The Holy Spirit
In The Old Testament?
It's quite natural for Christians to think of The Holy Spirit as a "New Testament" manifestation. Wonderful events such as The Holy Spirit descending upon Jesus Christ "like a dove" after His Baptism in the Jordan River by John The Baptist (Matthew 3:13-17), and the spectacular coming of The Holy Spirit upon over 3,000 gathered believers at Pentecost (Acts 2:1-41) make it easy to overlook that The Holy Spirit, the very Power and Essence of Almighty God, has always existed. While it was made more generally available to the converted in the New Testament, many people in the Old Testament were empowered with The Holy Spirit to enable them to fulfill necessary roles in Bible History.
A few examples:
- "In the beginning God Created The Heavens And The Earth. 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." (Genesis 1:1-2)
- "So Pharaoh [see also The Ancient Egyptians] asked them, "Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is The Spirit of God?" Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you." (Genesis 41:38-39)
- "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 you will not have to carry it alone." (Numbers 11:16-17)
- "So The Lord said to Moses, "Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is The Spirit, and lay your hand on him." (Numbers 27:18) (see The Fall Of Jericho)
- "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..." (Judges 13:24-25)
- "The Spirit of The Lord will come upon you [Saul] in power, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person." (1 Samuel 10:6)
- "So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on The Spirit of The Lord came upon David in power." (1 Samuel 16:13)
- "The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of The Almighty gives me life." (Job 33:4)
- "When you send Your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth." (Psalm 104:30)
- "Surely your God is The God of gods and The Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery ... I know that The Spirit of The Holy God is in you." (Daniel 2:47, 4:9) (See Daniel's Statue from our Prophecy section.)
Fact Finder: Does The Holy Spirit enable people to understand The Way?
Job 32:8
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