The spirit of man is the lamp of the LORD,
searching all his innermost parts. Proverbs 20:27

The spirit of man…the breath of man…the mind of man…. Those are various interpretations of the Hebrew word for this spirit.

נְשָׁמָה

nĕshamah

blast, breath, inspiration, soul, spirit

God breathed life into man:

...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. Genesis 2:7

“As God lives, who has taken away my right, and the Almighty, who has made my soul bitter, (3) as long as my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils, my lips will not speak falsehood, and my tongue will not utter deceit. Job 27:2-4

In verse (3), “breath” and “spirit” are both this same Hebrew word, used in different context. When looking at various versions of the Bible, you will notice that “breath” and “spirit” are interchanged at times. For example:

…for while my spirit is still in me, and the breath from God is in my nostrils,… NET

…as long as my breath is still in me and the breath from God remains in my nostrils,… CSB

Thus says God, the LORD,
Who created the heavens and stretched them out,
Who spread out the earth and what comes from it,
Who gives breath to the people on it
and Spirit to those who walk in it: “I am the LORD; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you;… Isaiah 42:5-6a

Now, in verse 5, the word “breath” is the Hebrew word above, but the word “spirit” is defining the Holy Spirit. The word, רוּחַ, ruwach, does carry many of the same definitions yet, more often, means “the Holy Spirit.”

Sometimes, looking up the Hebrew or Greek becomes important in order to gain the full meaning. Even then, it can become even more confusing. The bottom line is that we must be open to the Holy Spirit in order to be taught what God means in His inerrant Word. Oh, that I would have ears to hear, eyes to see…always, Lord, always.

Back to Proverbs 20:27 ~

The spirit of man is the lamp of the LORD,
searching all his innermost parts. Proverbs 20:27

God is the Father of lights (James 1:17). He sees us where we are, as we are. He loves us even in our sin. He sees all that cannot be seen by the world. Whether it is a thought or a sin, our past, our hidden secrets…God sees all. The word-picture here is that our own breath or spirit or soul lights the way to those things we think are deeply buried. Our hidden nature is really not hidden to us because we have lived it along our life-long journey. Maybe, as we walk this path, we can keep these things quiet, but they are quietly eating away at us. God sees and knows what we need. He desires repentance. He wants to draw us nearer to Himself… to the One Who absolutely loves us.

As God’s light seeks into our dark corners, He also sees all that is good and tells us He is well pleased. If something is unpleasing to Him, the Holy Spirit taps our conscience in order to bring that something out. He wants us to be a reflection of Himself. How can we when we hold dark issues under the surface? We cannot reflect the image of Christ. We must want to though. That is what He called us to do, to be.

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord Who is the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:18

And to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:24

Father God, I pray that I hide nothing for which my mind can dwell and haunt my spirit-self and even my physical body. I want to live for You, growing in purity and holiness with each step. I know You know all that is hidden in me. I also know that I don’t want to face anything hard, Lord. That is just my nature. BUT…I also want to be cleaned up for You, my Lord. I do not want to live with things that eat away at me, spiritually and/or physically because then I lose the intimacy with You. I am too busy worrying about keeping something hidden or am wondering if I should say something to someone, and the list goes on and on. I want to have it all opened like a book. I want to repent of my sinful, wayward ways. I want to be forgiven. Thank You, God. I am, indeed, forgiven. Praising God with my every breath as it has less and less to deal with. I love You, Abba Father. In the Wonderful Name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Let everything that has breath praise the LORD!
Praise the LORD! Psalm 150:6

Photo: by Martin Winkler, Fotoworkshop4You, Wiener Neudorf/Österreich/Austria – https://pixabay.com/photos/sunbeam-forest-sun-sunset-1547273/ …edited on Canva to add Scripture

Photo: Proverbs 20:27 – https://www.pinterest.com/pin/424605071087762450/?lp=true