Last week, we began a series of studies on the work of the Holy Spirit as it is presented in the Scripture. We began a look at several Old Testament passages which help us understand the work of the Holy Spirit and give us insight into some parallel passages regarding the Spirit's work in the gospel age. This week, we will continue looking more Old Testament passages which will aid our understanding with regards to the receiving, filling and dwelling of the Spirit.
The workers of Haggai's day could find assurance in God's promise for help through the Spirit in building the temple if they considered the precedent given. After Israel came out of Egyptian bondage, God commanded that the tent of meeting and all its furniture be made according to the pattern. This was said to have been accomplished under the leadership of Bezalel, of whom God said,
I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, to devise skillful works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, and in cutting of stones for setting, and in carving of wood, to work in all manner of workmanship. (Exod. 31:3-5)
The context does not seem to suggest that Bezalel was given miraculous power as a result of being filled with the Spirit on this occasion. Much of the latter portion of Exodus details the labor of Bezalel and his fellow-workers in producing the tent and furniture according to the pattern (Exod. 35:30 - 39:43). The result of this work aided by the Spirit and guided by God's command was a tent of meeting which was pleasing to God as evidenced by His filling of the tabernacle with His glory (Exod. 40:34-38). In his prayer to dedicate the temple, which was the permanent successor to the tabernacle, Solomon noted that this filling of God's house was not a personal dwelling of God upon the earth by saying,
But will God in very deed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded! (1 Kings 8:27)
The concept of God dwelling in the temple was a symbolic figure of His abiding provisions and blessings for His people (1 Kings 8:27-30). This provides the background for an understanding of how Christ, as the chief corner stone, can bring together His saints, apostles and prophets to be "builded together for a habitation of God in the Spirit" (Eph. 2:19-22).
In an interesting case found in Numbers 11, Moses was instructed by God to gather unto Him seventy men of the elders of Israel unto the tent of meeting. God revealed His intention to prepare these elders to help Moses bear the burdens of the people. In order to accomplish this end, God told Moses, "I will take of the Spirit which is upon thee, and will put it upon them" (Num. 11:17, ASV). In examining this text, we must determine whether this was a reference to the "spirit" of Moses or the divine "Spirit." By the use of the capital, the translators of the American Standard, New King James, New American Standard and New International versions suggest their belief that the divine Spirit is under consideration. This view seems to be justified as one examines the following statement from the text recording the fulfillment of God's intention:
And Jehovah came down in the cloud, and spake unto him, and took of the Spirit that was upon him, and put it upon the seventy elders: and it came to pass, that, when the Spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, but they did so no more. (Num. 11:25)
In this case, miraculous action did accompany the coming of the Spirit upon these individuals. However, that miraculous action was not repeated. Why? The people of Israel had opportunity to see the confirmation of God's choice and were thus assured of their qualifications for the task. Once confirmed before the people, there was no need of repeated confirmation. Though these men prophesied no more, the Spirit could rightly be said to still be "upon them" as they bore the burdens of the people with Moses.
Similar terminology is found in the promise of Spirit's coming and significance as recorded by Joel and used by Peter on Pentecost (Joel 2:28-32; Acts 2:16-40). In answer to a question about the meaning of the miraculous action on Pentecost, Peter responded that it was the fulfillment of that spoken through the prophet Joel:
And it shall be in the last days, saith God, I will pour forth my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: Yea and on my servants and on my handmaidens in those days will I pour forth of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy (Acts 2:17-18).
What was signified by this demonstration of the Spirit's power? Peter ends his quotation of Joel's prophecy with the ultimate point: "And it shall be, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Acts 2:21). Thus, the pouring forth of the Spirit with accompanying miraculous action in the first century confirmed that salvation was available to "all flesh," both Jew and Gentile, or "whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord." When the Jewish crowd asked how to receive that salvation, Peter specified what was meant by calling on the name of the Lord for salvation: "Repent ye, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins; and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38).
Though our limitations of space in this article prevents a full discussion of the exact nature of that "gift," it seems in harmony with the context of Acts 2, Joel 2 and related passages we will examine later to conclude that this "gift" is salvation and the attendant blessings brought by the Spirit. Though the miraculous action, seen as the Spirit was poured forth, ceased when the gospel of salvation was fully revealed and confirmed, the gift of salvation still rests upon all flesh, thus making it proper to say that the Spirit is upon us today.
The prophets spoke of the pouring forth of the Spirit as being parallel to the blessing of physical Israel. Isaiah and Ezekiel both associated the Spirit's coming upon Israel as being linked to their blessings (Isa. 32:13-15; Ezek. 39:25-29). The prophet says, "For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and streams upon the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring" (Isa. 44:3). In his comments on the passage, Homer Hailey noted the parallels in this verse: "Water and streams are parallel as are thirsty ('land') and dry ground; so also are Spirit and blessing, and seed and offspring" (Hailey 369). Since the person of the Spirit and His product are viewed as parallel by Old Testament writers, we can understand why New Testament writers sometimes name the Spirit when the specific focus is His product, that is, the word or another blessing coming from the Spirit (Acts 7:51-53).
--- Continued Next Week ---