Issue 31 What is Joy?Blog | The language we use about the Holy Spirit
The language we use about the Holy Spirit
Author: Andy PeckPost Date: 23.06.22
It is quite common for people to make observations about the role or meaning of the Holy Spirit based on aspects of the language scripture uses – including comments about the ‘gender’ role of the Spirit. But careful reading of the scriptural narrative shows a surprising diversity in the language that is used.
The Spirit as hovering
You don’t have to read very far in the Bible before you come across the Spirit of God. In Genesis 1:2, the earth is formless and void, and ‘darkness was over the face of the deep’ and we encounter the ‘Spirit of God’ who is hovering, f luttering or trembling over these chaotic, formless waters, waiting in anticipation to bring God’s light, order and peace as God speaks the creation into being. The image hints at what we will find in the New Testament, when the Spirit comes bodily on Jesus in the form of a dove at his baptism.
The Spirit ‘comes on…’
Despite this promising beginning, throughout the Old Testament the Spirit appears to come occasionally and sporadically, usually for a specific purpose. So in Exodus 31:2 and 35:30, the Spirit fills a metalsmith, Bezalel son of Uri, to equip him for the task of making artefacts of gold, silver and bronze for the tabernacle where the God of Israel will make his home. The Spirit is here associated with creativity, discipline, skill, wisdom and holiness.
The Spirit is particularly associated with prophets and prophecy, though not always in the way we might expect. The Spirit comes on Balaam and enables him to speak a prophetic blessing over Israel, against his inclination, in Numbers 24. In the Book of Judges, ‘the Spirit of the Lord’ came on God’s leaders, often ‘in power’, to enable them to deliver the people from their enemies [Judges 3:10, 6:34, 11:29, 13:25, 14:6 and so on] – even empowering the rather wayward Samson. At several points, the Spirit comes on king Saul, and he unexpectedly joins in with bands of prophets [1 Samuel 10:9, 19:19]. On one occasion the Spirit makes him burn with anger and this terrifies the people [1 Samuel 11:6], and on another the Spirit causes him to lie naked all day and night [1 Samuel 19:24] – not perhaps spiritual gifts we will be looking for in the local church!
