Do You Know Him? Part 3

Although the Holy Spirit was not available to every person in the Old Testament, He was seen working among the chosen nation of Israel. Looking at His work in the Old Testament we see that His work was generally seen in four major areas...

• The work of creation. (Genesis 1:1-31)
• The progressive work of redemption (Genesis 6:3, Hebrews 1:1, 1 Peter 3:18-20)
• The work of inspiration of the scriptures (2 Peter 1:21)
• The work of the Spirit in the affairs of Israel (Genesis 41:38, Exodus 28:3, 31:1-6. 35:31, Numbers 11:16-29, Judges 3:9-10, 6:34, 11:29, 14:6-19, 15:14, not all inclusive) 

The Old Testament Scriptures reveal that judges, kings, priests and prophets in Israel experienced the Holy Spirit upon them. All of these were a type of Jesus Christ, The Anointed One, who would be seen in the New Testament as having the fulness of the Holy Spirit upon Him. All who experienced the power and operation of the Holy Spirit upon them could testify that it was "not by (their) might, nor by (their) power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of Hosts." (Zechariah 4:6)

At the close of the Old Covenant period and the ushering in of the New Covenant, there were particular and special operations of the Holy Spirit. Undoubtedly this was due to the new era that was about to begin with the unveiling of the Messiah into the history of mankind. This ultimately would open the door for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon all flesh. This would be the fulfillment of that which was spoken by the Prophet Joel, "And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions. And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days." (Joel 2:28-29)

At the start of the New Testament we see the work of the Holy Spirit in a unique way. Zacharias and his wife Elizabeth had one of those experiences relative to the birth of their son John the Baptist, the forerunner of the Messiah. John the Baptist was filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother Elizabeth's womb, "And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. (Luke 1:41) John himself would go forth to minister in the spirit and power of Elijah (Luke 1:17) Also Mary the mother of Jesus was overshadowed by the Holy Spirit in order for the virgin birth of Messiah to take place. (Luke 1:46-55) We also see that both Simeon and Anna, a prophetess, came by the Spirit to the temple at the time of the dedication of the baby Jesus. (Luke 2:25-32)

It should be remembered that these working of the Holy Spirit happened only to chosen people of God who were equipped for a particular divine service. However, as it will be seen in part four of this series, there was a definite difference in the experiences of the Holy Spirit for the Old Testament saints as well as the New Testament saints prior to the Day of Pentecost. It starts with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit...