Ancient philosophy views breath as the silver cord that holds the body and the spirit together. When the breath of a living creature exhales its last, the soul is freed from the body to find its way to the afterlife. The philosophy is not so unfounded in Scriptural truth.
Right away in Genesis 1:30 we see that God defines creatures as those that have the breath of life – these are the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground. In just a few short verses we learn what the breath of life does. Genesis 2:7 says we become living.
My little Opie gave up his breath today. He was five years old. My loyal, loving little man – all 5 and a half pounds of him – snippy bark, gray dimming little eyes and all. God has him in his hand. Job 12:10 “In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.” Later Job says it is the breath of the Almighty that actually gives life.
In this way man and animal are the same. Ecclesiastes 3:19 “Man's fate is like that of the animals; the same fa
te awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath; man has no advantage over the animal.” We all live and die by the silver cord of the breath of God.
So here is what I surmise. Man and animal have the same breath of God in them. When God inhales his breath returns to him. Man’s soul is released to eternity, man’s breath returns to God, man’s body returns to the earth. The soul-less animal’s breath returns to God, his body to the earth. Then God – the giver of life exhales – a long deep breath…the earth brings forth life in the design of himself – the Maker of everything. The man’s soul is created; the baby is born and breathes – a testimony to the life-giving nature of the Almighty. The animal is born ready to give to man and earth a breathing living part of God as designed for its kind – a puppy, a kitty, a lion, an eagle to demonstrate to all that exists the true and multi-faceted nature of the one and only God.
Right away in Genesis 1:30 we see that God defines creatures as those that have the breath of life – these are the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground. In just a few short verses we learn what the breath of life does. Genesis 2:7 says we become living.
My little Opie gave up his breath today. He was five years old. My loyal, loving little man – all 5 and a half pounds of him – snippy bark, gray dimming little eyes and all. God has him in his hand. Job 12:10 “In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.” Later Job says it is the breath of the Almighty that actually gives life.
In this way man and animal are the same. Ecclesiastes 3:19 “Man's fate is like that of the animals; the same fa
te awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath; man has no advantage over the animal.” We all live and die by the silver cord of the breath of God.So here is what I surmise. Man and animal have the same breath of God in them. When God inhales his breath returns to him. Man’s soul is released to eternity, man’s breath returns to God, man’s body returns to the earth. The soul-less animal’s breath returns to God, his body to the earth. Then God – the giver of life exhales – a long deep breath…the earth brings forth life in the design of himself – the Maker of everything. The man’s soul is created; the baby is born and breathes – a testimony to the life-giving nature of the Almighty. The animal is born ready to give to man and earth a breathing living part of God as designed for its kind – a puppy, a kitty, a lion, an eagle to demonstrate to all that exists the true and multi-faceted nature of the one and only God.
So we experience little Opies in our lives. A part of God that touches us as none other can. And when breath is gone – we wait. We wait to experience His presence in our grief and loss of his breath in our lives. We wait to experience his exhaling nature again.
2 comments:
Well said.
And we are all sad with you.
What a wonderful tribute to Opie. Just remember Dog is God spelled backward - that how specal they are to him. We love you and pray for your comfort.
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