Author: Dave

“The Holy Spirit: The Old Testament”
Genesis 41:25-27, 37-40; Exodus 31:1-6; Numbers 11:16-17, 25-30
August 17, 2014
Rev. David Williams
Scripture: Gen 41:25-27, 37-40; Ex 31:1-6; Num 11:15-17, 25-30
Sermon:
Introduction
	I remember hearing a story about a Canadian young man who was backpacking through Asia.  At one point, he was on a train and a government official stopped him and began to hassle him about his papers not being in order.  [pic] The official was looking for a bribe and when he started looking through the Canadian’s things he came across a roll of Canadian Tire money!  The Canadian was able to convince him to take it and let him go on his way.  Imagine the official’s surprise when he tried to exchange the Canadian Tire money for real currency!
	Thankfully for the Canadian, the official on the train did not know Canadian currency very well, so he was unable to identify real Canadian money from Canadian Tire money.  But we want to make sure as Christians that we are not similarly fooled.  When we are confronted with spiritual ideas or events, we want to make sure we’re not mistaking Canadian Tire money for the real thing either!  We need to learn how to discern and detect the Holy Spirit so that we are not fooled by other, false spirits.
	One way that we can learn how to discern the Holy Spirit is to learn about him from Scripture.  This is, in fact, the best way to learn about the Holy Spirit. From a firm basis in Scripture, we can pray to and seek the Spirit and ask for the Spirit’s work in us.  Today we are going to see some of the things we can learn about the Spirit from the Old Testament.
	Many Christians don’t realize that the Spirit is talked about in the OT, and is in fact active in the world prior to the Day of Pentecost.  Yet if we look carefully, we will see that the Spirit was, in fact, at work in the OT, and often in surprising ways!  That is what we are going to look at today.
Joseph
	Let’s begin with our first text, a text about Joseph.  As you may recall, Joseph was a dreamer of dreams.  He told his brothers about his dreams and they took offense.  They faked his death and sold him into slavery in Egypt.  Eventually, word of his ability to interpret dreams came to the attention of Pharaoh who had been having disturbing dreams of his own.
	When we pick up our text in Genesis 41, Joseph has been told about Pharaoh’s dreams of strong cows and weak cows coming up out of the river, and about thick heads of grain and worthless heads of grain.  Joseph is able to interpret the dreams, giving credit to God.  He tells Pharaoh to be prepared for 7 years of famine following 7 years of plenty.  He outlines a plan of saving or stockpiling food during the times of plenty in order to feed the people during the years of famine.  Afterwards, we have verses 37-40 in which Pharaoh declares, “Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the Spirit of God?”  Pharaoh recognizes something that he does not fully understand, and states a truth deeper than he realizes. [Derek Kidner, Genesis, p. 196]  As a result, though, he puts Joseph in charge of the entire country, telling him to carry out his plan for saving food.  Pharaoh recognizes that Joseph has been given gifts of wisdom and discernment, useful for ruling and governing.  
	Through the Spirit’s work in Joseph, Israel was saved.  As a result of the Spirit’s work in Joseph, Pharaoh gives him supreme authority. Because of his plan, Joseph is able to save his family, his father Jacob and his brothers, during the famine.  It is through Joseph that the Israelites wind up in Egypt.  Although eventually they are enslaved, which was bad, initially being in Egypt was a good thing and it meant their very survival! 
The Tabernacle
	Now let’s fast forward several hundred years.  After centuries in Egypt and a time of slavery, Moses has lead the people out of Egypt towards the promised land.  In Exodus 31 God has given Moses instructions about building the Tabernacle, the tent in which God would meet with his people and which would become the central location for worship.  
	In our text, we see that God has chosen Bezalel and “filled him with the Spirit of God.”  The Holy Spirit’s work in Bezalel was to fill him with skill, ability and knowledge in all sorts of areas of craftsmanship.  It seems that he also gave Oholiab similar gifts to help him, or else he has given Oholiab gifts of administration in order to oversee the mass of workers that are necessary to build the Tabernacle and its contents.  He has even given “gifts” to all the craftsman.  We know from the NT that the Spirit brings gifts, so it is likely the Spirit at work here in the broader range of craftsmen as well.  
	It is interesting that the gifts given here were along the lines of skills that others have without explicit spiritual gifts.  Supernatural gifts are not necessary to work gold or to carve wood.  So what we see here is a gifting above and beyond natural ability.  The Spirit has filled Bezalel so that he can do such a wide variety of things and do them exceedingly well.  Similarly, verse 6 says the other craftsmen are given gifts, which must go above and beyond their own natural abilities.  
	At first we may not realize the significance of this, but think about it for a moment.  It tells us that God is just as concerned with “mundane” work as with “spiritual” work.  “It is not only for what we might class as ‘spiritual’ work that the Holy spirit comes to equip us…. Helping and administration are as much his concern as healing and speaking in tongues.” [J A Motyer, Exodus, p. 287]
If you look at verse 6 you will see an important, but easily missed phrase.  God says that he has given the craftsmen skill “to make everything I have commanded you….”  It is only possible to accomplish what God has commanded through the Spirit.  God gave commands about the Tabernacle and all the things within it.  He then gave his Spirit to men so that they would be able to fulfil those tasks.  Conversely, “their God-given tasks and God-given skills are bracketed by the Spirit of God to enable and the word of God to obey.  The enabling Spirit must flow along the channel of the word.” [Motyer, p. 321]  Empowered by the Spirit to do their work, they still needed to be obedient to the commands God had given them.  Even in their spiritual gifting, the craftsmen were not given free reign to make or build whatever they wanted or imagined.  They were given their gifts in order to fulfil the will of God as outlined in the word of God given to them.
As we think about what we can learn from the Spirit’s work in the OT, we should remember this in particular.  Today, when discerning the Spirit, we must remember that the word of God still counts for a lot. The work of the Spirit and, therefore, the work of those claiming to be filled with and lead by the Spirit, must conform to God’s word.  The Spirit does not give license to disobey the word of God. Instead, the Spirit gives power to fulfil and obey the word of God.
Leadership
	Now let’s consider our text from Numbers. In Numbers 11 Moses is faced with two difficulties. On the one hand, leading the people has become an overwhelming task. On the other, the people are crying out for meat to eat, having gotten tired of manna alone.  God addresses both of these issues in this passage.  We are going to focus on the issue of leadership primarily, which is why we skipped over a number of verses, but I want to point something out at the end about the issue of meat.
	To help Moses carry the load of leading the people, God commands him to select 70 leaders from amongst the Israelites.  These men are to be men already recognized as leaders and elders or officials among the people. So again we see that the giving of the Spirit is to enhance what may already be present in the individual! These men were already known for leadership skills even before the Spirit was given to them.  God tells Moses that he is to gather these men at the Tent of Meeting, which we just read about in Exodus- the Tabernacle, and he will take the Spirit that is on Moses and put it on the 70.  Moses tells us in verse 29 that this Spirit is the Spirit of the Lord. Isn’t it interesting that we see it was the Holy Spirit at work in Moses and thus it was the same Spirit put on the elders?
	Moses obeys God and calls together these men.  God takes from the Spirit that was on Moses and puts it on the new elders.  When the Spirit first falls on the new elders, they prophesy, which means to declare the word of God, to speak forth the truth of God, not just to tell the future. It seems in the OT as well that speaking in tongues may have also fallen into the category of “prophesy.”  The elders prophesy when the Spirit first comes on them, but not again. Why? Because the initial prophesy was to serve as a sign or proof that the Spirit had come upon them.
	Back at the camp, two of the elders had stayed behind. We are not told why. But interestingly, when the other elders received the Spirit, so did these two.  They also began to prophesy.  When Joshua heard this, he wanted them to stop. We’re not sure why, possibly because he didn’t want others to take Moses’ position, or perhaps because they were speaking in tongues and it would confuse or frighten the people. We’re not sure. 
	Notice Moses’ response, “I wish that all the LORD’s people were prophets and that the LORD would put his Spirit on them!”  Moses’ desire is that the Holy Spirit would be on all God’s people.  That was a desire that was not fulfilled until Pentecost, over a thousand years later!
	So what do we see happening here?  Again, like with Joseph in Genesis, the Holy Spirit gives power to some to be extraordinary leaders, especially leaders of his people.  We also see that it was the Holy Spirit working in Moses as he lead the people out of Egypt.  We also see that the Holy Spirit did not fall on all of God’s people in the OT.
	I mentioned at the beginning of this section that I wanted to make a comment about the people’s demands for meat.  In the next verse we read, “Now a wind went out from the Lord and drove quail in from the sea.”  I just want to remind us all that the word for Spirit in Hebrew is the same word for wind and breath.  Translators are faced with a decision to make when they come across this word, should it be rendered Spirit, breath or wind?  I think verse 31 is one of those difficult cases where it’s not clear if this should be a wind or Spirit from the Lord.  I think the ambiguity might be on purpose.  If we think of this wind from the Lord blowing quail in from the sea as the Spirit of the Lord, then we see the Holy Spirit addressing both of Moses’ problems- first the problem of leadership and then the problem of providing meat for the people!
Other Examples
	We’ve looked at our three texts. Now I want to give you some more examples of the Spirit at work in the OT.  There are numerous examples of the Spirit coming upon individuals who then prophesy.  Some of you may be familiar with the story of the prophet Balaam, a pagan who was hired by king Balak to curse Israel in the book of Numbers. Balaam is the one whose donkey saw the angel in the road and swerved around it three times. Eventually, Balaam got angry with the donkey and started beating it. God opened the donkey’s mouth so it spoke to Balaam!  That’s a point of reference, but for our purposes today we are interested in Numbers 24:2, after the events with the donkey.  Balak has brought Balaam to a place where he can see the Israelites in order to curse them.  Numbers 24:1-2 read, “Now when Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless Israel, he did not resort to sorcery as at other times, but turned his face toward the desert. When Balaam looked out and saw Israel encamped tribe by tribe, the Spirit of God came upon him….” And he prophesied blessings on Israel, which greatly angered Balak.
	Here we see the Holy Spirit coming upon a pagan.  Balaam was no Israelite! In fact, as verse 1 tells us, he was a sorcerer!  Later on, in Numbers 31 he is killed when the Israelites battle the Midianites, but we are told that Balaam taught the Midianite women how to seduce Israelite men into eating food sacrificed to idols and to commit sexual immorality.  Hardly a godly man! But God chose to use him and even blessed him with the Holy Spirit for a time.
	In the book of Judges we read about a number of Israel’s leaders who had the Holy Spirit fill them. These men became Spirit filled leaders, having their natural capacities strengthened.  The Spirit boosted their courage, strengthened their minds against danger and confirmed their call as leaders for others to see. [John Owen, The Holy Spirit, p. 82] Othniel, in Judges 3:10, “The Spirit of the Lord came on him, so that he became Israel’s judge and went to war. The Lord gave Cushan-Rishathaim king of Aram into the hands of Othniel, who overpowered him.” Now, in chapter 1 we find out that Othniel is already a warrior and a leader under Caleb because he was able to take a town.  Here in chapter 3 we read about a time of oppression of Israel for being disobedient and the Spirit comes on Othniel who goes out to battle again.  It is interesting that the Holy Spirit filled Othniel “so that he became Israel’s judge and went to war.”  Apparently there is a spiritual gift of battle!
	Othniel was not the only judge of Israel filled with the Holy Spirit.  Gideon, too, was filled with the Spirit in Judges 6:34, “Then the Spirit of the Lord came on Gideon, and he blew a trumpet, summoning the Abiezrites to follow him.”  Here the Spirit works in Gideon so that the people will unite under his command and follow his leadership as he drives out Israel’s enemies.  Gideon himself was not known for his courage. We first encounter him hiding in a winepress, threshing wheat, so the enemy would not find him.  He later asked the Lord for further confirmation by putting out a fleece to see if it was wet or dry in the morning.
	Jephthah is another example of a judge or leader of Israel who was filled with the Spirit. Judges 11:29 tells us, “Then the Spirit of the Lord came on Jephthah. He crossed Gilead and Manasseh, passed through Mizpah of Gilead, and from there he advanced against the Ammonites.”  Jephthah is another example of a man used by God in spite of himself.  Earlier he had been forced from his home and he had gathered a “band of scoundrels” around himself.  Then, when trouble came, he was asked to come home and lead the men of Gilead against the Ammonites.  Jephthah foolishly vowed that if God gave him victory he would sacrifice the first thing to come out of his house, which wound up being his daughter!  He was given gifts in leadership and battle, but not given spiritual wisdom.  God does not ask for such sacrifices or vows on the part of his people.
	Samson, the famous strong man of the OT, was also filled with the Spirit.  Several passages speak of the Spirit’s work in Samson, Judges 13:25, 14:6, 14:19 and 15:14.  Specifically, 14:6 reads, “The Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him so that he tore the lion apart with his bare hands as he might have torn a young goat. But he told neither his father nor his mother what he had done.”  So the Spirit gave Samson incredible physical strength.  A few verses later, in 19, we read in part, “Then the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him. He went down to Ashkelon, struck down thirty of their men….” In Samson’s case, his gift of strength also came with an ordinance, or an instruction, that he not cut his hair, which was a symbol of his devotion to God.  Samson, if you read about him, was not a godly man at all! He was frequently filled with anger. He violated Jewish purity laws, touching a dead lion to get honey inside, and he married a non-Jewish woman, against his parents’ wishes, who betrayed him to the Philistines. Later he visited a prostitute ultimately he fell in love with Delilah who also betrayed him to the Philistines!
	Years later, during the days of Samuel, the people of Israel demanded a king so they would be like the nations surrounding them, whose kings lead them in battle.  God told Samuel to anoint Saul and later David king over Israel. In both cases, the Holy Spirit came upon these men.  In Saul’s case, the Spirit even gave him a new heart [1 Sam 10:9] but Saul repeatedly disobeyed God and God withdrew his Spirit from him. [1 Sam 16:14]
Application
	So what does all of this mean?  What are we to do with it? How do we learn from it? How do we apply it?  First, it is important to know that the Holy Spirit was active in the world and even in the lives of individuals before Jesus.  Sometimes we think that the Holy Spirit is new, or that gifts of the Spirit are new since Jesus. But that just is not the case! We can actually learn a lot about the Spirit by reading the OT.
	The second thing we can see is that gifts of the Spirit, and even the filling of the Spirit, does not mean one is saved!  Balaam is a prime example of a man filled with the Spirit who even had the gift of prophecy, but he was not one of God’s people.  Gifts of the Spirit and being filled with the Spirit does not make you obedient, either. Samson is a good example of that.  He was filled with the Spirit repeatedly and had tremendous strength because of it, but he was a deeply disobedient man.  So our lesson here is: Don’t assume that having gifts of the Spirit or being filled with the Spirit means somebody is saved.  Gifts of the Spirit are not the same as saving faith. In fact, even Jesus warned of this when he said, “Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” [Matt 7:22-23]
	These examples show us that the Spirit of God can work in men to accomplish his will even if the men are not godly men. That is a sign of the power of God’s Spirit, that he can work in us and through us in spite of us!
	We should remember this when we are confronted with people who claim to have the Spirit. [pic] This is another way to test for genuine godliness, like learning to discern the difference between Canadian Tire money and actual money.  Just because they have spiritual gifts, even if they can perform miracles, does not mean that they are to be followed blindly.  We should always test what they say against scripture.  The Spirit does not override the need for obedience to God’s word.
	More than the gifts of the Spirit, we are to seek the fruit of the Spirit.  The fruit of the Spirit, in Galatians 5:22-23 are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  Far better than gifts of the Spirit are the fruit.  The fruit of the Spirit are the results of the Spirit working in you to refine you and purify your sinful nature.  This is what we should seek since it is a sign of God working in our hearts to change them to be more like him.  Samson, Balaam and Jephthah were all men who had gifts of the Spirit, but whose hearts were not being conformed to God’s likeness.
	We also learn from these passages that God is concerned with seemingly secular activities, like crafting, metal working and the like. God does not separate our activities into two classes, spiritual and secular.  Rather, God is interested in all we do. This means that all we do we can do as unto the Lord. If your work is not professional ministry work, you can still serve God at work.  You can use your skills and gifts to glorify him and do what he has commanded you to do.  God is interested in what you do on a daily basis. He is interested in your work and is interested in you doing your work well as an offering or act of obedience to Him.
	Our Spiritual gifts are also a testimony to non-believers.  Pharaoh saw the Spirit at work in Joseph and it was a testimony to God.  When we use our gifts and give credit for them to God, we are witnesses to the world of his greatness.  Sometimes, we may even be promoted to positions of influence and authority because of our gifting, even by people who are not Christ followers.
	You are probably familiar with the poem “Footprints.”  In that poem, the narrator talks about a dream in which he is walking along the sea shore with God and the events of his life come to mind.  Looking back at their tracks in the sand, he asks God why during the difficult times of his life there is only 1 set of footprints?  God’s response is that those were the times the Lord carried him.  Sometimes we are not aware of God’s activity until we look back and he opens our eyes to what he was doing.  We have to look more closely to realize where God was at work in the past.  I hope that today, looking back at the OT, we can all see more clearly where the Spirit has been at work.  From setting Joseph over Egypt to save Jacob and his descendants, to building his Tabernacle where the people could come into God’s presence for worship, to filling judges to rescue Israel from her oppressors, the Holy Spirit has been at work in people for God’s people for thousands of years.  Hopefully you have a new appreciation for the Spirit.
	Throughout our lesson this morning, though, throughout these passages, it is the exception that the Holy Spirit fills someone.  Today, however, since the Day of Pentecost, since Christ’s death and resurrection, the Holy Spirit can fill all of God’s people.  All of Jesus’ disciples can and should expect the Spirit to fill them, to bring at least one gift and to be working in them to produce fruit.  God’s grace is made effective in us through his Spirit.  In the OT the Spirit was at work, but only in special cases. Today, thanks to Jesus, God’s Spirit is at work in all of his people. Let us pray for the Spirit to be at work in us. 
To Do: This week, pray for an appreciation of the work of the Spirit. Ask for God to open your eyes to the work of the Spirit. Pray for the Spirit to work in you to give you a new heart. Amen.