SERIES: The Work of the Holy Spirit
SERMON: “The Holy Spirit as Manifested in the Old Testament” (Part 1)
PRESENTER: Rev. Dr. JoAnne P. King
DATE: May 7, 2023
Good morning Saints, and Praise the Lord!! The focus of this series will deal with the work and/or function of the Holy Spirit in Believers of the New Testament. However, it is important to recognize that the Holy Spirit was very active and performed many functions in the Old Testament. So, this sermon will point out some of the instances where the Holy Spirit was active in the administration of the Old Testament.
Before we begin, let’s understand exactly who the Holy Spirit is! The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity. He has the same attributes as the Father and Son since He was in the beginning also. Therefore, He can do whatever God the Father or God the Son can do. He is in no way inferior to God the Father or God the Son; they are all co-equal.
The difference in the way the Holy Spirit is manifested in the Old Testament and New Testament is in the administration or methodology. Webster’s dictionary defines administration as: “The dispensing, applying or tendering of something as medicine, a sacrament, or an oath.”
The first time the Holy Spirit is mentioned in the Old Testament is Genesis 1:2: “And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. The Spirit of God is the Holy Spirit.”
In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit came “upon” a person and briefly empowered individuals. The first time we are told the Holy Spirit was involved with a person occurs when He enables Bezalel to be a skilled craftsman for the Tabernacle (Exodus 31:1-6 Amp.): Now the Lord said to Moses, “See I have called by name Bezalel, son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah: ‘I have filled him with the Spirit of God’ in wisdom and skill, in understanding and in intelligence, in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship. To make artistic designs for work in gold, in silver, and in bronze, and in the cutting of stones for settings, and in the carving of wood, to work in all kinds of craftsmanship. And behold, I Myself have appointed with him Oholiab, son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; to all who are wise hearted I have given the skill and ability to make everything that I have commanded you.”
This is the first time in scripture that we are told the Holy Spirit filled any person, but notice that Bezalel was filled with the wisdom of the Holy Spirit. God had ordered Moses to build Him a tabernacle and gave him the dimensions and all the items that were to be placed in the tabernacle. Everything had to meet God’s standards and in order to do that the person had to be filled with the wisdom of the Holy Spirit.
Before examining other anointings used by the Holy Spirit in Old Testament scriptures, we need to cover a little background first. You need to understand that for a long time, Israel was without the true God, without a teaching priest, and without [God’s] law. But when the Israelites were in their time of trouble and distress, they turned to the Lord God of Israel. They desperately and earnestly sought Him, and He let them find Him. In those times, there was no peace for him who went out or for him who came in, for great suffering came on all the inhabitants of the lands. Great darkness comes on a nation or country when God is not there. But when you find God, He always has a word for you, and His word to them was: “But as for you, be strong and do not lose courage, for there is reward for your work” (2 Chronicles 15:7).
Other anointings used by the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament were:
- Prophets were anointed and endowed, 2 Chronicles 15:1-2 Amp., “Now the Spirit of God came on Azariah the son of Oded, and he went out to meet Asa and said to him. “Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: The Lord is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him [inquiring for and of Him, as your soul’s first necessity], He will let you find Him; but if you abandon (turn away from) Him, He will abandon (turn away from) you.”
“When Asa heard these words, of the prophecy of Azariah the son of Oded the prophet, he took courage and removed the repulsive idols from all the land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities which he had captured in the hill country of Ephraim. Then he restored the altar [of burnt offering] of the Lord which was in front of the porch [of the temple] of the Lord. Then he gathered all Judah and Benjamin and the strangers who were with them out of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon, for they came over to Asa from Israel in large numbers when they saw that the Lord his God was with him.” [People will follow you or your teaching when they see that the Lord God is with you. Everybody wants to be joined with a winner.]
“They sacrificed to the Lord …, entered into a covenant (solemn agreement) to seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart and soul; … and whoever would not serve the God of Israel would be put to death, whether young or old, man or woman. All Judah rejoiced over their oath, for they had sworn with all their heart, and He let them find Him. So, the Lord gave them rest on every side” (2 Chron. 15:8-15).
This is an example of how God spoke to His people in the Old Testament. The Spirit of God came upon the prophets (Azariah, in this case) that he might speak the Lord’s words to His people.
Here’s another prophet example:
“When Ahaziah, the king of Judah died, his mother Athaliah desired to rule over Judah, so she proceeded to kill all the royal seed except one. That one was Joash, who was hidden by Jehoiada the high priest (his uncle) in the House of the Lord for six years. Athaliah ruled over Judah for six years. In the seventh year, Jehoiada summoned the rulers over the guards and brought them into the House of the Lord, and made a covenant with them and had them swear an oath in the House of the Lord to protect Joash, King Ahaziah’s only living son.” (2 Chron. 22:10-12)
2 Chronicles 24:1-16: So, “Joash was seven years old when he became king and he reigned for forty years in Jerusalem and Jehoiada was the high priest. Joash did what was right in the sight of the Lord all the days of Jehoiada the priest. The king ordered the priests and Levites to collect taxes from the congregations in Judah and Jerusalem for the collection that Moses the servant of God laid upon Israel in the wilderness. The princes and all the people rejoiced and brought in, and cast into the chest, until they had made an end. The king and Jehoiada gave the money to those skilled as masons, carpenters, and those who worked in iron and bronze to restore and rebuild the house of the Lord. Where it says that the King and Jehoiada gave money to those skilled as masons, carpenters, and those who worked in iron and bronze to restore and rebuild the house of the Lord: These are examples of certain individuals where the Holy Spirit came upon them and filled them with wisdom and understanding that they might perform skilled work in the Lord’s house. They also made vessels for the house of the Lord, even vessels to minister, and to offer withal, and spoons, and vessels of gold and silver. And they offered burnt offerings in the house of the Lord continually all the days of Jehoiada.
Now when Jehoiada grew old, and was full of days, he died. He was a hundred and thirty years old at his death. They buried him in the City of David among the kings, because he had done good things in Israel, and toward God, and His house.”
**2 Chronicles 24:18-20 Amp.: “Now after the death of Jehoiada [the priest who had hidden Joash] the officials of Judah came and bowed down to King Joash; then the king listened to them.” [King Joash was impressed that they were bowing down to him. So, he listened to them. Everybody usually bows down to a king, so this shouldn’t have impressed him.]
“They abandoned the house of the Lord, the God of their fathers, and served the Asherim and idols; so [God’s] wrath came on Judah and Jerusalem for their sin and guilt. Yet God sent prophets among them to bring them back to the Lord; these prophets testified against them, but they would not listen. Then, the Spirit of God came over Zechariah the son of Jehoioada the priest, and he stood above the people and said to them: “‘This is what God has said: Why do you transgress the commandments of the Lord so that you cannot prosper? Because you have abandoned (turned away from) the Lord, He has also abandoned (turned away from) you.’”
2 Chronicles 24:21-22,25 Amp.: “So, they conspired against Zechariah and stoned him [to death] at the command of the king, in the courtyard of the house of the Lord. This was a further insult to God, murdering the son of Jehoiada the High Priest in the courtyard of the House of the Lord! Thus, Joash the king did not remember the kindness which Jehoiada, Zechariah’s father had shown him, but he murdered his son.
The man who saved your life; you murdered his son. And when Zechariah was dying,” he said, ‘May the Lord see this and require an accounting!’ “… When they left Joash, the men who had bowed down and whispered in his ear (for they left him very ill), his own servants conspired against him because of the blood of the son of Jehoiada the priest, and they murdered him on his bed. So, he died, and they buried him in the City of David, but they did not bury him in the tombs of the kings.”
Other examples of the prophet’s anointing:
Numbers 11:25: “And the Lord came down in a cloud, and spake unto him (Moses), and took of the Spirit that was upon him, and gave it unto the seventy elders: and it came to pass, that, when the Spirit rested upon them, they prophesied and did not cease.” Just think how heavy Moses’ anointing was that it filled 70 elders and he was still powerful.]
Numbers 27:18: “And the Spirit was on Joshua who would replace Moses.”
Isaiah 59:21: “. . . The Lord speaking to Isaiah said: “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 the Lord, from henceforth and for ever.”
Ezekiel 2:2: The Lord speaking to Ezekiel: “And the Spirit entered into me when he spake unto me, and set me upon my feet, that I heard him that spake unto me.”
- Kings and judges were anointed and others were endowed with strength:
Judges 3:8-11: “Therefore, the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Chushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia: and the children of Israel served Chushan-rishathaim eight years. And when the children of Israel cried unto the Lord, the Lord raised them up a deliverer to the children of Israel, who delivered them, even Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother. And the Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he judged Israel, and went out to war and the Lord delivered Chushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand; and his hand prevailed against Chushan-rishathaim. And the land had rest forty years. And Othniel the son of Kenaz died.”
Judges 14:5-6: “Then went Samson down, and his father and his mother, to Timnath, and came to the vineyards of Timnath: and, behold, a young lion roared against him. And the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and he rent him as he would have rent a kid, and he had nothing in his hand but he told not his father or his mother what he had done.”
1 Samuel 11:6 “And the Spirit of God came upon Saul when he heard those tidings, and his anger was kindled greatly.” Saul as you may remember was anointed the first king of Israel.
1 Samuel 16:11-14: “And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said; There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he come hither. And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And the Lord said, ‘Arise, anoint him: for this is he.’ “Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: And the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. So, Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah. But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him.”
Notice, when the Spirit of the Lord came upon David anointing him to be the next King of Israel; the anointing that was on Saul for that position had to leave.
2 Samuel 23:1-3: “Now these be the last words of David. David the son of Jesse said, and the man who was raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel said. “‘The Spirit of the Lord spake by me, and his word was in my tongue. The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.’”
Notice in Psalm 51:11: “King David pleaded that the Holy Spirit not be taken from him after he had sinned in having sexual relations with Bathsheba.” We must remember that the Holy Spirit did not permanently dwell in the Old Testament individuals.
In the above scriptures, we observed that, in the Old Testament, the Spirit of God:
- Came upon certain men that had been chosen by God to serve as kings and judges over Israel.
- Filled individuals with skills, wisdom, and understanding that they might perform needed tasks in the Lord’s Tabernacle.
- Sampson was given miraculous strength.
- In the Old Testament, holy men of God were given prophecies that were so accurate that people would recognize that the prophecies were from God and not something concocted by men.
The above scriptures are some examples found in the Old Testament that refer to the work of the Holy Spirit. As such, most of the work of God accomplished with, in and through His people was by the Holy Spirit. In the above cases, the Holy Spirit came upon the individuals and filled, endued and directed them but did not dwell inside of them.
Most unbelievers don’t believe that the Bible was written by men who were inspired by the Holy Spirit. However, after the above examples, one should believe what the Apostle Peter wrote: I labeled it:
Inspiration for Writing the Bible: 2 Peter 1:20-21: “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”
Every Born-Again Christian should take courage from the examples given, knowing that any assignment that the Lord gives you, as He provided in the Old Testament whatever they needed by coming upon them-- He has already provided what is necessary for your success. It is in your born-again Spirit.
In the New Testament, you will learn that the Holy Spirit dwells inside of us. How much more can we accomplish with the All Knowing, All Powerful, All Loving One dwelling inside of us? The problem is we haven’t recognized it, so that is the purpose of this sermon series. Additionally, we have the ministry of angels working for us.
Let’s give the Lord a praise offering for His message today