Though the Spirit was pictured as bringing help and strength to physical Israel, as noted in a previous article in this series, the prophets of the Old Testament gave special stress to the Spirit's connection with the coming Messiah and His kingdom. This article will examine passages that declare the prophetic record regarding the work of the Spirit in declaring the Messiah and His kingdom.
In Ezekiel 36, the prophet envisioned a time when God would cleanse Israel completely with a "new heart" and "new spirit" (Ezek. 36:26). The prophet recorded God as declaring, "And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep mine ordinances, and do them" (Ezek. 36:27). There is no doubt that this has partial reference to God's expectations for a renewal in Israel at their return from Babylonian captivity, however the next chapter continues the subject of such renewal and makes specific application to the Messianic hope of Israel.
In the vision of dry bones, Ezekiel was commanded to prophesy over the bones saying, "O ye dry bones, hear the word of Jehovah" (Ezek. 37:4). Ezekiel then continued to prophesy to the bones as commanded by God and promised that they would be given life again. As Ezekiel spoke the word of God, the bones were brought to life as "the breath came into them" (Ezek. 37:10). There is a play on words in that the words "breath" and "spirit" are used to translate the same Hebrew word. God explains the application of this vision to Israel by promising, "I will put my Spirit in you, and ye shall live" (Ezek 37:14). Was this promise limited to the restoration of physical Israel to the land? No, for God goes on to say, "And my servant David shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in mine ordinances, and observe my statutes, and do them" (Ezek. 37:24). There is no doubt that this is a clearly Messianic reference. The context repeatedly ties the giving of the Spirit and life unto that Messianic kingdom together with the reception of and adherence to the word of God.
Isaiah also spoke of the connection between the Spirit and the coming Messiah. The prophet pictured that Messiah as a branch from the root of Jeese with the "spirit of Jehovah" resting upon him (Isa. 11:1-2). Later, the Messiah is portrayed by God as His servant, adding, "I have put my Spirit upon him" (Isa. 42:1). Jesus claimed to fulfill that passage (Matt. 12:17f). Near the beginning of His earthly ministry, Jesus also presented Himself as the fulfillment to the prophetic statement of Isaiah, claiming the anointing of Jehovah by His Spirit, enabling Jesus "to preach good tidings" (Lk. 4:17-21 cf. Isa. 61:1-2).
Isaiah did not stop at the point of showing such a connection between the Spirit and the Messiah. He went on to specify the reason for that connection, not only between the Spirit and the Redeemer, but also between the Spirit and the redeemed in these words:
And a Redeemer will come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith Jehovah. And as for me, this is my covenant with them, saith Jehovah: my Spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith Jehovah, from henceforth and for ever (Isa. 59:20-21).
This passage makes clear that the Spirit's presence with the Messiah and His seed would be evidenced by the abiding of the Spirit's word in their mouths. The idea of the words abiding in the one's mouth suggests both the speaking of the message as well as the confession of such in the broader sense of living that message. Nowhere in Scripture is this prophecy of the Messiah and His people more clearly shown in fulfillment than in a study of Ephesians.
From Pentecost forward, the Messiah's people have initially taken hold of the salvation promised and revealed by the Spirit, as we have those words put in our mouths through hearing and believing the truth, so being "sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise" (Eph. 1:12-14). As the Messiah's seed collectively, whether Jews or Gentiles, we are "builded together for a habitation of God in the Spirit," having a charge to let the Spirit's words not depart from our mouths, but direct us to "walk worthily" as we give "diligence to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (Eph. 2:19-22; 4:1-3). As the Messiah's seed individually, the same process causes us to be strengthened by the Spirit, even as the Messiah dwells in our hearts through faith, that we may be "filled unto all the fulness of God" or "filled with the Spirit" (Eph. 3:14-19; 5:15-21). Thus, the work of the Spirit serves as the basis to instruct, strengthen and urge us to live acceptably to God in worship, in service to our brethren, in our family relationships, in the work place, in the battles of faith, and in every facet of our lives (Eph. 5:15 - 6:20).
Having noticed the principles involved and their background, in next week's article, we will shift our focus to the book of Ephesians itself and begin an examination of the specific contexts dealing with the Spirit's work in the Christian.
--- Continued Next Week ---
Obeying God in One's Youth
"Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth, before the difficult days come, and the years draw near when you say, 'I have no pleasure in them'" (Eccl. 12:2). It is sad to see young people choose the world over the Lord. The Bible offers some compelling reasons for one to obey God in their youth.
1. Habits are formed in our youth (Prov. 22:6). The older we get, the harder it is to break out of our routine. If we make serving God a way of life in our youth it will stick with us through life.
2. Avoiding the regret of a wasted life. Peter tells us, "For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles - when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries" (1 Pet. 4:3). Regardless of what age we are when we obey the gospel, the life we have lived up to that point is enough time spent in sin. Even if we live to an old age we've still only had a few years to make a difference in this world (Eph. 5:15-17). Many people have to live with the consequences of the sins they committed in their youth. We do reap what we sow - "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life" (Gal. 6:7-8).
3. We are not to test God's patience. "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance" (2 Pet. 3:9). The acceptable time to be saved is when we hear the gospel. "For He says: 'In an acceptable time I have heard you, and in the day of salvation I have helped you.' Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation" (2 Cor. 6:2; see also Acts 22:16). The devil will make sure that we never have a convenient time to become a Christian (Acts 24:25; Lk. 8:12).
4. We aren't promised tomorrow. "Whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin" (Jas. 4:14, 17). On any given day, the obituary page contains the names of people who didn't even make it out of their teens! Are you willing to take that chance?