Know What You Believe by Paul E. Little

Author:Paul E. Little [Little, Paul E.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

Five differing aspects are discernible of the work of the Spirit in the Old Testament.

1. The work of the Spirit helped create the universe and man (Gen. 1:2): "The Spirit of God was hovering over the waters." Job said, "The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life" (33:4).

2. The work of the Spirit equipped individuals for service. He conferred power on judges and warriors. For instance, "The Spirit of the Lord came upon [Samson] in power" (Jud. 14:6). The Israelites cried out to God, and He gave them Othniel, "the Spirit of the Lord came upon him, so that he became Israel's judge and went to war" (Jud. 3:10). The Spirit came upon people for a particular purpose in this manner, but did not necessarily transform their moral character unless

they called out for it.

He also gave wisdom and skill for particular jobs, including those of a non-spiritual nature, to various individuals. Bezaleel was filled with the Spirit to work in gold, silver, and bronze for the tabernacle

(Ex. 31:2—5).

3. The work of the Spirit inspired the prophets. Usually they began their message with "This is what the Lord says." At times, however, they also attributed their message to the Holy Spirit:

"The Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet, and I heard him speaking to me'' (Ezek. 2:2). And Moses exclaimed, "Are you jealous for my sake?

I wish that all the Lord's people were prophets and that the Lord would put His Spirit on them!" (Num. 11:29)

Isaiah said, "I heard the voice of the Lord" (Isa. 6:8). Later, the Apostle Paul said, "The Holy Spirit

spoke the truth to your forefathers when He said through Isaiah the prophet: 'You will be ever hearing

but never understanding'" (Acts 28:26).

4. The work of the Holy Spirit produced moral living. David, in the agony of repentance for his

dual sin of adultery and murder, pleaded for God to create in him a clean heart. He also begged,

"Do not . .. take your Holy Spirit from me" (Ps. 51:11). The Spirit, David knew, is good, and He leads men to do God's will (Ps. 143:10; 139:23-24).

5. The work of the Spirit foretold the coming of the Messiah. The references that anticipate Christ are of two kinds. There were those that prophesied a direct indwelling of the Spirit in one messianic figure. Other prophecies contained a more general message, telling about the new covenant people of God, with the Spirit being given to all people of all classes. (See Isa. 9:2-7; 42:14.)

Scripture suggests the Holy Spirit caused men to grow more and more conscious of their inner need for God's help if they were to serve the Lord and be morally pure. In the latter parts of the Old Testament, some scholars detect an awareness, on the part of believers, that the human government of Israel would never succeed in achieving the purposes of Jehovah, and that, in time, the Spirit would be given to all God's people, not only to the people of Israel.

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