52 Hebrew Words Everyone should Know Ruach

What is something you have seen or experienced that could not be described in one word?

The Hebrew language is much like the Native language in that the words often times paint a picture....That is one of the reasons I love todays word....

This Hebrew word is without a doubt my favorite word....for a few of reasons…1) I love the pronunciation.....Second I love the visual of the meaning…Third It paints a very active picture of God for our everyday life.

Ruach (pronounced roo-akh)

This is the Hebrew word for spirit, breath, or wind. When spoken, the word engages one’s breath and lungs....VISUAL

I had a professor that said the whenever he was reading scripture he would think of Ruach…in that it helped him to feel like the words and the wind off the pages of scripture were the very breath of God. Always creating always brining life to him.

The first mention of Ruach in the Bible is in the very first chapter of Genesis – Genesis 1:2 to be exact:

Genesis 1:2 And the earth was a formless and desolate emptiness, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit (Ruach) of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.

Ruach communicates the idea of a wind (for example, in

Numbers 11:31 “31 Now the Lord sent a wind that brought quail from the sea and let them fall all around the camp. For miles in every direction there were quail flying about three feet above the ground.”

and

Exodus 10:13 “13 So Moses raised his staff over Egypt, and the Lord caused an east wind to blow over the land all that day and through the night. When morning arrived, the east wind had brought the locusts.” ,

but also as spirit (in

Judges 6:34 “34 Then the Spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon with power. He blew a ram’s horn as a call to arms, and the men of the clan of Abiezer came to him.” ,

1 Samuel 16:14 “14 Now the Spirit of the Lord had left Saul, and the Lord sent a tormenting spirit that filled him with depression and fear.”

and

1 Kings 18:12 “12 But as soon as I leave you, the Spirit of the Lord will carry you away to who knows where. When Ahab comes and cannot find you, he will kill me. Yet I have been a true servant of the Lord all my life.” ).

And then, in

Job12:10 “10 For the life of every living thing is in his hand, and the breath of every human being.” it is translated as breath.

The Holy Spirit…the breath of God the wind of God…God Himself is in every human being…This is where we begin to connect the Hebrew Ruach With the Greek Pneuma....Both being the Holy Spirit...

What does imagining Holy Spirit as the Very breath of God or the Wind of God lead you to think about how the Holy Spirit Works?

The Hebrew and the Greek translation also make the case for Trinitarian theology in the Old Testament. It is there all along, we can see that the work of the Father is individual from the work of the Ruach. It is also uniquely separate from the Word – which we know personified in Jesus.

John 1:1-18 Split the reading.

John 1:1–18 NLT

1 In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He existed in the beginning with God. 3 God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. 4 The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. 6 God sent a man, John the Baptist, 7 to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony. 8 John himself was not the light; he was simply a witness to tell about the light. 9 The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. 11 He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. 12 But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. 13 They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God. 14 So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son. 15 John testified about him when he shouted to the crowds, “This is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘Someone is coming after me who is far greater than I am, for he existed long before me.’ ” 16 From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another. 17 For the law was given through Moses, but God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us.

Ruach, being intangible but present in the beginning signifies consciousness and creative vitality that is unique to human creation. We bear the image of God, which separates us from the animal kingdom.

What are your immediate reactions to the idea of the Trinity existed before the physical appearance of Jesus to the world?

The Work of the Holy Spirit

It is undeniable that it is the work of the Ruach when a person comes to faith in Jesus the Messiah. The most radical example that comes to mind is the supernatural encounter of the Apostle Paul.

After seeing a vision of Jesus on Damascus road, Paul is temporarily blinded. Ananias lays hands on him, the Ruach HaKodesh, the Holy Spirit, falls on Paul. At that encounter, the scales fall from his eyes and his sight is restored.

Acts 9:17-18 “17 So Ananias went and found Saul. He laid his hands on him and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road, has sent me so that you might regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 Instantly something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was baptized.” )

The work of the Ruach – the Spirit, does two important things. He restores sight by waking up the human spirit through confession. The Spirit removes the obstacles of being “dead in one’s trespasses.”

At the same time, He functions as a light Himself. He illuminates us to the truth and reality of life with God in Christ. The Ruach (Spirit), in the words of Sinclair Ferguson, “does not add information about Jesus, He simply opens our eyes to see who He really is.”

The Ruach quickens us to the power of the Scriptures, which are God breathed. REmember the Breath of God I was talking about?

The Spirit verifies them and makes our hearts respond to the truth with in the Holy Scriptures.

The Ruach Our Helper

Like a flashlight shone in the darkness, the Spirit of God lights our path. And much like raccoons and mice like to come out at night, who can deny that there are also “critters” in our hearts. Perhaps pride, vanity, being overly concerned with the matters of this world, numbness. The Ruach shines a light on all our undesirables and ministers to our need with gentle correction and care.

In what ways have you experienced Holy Spirit as a revealer of truth a spiritual flashlight if you will?

Holy Spirit is our comforter, our counselor and our helper. You may have been to therapy or had a deep conversation with a friend, but another person will never give you a complete picture of your situation. They don’t have the same experiences or memories or thoughts. And likewise, any compassion we may have for others will be limited by us simply not having walked a mile in their shoes.

The Ruach Comforts in Need

19th Century preacher Charles Spurgeon writes about the power and efficacy of the Ruach’s comfort in times of need and sorrow:

“Sometimes, when we go and visit people we mistake their disease, we want to comfort them on this point. Whereas they do not require any such comfort at all, and they would be better left alone than spoiled by such unwise comforters as we are.

“But oh, how wise the Holy Spirit is! He takes the soul, lays it on the table, and dissects it in a moment; He finds out the root of the matter, He sees where the complaint is. And then He applies the knife where something is required to be taken away or puts a plaster where the sore is. He never mistakes. Oh, how wise, the blessed Holy Ghost! From every comforter I turn and leave them all, for thou art He who alone givest the wisest consolation.”

How have you experienced the Comfort of Holy Spirit?

The Apostle Paul writes in Romans 8:11 an encouragement to the believers in Rome, and to us today:

Romans 8:11 “11 The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.”

Now, don’t miss that—Paul is saying that the Spirit who arrives like the unstoppable power of a rushing tide, which resurrected Messiah Jesus from the dead, lives in YOU, today!

It means that if you’re facing an obstacle today, God is able to send his Spirit to you with the power of a “rushing tide”!

God is encouraging us today through His Ruach. He is our comforter, helper, encourager, the breath of life. He brings us a new life in Messiah, and though our outward bodies are wasting away, our inner man, is being renewed each day. It happens through the power of Ruach – God’s breath within us.