The Holy Spirit in the Old Testament

Welcome! Today we begin a new series entitled “The Holy Spirit.” To me, the Holy Spirit is kind of like a friend we have who is somewhat mysterious, who doesn’t volunteer a lot of information about himself. Imagine a friend who always points you to another, really great friend, but who just doesn’t draw attention to himself. He prefers to work behind the scenes. But just who is he? What is he really like? In this series I hope that we will learn more about the Holy Spirit, who He is, what He does, and how we can benefit the most from Him, but I am afraid He is going to remain somewhat mysterious, because this is how God chooses to reveal Him to us. We will shine the light on Him, but how do you shine the light on wind? How do you shine the light on a breath? There is much about the Holy Spirit that will remain beyond our senses and beyond our full understanding.

Today we are going to focus on the Holy Spirit as revealed in the Old Testament. We are going to go through a lot of verses today, a lot even for me, so that we can get the big picture, the bird’s eye view, of the Holy Spirit throughout the Old Testament. Also called the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit is mentioned almost from the very beginning; in fact, He is mentioned in the second verse of the Bible.

Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. – Gen. 1:2

The Hebrew word for Spirit is Ruach, and here the Spirit of God is Ruach Elohim. Elohim is an interesting word, because it is plural – so one loose way of translating this is the Spirit of the Three-in-one God. This word, Ruach, can also be translated as breath, and I think there is a deep and mysterious connection between how God spoke the world into being and the fact that the Ruach, or breath of God, was there. You cannot speak without breath. You also see this connection in Psalm 33:6.

By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of His mouth. – Psalm 33:6

There is a parallel structure here in this verse, between the heavens and the starry host, and between the Word of the Lord and the Breath of His Mouth. Word and Breath. Or mixing languages, Logos and Ruach. From John 1, we know that the Word is Jesus, the Son. And so, here we see the Son and the Spirit are together with the Father at creation.

The Spirit is next mentioned in Gen. 6:3, right before the great flood.

Then the Lord said, "My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal [corrupt]; his days will be a hundred and twenty years." – Gen. 6:3

There is the idea here that the goodness (or Holiness) of the Spirit is such that man’s sinfulness is offensive to the Spirit and leads to the limiting of man’s life. This verse further emphasizes the relationship between the Spirit and the Father, that their character is one and the same.

We also see the Spirit mentioned indirectly in the account of Joseph.

The plan seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his officials. So Pharaoh asked them, "Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?" – Gen. 41:37-38

This passage appears right after Joseph interprets Pharaoh’s dream and tells him what he thinks he should do: store up food during the 7 years of plenty so that you can make it through the 7 years of famine. This advice is filled with wisdom. Pharaoh recognizes the work of God’s Spirit in Joseph and puts him in charge.

We also see the Spirit mentioned at the time of Moses. Consider this passage:

Then the Lord said to Moses, "See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts – to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of craftsmanship. Moreover, I have appointed Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, to help him. Also I have given skill to all the craftsmen to make everything I have commanded you: the Tent of Meeting, the ark of the Testimony with the atonement cover on it, and all the other furnishings of the tent- the table and its articles, the pure gold lampstand and all its accessories, the altar of incense, the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, the basin with its stand- and also the woven garments, both the sacred garments for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons when they serve as priests, and the anointing oil and fragrant incense for the Holy Place. They are to make them just as I commanded you."– Ex. 31:1-11

From this we see that the Holy Spirit can give people specialized skills, abilities, and knowledge to carry out tasks that God desires.

In Numbers 11, we see Moses become overwhelmed with the task of leading the stiff-necked, obstinate, Israelites any further. In response, God brings relief:

The Lord said to Moses: "Bring me seventy of Israel's elders who are known to you as leaders and officials among the people. Have them come to the Tent of Meeting that they may stand there with you. I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take of the Spirit that is on you and put the Spirit on them. They will help you carry the burden of the people so that you will not have to carry it alone. – Nu. 11:16-17

So the Spirit had been on Moses, the leader, and now was further passed on to the 70 elders. So we see that the Spirit empowers God’s servants for service. Later in this chapter, the Lord came down in the form of the cloud and put the Spirit on the 70, who then prophesied, from which we see that prophetic utterance was a sign of the presence of the Spirit. The passage goes on to say that two of the 70 did not come to the Tent, but were in the main camp; despite this, the Spirit came on them as well, and they also prophesied, showing that the imparting of the Spirit was not limited to the physical location of the cloud. When Moses was told of this, Joshua told Moses to stop them, but Moses replied, "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!"

As another example of the Spirit enabling prophetic utterance, we have the somewhat dubious character of Balaam.

Now when Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he did not resort to sorcery as at other times, but turned his face toward the desert. When Balaam looked out and saw Israel encamped tribe by tribe, the Spirit of God came upon him and he uttered His oracle. – Nu. 24:1-3

If you read through the rest of the Balaam story, it is clear that the Spirit was not subject to Balaam’s agenda, but its own. In general, the Spirit came down on people as the Spirit desired, not as people desired. It wasn’t up to any person. The Spirit did as it wished. Also note that the Spirit always worked through and entered into people. It never was said to fill a place, even the Tabernacle.

Moses said to the Lord, "May the Lord, the God of the spirits of all mankind, appoint a man over this community to go out and come in before them, one who will lead them out and bring them in, so the Lord's people will not be like sheep without a shepherd." So the Lord said to Moses, "Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him. Have him stand before Eleazar the priest and the entire assembly and commission him in their presence. – Nu. 27:15-19

As one of the 70, Joshua had the Spirit in him, and God chooses to point this out to Moses, so it is important. The Spirit on Joshua was a qualifying condition for him to serve as a leader. Joshua certainly had his share of insecurities, and a spotty history, yet, with the Spirit in him, God was comfortable choosing him as the leader to replace Moses as after he died.

In the Book of Judges, there is a pattern in which the people desert the Lord, the people cry out to the Lord, and God raises up a leader, called a judge, who God would work through to save the people.

But when they cried out to the Lord, He raised up for them a deliverer, Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother, who saved them. The Spirit of the Lord came upon him, so that he became Israel's judge and went to war. – Ju. 3:9-10

Now all the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples joined forces and crossed over the Jordan and camped in the Valley of Jezreel. Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet, summoning the Abiezrites to follow him. He sent messengers throughout Manasseh, calling them to arms, and also into Asher, Zebulun and Naphtali, so that they too went up to meet them. – Ju. 6:33-35

Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah. He crossed Gilead and Manasseh, passed through Mizpah of Gilead, and from there he advanced against the Ammonites. – Ju. 11:29

The account of Samson has more detail than that of some of the other judges. The Holy Spirit is mentioned repeatedly in the account.

The woman gave birth to a boy and named him Samson. He grew and the Lord blessed him, and the Spirit of the Lord began to stir him while he was in Mahaneh Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol. – Ju. 13:24-25

The Spirit of the Lord came upon him in power so that he tore the lion apart with his bare hands as he might have torn a young goat. – Ju. 14:6

Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon him in power. He went down to Ashkelon, struck down thirty of their men, stripped them of their belongings and gave their clothes to those who had explained the riddle. – Ju. 14:19

As he approached Lehi, the Philistines came toward him shouting. The Spirit of the Lord came upon him in power. The ropes on his arms became like charred flax, and the bindings dropped from his hands. Finding a fresh jawbone of a donkey, he grabbed it and struck down a thousand men. – Ju. 15:14-15

In these instances, the Holy Spirit provided the leaders with the ability to lead boldly, embolden the people, and even have supernatural strength and endurance.

We next see the Holy Spirit mentioned in conjunction with Saul, the first king of Israel.

As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed Saul's heart, and all these signs were fulfilled that day. When they arrived at Gibeah, a procession of prophets met him; the Spirit of God came upon him in power, and he joined in their prophesying. – I Sam. 10:9-10

Just then Saul was returning from the fields, behind his oxen, and he asked, "What is wrong with the people? Why are they weeping?" Then they repeated to him what the men of Jabesh had said. When Saul heard their words, the Spirit of God came upon him in power, and he burned with anger. He took a pair of oxen, cut them into pieces, and sent the pieces by messengers throughout Israel, proclaiming, "This is what will be done to the oxen of anyone who does not follow Saul and Samuel." Then the terror of the Lord fell on the people, and they turned out as one man. – I Sam. 11:5-7

So with Saul, the role of the Spirit is a combination of what we saw with the 70 elders who accompanied Moses (namely, the prophesying), and what we saw with the judges (the ability to lead boldly). But Saul did not remain faithful to God, and ultimately the prophet Samuel, speaking for God, announced that Saul would no longer be king. Instead, the Lord chose David to be king. Here is the relevant account:

So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him [David] in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came upon David in power. Samuel then went to Ramah. Now the Spirit of the Lord had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented him. – I Sam. 16:13-14

Notice that it says that “from that day on” the Spirit was on David. This means that we really can attribute all of David’s successes from that point on to the presence of the Spirit in him.

How many kings after David were described as having the Spirit on them? None! The Spirit did come on various prophets after this, and this is how they were able to prophecy, but no more kings.

I don’t know if the common people knew this with the later kings, but they did know that none of the later kings were like David, and the vast majority were pretty horrible. No doubt they yearned for a king like David was filled with the Spirit of God.

In I Sam. 19, the Spirit protects David by coming on those who intended to kill David, Saul and his men, so that they wander around prophesying rather than doing what they intended to do. To me it is a powerful reminder that the Spirit does as it pleases. This is not what Saul and his men wanted to be doing! One additional account of the Spirit in the life of David is in I Chron. 12 where the Spirit comes on someone who then, with his men, joins David while he is hiding out from Saul. The Spirit seems to be the reason this person (Amasai) has his men join David.

And here is one final account of the Spirit in the life of David:

Then David gave his son Solomon the plans for the portico of the temple, its buildings, its storerooms, its upper parts, its inner rooms and the place of atonement. He gave him the plans of all that the Spirit had put in his mind for the courts of the temple of the Lord and all the surrounding rooms, for the treasuries of the temple of God and for the treasuries for the dedicated things. – I Chron. 28:11-12

Here we see that the Spirit had given David in his mind the plans for the Temple and its contents. It is similar to how the Spirit had led the people at the time of Moses with their plans, designs, and building of items for the Tabernacle.

During the centuries of the later kings, the Spirit comes on various prophets to give messages. Sometimes the messages encourage people to remain faithful to the Lord, as in this example:

The Spirit of God came upon Azariah son of Oded. He went out to meet Asa and said to him, "Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin. The Lord is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you. For a long time Israel was without the true God, without a priest to teach and without the law. But in their distress they turned to the Lord, the God of Israel, and sought Him, and He was found by them. In those days it was not safe to travel about, for all the inhabitants of the lands were in great turmoil. One nation was being crushed by another and one city by another, because God was troubling them with every kind of distress. But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded." When Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Azariah son of Oded the prophet, he took courage. – II Chron. 15:1-8

Sometimes the Spirit-directed messages were specific directions for victory:

All the men of Judah, with their wives and children and little ones, stood there before the Lord. Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite and descendant of Asaph, as he stood in the assembly. He said: "Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the Lord says to you: 'Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God's. Tomorrow march down against them. They will be climbing up by the Pass of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the gorge in the Desert of Jeruel. You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.'" – II Chron. 20:13-17

But more often, the messages were warnings that the people’s sinful actions would soon have terrible consequences if the people didn’t change and turn back to God. An example:

After the death of Jehoiada, the officials of Judah came and paid homage to the king, and he listened to them. They abandoned the temple of the Lord, the God of their fathers, and worshiped Asherah poles and idols. Because of their guilt, God's anger came upon Judah and Jerusalem. Although the Lord sent prophets to the people to bring them back to Him, and though they testified against them, they would not listen. Then the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood before the people and said, "This is what God says: 'Why do you disobey the Lord's commands? You will not prosper. Because you have forsaken the Lord, He has forsaken you.'" – II Chron. 24:17-20

These warnings grow in frequency and intensity. Isaiah 30, for example, begins with this:

"Woe to the obstinate children," declares the Lord, "to those who carry out plans that are not Mine, forming an alliance, but not by My Spirit, heaping sin upon sin. – Isaiah 30:1

Ultimately, the refusal of the people to listen to the Spirit’s warning through the prophets results in the leaders being carried off to exile in Babylon. Continuing to refuse to heed the Spirit, Jerusalem is destroyed, and all of its inhabitants are exiled as well. At this time Ezekiel has his ministry, both in Israel and in Babylon.

In Ezekiel 1, it says the “heavens were opened” and Ezekiel saw incredible “visions of God.” He saw the lightning-filled windstorm, the four creatures each with the face of a man, lion, ox, and eagle, and the sparkling wheels beneath them. Ezekiel was given a message to give to the exiles, and then it says the Spirit “lifted him up and carried him away” (Ez. 3:12, 3:14). In Ezekiel 11:5, he says the Spirit of the Lord fell on him, although at other times he says the word of the Lord came to him. Again, there seems to be a connection or even equivalence between the Word and the Spirit.

When the punishment of exile in Babylon was completed, we again see the Spirit taking on an active role. For example, we have this from the prophets Haggai and Zechariah to Zerubbabel, who was to rebuild the Temple:

On the twenty-first day of the seventh month, the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai: "Speak to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people. Ask them, 'Who of you is left who saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Does it not seem to you like nothing? But now be strong, O Zerubbabel,' declares the Lord. 'Be strong, O Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land,' declares the Lord, 'and work. For I am with you,' declares the Lord Almighty. 'This is what I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt. And My Spirit remains among you. Do not fear.' – Haggai 2:1-5

So he [an angel] said to me, "This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the Lord Almighty. What are you, O mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become level ground. Then he will bring out the capstone to shouts of 'God bless it! God bless it!'" – Zech. 4:6-7

If I can try to summarize the actions of the Spirit in Old Testament times, here is what I see: The Spirit is active in creation and continues to advance God’s plan by coming on key people at key times. He is invisible but he always either brings God’s true message through prophecy or enables success in leadership or military victory. He never fails – if He is on you in power, you are successful. If He leaves you, you will probably fail. He leaves when sin abounds, and He will not come on you at all of you are not living for God. Generally speaking, His presence is rare; at any given time He is only on a few people, if any at all.

In prophecies about the future (past the time of the Old Testament), there is a lot written about the future work of the Spirit, and in my remaining time I want to look at some of these prophecies.

Isaiah 33:15, for example, talks about how things will be bleak

…until the Spirit is poured on us from on high… - Is. 33:15

This idea of the Spirit being “poured” is something new, as is the idea of it being poured out on an entire people. To those living in Old Testament times, this was a shocking vision, so different from what they had known of the Spirit at their time. The passage goes on to give by analogy the idea of water turning a desert into a fertile field, and a fertile field into a forest; what would be the effect of the Spirit being “poured” out on people? The passage says the result is justice, and righteousness, and peace, and “quietness and confidence forever.”

In Isaiah 44, he tells the people not to be afraid,

For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants. They will spring up like grass in a meadow, like poplar trees by flowing streams. One will say, 'I belong to the Lord '; another will call himself by the name of Jacob; still another will write on his hand, 'The Lord's,' and will take the name Israel. – Is. 44:3-5

Again, we see the shocking idea of the Spirit being “poured out” on many people, and these people will view themselves as belong to the Lord, or equivalently, purchased by the Lord.

And this coming flood of the Spirit to many people, this permanent coming the Spirit to live in people forever, is closely tied to the coming of a Redeemer. For example, from Isaiah 59:

He saw that there was no one, He was appalled that there was no one to intervene; so His own arm worked salvation for Him, and His own righteousness sustained Him. He put on righteousness as His breastplate, and the helmet of salvation on His head; He put on the garments of vengeance and wrapped Himself in zeal as in a cloak. According to what they have done, so will He repay wrath to His enemies and retribution to His foes; He will repay the islands their due. From the west, men will fear the name of the Lord, and from the rising of the sun, they will revere his glory. For He will come like a pent-up flood that the breath [Ruach] of the Lord drives along. "The Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who repent of their sins," declares the Lord. "As for Me, this is My covenant with them," says the Lord. "My Spirit, who is on you, and My words that I have put in your mouth will not depart from your mouth, or from the mouths of your children, or from the mouths of their descendants from this time on and forever," says the Lord. – Is. 59:16-21

Who is this Redeemer? Of course, it is Jesus. As God Himself, it is with His own arm that God redeems the people.

Ezekiel also speaks of a future time with a radically greater role of the Spirit:

For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. – Ez. 36:24-27

A new heart implies a new life in the Spirit. And I should mention something about the “clean water” – water by itself has never cleansed. If you read Numbers 19, you will see that water is made into “cleansing water” by adding the ashes of a sacrificed red heifer without blemish or defect and has never been under a yoke. As is so often the case, this is a “type” or “shadow” of a greater reality, and that is the reality of Christ. It is the sacrifice of Jesus that makes us cleansed.

Ezekiel 37:1-14 is another prophecy involving the Spirit. I don’t have time to go into the details, but it talks about dry bones, the bones of dead men. The wind/Spirit (ruach) breathes on the bones, and flesh reappears and they come to life. The prophecy ends with this:

I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord. – Ezek. 37:14

Remember how I mentioned that there were no kings after David, son of Jesse, who had the Spirit come on them? How the prophets and the people must have longed for the day that there would be a king that would have the Spirit on him! Consider these prophecies from Isaiah:

A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him—the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord - and He will delight in the fear of the Lord. – Isaiah 11:1-3

Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on Him and He will bring justice to the nations. – Isaiah 42:1

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor. – Isaiah 61:1-3

Jesus was the fulfillment of this longing: a righteous king, a king on whom the Spirit rested and did not leave. And because of Jesus, we live in this future age, an age in which the Spirit rests on all who have repented and turned to Him.

I have one final thought. Through the Old Testament we see that the Holy Spirit guided history, primarily coming on those who were open to God and His ways, but only to a select few who had major roles to play in the history of the world – the patriarchs, prophets, and a few kings. Yet now, the Holy Spirit indwells all believers. What are we to make of this? Apart from the fact that we are under a better covenant than the covenant of the Law, the New Covenant, one in which we have the Spirit and in which the law of love is written on our hearts, I would suggest that we too have major roles to play in the history of the world. We have been entrusted with the gospel, words of Jesus, that when accompanied by the power of the Holy Spirit, change eternity by bringing people from a future of eternal darkness into a future of eternal light. I hope you never forget that, as believers, we are like the prophets and kings of old; even more, we are Christ’s ambassadors, ambassadors to the King of kings, forever accompanied and sealed and indwelt by the Ruach, the Breath of God.