Chapter 9: The Spiritual Man

This chapter continues the last chapter in examining the creation of Adam as a human spirit and a human soul, united by his human heart.

THE MEANING OF THE SPIRIT

The word, "breath," in Hebrew is, ruwach ({9, and is the principle word translated into spirit. It can mean any of the following: wind, breath, life, anger, and spirit. When a distinction needs to be made between breath of air and human spirit, then the word, neshamaw 1/:1, is used for air as in this verse, "Thus saith God Yahweh... he that giveth breath [neshamaw] unto the people upon it, and spirit [ruwach] to them that walk therein (Isa. 42:5).

Without a doubt, understanding the human spirit is the most difficult aspect of our human life. Most Christians do not understand it, although they all operate by it. It is the most important element of the regeneration. "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God" (Rom. 8:14). It's through our human spirit that God leads us. The writer of Hebrews declared, "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit (Heb. 4:12) which indicates that soul and spirit are closely united and therefore are hard to discern between the two without the word of God.

Jesus gives a potential clue to understanding the spirit when He said, "It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life" (John 6:63). If His words are spirit, then His spirit is expressed by words. In other words, the spirit of the word is the meaning of the word. Words without meaning are noises. Languages can use the same phonic sounds with different meanings. For example, in English the word, "pasta," means noodles or spaghetti, but in Russian the word, "pasta," means toothpaste. Same utterance, different meanings. Therefore it is possible that the spirit of a man is the meaning of the man. This can be seen in such expressions as, "I don't like your spirit, young man." This is another term for attitude, which shows that attitudes, bents, propensities and so forth all are reflections of the spirit.

THE SPIRIT IS THE LIFE

Indeed, Jesus said that his words were spirit and life. When God breathed into Adam the breath of life, be became a living soul. The meaning of a man is tied to the driving force called his life. James said, "For as the body without the spirit is dead, " (James 2:26) which states that the spirit is the source of life for the body. When we speak of a spirited horse, we speak of a lively animal. Jesus, of course, when he spoke of his words as spirit and life, was referring to the life giving impact of his words that comes from the source of life, God Himself. Our words can impart life when we quote him in the right spirit.

God has determined a pattern of life in our genes, and the body's growth is regulated by the endocrine system. It is therefore possible that these aspects of the body are closely linked to the spirit. When God breathed Adam's spirit into his body, it was formed and gave meaning to Adam's life. We can conclude that the meaning of life resides in the spirit.

Romans chapter 12 lists what has been called, "the motivational gifts," which means that God has given specific gifts and talents into individuals that affect the course of life that one takes. Paul states:

For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and everyone members one of another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us,

whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;
or ministry, let us wait on our ministering:
or he that teacheth, on teaching;
or he that exhorteth on exhortation:
he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity;
he that ruleth, with diligence;
he that showeth mercy, with cheerfulness.

People are born with these gifts, they are not given as part of the salvation experience. Adam was created with all the gifts in him since he is the genetic source for all mankind. Teachers are teachers before they are trained. Prophets have a strong sense of right and wrong before they are saved. There are people who have a knack for administration and rule. Generous people give by their temperament. Merciful people are compassionate as their usual course. All these direct the bent of a person and is integral to the meaning of their lives, hence a part of their spirit.

Likewise the process of growth from infancy to toddler, toddler to child, child to adolescent, adolescent to adult, and adult to old age are predetermined and fixed in one's spirit. It returns to eternity past before the creation when God predestined all of creation and spoke the meaning into existence.

THE SPIRIT IS A SUBSTANCE

Adam's spirit being the meaning of his life, does not mean that the spirit is unsubstantial. The human spirit is a material entity made of spiritual substance with shape and form invisible to the human eye. God declared through Zechariah, "...saith Yahweh, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him" (Zech. 12:1). One cannot form nothing, therefore it must be a something. As Watchman Nee says, "Our spirit is not material and yet it exists independently in our body. It must therefore possess its own spiritual substance" [1].

Paul speaks of spiritual bodies in Chapter 15 of 1 Corinthians in reference to the resurrection. It is worth considering here.

All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds.
There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.
There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory (1 Cor. 15:39-41).

It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body (1 Cor. 15:44).

In discussing the resurrected body to come, Paul points out that the meat of fish, birds, and animals are all different. Flavor and texture is different between fish and fish, bird and bird, animal and animal. Even in the heavens stars are different from planets. If God creates this much variety in the natural, shouldn't it be logical that He'd do the same in the spiritual? Although his main point is that the resurrected body will be different from the natural body, the principle can be applied to all spiritual bodies. Verse 44 states that there are spiritual bodies. It is probable that the spiritual body of angels differ from one species of angel to another. Likewise, within man, as a triune being, it is possible that the body of the spirit is different from the body of the soul, and the body of the flesh. If not, then certainly the spirit of a man is different than the spirit of an angel. And in a man, according to Watchman Nee, the body of the spirit is housed in the body of soul, which is housed in the body of the flesh.

There are many who believe that animals don't have spirits, but rather have souls. This is not an assumption based upon Scripture, but on the desire to distinguish animals from man since man is created in the image of God. The reasoning is that the human spirit is what makes us in the image of God, since God is a Spirit. However, angels are clearly described as spirits (Heb. 1:14). Are they in the image of God, too? That same verse calls them servants (ministers) and verse 5 rhetorically asks, "For unto which of the angels said he at any time, 'Thou art my Son,'" which implies that they are not sons, hence not in the image of God. Neither do the Scriptures plainly ascribe a soul to animals, but rather a spirit. Consider these examples:

Thou [God] hidest thy face, they [the animals] are troubled: thou takest away their breath [ruwach], they die, and return to their dust (Psalm 104:29).

And the spirit [ruwach] of the beast that goeth downward (Eccl. 3:21b)?

Thou [God] sendest forth thy Spirit, they [the animals] are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth (Psalm 104:30).

Clearly the animals possess spirits which give them life and the meaning of their being, just as angels and men do. But there are also inferences that animals also have souls. When Adam was created he "became a living soul" (Gen 2:7). The Hebrew word translated as soul is nephesh :51. When Rachel gave birth to Benjamin, "her soul [nephesh] was in departing, (for she died)" Gen 35:18. This same word is used in describing animal life. In describing the creation of sea life, nephesh is translated as living creatures.

And God created great whales, and every living creature [nephesh] that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good (Gen 1:21).

Likewise, after Noah's Ark landed safely God promises not to destroy the Earth again for man's sake

And with every living creature [nephesh] that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth (Gen 9:10).

So, it would seem from Scripture that all the animals have bodies, souls, and spirits. Yet no one would say that animals are in the image of God, either. So, it is not the spirit that makes man in the image of God. Nor should we say that it is one single thing that sets us apart from the animals. Rather it is the total being of man that makes us in His image. But I do believe that there is one element that distinguishes us from all creation, and that is the creative ability of man that resides in his imagination in the heart. More will be discussed on this when we get to the heart.

When we say "a spirited animal" we also speak of the animated movements of the creature. The spirit has a direct link to the body in movement. What is called, "body language," is actually the expression of the spirit through the body. Spiritual discernment is partly the ability to read body language. Mannerisms, facial expressions, postures, tensed or relaxed positions all are expressions of the spirit. When we speak, our tone of voice expresses our spirit while the actual words express the mind of our souls. This is why dancers and musicians tend to be spiritual people. Body movement embraces rhythm and pitch, which is a move of the spirit. In church, worship songs (and now dance) are encouraged because they touch the spirit. Because non believing artists work in mediums that touch the spirit, they tend to be open to demonic spirits and get involved with mysticism and new age teaching. Even worship leaders can be misled by demonic influences and stumble in their walk with Christ.

Sexuality is closely linked to the spirit. The mixture of physical pleasure and movement has made it the number one trap of the enemy. Pagan religions have centered on sexuality with phallic symbols as idols, temple prostitutes, and fertility rites connected with the seasons. It is a God given means for spiritually uniting a husband and wife together as one flesh. This is why Paul rebukes the Corinthians for sexual immorality. "What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh.. Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without [or outside] the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body" (1 Cor. 6:16 & 18).

INTUITION AND THE SPIRIT

It was stated earlier that the three main functions of the spirit are intuition, conscience, and communion. Intuition, according to Watchman Nee, is the sensing of the spirit. The Bible has many examples describing the spirit with sense. For example:

Perceiving in his spirit (Mark 2:8).
He was deeply moved in spirit and troubled (John 11:33).
When Jesus had thus spoken, he was troubled in spirit (John 13:21).
His spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols (Acts 17:16).

and so forth. Nee says, "This spiritual sensing is called 'intuition,' for it impinges directly without reason or cause... it comes forth in a straight manner... [and] does not require any outside cause but emerges directly from within man" [2]. We usually assume that intuition is something that women only have. This is not true. They may be more sensitive to their intuition, but both men and women have intuition. This is the main voice of our spirit. The Scriptures have many other examples that support this premise. It is often called the "inward witness:"

The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit (Rom. 8:16).
I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost (Rom. 9:1).
If I bear witness of myself [Jesus speaking], my witness is not true. There is another that beareth witness of me; and I know that the witness which he witnesseth of me is true (John 5:31 & 32).

But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things (1 John 2:20).
But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it has taught you, ye shall abide in him (1 John 2:27).
And Jesus knew their thoughts (Matt. 12:25)

These verses speak of the regenerated believer with the indwelling Holy Spirit knowing all things and being the teacher of all things. However, Adam had direct access to God before the fall. And for the believer, the regeneration of the human spirit by the Holy Spirit unites the two in an indistinguishable manner. For the unregenerate, the spirit is buried and suppressed by the flesh (which is the soul and body directed by world awareness) so that when it operates it comes across simply as a "gut" feeling, or as an "instinct." Adam before the fall was aware of the spirit world as well as aware of the natural world. After the fall he became more focused on the natural world, but still had some spiritual sensitivity because sin grew slowly in him.

CONSCIENCE AND THE SPIRIT

Watchman Nee says, "As soon as Adam ate fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, his intuition and communion died completely towards God, but his power of distinguishing good and evil (which is the function of conscience) was increased" [3]. But "since the conscience of a sinner does not embrace the life of God it is accounted [as] dead" [4]. Although this does not mean the conscience of a sinner stops working altogether. As the Scriptures say,

And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one (John 8 : 9a).

But the conscience of a sinner is hardly heard. When it is heard it does nothing but condemn the sinner. Because that is unbearable to a sinner, he tries two methods of avoiding the condemnation. One is to argue and reason against the opposition, but, as Nee says, "conscience never argues or reasons. It discerns God's will through intuition and condemns everything which is not according to Him" [5]. Paul said, "I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost" (Rom. 9:1). The other way to avoid the condemnation of the conscience is to ease the conscience with good works. As Nee says, good works "will not silence the accusing monitor: its voice must be followed; that and nothing else can ever please God. Conscience simply demands our obedience" [6].

For some with conscience of the idol unto this hour eat it [meat] as a thing offered unto an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled (1 Cor. 8:7b).

Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron (1 Tim.4:1-2).

"Conscience is like a window to the believer's spirit," says Nee. "With sin accumulating, conscience as a window becomes increasingly clouded... Every time a believer does not listen to conscience he damages his spiritual walk... In fact, a muddied conscience can hinder our intuitive communion with God more than anything else" [7] .

But the conscience does not contain all knowledge of God's will. "Conscience approves only the revelation of intuition. Intuition leads believers, while conscience constrains them to follow their intuition" [8]. Therefore, conscience is limited by knowledge. An unknown sin does not hinder a believer's fellowship with God. It condemns all disobedience that it knows but can't condemn disobedience not pointed out by the Holy Spirit. This shows that conscience is connected to the consciousness of the soul. The Scriptures show that this connection to the soul is in the heart:

Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience (Heb. 10:22).

COMMUNION AND THE SPIRIT

Adam at this point had perfect communion with God. It is by the spirit that mankind is able to commune with God. Jesus said, "God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth" (John 4:24). If we compare the created man to the eternal God, it is a fair comparison to say that the human spirit corresponds to God the Father, the human soul to God the Word, and the human body to God the Holy Spirit. By our spirit we commune with the Father. Prior to this statement, Jesus said, "But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him" (John 4:23). True worship comes from obedience to His word. Non believers think God is vain and selfish because He desires us to worship Him. What they don't know is that God is wholly selfless in His concern for us. When we worship God in spirit and truth, we benefit. Our worship strengthens us with His life.

God desires us to know Him, to love Him, and to express Him. Through our communion with God by prayer, worship, devotions in His Word, and interaction with the saints and lost, we know His will so we can perform it. We also express His joy and sorrows, hopes and dreams, delights and wrath. We share His life to portray His life as an extension of Him.

Direct communication from God to us comes by our spirit. Paul told the Corinthians:

For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned (1 Cor. 2:11-14).

As Watchman Nee says, "When the Holy Spirit discloses the matters pertaining to God He does so not to our mind nor to any other organ but to our spirit" [9]. That is the inward knowing of the intuition. This is an ineffable communication of meaning that the mind of our soul has to couch into words. Sometimes a word or a few words are spoken by the Lord, but they usually are concentrated with fullness of meaning that has no words. There are believers that frequently say that the Lord said thus and thus to me. What they actually mean is that the meaning of God was imparted to their spirit and can be expressed in thus and thus words. Many times there are believers who say that God said so and so, when in truth they are inexperienced in discerning the Word of the Lord and confuse the thoughts of their own heart for God. Whenever the Lord speaks, life is imparted and things happen. Truthfully, God does not speak as often as some believers report. However, the Lord does lead us by His Spirit through nudges, urges, convictions, peace, and checks or disturbances in our spirit. Regardless, learning the leading of the Spirit comes through frequent communion with God. Jesus said, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me" (John 10:27).

Because of our ability to commune with God through our spirits, the spiritual gifts outlined in Corinthians can operate in the body of Christ.

For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom;
to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;
to another faith by the same Spirit;
to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;
to another the working of miracles;
to another prophecy;
to another discerning of spirits;
to another diverse kinds of tongues;
to another the interpretation of tongues:
But these worketh that one and selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will (1 Cor. 12:8-11).

Unlike the motivational gifts that people are born with that are apart of the meaning of their lives, all of these spiritual gifts are given to the body of Christ from the Holy Spirit to benefit the body as a whole, and work through our human spirits. As Watchman Nee says, "Only what comes from the spirit can enter the spirits of others; that which comes from the mind can only reach the minds of others. Finally, what comes from the Holy Spirit enters our spirit, and whatever the Holy Spirit transmits through our spirit can reach the spirits of others" [10]. Ministry is only effective if life is imparted which builds and transforms the receiver. All else is a work of the flesh that adds nothing to the recipient.

It should be noted since spirit communes with spirit, that angels are spirits, too. Consequently both holy angels and demonic angels can communicate to our spirits. For the regenerate believer, God's Spirit communicates from within our hearts to our spirits. But angelic communication comes from outside our bodies to our spirits. A demonic communication will have an external quality to it since they are on the outside. However, in the unregenerate the "strong man" of Jesus's discourse (i.e, the Holy Spirit, Luke 11:22) is not there to keep out intruders, and demonic spirits can enter the body and soul to control the human spirit in possession.

HEALTHY SPIRITS

Like the body, to stay healthy the spirit needs rest, exercise and nourishment. Paul complained to the Corinthians that "I had no rest in my spirit" (2 Cor. 2:13a), so we see the need for the spirit to rest. The spirit gets its rest when it waits upon the Lord. Psalm 37:7 says, "Rest in Yahweh, and wait patiently for him." And Isaiah 40:31 says, "But they that wait upon Yahweh shall renew their strength: they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." Rest reinvigorates one's energy.

Feeding and exercising the spirit are closely related. Many believers erroneously say that they were not fed by someone's preaching. They mean that the commentary on the Word didn't provide them with spiritual nourishment. Hearing the Word or reading the Bible doesn't feed the spirit, although they are needed to do so. The Bible says, "be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind" (Rom. 12:2), which is universally understood as accomplished by the daily reading of the Bible. Mind renewal is an activity of the soul, not the spirit. The human spirit is fed by our abiding in Christ.

The human spirit is created by the "breath of life" which comes from God. Just as the body must have an inflow and outflow of the creation through it (soil or food, water, and air) from which it was fashioned, so too, the spirit is nourished by an inflow and outflow of God's Spirit through it. Jesus said that he was the "bread of life" (John 6:35) from which if a man come to him he "shall never hunger" and whom believes in him "shall never thirst." He further states:

Verily, verily, I say unto you, "Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me (John 6:53-57).

Jesus told us how he fed his spirit in John 4:32, "My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work." Just as we cannot physically eat the dirt that our bodies are created from directly, but have to eat the dirt as it metamorphized into plants and animals, neither can we eat the "meat" that Jesus ate which was direct obedience to God. We need God's will and breath metamorphosed in the person of Christ to feed our spirits. His flesh is "eaten" when we come to him in repentance and his blood is "drunk" when we believe in him. Our spirits are fed when we are in the presence of Christ, not by listening to someone preaching. Our human spirits are fed by being in the presence of Christ when we come to him through worship and prayer. When the words of Christ come through a ministers mouth then life is imparted to the listener. The complaint of not being fed refers, not to doctrine taught, but the Spirit not moving through the speaker.

Obedience to the will of God through Christ is the exercise of our spirits that make our spirits stronger. Jesus said his meat was to do the will of the Father. Doing His will is obedience. Therefore obedience to Christ is both our food and exercise in spirit. Obeying the personal spoken word of God through rhema [11] provides specific spiritual exercise custom made for our spiritual health. There is wholesome food for our spirit and junk food for our spirit. Wholesome food is abiding in Christ by obeying him. Junk food is abiding in the flesh by obeying the lusts of the flesh. What you obey determines the health of your spirit.

When God gives you specific, personal instructions for your obedience, this is called "strong meat" in Hebrews. There are many in the church who don't care to know Christ beyond what is commonly understood in the church culture. These believers would rather go by what people say instead of being like the "noble Bereans" in Acts who sought the Scriptures diligently to see if what they were told was true (Acts 17:11). To these believers the writer of Hebrews says:

Of whom [Christ in the order of Melchizedek] we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing. For when ye [the Jewish believers] ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.

For everyone that useth milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil (Hebrews 5:11-14).

Because of the topic of doctrine, it is often assumed that "milk" are the basic principles and that "strong meat" are the deep doctrines of God that are mysterious. The writer said, "useth milk" not "drinks milk". Understanding God is directly proportional to one's obedience to God. When the senses of the spirit are exercised by obedience, then the first hand experience of God's actions in one's life provides the discernment of what really is good and what is really evil. The strong meat is acting upon those commands of God that are not popular, or result to dire consequences such as losing one's job, being persecuted, or losing one's life. Milk are the simple acts of kindness, gentleness, and sweet love. Strong meat is forgiving those who have wrongly abused you and blessing them in return with a genuine love for them. Milk is simply nice behavior that one can learn through the church culture.

As stated earlier, the spirit is linked to the body, and the spirit expresses itself through the body. Worship leaders tend to experience the spirit more so because they work in a spiritual medium. However, they can easily stumble into sexual immorality because of relying on church culture for their understanding of God and in being proud in thinking that they are more spiritual since they experience the Spirit more readily. Their weakness in not discerning good and evil can come from their pride and in not obeying God. They can seem to have a strong spirit, but in truth are weak and are bolstered by seducing spirits.

Likewise, preachers can stumble through their misunderstanding of spiritual meat and exercise. Paul said, "Knowledge puffeth [creates pride] up, but charity [love] edifieth" (1 Cor. 8:1). When one thinks that doctrine makes for spirituality ("Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall" Prov. 16:18), then the door is open to demonic teachings and heresy.

Therefore, like the body, cleanliness is necessary for the spirit to be healthy. Paul said, "let us therefore cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God" (2 Cor. 7:1). A clean spirit comes from avoiding and removing "corrupt communication...bitterness, and wrath, and clamor, and evil speaking...with all malice...fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness...neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks" (Eph. 4:29 & 31; 5:3 & 4). When these behaviors are willfully put away, this is the cleansing of the spirit, which is part of obedience to God. But the power to clean the spirit, the soap by analogy, is the blood of Christ. "The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin" (1 John 1:7b). When we commune with God and "if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). This is how we keep our spirits healthy by cleanliness.

A healthy spirit like a healthy body can grow. It was said of John the Baptist and of Jesus that as children they "waxed strong in spirit" (Luke 1:80 & 2:40), which means that their spirits grew stronger. Growth in the spirit comes directly to obedience (the exercise for the spirit) and the continued abiding in Christ (the feeding of the spirit). Likewise a spirit can weaken and become ill: "and every heart shall melt, and all hands shall be feeble, and every spirit shall faint" (Ezek. 21:7) which is because of a wounded heart. And the spirit can be wounded and broken: "a broken spirit dries the bones" (Prov. 17:22b), and "a wounded spirit who can bear?" (Prov. 18: 14b).