WHO IS THE HOLY SPIRIT? Part III
December 2023
In the previous two articles of this series, we looked at the Holy Spirit in the Godhead and the names of the Holy Spirit. Now let’s look at biblical symbols of the Holy Spirit.
Myer Pearlman, speaking of symbols said, “It has been well said that ‘words are often but lame vehicles for the conveyance of truth. At their best, they but half reveal, half conceal, the hidden depths of thought.’ God has chosen to illustrate with symbol what otherwise, because of the poverty of language, we could never know.”1
Symbols are used to bring to the mind of the reader a specific function or purpose. So let’s look at these symbols.
Oil. Pearlman says of this, “Whenever oil was used in the Old Testament it spoke of usefulness, fruitfulness, beauty, life, and transformation. It was commonly used for food, light, lubrication, healing, and soothing of the skin. In like manner, in the spiritual order, the Spirit strengthens, illumines, liberates, heals and soothes the soul.”2
When a king was chosen in Israel, he was anointed with oil. The oil that anointed the kings was, in effect, stating that their success in ruling came from God through the anointing of the Holy Spirit. In fact, when they were anointed, the oil was liberally poured upon them to the degree that from the head to the bottom of the robe was saturated in oil, symbolizing the fact that we can be saturated with God’s power, guidance, and love as one is baptized in the Holy Spirit. Oil was also used as fuel for lamps to illuminate a room. Likewise, we need the oil to burn bright in us. We need the oil to illuminate Christ in us. Oil also penetrates, saturates, and lubricates—all of which portrays the work of the Holy Spirit.
Water. (Ex. 17:6, Ezek. 47:1-9, John 3:5, 4:14, 7:38-39.) Water speaks of life, or, as John 7:37-39 says, “Rivers of living water.” Just as natural water is a necessary requirement for physical life, so too is the water of the Spirit necessary for spiritual life. Any church that welcomes the Holy Spirit and seeks after the Holy Spirit is a church filled with life. There is an exuberance there—joy, worship. In other words, there is an obvious expression of spiritual life. Water symbolizes divine grace, refreshing, and purification. As the song says:
There’s a river of life
Flowing out from me,
Makes the lame to walk
And the blind to see.
On the other hand, churches that do not believe in the Holy Spirit experience of Pentecost are dry, formal, and, for the most part, have no life.
Fire. (Isa. 4:4, Matt. 3:11, Luke 3:16.) Fire speaks of the purging and purification of the Holy Spirit. As John 3:11 states, “He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire.” The fire of the Holy Spirit refines us and purifies us. Fire molds us into that which the Lord desires just as natural fire is used to mold and shape metal. And just as fire can warm a house, spiritual fire warms the heart of the believer.
Wind. (John 3:8, Acts 2:2.) Wind speaks of power, as in the rushing, mighty wind of Acts 2. Kenneth Wuest, in his Greek expanded translation of the Bible, says this: “An echoing sound out of heaven as a wind borne along violently.” And Zodhiates Word Study Dictionary, New Testament describes this “wind” as “violent wind,” “storm,” “a hurricane,” all of which speaks of power. The Holy Spirit is power—power to heal, deliver, and save. Every miracle performed by the Lord during His earthly ministry was done through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Dove. Pearlman says of this, “The dove, as a symbol speaks of gentleness, tenderness, loveliness, innocence, mildness, peace, purity, and patience. Among the Syrians it is an emblem of the life-giving powers of nature. A Jewish tradition translates Gen. 1:2 says, as follows: ‘The Spirit of God like a dove brooded over the waters.’ Christ spoke of the dove as the embodiment of the harmlessness which was characteristic of His own disciples.”3
The Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus in the form of a dove in all four gospels. Mark D. McLean says of this, “The dove was a poor person’s substitute for a lamb and identified Jesus as the Lamb of God who by His sacrifice on Calvary takes away sin.”4 The Holy Spirit’s influence and His working in us is always gentle, hence the use of the dove as an appropriate symbol. The Holy Spirit as the dove will never force Himself upon us. We must yield to Him. We must also be very careful how we treat the Holy Spirit and how we respond to the Holy Spirit.
By the use of these symbols, we begin to see how the Holy Spirit operates and how He functions in our lives and in the church.
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Sources:
1Myer Pearlman. Knowing the Doctrines of the Bible. Springfield, Missouri: Gospel Publishing House, 1981.
2Ibid.
3Ibid.
4Mark D. McLean, “The Holy Spirit,” in Systemic Theology, ed. Stanley M. Horton (Springfield, Missouri: Gospel Publishing House, 1994), 266.