“THE WAY OF THE SPIRIT”
Eccl 11:5 (Rotherham’s Translation) –“Just as thou knowest not what is the way of the Spirit, when the body is in the womb of her that is with child, even so canst thou not know the work of God, who maketh all.”
Here, as in other Biblical references, the workings of the Spirit, “breath of life” (Gen 2:7), begins within “the womb of her that is with child.” Most of the literal, more accurate translations (such as Rotherham’s, quoted above) connect the first two phrases of the text as one thought. This gives it a similar import to the Scripture examined earlier from Psa 139:14-16.
“As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things.” NIV
“AND ADAM BEGAT”
Gen 5:3, 4—“And Adam lived one hundred and thirty years, and begot a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth. After he begot Seth, the days of Adam were eight hundred years; and he had sons and daughters.”
The Genesis account is full of genealogies, listings of fathers and sons for several generations. In all of these genealogical links of chronology, the transfer point of life from one generation to the next generation is when the father “begat” –at conception, NOT at birth.
SAMSON
Judges 13:3-5—“And the Angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, “Indeed now, you are barren and have borne no children, but you shall conceive and bear a son. Now therefore, please be careful not to drink wine or similar drink, and not to eat anything unclean. For behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. And no razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb; and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.”
A “Nazarite” was one who had taken a special vow under the laws of Israel. (See Num 6) The fact that Samson’s mother could not drink wine because her unborn child was a Nazarite implies that the child was considered alive—a “Nazarite”—while yet in his mother’s womb. This is further supported by the fact that another portion of the Nazarite vow, the unshaven head, was not required of the mother, but was required of Samson. This indicates that this is not a case where the mother was to be a Nazarite until the baby’s birth, and then Samson was to assume personal responsibility for his vows, but that they were obligatory upon him while he was still in the womb of his mother…
SANCTIFIED IN THE WOMB
Jer 1:4, 5—“Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”
God’s dealings with Jeremiah preparing him for his special message to Israel are scripturally spoken of as beginning “in the womb.” Similar expressions of the prophet Isaiah and the Apostle Paul are likewise found. (Isa 49:1, 5; Gal 1:15)
“BEFORE ABRAHAM WAS”
John 8:58—“Jesus said unto them, verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.”
Jesus is here replying to the question as to whether he had seen Abraham. In choosing the words for his reply, he said, “Before Abraham was, I am,” and not, “Before Abraham was, I was.” The tense used here dictates a continuum of existence with no interregnum. Therefore, during the nine months that Jesus was in utero he was in existence—alive. The only parentheses in Jesus’ existence, from his creation to eternity, was for the three days immediately following his death, when he was in oblivion. (Acts 2:27)
SONS OF GOD—NOW
1 John 3:2—“Beloved, now are we the sons of God.”
Students of the Word of God have long distinguished between the Christian’s present experience of being “begotten” and his resurrection hope of being “born again.” Independent existence begins at birth. Until the Christian receives its spirit body, it does not have such independent existence. Yet, even in the present incomplete “begotten,” or “embryo” condition, the Apostle John fears not to say, “Now are we the sons of God.”
Since the spiritual picture parallels the natural, the inference is clear—at conception we are now considered children—alive.
Continued with next post.
Eccl 11:5 (Rotherham’s Translation) –“Just as thou knowest not what is the way of the Spirit, when the body is in the womb of her that is with child, even so canst thou not know the work of God, who maketh all.”
Here, as in other Biblical references, the workings of the Spirit, “breath of life” (Gen 2:7), begins within “the womb of her that is with child.” Most of the literal, more accurate translations (such as Rotherham’s, quoted above) connect the first two phrases of the text as one thought. This gives it a similar import to the Scripture examined earlier from Psa 139:14-16.
“As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things.” NIV
“AND ADAM BEGAT”
Gen 5:3, 4—“And Adam lived one hundred and thirty years, and begot a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth. After he begot Seth, the days of Adam were eight hundred years; and he had sons and daughters.”
The Genesis account is full of genealogies, listings of fathers and sons for several generations. In all of these genealogical links of chronology, the transfer point of life from one generation to the next generation is when the father “begat” –at conception, NOT at birth.
SAMSON
Judges 13:3-5—“And the Angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, “Indeed now, you are barren and have borne no children, but you shall conceive and bear a son. Now therefore, please be careful not to drink wine or similar drink, and not to eat anything unclean. For behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. And no razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb; and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.”
A “Nazarite” was one who had taken a special vow under the laws of Israel. (See Num 6) The fact that Samson’s mother could not drink wine because her unborn child was a Nazarite implies that the child was considered alive—a “Nazarite”—while yet in his mother’s womb. This is further supported by the fact that another portion of the Nazarite vow, the unshaven head, was not required of the mother, but was required of Samson. This indicates that this is not a case where the mother was to be a Nazarite until the baby’s birth, and then Samson was to assume personal responsibility for his vows, but that they were obligatory upon him while he was still in the womb of his mother…
SANCTIFIED IN THE WOMB
Jer 1:4, 5—“Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”
God’s dealings with Jeremiah preparing him for his special message to Israel are scripturally spoken of as beginning “in the womb.” Similar expressions of the prophet Isaiah and the Apostle Paul are likewise found. (Isa 49:1, 5; Gal 1:15)
“BEFORE ABRAHAM WAS”
John 8:58—“Jesus said unto them, verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.”
Jesus is here replying to the question as to whether he had seen Abraham. In choosing the words for his reply, he said, “Before Abraham was, I am,” and not, “Before Abraham was, I was.” The tense used here dictates a continuum of existence with no interregnum. Therefore, during the nine months that Jesus was in utero he was in existence—alive. The only parentheses in Jesus’ existence, from his creation to eternity, was for the three days immediately following his death, when he was in oblivion. (Acts 2:27)
SONS OF GOD—NOW
1 John 3:2—“Beloved, now are we the sons of God.”
Students of the Word of God have long distinguished between the Christian’s present experience of being “begotten” and his resurrection hope of being “born again.” Independent existence begins at birth. Until the Christian receives its spirit body, it does not have such independent existence. Yet, even in the present incomplete “begotten,” or “embryo” condition, the Apostle John fears not to say, “Now are we the sons of God.”
Since the spiritual picture parallels the natural, the inference is clear—at conception we are now considered children—alive.
Continued with next post.
