Catching our Breath || Punishable by God || Week 6 (FINALE)

Welcome back to “Punishable by God,” a series diving deeper into the consequences God gave to the snake, Eve, and Adam in the Garden of Eden. Last week, we continued discussing the consequences of Adam. We talked about the thorns and thistles that come with work and how we can be more fruitful. This week, we wrap up our discussion and series by looking at how we’re dust and how we’ll return to dust. Let’s read this consequence in Genesis 3:19. 

19 By the sweat of your brow will you have food to eat until you return to the ground from which you were made. For you were made from dust, and to dust you will return. 

God’s Breath

Genesis 2:7 says:

7 Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person. 

The concept that God made man from the ground dust shows nothing fancy about the chemical elements making up our bodies. Our bodies are just a husk until God brings them alive. When God removes his breath, our bodies return to the dust of the earth. Our life and worth, therefore, come from the Spirit of God.

We can boast about our achievements and abilities as if we were the only people that curated them. In reality, our worth doesn’t come from our achievements but from God, who gave us this gift of life. As we go through life with this understanding, we can value life deeper. 

These are heavy and deep thoughts to end our series, but it’s a heavy and profound concept. God created our bodies from various chemical elements, physical attributes, and more, and we receive life-giving qualities that God grants us in our mother’s womb. When we’re born, God tasks us with caring for this body that God knitted together. At the end of our life, our physical bodies lay back in the earth and slowly return to dust. 

Catching the Breath

Psalm 104:29 says this:

29 But if you turn away from them, they panic. When you take away their breath, they die and turn again to dust. 

Many people believe that they don’t need God, yet our every breath depends on the Spirit he breathed into us. We depend on God for life; he loves and wants the best for us. Because of this, we should let him renew us (our bodies and our minds) each day while also following the plans he lays before us. 

Without God, we panic. We try to solve life’s issues and mysteries on our own. We try to accomplish complex tasks and deal with complicated feelings independently. Doing life alone can be miserable, leading to a life not worth living. God didn’t create us to do life by ourselves. God saw what that did to Adam, leading to Eve’s formation. God wants to ensure we live in a relationship with other humans and God himself. God gave us a finite time to do life. It’s up to us to make the most out of it. 

Let’s end this series here. It’s been powerful and eye-opening as I’ve studied and reviewed much of this material. This series was a massive project to work on, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. 

What’s next? That’s more nebulous. I have a few things. I need to write the next chunk of Weekend Reflections. I plan to rewrite a previous series, “Who Am I.” I will also continue our trek through Genesis by looking at the promises God gave to Abraham in Genesis 12. Timeline-wise, I have no idea when all this will happen. What I do know is that there will be a “Let’s Listen To” next week! 

Thank you all so much for sticking with me, and until next time, stay blessed!