Was the Holy Spirit at work in the Old Testament?

The Holy SpiritIn theological review

The short answer

Yes, the Holy Spirit was at work throughout the Old Testament, from creation itself to equipping craftsmen, rulers, and prophets. Genesis opens with the Spirit hovering over the waters, Exodus shows him filling Bezalel with skill, and the Psalms and prophets speak of his presence and power. The great difference at Pentecost was not his arrival, but the new, widespread outpouring Joel had promised and Jesus sent.

The fuller answer

The Spirit is present from the Bible's second verse. Before God speaks light into being, the Spirit of God is hovering over the face of the waters in Genesis 1:2, active in creation itself. From there his work runs through the whole Old Testament story. He filled Bezalel with skill, ability, and knowledge for building the tabernacle, in Exodus 31:3, a reminder that his gifts include craftsmanship as well as prophecy. He also came upon judges and kings for the tasks of their moment, including David, anointed while Samuel watched.

Now the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.

Genesis 1:2 (BSB)

The Psalms and prophets speak of the Spirit in personal, covenant terms. David, broken over his sin, pleaded with God not to take his Holy Spirit away, in Psalm 51:11, language that assumes the Spirit's known presence with God's king. Isaiah looked back on the exodus and remembered God putting his Holy Spirit among his people, in Isaiah 63:11, and Ezekiel heard the promise of a day when God would put his Spirit within his people for good. None of this sounds like an absent Spirit waiting offstage for the New Testament to begin.

And afterward, I will pour out My Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.

Joel 2:28 (BSB)

What changed, then, was scale and permanence, exactly as Joel foretold. Joel promised a day when God would pour out his Spirit on all flesh, sons and daughters, old and young, servants included, in Joel 2:28, and Peter declared that promise fulfilled at Pentecost. In the old covenant the Spirit equipped particular people for particular tasks at particular times. In the new covenant, through Christ, he indwells every believer as a permanent gift. The same Spirit was always at work; Pentecost widened the river rather than turning on the water for the first time.

So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David from that day forward. Then Samuel set out and went to Ramah.

1 Samuel 16:13 (BSB)

David's anointing shows the pattern in a single scene. Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him among his brothers, and the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward, in 1 Samuel 16:13. The word rushed hints at power for a calling far beyond a shepherd boy's ability: kingship, worship, and eventually the psalms the church still sings. The same Spirit equipped Bezalel's hands, steadied judges, and spoke through prophets. Old Testament believers lived by faith in the same God, served by the same Spirit, awaiting the same Saviour, even before his fullness was poured out on all flesh.

Sources

Berean Standard Bible (BSB)
The Apostles' Creed (received text)

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Who is the Holy Spirit?The Holy Spirit is God himself, the third person of the Trinity, not a force, a feeling, or God's power in the abstract. He is there at creation, hovering over the waters. He speaks, teaches, and can be lied to, and when Peter confronts Ananias he says the lie told to the Holy Spirit was a lie told to God.When do Christians receive the Holy Spirit?At conversion, when a person hears the gospel and believes. Paul tells the Ephesians that in Christ, having heard and believed the word of truth, they were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit. The Spirit is not a second stage reserved for a spiritual elite. He is the seal of everyone who belongs to Jesus.What does the Holy Spirit do?He convicts the world of sin, guides believers into the truth, teaches and reminds them of Jesus's words, and produces a different kind of life in them: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness. His work always points to Jesus rather than to himself, and its fruit shows up in character, not in show.What is the difference between the Old and New Testaments?The difference is covenant, not importance or truth: the Old Testament records God's old covenant with Israel, with its law, sacrifices, and promises, while the New Testament records the new covenant Jesus established, in which those promises are fulfilled. The word testament itself is the older English word for covenant, a binding agreement God makes and keeps.Bible Character: DavidThe shepherd of Bethlehem who killed Goliath, became Israel's king, received God's everlasting covenant, and wrote many of the Psalms.Bible Character: MosesThe prophet who led Israel out of slavery in Egypt, received the Law on Mount Sinai, and brought the people to the edge of Canaan.Bible Character: IsaiahThe prophet who saw the LORD high and lifted up in the temple, volunteered to be sent, and foretold the child to be born and the servant pierced for our transgressions.Lesson: The big story of the BibleThe Bible is one story, not sixty-six separate ones. Walk the whole arc once, from creation to new creation, and every book you open will have a place to sit.