THE ROLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

The role of the HS in the OT is comparably much like His role in the NT. When we speak of the HS in the OT, we can discover at least three specific areas in which He works in the lives of men and women during those days. We will discover His work in regeneration, approval, and empowerment. Let us talk about these three works of the Holy Spirit.

1. The Holy Spirit REGENERATES the Hearts of Men.

“The LORD your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live.” - Deuteronomy 30:6

God has spoken these words through Moses for the Israelites to hear. He has laid out to the children of Israel the conditions on how they ought to live their lives and has given them specific consequences of their obedience and disobedience. He is clear to tell the people the blessings of obedience and the curses of disobeying his commands.

26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. 28 Then you will live in the land I gave your ancestors; you will be my people, and I will be your God. 29 I will save you from all your uncleanness. - Ezekiel 36:26-29b

God is basically telling the children of Israel that he will remove their hardened, stony heart and replace it with a heart that is tender and soft before God. In other words, God is going to spiritually circumcise their heart to remove their wicked and stubborn ways of disobedience and change their heart that is willing to obey and follow his commands. The Holy Spirit is God’s agent who acts upon the regeneration of men. Men are powerless to overcome sin and too weak to obey God’s commands. We need the Spirit of God to help strengthen us to push back temptations which constantly confronts us day to day.

2. The Holy Spirit APPROVES Men for Specific Tasks.

The approval of God on men for specific tasks is the “indwelling” or the “infilling” of the HS. This is what the anointing is about. Spirit anointing has to do with God’s approval on a person He has called to do specific tasks. When we speak of “indwelling” or “infilling” in the context of the OT, we need to understand that God had given his approval to do the work in which he anoints the individual with oil. These anointing with oil represented the coming of the HS upon them and giving them approval to do the tasks.

“Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward. And Samuel arose and went to Ramah.” - 1 Samuel 16:13

It is the same basic principle written by Luke in the Book of Acts about the anointing of Jesus.

“You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.” - Acts 10:38

3. The Holy Spirit EMPOWERS Men for Service.

As God gave approval towards his people to do certain tasks by anointing them with oil, he empowers them for service through the work of the Holy Spirit.

1 Then the LORD said to Moses, 2 “See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, 3 and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills— 4 to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, 5 to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of crafts. - Exodus 31:1-5

This is clear evidence that the Holy Spirit empowers individuals for service whatever the tasks may be. Often we find in OT how the Holy Spirit empowers men and women like Joshua, Gideon, Samson, Deborah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel and others for service because empowering individuals for service is one of the major roles of the Holy Spirit.

8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” - Acts 1:8

Without the work of the Holy Spirit in men’s life, regeneration or transformation will be impossible to achieve. It takes the work of the Holy Spirit to change a man from being a sinner to being a saint. The Holy Spirit is the source of new life. Men in his own power will not be able to change his ways from being a sinner to being a true follower of Jesus Christ.

Devotion by: Pastor D. H. Geronimo

Date added: 11/07/2025

NOTE: All Scripture used are NIV unless otherwise stated.