Finding Christ in the Old Testament
Genesis 2:7
“Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.”
Unlike the rest of creation, which God brought forth by His spoken Word, man was formed by His hands. The imagery is intimate—God shaping man from the dust of the earth, crafting him with care. The Almighty stoops down into the dirt, forming His beloved creation. This act foreshadows the incarnation, when Christ Himself would take on flesh, humbling Himself to dwell among us. Just as God breathed life into Adam, Christ, the Second Adam, breathes new life into fallen humanity through His resurrection. The breath of God that made Adam a living being is the same breath Christ bestowed upon His disciples when He said, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20:22). Yet, sin brought death, and the dust to which man was formed became his grave. But Christ entered that grave for us. He took upon Himself the dust of our mortality, only to rise victorious, giving us the breath of eternal life. The hands that once formed Adam would one day bear the nails of redemption, shaping a new creation in His blood.
Devotion
God is not distant from His creation. From the very beginning, He was intimately involved with mankind, forming Adam with His hands and breathing life into him. This same God would later walk among us in Jesus Christ, touching lepers, washing feet, and bearing the cross. He did not shy away from the dirt of our sin but entered into it, taking on human flesh to redeem us. Just as He breathed life into Adam, He breathes new life into us through the Gospel, raising us from spiritual death. When we struggle with sin or feel unworthy, we remember this truth: God was willing to get His hands dirty for us, both in creation and on the cross. In Christ, we are not just restored—we are remade, shaped by His hands and filled with His Spirit, awaiting the day when He will raise us to eternal life, never to return to the dust again.
New Testament Verse:
John 20:22 (ESV) “And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’”
Collect
O Lord God, who formed man from the dust with Your own hands and breathed into him the breath of life, grant that we, who have received the life-giving breath of Your Spirit through Christ, may walk in newness of life and be conformed to the image of Your Son, until the day when You raise us from the dust to dwell in Your presence forever; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Hymn Verse:
Fill me with life anew,
That I may love all that you love
And do what you would do.
2 Breathe on me, breath of God,
Until my heart is pure,
Until with you I will one will
To do and to endure.
3 Breathe on me, breath of God;
So shall I never die,
But live with you the perfect life
Of your eternity.
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