Divine Words, the fabric of which is infinite power, were spoken and creation began—the earth’s land, water, sun, plant life, animal life, etc. Over and over we read in Genesis, “God spoke.” All life as we know it came into existence in this manner, except for one life form: humanity.

To create us, the Lord stooped to His knees. From the earth’s dust, He lovingly formed humanity with His hands. He then blew His breath into us, and we became living souls.

Why was dust used in our creation, though? A few things come to mind. First, perhaps we were made from dust because God wanted us to feel a primal connection; a sense of belonging to the physical universe that He created.

Another thought has to do with the divine breath that activates life. We carry that within us, and the fact that we’re made in God’s image, puts us in a unique, lofty position among all that is created.

As such, we’re viewed by all other created, intelligent, heavenly beings as representing God. The dust, then, could have been used to show others that our importance is meant to carry with it, the same meek, modest, unassuming traits possessed by the Lord.

Furthermore, the lowly dust – as opposed to material we think of as having more value – I think is meant to be a reminder to us that he who is humble is  justified and exalted by the Lord (Luke 18: 14).

Moreover, and lastly, dust can be thought of as symbolizing this life’s fragility and, therefore, a dependence on God for usefulness.