Inter-Varsity Press

Contents

Introduction

David G. Firth and Paul D. Wegner

Part 1: Orientation to the Spirit in the Old Testament and the Ancient Near East

1. Breath, wind, spirit and the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament

Richard E. Averbeck

2. The Ancient Near Eastern background of the Spirit of the Lord in the Old Testament

John H. Walton

Part 2: The Spirit and creation

3. The Spirit and creation

Robert L. Hubbard, Jr

Part 3: The Spirit and wisdom

4. Spirit and wisdom

Tremper Longman III

5. Job 27:3: the Spirit of God in my nostrils

Rosalind Clarke

6. Psalm 51:10–17 (Heb. 12–19)

Daniel J. Estes

7. Spirit and presence in Psalm 139

Jamie A. Grant

8. Spirit of wisdom or Spirit of God in Proverbs 1:23?

Lindsay Wilson

Part 4: The Spirit and creativity

9. Bezalel and Oholiab: Spirit and creativity

Richard S. Hess

Part 5: The Spirit and prophecy

10. The view from the top: the Holy Spirit in the Prophets

Daniel I. Block

11. Is Balaam’s donkey the real prophet (Numbers 24:1–4)?

John N. Oswalt

12. The Spirit of Yahweh in Isaiah 11:1–9

Hilary Marlow

13. Isaiah 48:16: a trinitarian enigma?

Paul D. Wegner

14. Joel’s promise of the Spirit

Erika Moore

Part 6: The Spirit and leadership

15. The Spirit and leadership: testimony, empowerment and purpose

David G. Firth

16. The Samson saga and spiritual leadership

Eugene H. Merrill

17. Is Saul also among the prophets? Saul’s prophecy in 1 Samuel 19:23

David G. Firth

18. The ‘Spirit of the Lord’ in 2 Kings 2:16

Robert B. Chisholm, Jr

Part 7: The Spirit and the future

19. The Spirit and the future: a canonical approach

Willem VanGemeren and Andy Abernethy

20. The Spirit and the future in the Old Testament: restoration and renewal

Robin Routledge

Part 8: The Spirit at Qumran

21. The Holy Spirit at Qumran

Geert W. Lorein

INTRODUCTION

David G. Firth and Paul D. Wegner

The Spirit of God in the Old Testament (hereafter OT) appears to be the energizing force in the lives of people to accomplish God’s mission on earth.

Eberhard Kamlah describes it like this:

It can come mightily upon a man ( Jdg. 14:6; 1 Sam. 16:13 and passim), can ‘clothe’ him ( Jdg. 6:34 and passim), enter into him (Ezek. 2:2 and passim), descend upon him (2 Ki. 2:9; Isa. 11:2 and passim), impel him ( Jdg. 13:25), all of which indicates the powerful operation of God upon a man, enabling him to perform some ecstatic, supernatural deed.

The Spirit of God is an important topic in the OT, and yet there is surprisingly little scholarly work on this issue. To address this, we have assembled some of the best OT scholars to discuss various aspects of this topic, as well as specific exegetical articles on significant passages to provide further insight and depth. Richard Averbeck explores the various nuances of the relationship between wind and spirit in the OT, helping to answer the question of whether or not it is possible to speak meaningfully of the Spirit in the OT. John H. Walton provides an important backdrop to the wider issues by examining the ‘spirit of the Lord’ against its Ancient Near Eastern context.

After these two context- setting essays, we have major thematic essays, brought together with some studies on specific texts that have been thought relevant to the understanding of the Spirit in the OT related to the general theme under consideration. It should be noted that the conclusion of some of these articles is that specific passages do not contribute to a theology of the Spirit, though even these negative conclusions actually provide an important contribution. But others highlight aspects of the work of the Spirit that might surprise us, demonstrating the value of reflecting on the OT’s perspective on the Spirit. The issue of spirit and creation is covered by Robert Hubbard, while Tremper Longman examines the spirit and wisdom. The exegetical discussions on specific wisdom passages ( Job 27:3 by Rosalind Clarke; Ps. 51:12–19 by Daniel Estes; Ps. 139:8 by Jamie Grant; Prov. 1:23 by Lindsay Wilson) help fl esh out the concept of wisdom and the spirit. Rick Hess discusses the area of spirit and skill (or creativity), centring on passages from Exodus. Daniel I. Block provides an overview of the spirit and prophecy, with specific passages on prophecy covered by John N. Oswalt (Num. 24:2), Hilary Marlow (Isa. 11:2), Paul D. Wegner (Isa. 48:16) and Erika Moore ( Joel 3:1–2 [et 2:28–29]). David Firth provides an overview of the spirit and leadership in the historical books, with specific exegetical articles by Eugene Merrill ( Judg. 13:25; 14:6, 19; 15:14), David Firth (1 Sam. 19:23) and Robert Chisholm (2 Kgs 2:16). Willem VanGemeren and Andrew Abernethy and Robin Routledge provide two thematic articles on the spirit and the future, providing a bridge for further development of the spirit in the New Testament (hereafter NT). Finally, Geert Lorein explores the understanding of the spirit in the Qumran materials. …