old testament

Biblical Numbers

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Numbers play an important role in many books of the Bible. What each means is significant for the overarching themes that connect them all. Each number has a unique meaning.

What I’ve found is a few numbers are repeated the most: 3, 6, 7, 8, 12, 40.

3 symbolizes perfection and completion. One can find it in the Trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It’s also there in how long it took Abraham to travel in order to attempt sacrifice of his son Issac. Jonah was in the belly of the huge fish for 3 days. Jesus took 3 days to resurrect after His death on the cross. There are many more examples, but they all point to resurrections of sorts or a type of completion of perfection.

6 symbolizes humanity. Mankind was created in 6 days and allowed to work 6 days before resting. Slaves were allowed to be kept 6 years before being given freedom. The numbers 666 in Revelations point to an evil beast where it notes implicitly that it is the number of a man. One can also see today that carbon, the makeup of all living beings, has an atomic number 666: 6 protons, 6 electrons, and 6 neutrons.

7 symbolizes spiritual perfection or even the end. There are 7 days in a week due to creation’s time span, 7 churches, 7 spirits, and 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit. This is not to mention the 7 seals, 7 trumpets, and 7 bowls that announce the end of this heaven and earth as we know it.

8 symbolizes a new beginning. Other than the 8th day obviously being the first day of a new week, there are other examples. Newborns were to be circumcised on the 8th day, God saved 8 people from the Great Flood, and Jesus appeared 8 times after his resurrection. The New Testament has 8 authors. Jesus’ name in Greek adds up to 888.

12 symbolizes spiritual authority. There were 12 Israelite tribes, 12 judges, and 12 apostles. 12 loaves of unleavened bread needed to be presented in the temple each week. In Revelations, 12,000 of each tribe is sealed.

40 symbolizes trials. The Great Flood covered the earth 40 days and 40 nights. Moses lived 40 years away from his birth home after killing a man and was on Mount Sinai facing God for 40 days. The Israelites wandered the desert 40 years after betraying God. Jonah prophesied in Nineveh 40 days and Ezekiel slept on his right side 40 days in protest and fasting. Jesus walked the desert 40 days and 40 nights fasting before being confronted by Satan.

These are just some of the many numbers that connect stories in the Bible. The holy book is a unified whole, constantly referring back to past stories and songs. Numbers play an important role in all this.

Do you have any numbers that stand out in your own life?

God bless!

How the Bible, Fairy Tales, and Judicial Branch are Related

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Some unbelievers like to call the Bible a fairy tale, but did you know there actually is a similarity in their purpose?

There is such a disconnect between the mind set and cultural norms between our modern world in the West and the ancient world in the East that it’s easy to misunderstand where the writers of the Bible were coming from. Did you know there are 613 laws in the Old Testament? Did you know Torah (the first give books of the Bible) is not correctly translated as the Law but as Instruction or Revelation? In fact, our understanding of law and judges are not the same as the understanding of people living in the Old Testament.

We are a society with statutory law. In other words, nowadays, judges use detailed written law codes to make judgements. Back then, as sources state, they used a fluid wisdom tradition or an “intuition of justice with a background of cultural norms” (bibleproject). It was not formulaic. They relied on the morality of the judges. Now, we hope they are moral, but they are still allowed to make judgements as they are no longer considered the authority: the law is.

The laws as described in the Old Testament included both natural, obvious transgressions and other customary wisdoms, which could be fluid within reason. For instance, “Don’t murder” is obviously a good rule for ever and everywhere. There are exceptions even in that law, present even in the Bible (i.e. self-defense, warfare, etc.). Some are murkier like “Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard” (Leviticus 19:27). This is generally agreed to be a practice done by other nations who were idolaters either in the worship of their gods or in excessive, immoderate mournings. This is, in our western modern world, not a known practice that still exists. If you’re cutting the sides of your head or beard, you probably aren’t doing it because you worship other gods. This is what the laws boil down to. Most of the odd laws in the Bible are simply clarifying, for the people of that time and place, the main commandments such as the Big 10 (i.e.Don’t worship other gods).

Fast forward to the 1800’s Germany, there were two brothers whose father was a lawyer. They were librarians, writers, and scholars. The two professions collided when they decided to collect old tales from across Germany.

What compelled the (Brothers) Grimm to concentrate on old German epics, tales, and literature was a belief that the most natural and pure forms of culture—those which held the community together—were linguistic and based in history. According to them, modern literature, even though it might be remarkably rich, was artificial and thus could not express the genuine essence of Volk culture that emanated naturally from experience and bound the people together. Therefore, all their efforts went toward uncovering stories from the past. (neh.gov)

They’d realized that old tales, passed down to children throughout the ages, held the collective moral conscience and what it meant to be a German. Publication of their collected tales spurred several other European countries to do the same (neh.gov/notablebio).

In the same way, the writers of the Bible were writing down history, stories, poetry, much of which were previously conveyed before by oral traditions in order to pass down the collective moral conscience of the community and what it meant to be a Child of God. Throughout most of history, people just didn’t think to write every single thing down, but at some point someone realized that it might be important preserve this sense of right and wrong and sense of cultural identity for future generations.

By the time Jesus arrived on Earth as a human, there were several sects of Judaism who were seeing the Old Testament in more of a statuary law sense. This is what people call legalism. It can sprout many rabbit trails, which begin to make things impossible.

Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. Matthew 5:17-22

The law remained the law. The collective knowledge of God’s ways and truths remained His truths. However, as Jesus explains, some people were so tied up in correcting people over washing of hands and plucking an ear of corn on the Sabbath that they failed to see that these laws were there to promote a gentle, loving soul. The heart and spirit of the laws were not about just abstaining from causing death: they were about raising up to life.

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:37-40

Then some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, “Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They do not wash their hands before they eat.”

Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? For God said: ‘Honor your father and mother’a and ‘Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.’ But you say that if anyone says to his father or mother, ‘The help you would have received from me has been given to God,’ he need not honor his father or mother with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. You hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied correctly about you:

‘These people honor Me with their lips,

but their hearts are far from Me.

They worship Me in vain;

they teach as doctrine the precepts of men.’ …

“Do you not yet realize that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then is eliminated? But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these things defile a man. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander. These are what defile a man, but eating with unwashed hands does not defile him.” Matthew 15:1-20

Jesus was returning their attention to the spirit of the law, which boils down to the collective moral conscience of the Israelite people.

It’s important to know where the writers and intended readers of the Bible were coming from in context of their own culture, time period, assumed mores, etc. It helps us to fully understand the messages they’re trying to convey.

God bless!

https://www.notablebiographies.com/Gi-He/Grimm-Brothers.html
https://www.neh.gov/humanities/2015/marchapril/feature/how-the-grimm-brothers-saved-the-fairy-tale
http://www.yashanet.com/library/under2.htm
https://reformjudaism.org/learning/torah-study/va-etchanan/torah-rules-or-wisdom
http://www.helsinki.fi/teol/pro/_merenlah/oppimateriaalit/text/english/judaism.htm

Podcast:
The Bible Project – Law as a Revolution (and others)

Why is God so Different in Old & New Testaments?

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Have you ever read through the Bible and found the depiction of God very different between the Old and New Testaments? Did it make you wonder if there were two gods being spoken about or if God had changed very much through the years? Why then does the Bible claim He’s unchanging?

In everything, it’s important to ask questions and seek them unflinchingly, though the answers have the potential of making us uncomfortable. God gave us brains to seek Him all the better. Let’s begin with the many times the Bible states God is unchanging, since this the origin of our idea about His everlasting nature.

For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed. – Malachi 3:6

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. – James 1:17

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. – Hebrews 13:8

God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it? – Numbers 23:19

Of old you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you will remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away, but you are the same, and your years have no end. – Psalm 102:25-27

So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. – Hebrews 6:17-18

Let’s now consider the parts of the Bible that seem contradictory concerning God’s nature.

First, some say the Old Testament God is wrathful while the New Testament God is full of love. Actually, He’s both in both places. Here are verses showing a God of love in the Old Testament.

The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and egracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness – Exodus 34:6

The Lord is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but he will by no means clear the guilty (unrepentant), visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, to the third and the fourth generation. – Numbers 14:18

For the Lord your God is a merciful God. He will not leave you or destroy you or forget the covenant with your fathers that he swore to them. – Deuteronomy 4:31

They refused to obey and were not mindful of the wonders that you performed among them, but they stiffened their neck and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt. But you are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and did not forsake them. – Nehemiah 9:17

Return to the Lord your God,
for he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love;
and he relents over disaster. – Joel 2:13

In the New Testament, He’s also shown as willing to punish or even allow painful natural consequences.

For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and chastises every son whom he receives. – Hebrews 12:6

Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! – Romans 5:9

They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath. – 1 Thess 1:9-10

If you read the Bible from Genesis to Revelations, you get a full picture of God and His relationship to humans. See, the Bible was written by us, through the divine spirit, so when humans felt the wrath of God, it poured out in their works. When, they were visited by blessings, that spilled into their writings.

God is a God of love, and one thing He despises is when evil is visited upon innocents. Our choices throughout history have a rolling domino effect onto others in the present and future. We may not always understand His directives, and His directives do change according to the circumstances. Yet, He has always wanted to change us for good above all. He yearns for us to change for good, and if we don’t, it understandably upsets Him. It upsets Him not just that He’s losing us but that we’re inflicting the world and future with our evils, death, and pain.

Second, some will point to how God ordered the Israelites to kill many peoples as they moved through the lands. How could a loving God ask for us to do such a thing?

First of all, God doesn’t like death. In fact, He’s completely at odds with it.

Old testament:

For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent and live! – Ezekiel 18:32

New Testament:

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. – 2 Peter 3:9

Same God.

Evil is a cancer, spreading to kill all the healthy cells. What do we do with cancer? We remove it, but any cancer that doesn’t or can’t come out manually must be killed (i.e. radiation or chemo). If we don’t kill it, it will KILL EVERYTHING ELSE. God would rather thousands die than for trillions, innumerable souls die.

The command was only to annihilate the inhabitants of Canaan (Deuteronomy 20) who didn’t leave or choose to join Israel. You need to remember that the inhabitants were given a choice, first and emphatically, to leave their lands or join Israel. It’s just that many refused. Some did though, like the prostitute spy Rahab and the entire tribe of Gibeonites!

Other enemies were not be handled the same. They were supposed to not kill their women or children as they were not part of the soldiers and had little to no power over, well, anything at the time. Yet, they couldn’t be abandoned at the time or they’d all die. So, they were absorbed into the Israelites.

However, it’s important to note that God told them to push the inhabitants out of the land of Canaan because He was promising it to His people so they could develop their own identity, an identity that would be supremely important in clearing a genetic pathway to the savior of the world. If they didn’t get the other people out somehow, those inhabitants (who by the way were noted to be very wicked, violent, sacrificed children regularly) would influence the Israelites in turning from God. The children are innocent, though, right? Yes, they definitely are, while they were children. Those children were being raised in a horrible situation, doomed to spiritual and possibly physical death and pain. If they had the ability to join Israel, they could make that choice too. It’s impossible to make warfare comfortable for people, and it’s certainly not comfortable for God. So, imagine your discomfort times a million for a God who created each one of those people, loved them, and watched them suffer and die. Do you believe in a God of love? Then, you must understand that He loves those who died, and this was a last resort.

If a people were relentlessly evil, breeding needless violence, creating deformities through incest, bringing pain and death through their many means, He would always warn first and then allow natural consequences if they didn’t change. Do you not think a God of love wouldn’t give many chances before the last resort or that He doesn’t know people’s hearts better than us?

Third, some may bring up the harsh punishments Israelites were ordered to give for breaking various laws. Surely, we’re no longer supposed to kill anyone who cheats, are gay, or who has premarital relations?

No, we’re not. Israel was a theocracy, created in order to bring the ways of God into the forefront, to mold an entire line of genealogy, and these punishments weren’t all that different from the punishments given by other nations in the same time period (example: Hammurabi’s Code). Another point to make, take it as you will, is that Moses had a degree of leniency in creating punishments and rules in that theocracy, so he may have been influenced somewhat by other nations. Why do I say that?

Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?”

“Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”

“Why then,” they asked, “did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?”

Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.” – Matthew 19:3-9

Now, the laws still stand that were written in the Old Testament, but now, the punishment is eternal death (if one doesn’t change their heart). That’s the crux of it. Things were made plain black and white for the Israelites to fully understand the consequences of their sins. However, it was just symbolic of what was occurring spiritually. We no longer live in a theocracy, so punishments can’t be the same. Moses was trusted to give out instructions, and he did so for the better of the Israelites in their time period. It was the beginning of a change. Not the fulfillment or perfection of it.

There are as many examples of His love as His wrath throughout the Bible. He is our truest Father, guiding, warning, allowing consequences, forgiving forever until we learn.

Another reason for the change in depiction of God is because the purpose of each book of the Bible is different. Some were meant to warn people of the consequences of their ways. Many times, even if it warned, it would remind them that God loves them and will keep harm away if they’ll just change. The entire purpose of most of the New Testament was to spread the message of the gospel and the story of Jesus as the savior of mankind. That obviously makes the tone more one of hope and joy. As we’ve stated before, the word gospel literally means “good news.”

God doesn’t change. Our views on Him might have throughout history. Our relationship with Him definitely have.

I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. – John 15:15

The Old Testament was a leading up to the reasoning of us needing a savior, our hopelessness without God. The New Testament is the fulfillment of God’s plans to finally save us and the joy we have in spreading this hope. Really, the way we chose to characterize God in the Old and New Testaments have more to do with us and our reactions to God than God actually changing in any way. Of course God is more angry in the Old Testament while His people are still learning, trial and error, His ways and failing miserably. Of course God is more joyful in the new Testament as His plans have come to fruition for His people and the invitation for ALL nations to be His people was spreading in the world.

Thank God for His unchanging nature. We need that permanence in a forever changing universe.

The LORD reigns, He is clothed with majesty; The LORD has clothed and girded Himself with strength; Indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved. – Psalm 93:1

Blood & Water

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I hope you get more out of this weekend than bunnies and chocolate eggs. I hope you take more than a moment to recognize that what you’re celebrating is bittersweet.

As you may be aware, Jesus was in an exceptional amount of torment, physically and mentally, during his crucifixion. However, when the legionnaire lanced Him through the side (to ensure He died), blood and water came out. Medically, that means:

“- there was an escape of water fluid from the sac surrounding the heart, giving postmortem evidence that Our Lord died not the usual crucifixion death by suffocation, but of heart failure (a broken heart) due to shock and constriction of the heart by fluid in the pericardium.” (CBN)

He died of a symbolically broken heart because of our sins.

Unlike Christmas’s proximity to His possible birth, Easter Sunday is probably very close to when Jesus actually died on the cross. Jesus was crucified on the eve of Passover,which lasts seven days. He rose around Saturday night just as the weekly Sabbath ended. Let’s see how the Passover was a sign of God’s promise and yearly reminder of a savior He’d send to His people.

Long ago, in the Old Testament, Jews were enslaved by the Egyptians (much like God’s children are enslaved by the evils of this world before they’re saved). God sent a plague that ravaged Egypt, killing every first born except for those who smeared lamb’s blood on their doorways (the lamb symbolizing Jesus, of course). Those same families would be gathering inside their safe homes and eating the very first Passover meal, which was rife with symbols of both bitter times, mourning, and finally hope and renewal. It was a way to remember the past, put it behind them, and move on to a brighter future.

The next day, the Jews left Egypt en masse. After three days, the Pharaoh realized that they weren’t returning from their religious holiday and began to pursue them. It wasn’t long after that the Hebrews passed onto the other side of the parted Red Sea, not allowing their pursuers to follow them.Many years later, Jesus rose from His grave and saved His people from their own spiritual pursuers.

Forty years after they fled Egypt, the Jews crossed the Jordan River to enter into God’s Promised Land. This is the same river in which Jesus was baptized.

Please have a good weekend, but remember God’s great love for you, how He’d die for you, and most importantly how He lives again for you.

Many blessings.

Sources other than Bible:
https://www1.cbn.com/medical-view-of-the-crucifixion-of-jesus-christ
https://www.ucg.org/the-good-news/jesus-wasnt-crucified-on-friday-or-resurrected-on-sunday-how-long-was-jesus-in-the

Christmas: Light After Darkness

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“After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.” Matthew 2:9-11

Winter Solstice is an astronomical event, marking the longest night of the year, and it usually occurs between December 21-23.

Just before Jesus was born, the Israelites experienced a long night themselves, held up only by faith in God’s promises to bring them a King. The period between Malachi and the Messiah was known as the “400 years of silence,” during which time there were no prophets and God did not speak to the Jewish people. They remembered the prophecies of old:

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” Micah 5:2

“Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” Zechariah 9:9

Then, a light came out after that long night, and the silence was broken forever.

Like a man stumbling out of a dark room into the bright sunlight, when Jesus was born, many were blind to the fact their King had finally arrived.

“-the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.” Matthew 4:16

“When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have a light of life.” John 8:12

It’s interesting to note that Hanukkah, the festival of light celebrated by Jews, is followed by the darkest period of the year. This is followed by Christmas, a celebration of Jesus’ birth. In the same way, the Jews rejoiced in God’s light, which lasted in faith throughout a silent time of darkness, before Jesus came to Earth to be the light to even the gentiles.

Will you celebrate the light this season? Will you remember to be the light for others all year around?

Merry Christmas and may your homes be filled with light, love, and joy.

Sources other than Bible:
https://www.gotquestions.org/400-years-of-silence.html

Holy Spirit – Part I Old Testament

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The holy spirit didn’t just pop into existence in the New Testament. It’s been around since the beginning.

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” Genesis 1:1-2

So, wait, what was the holy spirit doing floating over the barren earth? God was preparing to bring life to his creations! His spirit was present before even mankind. Would you stop at this point for a moment and contemplate this?

The holy spirit in Hebrew is Ruach (breath/wind) Hakodesh (divine inspiration). However, it is also described later as an individual sentient being. A being that existed, along with God (the father) and the Word (the son), before the creation of humanity. God, His truth, His love, and His ways have been around before us. Let’s remember that. God’s holy spirit is Truth no matter what our opinion is; it exists with or without us. However, He’d rather have us with Him.

“Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” Genesis 2:7

Now, the Hebrew word for breath used here was nashamah, which can mean breath or spirit (Strong’s Concordance). Take a look at just one verse (of many) which speaks of the holy spirit as giving life:

“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.” John 6:63

It’s not coincidence that God also “breathed” a life-giving spirit into humanity. You didn’t think this was just about a physical breath? One idea is that everyone was guided by God’s holy spirit in the beginning. Now, after the fall from Eden, we must be re-born into the spirit to welcome His breath back into our lives. We are literally dead and without breath before we follow God.

Many times, the old testament brings up the subject of the Holy Spirit.

When the world became corrupt just before the Great Flood:

“Then the Lord said, “My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal; his days will be a hundred and twenty years” Genesis 6:3

When God was preparing His people to create a glorious tabernacle as a sign of their relationship:

“I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts.” Exodus 31:3

When God led Moses and His people through the desert for forty years:

“You gave your good Spirit to instruct them. You did not withhold your manna from their mouths, and you gave them water for their thirst.” Nehemiah 9:20; also 9:30

When Job and his friends were contemplating Job’s downfall in life:

“But it is the Spirit in a man, the breath of the Almighty, that gives him understanding.” Job 32:8

When people made music:

“Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.” Psalm 143:10

“Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?” Psalm 139:7

When God promised his downtrodden people that their lives would improve:

“For I am with you,’ declares the Lord Almighty. ‘This is what I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt. And my Spirit remains among you. Do not fear’” Haggai 2:4-5

What are the characteristics of the holy spirit? Well, one thing we can look at is the physical aspect. What the Spirit looks like can be summed up with its name. It is a divine wind, and like any wind, it is a movement that you can feel but can not see. You can see it sway the trees, and when it’s whipped up into a fury, it can pull up houses. However, you can not see it, only what it does and how it feels caressing your cheek.

As far as its other various and complex characteristics, it is referred to in the Bible as the:

Counselor

Teacher

Spirit of truth

Spirit of holiness

Spirit of life

Spirit of glory

Eternal spirit

Spirit of wisdom & understanding

Spirit of grace & supplication

Spirit of son-ship *

Spirit of judgment & fire

Spirit of God/the Lord

When we walk in the guidance of the holy spirit, we can be assured we are living in Truth, not hiding in the darkness of secrets but living in Love of God and others, fully brave, knowing that we are meant for much more than just the day-to-day worries. As children of God (Spirit of Son-ship), we know we are children of the one, true King and are therefore also royalty; therefore, we know we should act accordingly.

This post will be only Part 1. Next week, we’ll go into the Holy Spirit within the New Testament.

*”The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” Romans 8:15 (Abba is the Hebrew equivalent of Da-Da, a child’s way of referring to their father with affection.)