The Holy Spirit in the Old Testament – Moses

Psalm 106: 33  The people rebelled against what the Spirit of God was doing and Moses said things he should not have said.

Nehemiah 9: 20  The Spirit was given to instruct the people in the wilderness; You guided them, feed them, and took care of physical and health needs.

Isaiah 63: 10, 11, 14 (10 is about Isaiah’s time but still reflects the Exodus)  The Spirit gave rest to the people but they rebelled against Him and grieved the Spirit; still they wanted to know where He was that had done miracles for them.

No definite moment; David had one, Jesus had the Dove come down, the 120 had tongues of fire rest on them, but we are not told the definite moment that Moses was given the Spirit!  It may have been at his calling in Exodus 3: 12, or at Mount Sinai in Exodus 19 or 24, it may have been in Exodus 33, but the fact is Moses was given the Spirit we are just not told when or where.  Numbers 11 is the story of God taking some of the Spirit and putting it on the seventy elders; so, we know Moses had the Spirit and that His Spirit was transferable. Does the “definite moment” matter, no!

It seems that the Spirit was doing “His work” in the Exodus just like He did in Genesis.  He was giving life and instruction to these ex-slaves. It is just that they were not wanting it and kept complaining.  Even the elders (Exodus 24:10) that saw God were quick to go with the golden calf and not with the God they had seen.

The Holy Spirit was definitely active in the Exodus and in Moses.  If you reflect on Moses’ personal growth in the Exodus story you can see a Spirit-led walk.  Since “no definite” moment is mentioned I will guess that it is a tsȃlach anointing.

I will cover the four words used to describe when the Spirit “came upon” people in the Old Testament.