The very breath of the God, from whom this Spirit comes from, must be the originator of goodness and light, and His word must be life itself.

Jesus is the Word of God, that which was from the beginning, come to the world. He is the accent and the syllables of the Almighty God. He is the word of life, the one that declares to humanity: God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all — just like it was from the beginning. Jesus left this earth so the Spirit could come and fill all people. So all nations and people groups could be filled with the Spirit of God and in tune with the Spirit. It is not just enough to be made by the Spirit of God, have the Almighty sustain you with His breath, and see the Word of God. 

No, we are called to renewal by His voice, remain in step with the Spirit, and walk in the light of Christ. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. If we live in Christ, let us walk in the light as He is in the light. 

This is where the paradox begins. Although the Word is what created us and the Spirit is what keeps us alive — it is possible to be out of step with the spirit and in a shadow hidden from the light. Now, many would blame God for this mishap like a parent may blame a daycare worker who allows their child to wander and injure themselves. However, the Spirit never leaves humanity in the sense that He keeps them alive. Similarly, the Word of the Lord shines light in all places. We are the ones to blame. We are the ones that cannot comprehend the light and choose to fill ourselves with the fumes of death. We can be filled with the Spirit of life but not be in tune with the Spirit of God. We can see the light of Christ but not be in its rays.

So in the spirit of Elihu’s words, I tell you — yes, the Spirit of God has made me and you and the breath of the Almighty gives us life but are we in tune with the Spirit and standing in the Light?