Sermon Recap | The Holy Spirit in the Old Testament | Shane Mosby
When we reflect on the Holy Spirit’s presence in our lives today, in the Trinity and in creation more broadly, we often fall into the trap of assuming the Holy Spirit arrived on scene following Jesus’ ascension into Heaven after his resurrection. After all, in John 14 Jesus did promise that the Father would send the Holy Spirit to be received by his people. But the presence of the Holy Spirit is much more foundational to the Christian faith than what occurred around 2,000 years ago, and occurs today when someone accepts Christ as their savior. The Holy Spirit is foundational to God’s overarching story and plan for redemption.
Throughout the Old Testament God’s word speaks to the presence of the Holy Spirit in action, well before Jesus’ arrival to earth. In Isaiah 42:1 it is written, “This is my servant; I strengthen him, this is my chosen one; I delight in him. I have put my Spirit on him”. And in Isaiah 42:5-6, “This is what God, the LORD, says—who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk on it—“I am the LORD. I have called you for a righteous purpose, and I will hold you by your hand.” It would seem that God’s intervention in and through humanity and His creation more broadly is often carried out through the mysterious workings of the Holy Spirit, and is an expression of God’s will in creation rather than a necessary response to man’s activity, as we may be inclined to assume.
Time and time again in the Old Testament we see the Holy Spirit referred to when the creation account is referenced. Beautiful language about God’s creative design often goes hand in hand with language that describes the very same being carried out by the Spirit. This speaks to the creative work of the Spirit not just in the creation account, but in the way creation is upheld and maintained today. In the very first account of God’s creation of the universe, Genesis 1:1-3 reads, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness covered the surface of the watery depths, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.” This speaks to the Spirit’s presence from the beginning, but again, is clearly an active force in the order and upholding of creation today. Deuteronomy 32:11 reads, “He watches over his nest like an eagle and hovers over his young; he spreads his wings, catches him, and carries him on his feathers.” This imagery of God “hovering” gives an idea of his active presence and oversight in the creative order that is present in his creation.
His Spirit was present and active from the beginning, the Spirit is present and active today, but what does God’s word have to say about his role in the future, new creation? The creative work of the Spirit points to the new creation of our salvation. Jesus describes this reality in John 3:3-8, “Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” “How can anyone be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked him. “Can he enter his mother’s womb a second time and be born?”Jesus answered, “Truly I tell you, unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. Whatever is born of the flesh is flesh, and whatever is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I told you that you must be born again. The wind blows where it pleases, and you hear its sound, but you don’t know where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” In Ezekiel 36:26-37 it says, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. I will place my Spirit within you and cause you to follow my statutes and carefully observe my ordinances.” In both accounts, the Spirit that is passed on to God’s people carries this sort of eternal trajectory for Heaven. That’s not to say that receiving the Spirit is a “credential” “required” for access into Heaven, but rather is a form of confirmation that a person truly is of God’s eternal family. It’s one of the wonderful mysteries of the Christian faith, and should lead us to marvel and worship at God’s design and plan for redeeming his people.
The Old Testament also shows us the sustaining power of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is sustaining creation while also providing that sustaining power to those indwelt by Him. Speaking of God’s active role in upholding creation and man, Job 34:14-15 says “If he put his mind to it and withdrew the spirit and breath he gave, every living thing would perish together and mankind would return to the dust.” This should also lead us to fearfully worship our God who so upholds the world that is so fragile in the balance yet chooses to care and maintain for the sake of his purposes, which include redeeming all that has been broken by sin. Speaking of the Messiah in Isaiah 42:1-4 it reads, “This is my servant; I strengthen him, this is my chosen one; I delight in him. I have put my Spirit on him; he will bring justice to the nations. He will not cry out or shout or make his voice heard in the streets. He will not break a bruised reed, and he will not put out a smoldering wick; he will faithfully bring justice. He will not grow weak or be discouraged until he has established justice on earth.” Similarly, the servant is spoken of by having the Spirit upon him, yet not wielding that as a sort of divine power to be abused, but rather acting with justice, humility and faithfulness.
Lastly, just as God sustains creation through the Holy Spirit, we are being sustained by him, both physically and spiritually. The sustaining power of the Holy Spirit points to his ongoing work in our salvation. What does that mean? Are we not saved from the moment we receive the Spirit? Romans 8:8-13 says “Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to him. Now if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, then he who raised Christ from the dead will also bring your mortal bodies to life through his Spirit who lives in you. So then, brothers and sisters, we are not obligated to the flesh to live according to the flesh, because if you live according to the flesh, you are going to die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” For all those led by God’s Spirit are God’s sons. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear. Instead, you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father!” then in Galatians 5:16 it says “I say, then, walk by the Spirit and you will certainly not carry out the desire of the flesh.” This once again displays one of the fascinating mysteries of the Christian faith. While we receive the Spirit from the moment we confess Jesus as Lord, the active work of “putting to death the deeds of the body” is an ongoing process that takes a lifetime. But God is faithful. He does not give us the Spirit and then sends us packing to figure out how to do that on our own. We have access to the Father through prayer, and have the privilege of reading his word, and communing with other members of his Church so that we can navigate that mystery together. John Stott describes this experience when he says “The Christian life is essentially life in the Spirit, that is to say, a life that is animated, sustained, directed and enriched by the Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit true Christian discipleship would be inconceivable, indeed impossible.”
As Christians, how are we to respond to these truths, that God’s Spirit has acted, is acting now, and will continue to act in the future, both in creation and in our own lives? For starters, we should take time to pause, reflect and meditate on these truths. These are large, complex realities of the faith that cannot be summarized into a single excerpt, and are worthy of our attention and reflection. We also should celebrate in the fact that we worship a God who so dearly cares for his creation and will see through his ultimate plan for redeeming that which has been created. We also must ask the question of where we see the Spirit at work in our lives and in the world around us. If we can’t answer that question, why is that? Is that because he truly isn’t at work in the world around us, or is there another reason? Once again, these questions are worth pondering and meditating on and bringing before God. Whether it is in his broad purposes in redeeming his creation at large or the individual, careful plan God has to redeem his people, God’s Spirit resides every step of the way.
