HOLY SPIRIT IN THE OLD TESTAMENT, TOPICAL STUDY

When one speaks of “the coming” of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, this does not mean that He is non-existent or absent from the earth prior to this event.  Since very little attention is often given to the Holy Spirit and His ministry in the Old Testament Scriptures, it is important that one search the Word to see what it teaches.

HOLY SPIRIT IN CREATION

1.      Genesis 1:1-2: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.  And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the waters.  And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.”

2.      Isaiah 40:12-14 “Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being his counselor hath taught him?”

3.      Job 26:13 “By his Spirit he hath garnished the heavens; his hand hath formed the crooked serpent.”

4.      Job 33:4 “The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.”

5.      Psalms 33:6 “By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.”

6.      Psalms 104:30 “Thou sendest forth thy Spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth.”

HOLY SPIRIT INSPIRED THE O.T. SCRIPTURES

1.      Mark 12:36 “For David himself said by the Holy Ghost, The Lord said to my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool. (Psalms 110:1)

2.      Acts 1:16-20 “Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus. (Psalms 69:25; 109:8)

3.      Acts 28:25-27 “Paul had spoken one word, Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto our fathers.  Saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing y shall see, and not perceive: For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.”(Isaiah 6:9-10)

4.      Hebrews 3:7-11 “Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, Today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness:  When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years.  Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They so always err in their heart; and they have not known my ways.  So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.)     (Psalms 95:7-11)

5.      Hebrews 10:15-17 “Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before, This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.”(Jeremiah 31:33-34)

6.      II Timothy 3:16 “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God (theopneustos God breathed)…”

7.      I Peter 1:10-11 “Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.”

8.      II Peter 1:21 “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man; but holy men of God spake as they were moved (phero to bear or carry) by the Holy Ghost.”

HOLY SPIRIT RESTRAINS SIN

1.      Genesis 6:3 “And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive (dun to strive; remain with) with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.”

2.      II Thessalonians 2:7 “For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.”

HOLY SPIRIT ENABLES FOR SERVICE

1.      Exodus 31:3 BEZALEEL - “And 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 cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, and in cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of timber, to work in all manner of workmanship.”

2.      Judges 3:10 OTHNIEL “And the Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he judged Israel, and went out to war: and the Lord delivered Chushanrishathaim King of Mesopotamia into his hand; and his hand prevailed against Chushanrishathaim.”

3.      Judges 6:34 GIDEON “But the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet; and Abiezer was gathered after him.”

4.      Judges 11:29 JEPHTHAH - “Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah, and he passed over Gilead, and Manasseh, and passed over Mizpeh of Gilead, and from Mizpeh of Gilead he passed over unto he children of Ammon.”

5.      Judges 14:6 SAMSON “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.”

6.      I Samuel 11:6 SAUL “And the Spirit of God came upon Saul when he heard those tidings, and his anger was kindled greatly.”

7.      I Samuel 16:13-14 DAIVD “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.”

8.      II Kings 2:9 ELIJAH & ELISHA “And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee.  And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy Spirit be upon me.”

9.      II Chronicles 24:20 ZECHARIAH “And the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, which stood above the people, and said unto them, Thus saith God, Why transgress ye the commandments of the Lord, that ye cannot prosper?  Because ye have forsaken the Lord, he hath also forsaken you.”

10.  Ezekiel 2:1-2 EZEKIEL “And he said unto me, Son of man, stand upon thy feet, and I will speak unto thee.  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.

11.  Micah 3:8 MICAH “But truly I am full of power by the Spirit of the Lord, and of judgment, and of might, to declare unto Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin.”

HOLY SPIRIT IS SELECTIVE IN ANOINTING & LIMITED DURATION

1.      I Samuel 16:13 DAVID “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.”

2.      I Samuel 16:14  SAUL “But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him.”

3.      Judges 16:20 SAMSON “And Delilah said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson.  And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself.  And he wist not that the Lord was departed from him.”