The Holy Spirit

By Jason Wetz

Glimpses of the Spirit

To gain understanding of who the Holy Spirit is, we look to the Bible to consider the first man was who received the Holy Spirit in a permanent fashion, Jesus the Messiah. Let us take a look at what Messiah's predecessor had to say in John 1:19-34:

19 Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?”
20 He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.”
21 And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?”
He said, “I am not.”
“Are you the Prophet?”
And he answered, “No.”
22 Then they said to him, “Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?”
23 He said: “I am
‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
“Make straight the way of the Lord,”’
as the prophet Isaiah said.”
24 Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees. 25 And they asked him, saying, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”
26 John answered them, saying, “I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know. 27 It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose.”
28 These things were done in Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ 31 I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water.”
32 And John bore witness, saying, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. 33 I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.”

So here we have the answer in the words of John the Baptist, the predecessor of the first man – Jesus the Son of God – to receive the Holy Spirit in a permanent fashion. John said the only way that he knew who would be the Messiah is that he would be the one upon whom the Spirit descended and remained. This is he who would baptize the rest of men with the Holy Spirit.

Now with this background in mind, we will refer to the prophet Isaiah who predicted John's coming (cf. Isa. 40:3). This Prophet describes to us the Spirit that descended upon Jesus. Isaiah 11:1-5 reads:

There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse,
And a Branch shall grow out of his roots.
2 The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him,
The Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
The Spirit of counsel and might,
The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.
3 His delight is in the fear of the Lord,
And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes,
Nor decide by the hearing of His ears;
4 But with righteousness He shall judge the poor,
And decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth,
And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked.
5 Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins,
And faithfulness the belt of His waist.

Recalling the story of Ruth, the man she married after the death of her husband was named Boaz, and they had a son whom they named Obed. Obed fathered Jesse. This we find documented in Luke's genealogy of Jesus (cf. Lk. 3:32) and also in Matthew's genealogy (cf. Mt. 1:5-6). We also find the genealogy in the book of Ruth (cf. Ruth 4:21-22). Jesse was the father of King David, i.e. the messianic line.

Now we see Isaiah the Prophet saying the Holy Spirit will rest permanently upon a descendant of Jesse, David's father. That descendant was also known as the Rod. John the Baptist realized that this man whom the Holy Spirit remained upon was Him who would baptize all others with the Holy Spirit, and that He – Jesus – was the Messiah. So we now know the first person to receive the Holy Spirit in a permanent way was Jesus the son of King David the son of Jesse.

How can we describe the Spirit that came upon Him? We see in Isaiah 11:2 that the Spirit of the Lord shall rest (or remain) upon Him. Take note of the six nouns:

The Spirit of 1) wisdom and 2) understanding,
The Spirit of 3) counsel and 4) might,
The Spirit of 5) knowledge and of the 6) fear of the Lord.

These words describe the very nature of the Holy Spirit. We shall investigate each of these words the original Hebrew and comment on how we appropriate those attributes into our own lives.

1. The Spirit of wisdom: noun-hokhmah 2451 – "wisdom" experience; shrewdness. I Kings 4:29-30 reads:

And God gave Solomon wisdom and exceedingly great understanding, and largeness of heart like the sand on the seashore. Thus Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the men of the East and all the wisdom of Egypt.

Wisdom (hokhmah) is the knowledge and ability to make the right choices at the opportune time. The consistency of making the right choices is an indication of maturity and development. Solomon obviously had numerous decisions to make. What about you and me? God desires for us to make the correct decisions whether it is in our business or spiritual life. Did not God help Joseph, son of Jacob, to make the right decisions? Joseph came from being a prisoner to being second in command of all Egypt. Indeed so, those around say that God's spirit of wisdom was upon Joseph. The same spirit of wisdom is available to us as believers, regardless of what we put our hand to do. We must rely upon the wisdom from above. We should understand that when those around us see us making unusual and consistently wise decisions, it brings glory to God. When we are asked how we do it, we point back to the Master.

2. The Spirit of understanding: noun-binah 998, understand. Moses states in Deuteronomy 4:5-6:

Surely I have taught you statutes and judgments, just as the Lord my God commanded me, that you should act according to them in the land which you go to possess. Therefore be careful to observe them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes, and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’

Understanding is the capability to mentally distinguish between two things. God gave Israel statutes and judgments to obey, and if they did so, they would be blessed by God and multiply in the land that God gave to them. If they disobeyed and worshiped other gods, they would be dispossessed of their land, or at other times the land would not produce food for them. In essence they were given the right to choose between two clearly presented options: obey and be blessed; disobey and be cursed. We must seek God for help to make clear to our mind the choices before us, so that we can make decisions between right and wrong.

3. The Spirit of counsel: noun-ay'tsaw 6098 – advice, advisement, counsel. Psalm 33:10-11 reads:

The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;
He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect.
The counsel of the Lord stands forever,
The plans of His heart to all generations.

We are to receive counsel from three different sources: a) from others, b) from ourselves (how often it is that we ponder our own thoughts on what to do on many matters) and, c) from God. Shall we not indeed cast all of our cares upon Him? Shall we not seek His will for every occasion and every problem? Certainly learning the voice of our Shepherd is of the utmost importance. In fact, this is precisely the lesson of the book of Job. How quick were Job's friends to give their darkened counsel to Job. Brothers, sisters, husbands and wives, be very cautious about giving counsel to others in the name of God. We need to encourage those seeking counsel to find the voice of the true Counselor. Anyone who does give counsel to others had better be sure that it is indeed from God. Do you desire to take the place of the one whose right was prophesied: "His name shall be called wonderful, counselor, mighty God" (cf. Isa 9:6).

4. The Spirit of power: noun-geburah 1369, power, strength. Judges 5:31 reads:

Thus let all Your enemies perish, O Lord!
But let those who love Him be like the sun
When it comes out in full strength.

Power (gevurah) simply means strength in its purist form. Paul speaks of believers in Messiah as being in a race for the finish line. If we are indeed in a type of race, the question is not that we try to outrun each other, but that we endure the hardships and struggles along the way. As we run we are to be one body, and if along the way our enemy tries to stop us, how then shall we be able to finish if God is not our strength (gevurah). Does the scripture not say: "He who is in us is greater than he who is in the world" (cf. I Jn. 4:4). Note well that we alone are no match for the enemy, but it is the power (gevurah) in us. We must rely upon God to be our power, both physically and spiritually.

5. The Spirit of knowledge: noun-da'at 1847, knowledge. Hosea 4:6 reads:

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
Because you have rejected knowledge,
I also will reject you from being priest for Me;
Because you have forgotten the law of your God…

This noun knowledge (da'at) comes from the word root in Hebrew ya'da, to know, thus meaning the following:

To know by observing and reflecting (thinking)
To know by experiencing
To know by being told

Friends sometimes ask me if I have struggled to learn and memorize the scripture. I simply tell them that there is only one verse that I struggle to hang on to, John 14:26 which reads:

"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you."

Regarding point a) we gain knowledge (da'at) by observing and reflecting on the experiences of others. We watch their circumstances, their choices, and the repercussions of their choices. Thus we are able to form a sound basis for future decisions, simply by gaining knowledge (da'at) of the experiences of those near us.
As regards point b) we know that God does take all of us through many trials, and that He uses those trials to help us gain knowledge. He also promises his followers that all things work together for good for those who love him and are called according to his purpose (cf. Rom. 8:28). Therefore, we should be ready for gaining knowledge by pure experience, though the things we go through day by day.

Regarding point c) it is clear that we can gain knowledge simply by being told. But let us take that a step further. Many find the scriptures to be mind-boggling, but this should not be the case. Why? Simply because God desires for you to gain knowledge about Him and His plan! The only way we can do that is by spending time with Him, the same way one becomes a friend with any other person. The greatest way to grow in your relationship with God is to study His word. God truly will teach you all things, as John 14:26 says. Yes, God will use pastors and Bible teachers, but His heart is to speak with you one on one. I am not necessarily referring to an audible voice, but rather certainly to divine revelation, which many times is simply a divine impartation of knowledge of His will without hearing words, whether audible or internal. As you make an effort to study His word, He promises to teach you, giving you knowledge (da'at) and understanding. Does not the scripture also say, "He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him" (cf. Heb. 11:6).

6. The Spirit of fear (or awe): noun- yir'ah 3374, fear, reverence. Proverbs 1:28-29 reads:

Then they will call on me, but I will not answer;
They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me.
Because they hated knowledge
And did not choose the fear of the Lord.

Fear (yir'ah) may refer to fear of men, things or situations, or of God. Let us first note that this is not a fear in the sense we are scared to death that God is going to get us with a lightning bolt if we are bad (though we need to recognize that God is indeed able to do so). Rather, the fear (yir'ah) of which we are speaking is true awe-inspired respect, when we as created beings simply realize that we stand before the Almighty Creator, fearing Him and recognizing His greatness.
It is very easy not to be fearful enough, or to become too fearful so that we refuse to go near God as He desires. The Bible teaches that God first called everyone to Mt. Horeb, but after the first encounter with God the Israelites became so scared that they asked for a mediator (cf. Deut. 5:23-27; 18:15-16). We do indeed have a mediator (I Tim. 2:5) but our mediator desires also to be the lover of our heart. Let us not forget our mediator is God, and God is not our "buddy." He is certainly our friend, yes, our brother, yes, but not our "buddy." He is to be revered (yir'ah), respected and approached as such.

As one reads Isaiah 11:3 we notice that the order of the six spirits (attributes) has fear (yir'ah) listed last. There is thus an emphasis on the fear of the LORD. As Isaiah said: "and His delight is in the fear of the LORD." Why such an emphasis on this spirit of fear of the LORD? The English has "His delight…" however the Hebrew word is much more expressive, and means literally that "He is made to breath." So one may more accurately translate this as, "He is made to breath in the fear of the LORD." Why must one be made to breath in the fear of the LORD? The prophet Jeremiah says of the last gathering of the Jewish People to their homeland:

And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from doing them good; but I will put My fear in their hearts so that they will not depart from Me. (Jer. 32:40)

When God places his spirit of fear upon us it causes us to desire to obey His commandments. This spirit of fear becomes a controlling motive in our lives. Not just the terror of his awesome power, but a wholesome dread of displeasing Him. Peter uses this understanding perfectly when he writes that we ought to conduct ourselves throughout our stay here in fear (cf. I Pet. 1:17). Peter uses the Greek word phobos (5401). This word corresponds to the Hebrew word yir'ah (fear of reverence). In Philippians 2:12 Paul uses the same Greek word, "therefore my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling." Therefore we find that this spirit of the fear of the LORD cause a sincere desire to obey the Master, a desire which we do not normally have.

In conclusion, we have just investigated the Spirit that rested upon Jesus after He was baptized by John. The Spirit of:

Wisdom hokhmah–the knowledge and ability to make the right choices at the opportune time. Consistently making the right choices is an indication of maturity and development.
Understanding binah–the capability to mentally distinguish between two things.
Counsel ay'tsaw–advice taken from one's self, friends, or best of all, from God.
Power giburah–the sheer power and strength to endure physically and spiritually.
Knowledge da'at–the essence of gaining knowledge by observing and reflecting, experiencing, and being told.
Fear yir'ah–the reverence of God as Almighty Creator and recognizing our position as being created by Him.

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