The Holy Spirit in the Old and New Testaments
Rev. George L. Majors
January 13, 1980Fairbanks, Alaska
The Holy Spirit in the Old Testament
Scripture Reading: Genesis 41: 1-8 kjv
And it came to pass at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh dreamed: and, behold, he stood by the river. And behold, there came up out of the river seven well favored kine and fatfleshed; and they fed in a meadow. And, behold, seven other kine came up after them out of the river, ill favoured and leanfleshed; and stood by the other kine upon the brink of the river. And the ill favoured and leanfleshed kine did eat up the seven well favoured and fat kine. So Pharaoh awoke. And he slept and dreamed a second time: and, behold, seven ears of corn came up upon one stalk, rank and good. And behold, seven thin years and blasted with the east wind sprung up after them. And the seven thin ears devoured the seven rank and full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and, behold, it was a dream. And it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled; and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all the wise men thereof: and Pharaoh told them his dream; but there was none that could interpret them unto Pharaoh.
Here is a case of the head of a government seeking advice. His strange dream had troubled him and he sought the help of the magicians of Egypt. But there was none that could interpret the dreams for him. They couldn't help him. Many people today resort tot he same unreliable sources - fortune tellers, palm readers, fronologists, ouija boards, and astrology. Thousands of people plan their daily lives by the horoscope.
But the Egyptian King heard of Joseph and Joseph gave the King the right answer. He explains the meaning of the dream: "And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, 'The dream of Pharaoh is one: God hath shewed Pharaoh what He is about to do. The seven good kine are seven years; and the seven good ears of corn are seven years: the dream is one. And the seven thin and ill favoured kine that came up after them are seven years; and the seven empty ears blasted with the east wind shall be seven years of famine. This is the thing which I have spoken unto Pharaoh: What God is about to do he sheweth unto Pharaoh. Behold, there come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt: And there shall arise after them seven years of famine; and all the plenty shall be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine shall consume the land; And the plenty shall not be know in the land by reason of that famine following; for it shall be very grievous. And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice; it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.'" Genesis 41: 25-32 kjv
Then Joseph gave the king some good advice - to lay supplies aside for the lean years to come. First, seek some good leadership, seek one who is discreet and wise. Discreet means having discernment with self-control - able to make impartial decisions. (vs. 33) Second, organize; set officers over portions of land and divide it into five districts. (vs. 34) Third, build store houses for all the excess grain and lay it aside for the bad years. (vs. 35, 36)
The Bible teaches us to be good stewards; to work and earn while we can and then to lay in store for the lean years. The first principle of good stewardship is giving God is rightful share. Proverbs 3:9,10 says "Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall they barns be filled with plenty, and they presses shall burst with new wine." The second principle is to be industrious. In Proverbs 6:6-8 we find: "Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in harvest." The third principle is to be generous. Ephesians 4:28 says, "Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth." It is a blessing to be able to give to others in need. And Jesus said that it is more blessed to give than to receive.
Continuing with the story of Joseph, Pharaoh picks Joseph to be his chief advisor because he recognized Joseph's wisdom as being from God. (vs. 37 - 40) "And Pharaoh said unto his servants, "Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is?" Joseph possessed the Spirit of God which accounts not only for his ability to interpret dreams but also his ability to endure everything he had been faced with up until that point: hardships, envy, being rejected by his brothers, being sold into slavery, being sent to prison and forgotten. And through all of this and by this path he was able to help. Joseph seemed to have far more trials and hardships than his share, yet, he didn't let it get him down. He kept a good attitude. And God greatly blessed him in due time.
He had every reason to hate his brothers but, when they stood before him, seeking food, instead of taking revenge, he looked for some sign of sincere remorse on their part. And, instead of pouring out his wrath in revenge for their evil deed, he poured out his love and forgiveness. This is the heart of real Christianity! Although Joseph sat beside the Pharaoh - on the throne - he did not have his own sense of self seated upon the throne of his own heart. Instead, God sat upon that throne. What a difference the presence of God makes!
If Joseph was able to entertain the presence of God in his day, how much more ought we to be able to in our day!
The Holy Spirit in the Day of the Gospel
The Spirit of God has been involved in the world from the very beginning. In Genesis 1:1,2 we read, "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 deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters." And from that time on, the Spirit of God has been moving upon the hearts of people of every generation.
God's Holy Spirit came upon Mary, the mother of Jesus. Luke 1:35 says, "And the angel answered and said unto her, 'The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God." The Holy Spirit came upon Elisabeth, the cousin of Mary, the mother of John the Baptist. Luke 1:41, "And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost"The Holy Spirit came upon Zacharias, Elisabeth's husband and the father of John the Baptist. Luke 1:67,68, "And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying, 'Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people" His Spirit came upon John the Baptist also, even before he was born. Luke 1:11-15, "And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the alter of incense. And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said unto him, 'Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and they wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb.'"
These people were all godly people living to please God and walking in the light they had. Luke 1:5,6, "There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless."
In Luke 2:25 we read of yet another named Simeon: "And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ. And he came by the Spirit to the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law, then he took him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, 'Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: For mine eyes have seen thy salvation.'" (vs. 25 - 30)
Sometimes we get the impression that the Holy Spirit came into the world on the Day of Pentecost. He did come into the the church which Jesus established, to officially own, fill, and empower it. Acts 2:16-18 and vs. 21 say, "But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; 'And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy... And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
But God's Holy Spirit has been in the world and working in humans hearts from the very beginning. What then was the day of Pentecost which we read about in Acts 2? It was a special outpouring of God's Spirit upon a newly prepared people - His Church. The Salvation of Christ now makes possible a people suitable to receive and entertain God's Holy Spirit. Light cannot dwell with darkness nor righteousness with sin. The Gospel of Christ prepares people's hearts for the reception of God's Holy Spirit. He never fills a dirty vessel. Our hearts must first be clean. 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 says, "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, 'I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty."
Sinners need first to seek the Savior then God's Holy Spirit will fill the temple if we ask Him to.
