#4 The Holy Spirit in Old Testament Days

I. Introduction
A. We have talked a little about the theology of the Holy Spirit (HS). We saw how this third person of the Trinity is the One who has the role of representing God down here in the world of men, working in men’s hearts, revealing God and His truth to them, and empowering them to do His will.
B. This morning we begin to talk about the story of the Holy Spirit, or the history of what the Holy Spirit has done.
1. We are all familiar with the story of Jesus, how He was with God in heaven, but came down to earth incarnated as a man. He lived and taught and was crucified. On the third day he was raised from the dead, met with His people for 40 days and then ascended into heaven.
2. Well, the Bible also tells us the story of the HS.
C. We will consider the story of the HS in four parts:
1. What was the Holy Spirit doing in OT days?
2. What was the Holy Spirit’s role in the life and ministry of Jesus?
3. What happened at Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was poured out upon Christ’s church?
4. What is the continuing ministry of the OT today?
D. This sermon series is entitled, The Helper Jesus Sent, because this is what Jesus told His disciples in John 16:7 “It is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.”
1. The Holy Spirit is our Helper! Don’t you need help? I sure do. Apart from Him we can do nothing.
2. Our success in the Lord and in ministry to this world is not a matter of our cleverness or effort, or talent. “It’s not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,” says the Lord. (Zech.4:6)
II. If you just jump into the Bible somewhere in the NT, it might seem like the Holy Spirit didn’t come around or begin acting until the NT, Pentecost in particular.
A. Of course, we see the HS active in the incarnation of Jesus.
B. But then John the Baptist comes on the scene talking about One was coming who would baptize with the HS (Matt.3:12; Mk.1:8; Lk.3:16). (He was speaking about Jesus, of course, who would pour out the HS on Pentecost.)
C. Then there is John’s baptism of Jesus (Matt.3:13-17; John 1:29-34), where the HS comes down upon Jesus in the form of a dove and Jesus goes forth in the power of the Spirit (Luke 4:1, 18).
D. Then Jesus said in John 7:37-39 “‘If any man is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, 'From his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.’ But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” Again, it was as if the Spirit hadn’t even showed up yet.
E. Then on the final evening before the cross, Jesus said to His disciples in John 17:6 – “It is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.” Once again, the HS is referred to as coming in the future.
F. Then in Acts 2 we read of the transforming changes which occurred through the coming of the Spirit at Pentecost.
III. The Holy Spirit in the Old Testament (OT)
A. But there are actually 94 references to the Holy Spirit in the Hebrew OT.
B. Now let’s survey those references to give us a sense of the activity of the HS in the OT.
1. The Spirit is said to have participated in the creation itself (Gen.1:2; Ps.104:30).
2. In a number of places the Spirit is said to represent God’s presence to mankind:
a. Psalm 139:7 “Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence?”
b. Psalm 51:11 “Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.”
c. Ezek.39:29 “I will no longer hide my face from them, for I will pour out my Spirit on the house of Israel, declares the Sovereign Lord."
d. One of the ways the HS represents God’s presence to His people is in the form of the glory-cloud (see Exod. 13:21 14:19-20, 24; 16:10; 19:9, 16–20; 24:15–17; 33:9-11, 17–23; 34:1–25; 40:34, 35; Lv 16:2; Num. 9:17; 11:25; 12:1–15; 14:10, 14; 16:42-43; Deut. 1:33; 4:11-12; 5:22; 31:14–29; Pss 18:11-12; 78:14; 97:2-3; 99:7; 105:39; 1Kgs 8:10, 11; 2Chr 5:13, 14; Neh 9:12, 19)
(1) This is the fiery cloud which enters into the temple and resides in the Holy of Holies, hovering over the Ark of the Covenant, and which abandons the temple in Ezekiel’s vision (Ezek.10).
(2) We also see this in the pillar of cloud / pillar of fire, which we see associated with the HS in Isaiah 63:11 “Then he remembered the days of old, of Moses and his people. Where is he who brought them up out of the sea with the shepherds of his flock? Where is he who put in the midst of them his Holy Spirit?” (See all of Is.63:10-14)
(3) There are even two NT manifestations of this glory cloud:
(a) the transfiguration cloud – Matt.17:5
(b) the ascension cloud – Acts 1:9
3. In the OT the HS is also the divine empowerer, strengthening those who represent God, equipping them with skill for a certain divinely commissioned task – e.g. Othniel, Jephthah, Samson, Gideon to be judges (Judges 3:10; 6:34; 11:29; 14:6, 19; 15:14), or leaders like Joshua (to lead the Israelites after Moses – Num.11:17; 27:18), Saul and David to be king (1Sam.11:6; 16:13), Bezalel and Oholiab to do the craftsmanship for the tabernacle (Exod.31:3-4; 35:31)
4. Next, the HS in the OT is the enabler of divine speech, the inspirer of prophecy:
a. 2Chronicles 24:20 “Then the Spirit of God came on Zechariah...; and he stood above the people and said to them, ‘Thus God has said...’”
b. Micah 3:8 “But as for me, I am filled with power, with the Spirit of the LORD, and with justice and might, to declare to Jacob his transgression and to Israel his sin.”
c. See 2Sam.23:2; 1Chron.12:18; 2Chron.15:1; 20:14; Zech.7:12; Micah 3:8; Num.11:29
5. There are also a few Spirit-filled people (in a way similar to what we see after Pentecost)
a. Joseph – Genesis 41:38 And Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find a man like this, in whom is the Spirit of God?”
b. Joshua – Numbers 27:18 So the LORD said to Moses, “Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him.”
C. Apart from these, the references about the Holy Spirit in the OT are primarily promises that He will be poured out at some point in the future. Here are some examples:
1. Isaiah 32:15 “...until the Spirit is poured out upon us from on high, and the wilderness becomes a fertile field and the fertile field is considered as a forest.”
2. Isaiah 44:2-3 “Thus says the LORD who made you and formed you from the womb, who will help you, ‘Do not fear, O Jacob My servant... For I will pour out 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.”
3. Ezekiel 36:25-28 “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances. And you will live in the land that I gave to your forefathers; so you will be My people, and I will be your God.”
4. Ezekiel 37:14 “I will put My Spirit within you, and you will come to life.”
5. Ezekiel 39:29 “‘I will not hide My face from them any longer, for I shall have poured out My Spirit on the house of Israel,’ declares the Lord GOD.”
6. Joel 2:28-29 “And it will come about after this that I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; and your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. And even on the male and female servants I will pour out My Spirit in those days.”
IV. So, on the one hand we have language which makes it seem like the HS didn’t even come until Pentecost. And on the other hand, we have all these references to the HS and what He was doing in the OT. Obviously, something happened at Pentecost that changed the way the Spirit worked. But what was that change?
V. Here are several ways to think about it:
A. It’s not that the HS wasn’t there before Pentecost, and is now. It’s more like the Spirit visited His people occasionally in the OT but now in the NT has moved in and made them His residence.
B. The difference between the role of the Spirit in the OT and the NT is not a difference of essence but a difference of degree.
1. This is extremely important to understand; perhaps an illustration will help: If I have two oranges and my friend Bob has a truck full of oranges and my friend Laurie has a horse shoe, the difference between what I have and what Bob has is a difference of degree, whereas the difference between what I have and what Laurie has is a difference of essence. A horse shoe is different in essence from an orange. There may be a great difference between what I have and what Ben has, but it is still a difference of degree.
2. It’s not that the Holy Spirit wasn’t doing the same thing in the OT as He is in the NT, it’s just that overall He’s doing a lot more of it now than in the OT. The activity of the Holy Spirit in the OT and NT are essentially one in essence, though very different in degree.
3. Does the language of the Holy Spirit in the OT mean that each of us in the NT has more of the Holy Spirit than each of them? No. The difference of degree is general, not specific. Who among us would say that he has more of the Holy Spirit than Joseph, Daniel, Elijah or Moses did? Are not these OT heroes more like Christ than I am?
4. If so, how did they get that way? It had to be by the work of the Spirit.
5. Is it not that the Holy Spirit did not work in the same way back then. It is because the NT is characterized by that kind of work while the OT is not.
C. In the NT the ministry of the Spirit in people’s lives is more permanent, as opposed to temporary. When NT saints sin, they don’t pray, “Take not Thy HS from me.” (Ps.51:11)
D. The work of the Spirit is more universal in the NT.
1. In OT there were great people of the Spirit, but never a large group of people. Never were there more than a few at a time. This is another thing which is new in the NT.
2. The prophecy of Joel quoted by Peter at Pentecost says “I will pour forth of My Spirit upon all mankind.” This is another things which is unique about the NT. It is no longer something that just happens to a few heroes of the faith within the small context of the nation of Israel.
3. Now the Spirit is being sent to all different kinds of people: woman as well as men, youths, old people and even children as well as middle-aged adults, lowly servants and big bosses (Acts 2:17-18). Now the Spirit is being sent to every corner of the earth.
4. This doesn’t mean that just by being a member of this kingdom age you are going to be more godly than the saints of the OT. But it does mean that overall, this age is going to be marked by a higher degree of godliness than the past ages have been.
E. Part of the coming of the HS in the NT is that it reveals what has already been happening in the OT. It reveals that it has been the Spirit at work all along. This is partly for the sake of our humility.
F. Part of the coming of the Spirit is also that the things we read about in the OT were anticipation of and preparation for the NT reality.
VI. What is clear is that we live in a day where the generosity of God with regard to His Spirit is very high. We live in a time when the grace of God is brought to bear in the lives of believers to such a great extent that it is spoken of in the OT almost as if it was heaven on earth. We live in a time when God has determined in the infinitely wise counsel of His will that the Holy Spirit would be given to His people in greater measure than in ages past. We live in the age of the Spirit!
A. God has ordained for this era to be an era characterized by the Spirit of Christ living in His people and living out the life of Christ through them. The big deal about the NT is that there’s an abundance of grace to be poured out upon God’s people.
B. This is a message of hope. God has sent His own Holy Spirit into our hearts in order that we might be living testimonials of the grace of Jesus Christ. And this is one of the main reasons that His Spirit has been poured out in such great measure. God wants to show the world what a difference His Son makes. If Christ’s coming doesn’t make the world look any different than it did before, that’s going to look like Christ has no power. And so God is illuminating the world by means of lamps fueled by the oil of His Holy Spirit, so that the whole world will be lit up and glow with the glory of Christ. And my friends, we are those lamps.
C. All this means that God calls us to have confidence in His power, given to us in the HS: 2Tim.1:7 “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but a Spirit of power and love and discipline.”
D. And yet it clearly doesn’t mean that every believer in the NT days experiences this fullness of the Spirit’s power and presence.
1. It is very possible to live as if there is no hope for us, as if God isn’t very near, as if the burden He has called us to carry is far more weighty than the help that He offers us through the Spirit, as if no Helper has been sent to help us to resist temptations or love our enemies.
2. This is why we’re often admonished in the NT to be filled with the Spirit (Eph.5:18), to not grieve the Spirit (Eph.4:30), to seek the HS (Luke 11:13), to abide in Christ (John 15).