Is the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament?
"The earth didn’t have any shape. And it was empty. Darkness was over the surface of the ocean. At that time, the ocean covered the earth. The Spirit of God was hovering over the waters" (Genesis 1:2).
"I will put my Spirit in you. I will move you to follow my rules. I want you to be careful to keep my laws. You will live in the land I gave your people long ago. You will be my people. And I will be your God" (Ezekiel 36:27–28).
Yes, the Holy Spirit is in the Old Testament and He did much of the same things as He does in New Testament and modern times. Here are some ways you can see the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament:
•the Holy Spirit helped in creation (Genesis 1:2).
•the Holy Spirit helped people have faith. In Hebrews 11, we see many names of people from the Old Testament who had faith to believe.
•the Holy Spirit "indwelled" people, or lived in them (1 Samuel 16:12–13). This is different than in the New Testament where he lives in believers all the time. In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit would come to someone for a time so they could complete a task.
•the Holy Spirit helped people serve. The Holy Spirit gave a man named Bazalel the ability to make the artwork in the tabernacle (Exodus 31:2–5).
Sometimes we think of the Holy Spirit as one who came once Jesus went to heaven. Instead, we need to remember that the Holy Spirit is God, so He has always existed and has always been working in the world.
