The Holy Spirit

An Apostolic Perspective on Pneumatology

Lesson 10: The Spirit of the Lord and the Spirit of God in the Former and Latter Prophets, February 3, 2019 | The Sanctuary UPC

Daniel L. Segraves

I and II Kings 

[1]There are two references to the Spirit of the Lord in I Kings, once by Obadiah, who was in charge of Ahab’s house and who feared the Lord, and once by the false prophet Zedekiah. To protect 100 true prophets from Jezebel’s massacre, Obadiah hid and fed them. When Ahab ordered Obadiah to help him search for Elijah, Obadiah’s quest was successful. Elijah said, “Go, tell your master, ‘Elijah is here’ ” (I Kings 18:8). Obadiah responded, “[A]s soon as I am gone from you . . . the Spirit of the Lord will carry you to a place I do not know: so when I go and tell Ahab, and he cannot find you, he will kill me” (I Kings 18:12).

[2]When Micaiah told the king of Israel that his prophets were lying when they predicted victory in his battle against Ramoth Gilead, Zedekiah “struck Micaiah on the cheek, and said, ‘Which way did the spirit from the Lord go from me to speak to you?’ ” (I Kings 22:24).

[3]After Elijah was taken up by a whirlwind into heaven, the sons of the prophets implored Elisha to let them send fifty men to search for Elijah. They said, “Please let them go and search for your master, lest perhaps the Spirit of the Lord has taken him up and cast him upon some mountain or into some valley” (II Kings 2:16). 

Summary

[4]Since Zedekiah was a false prophet, the only thing we may learn from him is that he understood that the Spirit of the Lord spoke to true prophets. He claimed, falsely, that this had been the case when he prophesied victory.

[5]Obadiah feared the Lord, and his reference to the Spirit of the Lord shows that he believed it possible that the Spirit could carry a person from one place to another, as happened in the case of the evangelist Philip. (See Acts 8:39-40.) The sons of the prophets also believed the Spirit of the Lord could transport a person.

The Spirit of the Lord and the Spirit of God in the Latter Prophets

Isaiah

[6]Now we turn to the Latter Prophets, wherein there are ten references to the Spirit of the Lord. They are found in Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Micah. Micah is one of the Twelve, commonly referred to as the Minor Prophets. Remember, in this study we are examining references to the Spirit in the order in which they appear in the Hebrew Scriptures.

[7]The descriptor “the Spirit of the Lord” is used six times in Isaiah, twice in Ezekiel, and twice in Micah. “The Spirit of God” appears once in Ezekiel.

[8]In the messianic prophecy found in Isaiah 11, the Spirit of the Lord that will rest upon the Messiah is further described as “the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord” (Isaiah 11:2). Some scholars see this as a reference to the seven Spirits of God mentioned in Revelation 1:4; 3:1. The idea here is that of the gold lampstand of the tabernacle, with its central shaft and six branches, three on each side (Exodus 25:31-40). The central shaft represents the Spirit of the Lord, and the six branches the various aspects of the Spirit.

[9]In Isaiah 40:7 is the next reference to the Spirit of the Lord in the KJV: “The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass.” But the KJV is almost completely alone in translating ruach as “spirit” in this case. It is joined by Young’s Literal Translation, but most English translations render ruach as “wind” or “breath” here. The context of Isaiah 40:6-8 suggests “wind” or “breath” as preferable translations.[archive]

 

 

 

 

 

The Holy Spirit

An Apostolic Perspective on Pneumatology

Lesson 9: The Spirit of the Lord and the Spirit of God in the Former Prophets, January 27, 2019 | The Sanctuary UPC

Daniel L. Segraves

I and II Samuel

After Samuel anointed Saul to be Israel’s king, he explained to Saul that there would be three events serving as signs that God was with him. After these signs were fulfilled, the Spirit of God (Elohim) came upon Saul and he prophesied with a group of prophets and was “turned into another man” (I Samuel 10:1-10). In this context, God gave Saul “another heart.” As in Numbers 11, “supernatural vocalization” occurred when the Spirit came upon Saul.

[2] We should note here that Samuel’s prophecy said that the Spirit of the Lord (Yahweh) would come upon Saul (I Samuel 10:6). It is apparent here that the terms Spirit of the Lord and Spirit of God are synonymous.

[3] When Samuel anointed David, “the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward” (I Samuel 16:13). The next verse tells us, however, that “the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and a distressing spirit from the Lord troubled him” (I Samuel 16:14).^[1] This distressing spirit would apparently come and go, for when it came, David would play a harp and the spirit would leave. (See I Samuel 16:15-16, 23.) Later, when Saul wanted to kill David, he sent messengers to capture him. When these messengers saw a “group of prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as leader over them, the Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied” (I Samuel 19:20). When Saul learned of this, he sent other messengers, who also prophesied. For a third time, Saul sent still more messengers, who prophesied. (I Samuel 19:22). Finally, Saul himself searched for Samuel and David: “Then the Spirit of God was upon him also, and he went on and prophesied until he came to Naioth in Ramah. And he also stripped off his clothes and prophesied before Samuel in like manner, and lay down naked all that day and all that night” (I Samuel 19:22-24). “Supernatural vocalization” is seen again both in the case of Saul’s messengers and Saul himself.

[4] The last mention of the Spirit of the Lord in II Samuel involves David’s last words: “The Spirit of the Lord spoke by me, and His word was on my tongue” (II Samuel 23:2). To say “the Spirit of the Lord spoke” and then immediately to say “His word” confirms the idea that we are not to think of the Spirit as a separate entity from the Lord. This statement appears in the midst of a messianic prophecy and provides an internal witness to David’s inspiration by the Spirit.^[2] (See II Samuel 23:1-5.) 

Summary

[5] References to the Spirit of the Lord and the Spirit of God in Samuel offer intriguing insights when compared with previous uses of these terms. The phrases are used as synonyms. The first mention of the Spirit in connection with Saul sounds quite hopeful: Saul was “turned into another man,” and he prophesied. He had “another heart.” But the same Spirit of the Lord came upon David, departing from Saul and giving way to a distressing spirit from the Lord. When Saul sent messengers in an attempt to capture David, the Spirit of God came upon the messengers, causing them to prophesy. Saul himself finally tried to locate David, but the Spirit of God came upon him once again, causing him to prophesy as he had done previously. These events reiterate the idea of “supernatural vocalization” following the coming of the Spirit.

[6] Toward the end of his life, David prophesied about the coming Messiah under the inspiration of the Spirit of the Lord. The way David claimed inspiration shows that he understood there to be no distinct identity between the Lord and the Spirit of the Lord.

[7] As we saw in the book of Judges, the coming of the Spirit of the Lord upon a person does not indicate divine approval of that person’s character, lifestyle, or theology. This may be a troubling idea, but it is what we see in Scripture, even into Paul’s corrections for the abuse of spiritual gifts in I Corinthians 12-14. 

I and II Kings 

[8] There are two references to the Spirit of the Lord in I Kings, once by Obadiah, who was in charge of Ahab’s house and who feared the Lord, and once by the false prophet Zedekiah. To protect 100 true prophets from Jezebel’s massacre, Obadiah hid and fed them. When Ahab ordered Obadiah to help him search for Elijah, Obadiah’s quest was successful. Elijah said, “Go, tell your master, ‘Elijah is here’ ” (I Kings 18:8). Obadiah responded, “[A]s soon as I am gone from you . . . the Spirit of the Lord will carry you to a place I do not know: so when I go and tell Ahab, and he cannot find you, he will kill me” (I Kings 18:12).

[9] When Micaiah told the king of Israel that his prophets were lying when they predicted victory in his battle against Ramoth Gilead, Zedekiah “struck Micaiah on the cheek, and said, ‘Which way did the spirit from the Lord go from me to speak to you?’ ” (I Kings 22:24).

[10]After Elijah was taken up by a whirlwind into heaven, the sons of the prophets implored Elisha to let them send fifty men to search for Elijah. They said, “Please let them go and search for your master, lest perhaps the Spirit of the Lord has taken him up and cast him upon some mountain or into some valley” (II Kings 2:16). 

Summary

[11]Since Zedekiah was a false prophet, the only thing we may learn from him is that he understood that the Spirit of the Lord spoke to true prophets. He claimed, falsely, that this had been the case when he prophesied victory.

[12]Obadiah feared the Lord, and his reference to the Spirit of the Lord shows that he believed it possible that the Spirit could carry a person from one place to another, as happened in the case of the evangelist Philip. (See Acts 8:39-40.) The sons of the prophets also believed the Spirit of the Lord could transport a person.

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[1] Many English translations render the Hebrew ra` in I Samuel 16:14 as “evil.” That is certainly a possible translation, but the word is translated “distressing” in the NKJV and “sadness” in YLT. Baldwin says that the sense of the word is “injurious” (Joyce G. Baldwin, 1 and 2 Samuel: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 8, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries [Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988], 131). In the larger context of Scripture, this is not the only case where God is seen in the role of allowing what we would ordinarily see as “evil” to accomplish His purposes. (See I Samuel 19:9; I Kings 22:22-23; II Chronicles 18:21-22; Job 1-2; II Corinthians 12:7-10.)

[2] Other witnesses to David’s inspiration include Matthew 22:43; Mark 12:36; Acts 1:16; 4:25; Hebrews 4:7.

Copyright (c) 2019 by Daniel L. Segraves[archive]

In our Sunday school class at The Sanctuary UPC in Hazelwood, MO this past Sunday, I spoke briefly about Jephthah, his vow, and its consequences for his daughter. This was in the context of a series of lessons drawn from a book I’m in the process of writing, tentatively titled The Holy Spirit: An Apostolic Pneumatology.  I’m attempting to examine every reference to the Holy Spirit in the entire Bible. Jephthah is one of the judges upon whom the Spirit of the Lord came (Judges 11:29).

Although I didn’t include anything about the outcome of Jephthah’s vow in the study guide, which is posted here on this blog, I mentioned that there are various ideas on what actually happened after Jephthah’s daughter was the first to greet him on his return from his victory over the Ammonites. Jephthah had made this vow to the LORD: “If You will indeed deliver the people of Ammon into my hands, then it will be that whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the people of Ammon, shall surely be the LORD’s, and I will offer it up as a burnt offering” (Judges 11:31, NKJV).

When Jephthah returned and his daughter came out to meet him, he said, “Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low! You are among those who trouble me! For I have given my word to the LORD, and I cannot go back on it” (Judges 11:35).

She answered, “My father, if you have given your word to the LORD, do to me according to what has gone out of your mouth . . . . Let this thing be done for me: let me alone for two months, that I may go and wander on the mountains and bewail my virginity, my friends and I” (Judges 11:36-37).

Jephthah granted her request, and “at the end of two months . . . she returned to her father, and he carried out his vow with her which he had vowed. She knew no man. And it became a custom in Israel that the daughters of Israel went four days each year to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite” (Judges 11:39-40).

I mentioned that Jephthah is listed among the “heroes of faith” in Hebrews 11:32 and that it is a challenge to think of him this way, especially when we think about his vow and the statement “he carried out his vow with her which he had vowed.” For this reason, many commentaries seek to find a way around the idea that he actually offered his daughter as a burnt offering, a pagan practice.

In a discussion after the class, one of the attendees told me he had long puzzled over this problem, and that he had thought I was going to “pull a rabbit out of the hat” to solve it. I told him I had looked for the rabbit, but I hadn’t been able to find it.

But it occurred to me last night that I hadn’t checked to see what my favorite seminary professor, Dr. John H. Sailhamer, had said on this subject. Dr. Sailhamer is deceased now, but he was a world class Old Testament scholar, whose Ph.D. was in ancient near eastern languages from UCLA. He wrote many books and was involved in three Bible translations.

Dr. Sailhamer wrote, “The words of Jephthah in [Judges] 11:31 should be rendered, ‘Whatever comes out of the door . . . will be the LORD’s, or I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering.’ In other words, Jephthah dedicated his daughter to the service of the LORD” (John H. Sailhamer, NIV Bible Study Commentary [Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2011], 124-125).

I looked at the Hebrew, and this hinges on the fact that the conjunction typically translated “and,” which begins the phrase usually translated something like “and I will offer it up,” has the following range of possible meanings: and, so, then, when, now, or, but, that. The Hebrew conjunction is vav, sometimes spelled waw.

Dr. Sailhamer chose the meaning “or,” which is perfectly legitimate.

Most translators have chosen “and,” but I noticed that Young’s Literal Translation also uses “or.”

This makes me feel a lot better about Jephthah![archive]

 

Lesson 8: The Spirit of the Lord and the Spirit of God in the Former Prophets, January 20, 2019 | The Sanctuary UPC

Daniel L. Segraves

There is no reference to the Spirit of the Lord in the book of Joshua.^[1] We do know, however, that Joshua was full of the Spirit before Moses’ death and thus prior to Israel’s entry into the Promised Land (Numbers 27:18; Deuteronomy 34:9).

Judges 

[2] The first time the Spirit of the Lord is mentioned in the Former Prophets is in Judges 3:10. Because they had forgotten the Lord, He allowed the king of Mesopotamia, Cushan-Rishathaim, to rule over Israel for eight years. But when the Israelites cried out to the Lord, He raised up Othniel, Caleb’s nephew, who delivered and judged Israel for forty years after the Spirit of the Lord came upon him. Othniel was the first of the judges. What we might call the “Othniel episode,” which includes the events leading up to his experience with the Spirit of the Lord until his death, demonstrates perfectly the commonly repeated pattern in Judges. This pattern is laid out in Judges 2:11-19 before the accounts of any of the judges.

[3] Gideon is the next person upon whom the Spirit of the Lord came (Judges 6:34). Like Moses, Gideon insisted he was not qualified for the role of deliverer (Judges 6:15; Exodus 4:10-14). But “the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon” (Judges 6:34), eventually giving his miniscule army of 300 victory over the 135,000 Midianites and Amalekites (Judges 8:10). Although Gideon constructed an ephod with which all Israel “played the harlot” and which “became a snare to Gideon and to his house” (Judges 8:27), he is the first of the judges listed in the “hall of faith” (Hebrews 11:32).

[4] Jephthah, the third judge upon whom “the Spirit of the Lord came” (Judges 11:29), was “a mighty man of valor” whose mother was a harlot. His father was Gilead, whose wife also gave him sons. Therefore, Jephthah was driven away and denied any inheritance. He became a raider, accompanied by “worthless men.” When the people of Ammon warred against Israel, the elders of Gilead asked Jephthah to be their commander against the Ammonites. The Lord delivered the Ammonites into Jephthah’s hands, and he judged Israel for six years (Judges 11:32; 12:7). Like Gideon, Jephthah is listed in the “hall of faith” (Hebrews 11:32).

[5] Samson was the fourth and final judge upon whom it is said that the Spirit of the Lord came. On the first occasion, the “Spirit of the Lord began to move upon him” (Judges 13:25). Each of the remaining times describes the Spirit of the Lord coming upon Samson “mightily” (Judges 14:6, 19; 15:14). The first of these enabled Samson to tear a young lion apart. The second resulted in Samson killing thirty men. On the third occasion, Samson was able to break loose from ropes with which he had been bound and to kill a thousand men with a donkey’s jawbone.

[6] Samson judged Israel for twenty years. Although it is not again mentioned that the Spirit of the Lord came upon him, two events indicate that the Spirit of the Lord is none other than the Lord Himself. First, after he finally told Delilah the source of his strength, the Philistines were able to capture and blind him because “he did not know that the Lord had departed from him” (Judges 16:20). Second, he was able to kill more Philistines at the time of his own death than he had during his life because he had prayed, “O Lord God, remember me, I pray! Strengthen me, I pray, just this once, O God, that I may with one blow take vengeance on the Philistines for my two eyes” (Judges 16:28). As with Gideon and Jephthah, Samson is listed in Hebrews 11:32.

Summary 

[7] The primary reason the Spirit of the Lord came upon various judges was to enable them to deliver the Israelites from their enemies. With Othniel, this was the king of Mesopotamia; for Gideon, the Midianites and Amalekites; Jephthah, the Ammonites; Samson, the Philistines. The pattern for the book is set forth in Judges 2:11-19. A clue in Judges 2:18 prepares us to know that the Spirit of the Lord is the Lord Himself: “The Lord was with the judge.” Samson’s prayers also indicate that we are not to think of the Spirit as a mere force or as an entity in any way separate from the Lord.

[8] The character of judges like Jephthah and Samson shows that the work of the Spirit in their lives was not a reward for good behavior. We must remember, however, that they are included among other flawed people in Hebrews 11 as examples of people of faith.

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[1] The Hebrew ruach does appear in Joshua 2:11 and 5:1, but it is in neither place a reference to the Spirit of God. It is, rather, found in a description of human discouragement and is sometimes translated something like “hearts did melt.”[archive]