In an earlier post titled “The Holy Spirit in the Old Testament” I gave a brief overview of that subject. Now I would like to concentrate on the only three times in which the phrase “Holy Spirit” is specifically mentioned there, compared to the approximately 90 times it appears in the New Testament. However, Van Pelt, Kaiser and Block express the opinion that “the operation of the Spirit of the Lord is both pervasive and diverse [in the Old Testament].”
As to the OT appearances, Baigent says that “it seems to denote the presence of God amongst His people.”
Naude comments on all these occurrences as follows: “The Lord's holy name contrasts with everything creaturely. The nom. [i.e. 'holiness'] also typifies the Lord's Spirit (Ps 51:11). In Isa 63:10-11 the Spirit referred to is the Spirit God sent among his people during the Exodus but who was grieved by Israel through their rebellion. God's holiness thus becomes an expression for his perfection of being that transcends everything creaturely.”
Below are scholarly comments on the meaning of these three verses along with their later use by New Testament authors:
Psalm 51:11 reads, “Do not drive me from thy presence or take thy holy spirit from me.” (NEB)
The Anchor Bible translates the last half of that verse as “and the spirit of your holiness do not take from me.”
M'Caw and Motyer state, “The...concept of sin as separation from God is now introduced with its twofold emphasis upon distress at the possibility of being severed from God for ever and deprived of His Holy Spirit, and a craving for moral health, a cleansed record, a new heart and a steadfast spirit.”
“As the self-manifesting, transforming presence of God amongst his people, the Spirit is expected to accomplish deep existential renewal that recreates the very heart of humankind in obedience (Jer. 31:31-40; Ezek. 36:24-29; cf. Ps. 51:10-14); Is. 44:3-5).” (Turner)
Anderson: “It is often argued that since the Psalmist was in permanent possession of the spirit of Yahweh, he must have been the King who was the only official in Israel who enjoyed this privilege. This is possible, but, on the other hand, 'thy holy Spirit' may be simply another term for the personal presence of Yahweh, as in Isa. 63:10-14.”
Pao and Schnabel note regarding Luke 11:13, “the Holy Spirit has already been introduced in Luke's birth narrative.., and in this verse the bestowal of the Spirit is promised as a response to prayer. This connection is rooted in the OT (Num. 11:19; Ps. 51:11)...”
“The withdrawal of Jesus' presence from the Jews in the present passage [i.e. John 9:1] strikes an ominous note of judgment similar to the removal of God's favor from King Saul (1 Sam. 15:23) or David's fear that God would take his Holy Spirit away from him (Ps. 51:11).” (Kostenberger)
Isaiah 63:10-11 says, “They rebelled and grieved his holy spirit...God put his holy spirit in the midst of them.” Besides constituting two of the three usages of “Holy Spirit” in the OT, the more important fact is that although verse 11 could be used to explain that the spirit is merely an impersonal force of some kind, verse 10 appears to treat Him as a Person.
Kidner: “The terms are close to those of Ps. 78...But he uses the terms with a new intensity (cf. v. 9a), and with a new emphasis on the holy Spirit as the Lord in the midst of His people (vv. 10,11,14).”
Watts explains: “The mal'ak panayu ('the angel of the presence') of 63:9, understood in the LXX [Greek Septuagint of the OT] as 'no angel or messenger but Yahweh himself'...had led Israel through the waters and sent his Holy Spirit among them (63:11).”
Kamlah says that “in the past, the period of salvation at the exodus had been marked by the gift of the Spirit to Moses; indeed that whole national deliverance had taken place in the power of the Spirit (Isa 63:11-14).”
“Interspersed throughout their calls for covenant renewal, the prophets also remind Israel of their rebellion against Yahweh after their exodus from Egypt (Isa 63:10).” (Carpenter and Grisanti)
As to the concept of grieving, Fretheim says, “The verbal usage [of 'sb] specifies an inner grieving in the face of loss...Three instance have to do with God's grieving, provoked by the sinful response of the human race (Gen 6:6) and by Israel, from its beginning (Ps 78:40) and throughout its history (Isa 63:10). God is revealed not as one who remains unmoved by the human response, but as one who is deeply affected by what has happened to the relationship.”
“The divine response to Jesus' acknowledgment of the judgment of God [in Mark 1:9-11] was the descent of the Spirit as a dove and the voice from heaven. Both of these elements are to be associated with the new exodus in the wilderness prophesied by Isaiah (Chs. 32:15, 44:3; 63:10-14). This prophecy is fulfilled in proleptic [i.e. anticipation or applying a future development as if it were present] fashion in the descent of the Spirit upon Jesus.” (Lane)
Watts sees a parallel between Isaiah 63:10 and Mark 3:29: “As C.K. Barrett...ventured some time ago, the closest, if not only conceptual parallel in Israel's Scriptures is Isa. 63:10...The text is striking for its emphasis without parallel in Israel's Scriptures on Yahweh's 'Holy Spirit' (63:10-11; cf 63:14; Ps 51:11), which Spirit, though also infrequent in Mark, nevertheless occurs in his opening chapters only in connection with Jesus' baptism (1:10-11) – already seen by Mark as Yahweh's response to Isa 63's lament – and here where it concerns the origin of Jesus' undoubted authority.”
Also commenting on the subject of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (this time in Luke 12:10), Pao and Schnabel state: “The closest parallel is Isa. 63:10...[which] introduces the theme of Israel's rebellion and of God's judgment that followed...The 'Spirit' is 'the holy presence of Yahweh, which is a form of his outward manifestation to Israel theologically retrojected to the period of the nation's inception' (Childs). The prophet describes the Israelites' rebellion against God's saving revelation at the time of the exodus as grieving God's Spirit.”
Stephen's conclusion to his speech in Acts 7:51 ('You always resist the Holy Spirit') is reminiscent of Isaiah 63:10 according to Marshall.
Commenting on Ephesians 4:30, Thielman says, “Paul admonishes his readers not to 'grieve' [lypeite] the Holy Spirit of God, a statement that echoes the language of Isa. 63:10, although it neither translates the Hebrew...['atsab]...literally...nor matches the rendering in the LXX...Within its context Isa. 63:10 describes how Israel's rebellion against God, even after he had showed them mercy, turned God into their enemy and resulted in their exile.”
“Mathewson...argues that 'the author's language in [Hebrews] 6:4-6 is colored by OT references by means of allusion and echo apart from direct citation.'...For Mathewson, that those who have fallen away had become companions of the Holy Spirit (6:4c) echoes the experience of the wilderness wanderers, who had extensive interaction with the Spirit of God, as witnessed in numerous passages...Thus, the author of Hebrews utilizes the language of the OT to describe a particularly grievous abandonment of the Christian community in his day.” (Guthrie)
Conclusion
Kaiser asks the all-important question: “Are we to suppose that the Holy Spirit of Psalm 51 is the same Holy Spirit to which the New Testament refers? Or is an understanding of the Holy Spirit too advanced for the state of revelation under the older covenant?” He answers with the example in John 3 of Nicodemus, whom Jesus expected “to know about the person and work of the Holy Spirit...from the Old Testament alone.”
He concludes: “The Old Testament does teach of a personal Holy Spirit who brought people to truth in the Man of Promise who was to come in the line of Abraham and David – and the Spirit indwelt those saints just as surely as he indwelt believers in the New Testament.” And concerning Is. 63:10-11, Kaiser notes that v. 9 refers to God the Father as well as the preincarnate Christ, referred to as 'the angel of his presence.' That last contention is perhaps indicative, but not really stated in concrete terms.
One final indication of the opinion Bible scholars have to say on the subject can be perhaps deduced by the way various translators have rendered the phrase “Holy Spirit” in these two OT passages, i.e. in the manner of capitalization or non-capitalization of these two words:
Translation(s) Psalm 51:11 Isaiah 63:10 Isaiah 63:11
JB, NEB, NRSV holy spirit holy spirit holy spirit
NIV, Living Bible Holy Spirit Holy Spirit Holy Spirit
RSV holy Spirit holy Spirit holy Spirit
KJV holy spirit holy Spirit holy Spirit
TEV loyal spirit holy spirit spirit
The Message breathe holiness Holy Spirit Holy Spirit
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