Two weeks ago I set out to answer the question “What is the baptism of the Holy Spirit?” after being asked about a post at the web site bibleknowledge.com which offered an explanation. In order to answer that question, however, we must first lay a foundation by looking at what the Bible says about the Holy Spirit’s work and ministry overall. Obviously, this work began in the OT, and so that is where we must begin as well.
The Holy Spirit’s OT Ministry: Creation
The Holy Spirit appears very early in the pages of Scripture. In fact, in only the second verse of the book of Genesis we read “The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” In the very earliest stages of creation, the Holy Spirit was brooding over the waters of the earth like a mother eagle hovers over her young to protect and guide them. In other words, the first activity of the Holy Spirit is that of creation.
This view is reinforced throughout the OT in such places as Psalm 104 where the psalmist says in v.24-26,
“O Lord, how manifold are Your works!
In wisdom You have made them all.
The earth is full of Your possessions—
This great and wide sea,
In which are innumerable teeming things,
Living things both small and great.
There the ships sail about;
There is that Leviathan
Which You have made to play there.”
And v.30 makes it clear that it is the Holy Spirit who is responsible for this: “You send forth Your Spirit, they are created; And You renew the face of the earth.”
The Holy Spirit’s OT Ministry: Inspiration
The Holy Spirit was responsible for the inspiration of the OT itself. For example, in 2 Samuel 23 David spoke his final words and said,
“The Spirit of the Lord spoke by me,
And His word was on my tongue.
The God of Israel said,
The Rock of Israel spoke to me:
‘He who rules over men must be just,
Ruling in the fear of God.
Clearly, he recognized that it was the Holy Spirit who had spoken through him to reveal God’s word to the children of Israel.
Jesus affirmed this in the NT when he quoted Psalm 110 and introduced the quotation by saying, “David himself said by the Holy Spirit.” And the apostles agreed that the OT writers were guided by the Holy Spirit (see Acts 1:16; 4:24-26; and 28:25 for examples).
The Holy Spirit’s OT Ministry: Restraining Sin
In Genesis 6 we find a record of the great corruption of human society, and indeed of the earth itself as a result of man’s violence. And in v.3 we find this curious statement: “And the Lord said, ‘My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.’” This is a promise of the coming judgment of a worldwide flood. But until that day came, the Spirit would continue to restrain sin and the effects of sin upon the earth.
The Holy Spirit’s OT Ministry: Regeneration
While individual salvation does not appear to be a major focus in the OT it does speak of it in a few places. One of the most significant is in the book of Ezekiel, where, in chapter 11 he speaks of putting a new spirit within the Israelites, and of replacing their stony hearts with hearts of flesh. He expands on this promise in 36:25-27 where he says he will cleanse them with water, give them a new heart, and place his Spirit within them, causing them to walk in his ways and keeps his law.
It is to these passages that Jesus points when talking with Nicodemus in John 3 about the need to born again in order to enter the kingdom of God. He likened this new birth to being “born of water and of the Spirit,” a reference to the promise of Ezekiel 36. This OT teaching indicates that believers have always been regenerated by the Holy Spirit, whether before, during, or after the earthly ministry of Christ.
The Holy Spirit’s OT Ministry: Indwelling
Did the Holy Spirit indwell OT believers the same way he does NT saints? The answer is disputed by some, but the overwhelming evidence seems to say that he did not. He indwelt OT saints for limited periods of time and to accomplish specific purposes, whereas Jesus promised his disciples that when the Holy Spirit came after his ascension, he would remain with us forever (see John 14:16-17).
In the OT we have examples of the Spirit coming upon someone to empower them for a specific task. The book of Judges if full of examples such as Othniel (3:10), Gideon (6:34), and Samson (14:6). The Spirit even came upon the wicked prophet Balaam in Numbers 24:2. This was to empower these men to accomplish a specific task and had nothing to do with salvation.
Yahweh told Moses that he had filled Bezalel, a man of the tribe of Judah, with the Holy Spirit “in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, to design artistic works, to work in gold, in silver, in bronze, in cutting jewels for setting, in carving wood, and to work in all manner of workmanship.” This enabled Bezalel to complete the intricate designs of the Tabernacle in the wilderness.
And there were some men who were said to be indwelt by the Spirit such as Joshua (Num. 27:18) and David (1 Sam. 16:12-13). But in both cases, this appears to be due to their unique leadership calling: Joshua to follow Moses and David to succeed Saul as King. What is more, David’s prayer in Psalm 51:11 indicates that he was fearful that God would remove the Holy Spirit from him. He was not afraid of losing his salvation but of being set aside in much the same way as King Saul. Apparently, the Spirit’s indwelling was temporary in the OT era.