Man Becomes a Living Being—Part 1
And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.
This verse points us back to God’s creative work that took place on the sixth day of creation. Here we have explanatory material on the creation of humanity.
In today’s blog, we will cover the first two points made in this important verse:
- Human beings are composed of “the dust of the ground.” As was covered in a previous Daily Bible Verse Blog post, human beings are created in the general shape and form of God (Genesis 1:27) but are made out of a different substance: organic physical matter. Our material bodies are designed to last for an average of 70 years (Psalm 90:10). After death, our physical bodies simply decompose and “return to the ground” (Genesis 3:19; see also Ecclesiastes 3:20, 12:7).
- Human life is made possible through the “breath of life.” In scientific terms, the “breath of life” refers to inhaling oxygen-rich air. The process that God designed to allow physical life is remarkable! Air containing oxygen (“the breath of life”) is taken into the body through the nostrils and mouth and transported through the bronchial tubes into the lungs. Thin air sacks in the lungs, called alveoli, then transfer the oxygen into the bloodstream. The blood then transports the oxygen throughout the body through a network of blood vessels. Oxygen makes life possible. Blood is the conduit through which life-giving oxygen is disseminated to the cells of the body.
This is just one way that a truth found in the Bible has been verified through science. Long before scientists understood how oxygen traveled through the bloodstream to fuel the cells of the body, God had already revealed that these are two vital elements of physical life. Genesis 2:7 reveals that “life” enters the body through “breath” (oxygen-rich air). Leviticus 17:11 reveals that the “life” is then transmitted throughout the body through the blood: “For the life of the flesh is in the blood.”
Knowing just a little about the complex systems that God created to allow human life should lead us to echo the words of King David: “I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14).
Read more in the article “What Is a Human Being?” Next time we will cover the last part of this verse: “… and man became a living being.”
Tomorrow on the Daily Bible Verse Blog: “Man Becomes a Living Being—Part 2.”
