The Holy Spirit In The Old Testament -- By: Monroe Parker

Journal: Central Bible Quarterly
Volume: CENQ 03:1 (Spring 1960)
Article: The Holy Spirit In The Old Testament
Author: Monroe Parker


The Holy Spirit In The Old Testament

Monroe Parker

President, Pillsbury Conservative Baptist Bible College

In studying the Christian doctrine of the Holy Spirit, we are occupied with a subject which is inseparably related to the whole body of revealed truth. There are many phases of the Bible teaching” regarding the Spirit of God; it is not easy to dissociate these various aspects altogether. Also in a study of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament, it is difficult for us to divest ourselves, even for the moment, of New Testament revelation and transfer ourselves back to the position of the Old Testament people whose ideas were not so complete and comprehensive, though consistent with arid prophetic of later forms of truth and faith.

Since consistency prevails in all the Word of God, and since we recognize the latency of the New Testament in the Old and the latency of the Old in the New, there is no reason why we should not study the Old Testament in the light of the New. The inspiration of the Old Testament Scriptures by the Holy Spirit is also pertinent to the subject under discussion, for the Bible claims inspiration by the Holy Spirit for the Old Testament. “It is of Scripture, then, in both Testaments, that we are told the Holy Spirit is the real Inspirer and responsible Author” (Cumming, “Through the Eternal Spirit”).

The writer of Hebrews attributes the ninety-fifth Psalm to the Holy Spirit (Heb. 3:7; 4:3). It was Peter’s conviction that the Holy Spirit spoke through David (Acts 1:16; 4:25). Again he attributes the book of Genesis to the Spirit (Heb. 4:4). Paul said, “Well spake the Holy Spirit by Esaias-the prophet unto our fathers” (Acts 28:25). Again Paul spoke of the “sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God” (Eph. 4:17). Speaking of the prophecy of the Scriptures Peter said, “Men spake from God, being moved by the Holy Spirit” (II Peter 1:21).

Many of the Old Testament writers themselves claimed divine inspiration. Isaiah, Ezekiel, Micah, Zechariah, and others professed to have a God-breathed message (Isa. 34:16; Ezek. 2:2; 9:9; Micah 3:8; Zech. 11:12).

The Hebrew word ...

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