Scripture
Genesis 1:1
[1] In the beginning God created heavens and the earth
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ.
This is the sixth lecture on Genesis.
I have explained the different names of God.
I said there are names that focus mainly on the outward form and there are names that focus on the heart.
Currently, the Korean version of the bible is good to explain these spiritual meanings.
However, I was told that many versions of the Bible and in other languages it doesn’t discern these differences clearly.
Even so, if you can understand the spiritual meaning, even if your Bible’s language is somewhat different in language expression from the Bible expressed in the Korean language, you may still be able to understand this message well.
If the Bible in your language doesn’t discern the differences well, please listen to this message keeping the following point in your mind; the Old Testament generally focuses on the outward form, but the New Testament, on the inner heart.
Dear brothers and sisters.
Now, let’s take a look at the different names of God the Trinity in greater detail.
First of all, it is “the Spirit of God.”
I told you that “God” is the name referring to God the Trinity (or “God as the Trinity”)
In the Old Testament, “the Spirit” refers to the outward form of God. But in the New Testament, “the Spirit” refers to the heart.
If you don’t feel God in your heart, your fellowship with God may be a little bit of a “formal” one.
Say, a boy was separated from his father when he was a very young child.
Now let’ say that 20 years later he is reunited with his father.
What kind of feelings would he have for his father?
He may feel his father is just his father in name only.
When he needed his father’s care, his father was not with him. And so, he may not feel the heart and the love of his father.
He may think of him as “formal father” just the man who is his biological father.
On the other hand, suppose that there is another person who grew up in the love and care of his father.
To him, his father means more to him than the man who is his biological father.
When he thinks of the word, “father,” he is reminded of love and dedication that this father gave to him, and he will feel the heart of this father (who raised him).
Likewise, the emotion and the love that touches an individual’s heart may be different when they think of his “father”.
It is the same when people describe their experience of God’s work, focusing either on the outward form of God or on the heart of God.
In the days of the Old Testament, Israelites couldn’t call God “Father.”
To them, God was the only God who governs the conduct of a man’s life and his death, and all fortune and misfortune.
And they considered themselves as “the chosen people” of the One and Only God.
And thus, they used the term, “the Spirit of God” focusing on the outward form of God.
For example, Genesis 1:2 says, “The Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.”
It means that God the Trinity came down to the earth that was covered by waters, and looked around.
In addition, Exodus 31:3 says, “I have filled him, (Bezalel, the craftsman of the Tabernacle of God) with the Spirit of God in. . . “
Even Gentiles knew that the god the Israelites believe in was “God”.
That’s why Pharaoh, the king of Egypt called Joseph, “a man in whom the Spirit of God is. [KJV]”
However, unlike the Old Testament times, the use of “the Spirit of God” here is used and it is focusing on the heart of God.
I already explained that “the Spirit” here refers to the attributes of God’s heart, which are truth, goodness, and love.
The children of God in the New Testament days can feel such a heart of God when they experience the work of God.
For instance, Romans 8:9 says, “However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you.”
Here, “the Spirit of God dwells in you” means that the heart of God resides in you.
In other words, the truth, goodness, and love that are the attributes of God, come upon your heart.
And at this time, the bible says “you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit.”
It is, of course, the Holy Spirit, a divided entity of God the Holy Spirit that came to dwell in the heart of the people of the New Testament days.
However, “the Spirit of God” is used in this verse not only to affirm that a godly being is dwelling in you. . .
The expression is being used to help you feel the love of God who allows you to become a child of God by receiving the Holy Spirit.
Romans 8:14 says, “For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.”
In the era of the Holy Spirit, it is of course the Holy Spirit who dwells in the believers and leads them to the truth.
However, this verse didn’t say “all who are being led by the Holy Spirit,” but “all who are being led by the Spirit of God.”
The reason is again to show the heart of God who has given great love to each one of you until you become His child.
This verse also contains the meaning that those who resemble the heart of God can truly become “the sons of God.”
Until an individual becomes a child of God, God the Trinity work together.
It is God the Father who governs all things. A man receives forgiveness by believing in Jesus Christ, and then his dead spirit can come back to life only after he receives the Holy Spirit.
Likewise, not by the work of just one, but by the cooperative work of God the Trinity can a child of God come to be.
This is why “the Spirit of God” is used.
If you remember what I just explained, you can understand the Bible better when you encounter this “Spirit of God.”
Dear brothers and sisters.
Now, let’s take a look at the name of God the Father using “the Spirit of the LORD.”
“The LORD,” (or “Jehovah” used in different versions of the bible) means “I AM WHO I AM.”
“Jehovah” is the translation of the Hebrew name for God or “LORD” which means “I AM WHO I AM”
“The Spirit of the LORD” is one of the designations for a divided entity from the God the Father.
In the days of the Old Testament, God the Father Himself managed many works.
As a divided entity, He worked with judges or prophets; He inspired their hearts, and gave them power and wisdom.
For example, it is recorded in Judges 3:10 that ‘the Spirit of the LORD came upon Othniel, a Judge of Israel, and he won the war.’
Judges 14:6 says, “The Spirit of the LORD came upon him, Samson, mightily, so that he tore him as one tears a young goat though he had nothing in his hand.”
1 Samuel 16:13 says, “Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him (David) in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon David from that day forward.”
In addition to these, there are many records in the Old Testament that mention about “the Spirit of the LORD.”
By the way, do you remember that the term, “LORD” (written in all caps) only appears in the Old Testament?
I also told you that “the Spirit of the LORD” in the Old Testament mainly focuses on the outward form of God.
Therefore, “the Spirit of LORD” that would have a focus on the heart of God cannot be found in the Old Testament.
However, this “Spirit of the LORD” is mentioned in 1 Kings 22:24, and 2 Chronicles 18:23.
Both the verses are the record of what the false prophet, Zedekiah, had spoken.
By that time, to wage a war against Aram, the Northern Kingdom, Israel, was allied with Southern Kingdom, Judah.
Zedekiah proclaimed there would be a victory in the war under the pretext of the name of God.
Then, the true prophet of God, Micaiah, revealed that Zedekiah’s prophecy was a lie.
He said that ‘a deceiving spirit’ was working ‘in the mouth of all false prophets.’
But then, Zedekiah struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, “How did the Spirit of the LORD pass from me to speak to you?”
As you just read, using the name, “the Spirit of the LORD” was not word sent of God, but words used the false prophet.
It is not the name that focused on the heart of God.
It used the name, “the Spirit of the LORD” just because it was the spirit that belonged not to evil, but to God.
Likewise, a name that doesn’t follow the protocol surely has a reason.
In this way, we find there is a good reason for abandoning a general rule in using such a designation.
Let me take another example.
I told you earlier that “the Spirit is the LORD” is the name that refers to an entity that God the Father divides from Himself.
However, God the Father works not only in the days of the Old Testament, but also in the days of the New Testament.
To express that a subject of a work is the divided entity of God the Father, the bible uses the name, “the Spirit of the LORD.”
I mentioned examples earlier that “the Spirit of the LORD” came upon Othniel, Samson, and David.
When the bible says “the Spirit of the LORD” came upon, it is to emphasize that it was “the Spirit of the LORD” who greatly poured down inspiration and strength.
However there are cases where “the Spirit of the LORD” is not used even though it was a divided entity of the same God the Father (that was the subject entity of the work)
Different names are used.
“The spirit of wisdom” as in Exodus 28:3, “a spirit of judgment” and “a spirit of fire” in Isaiah 4:4, “the Spirit of glory” in 1 Peter 4:14, and “the Seven Spirits of God” from the Book of Revelation are such designations.
All of these five names are the names that refer to a divided entity of God the Father.
However, these are not to emphasize that the subject of the work is God the Father. They are to emphasize the attributes of God who accomplished the work.
“Wisdom,” “justice,” and “glory” are all to emphasize the attributes of God the Father.
And in these cases of the Old Testament, “the Spirit” refers to the heart of God, not the outward form of God.
For instance, depending on the aspect of a man that other people may want to indicate, a name or a title can vary.
There are names or titles that reveal the identity of a man, but there are also names that refer to the man’s personality or achievements.
Moses the Prophet, for example, led the Israelites in the Exodus from Egypt.
Therefore, if you encounter a name, “The Leader of the Exodus,” you can understand whom the name designates.
However, God the Father called Moses, “the man who is faithful in all God’s house,” and “the man who is more humble than any one on the face of the earth.”
It was to emphasize the inner attributes of Moses; his faithfulness and humbleness.
Likewise, God the Trinity also have their own unique names and other names that put an emphasis on their attributes or roles.
“The Spirit of the LORD (written in all caps),” “the Spirit of the Lord,” “the Holy Spirit” are unique names.
However, different names are used to make the attributes or the roles of God stand out when they work as a divided entity.
Let’s delve into those names that emphasize the attributes of God the Father.
The first is “the spirit of wisdom” as written in Exodus 28:3.
God the Father said to Moses, “You shall speak to all the skillful persons whom I have endowed with the spirit of wisdom, that they make Aaron’s garments to consecrate him, that he may minister as priest to Me.”
Here, “the spirit of wisdom” refers to the heart of wisdom, which is one of God the Father’s attributes.
Therefore, “the skillful persons whom I have endowed with the spirit of wisdom” are those to whom “the wisdom” -an attribute of God- is given in their hearts.
Now, Exodus 36:1 says, “Then wrought Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every wise hearted man, in whom the LORD put wisdom and understanding to know how to work all manner of work for the service of the sanctuary, according to all that the LORD had commanded.”
The phrase, “In whom the LORD put wisdom and understanding” ‘LORD’ here means that it is God the Father pours down wisdom upon them.
As you can see, when the Bible focuses on the wisdom among the original attributes of God the Father, even the Old Testament uses the designation of, “the spirit of wisdom.”
However, Isaiah 11:2 says, “The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and strength, The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.”
And, Deuteronomy 34:9 also says, “Now Joshua the son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him; and the sons of Israel listened to him and did as the LORD had commanded Moses.”
The meaning of “the spirit of wisdom” in these two verses is a little different.
They don’t emphasize the attribute or the role itself.
It is the expression to recognize God the LORD as “the LORD who is the origin of wisdom.”
Then, if you seek wisdom from God the Father, how should you pray?
You should pray for wisdom focusing on the attribute of God, not “the LORD who is the origin of wisdom.”
When you work for God, if you need more wisdom from above; please pray, “May God pour down ‘the spirit of wisdom’ on me!”
Then, God the Father will give you the spirit of wisdom and you will solve your problems with ease.
James 1:5 says, “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”
However, not just anyone can receive answer when they seek for wisdom.
In order to receive wisdom from above, you should first resemble the heart of God the Father.
And so, it is written in James 3:17, “But the wisdom from above is first pure.”
To the extent you are sanctified and that your heart resembles the heart of God, the attributes of wisdom that is in the heart of God can come upon your heart.
The heart of God who is the origin of wisdom will fill your heart as “the spirit of wisdom.”
The spirit of wisdom that comes from above is different from the wisdom of the world.
In the world, when a man with some common-sense makes good use of certain knowledge, he is said to be wise.
However, the wisdom that God gives is the wisdom not from your head, but from your heart.
Is it not using the wisdom that comes from intelligence and experience that tells you “If it goes this way do this, but if it goes that way do that”?
However it is the wisdom that comes naturally from the inner-most goodness of the heart that lets you know the best and the most beautiful solution.
To the extent you cast off evil from your heart, and that your heart becomes good, the best solution can inspire you.
This is the wisdom from above, and it is the work of the spirit of wisdom that comes out of the heart of God the Father.
Dear brothers and sisters.
Isaiah 4:4 mentions about “the spirit of judgment” and “the spirit of burning”.
It says, “When the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and purged the bloodshed of Jerusalem from her midst, by the spirit of judgment and the spirit of burning. . .”
As the Sovereign over all things, God the Father can judge anything. It is God the Father who gives either reward or punishment according to the result of judgment.
Psalm 9:7-8 says, “But the LORD abides forever; He has established His throne for judgment. And He will judge the world in righteousness; He will execute judgment for the peoples with equity.”
Likewise, God the Father judges everything in justice.
The spirit of judgment and the spirit of burning are the entities that are divided from God the Father especially with the attribute of justice among other attributes in the heart of God the Father.
The spirit of judgment searches and measure each individual’s heart and deeds.
He also measures both peoples and nations.
When evil acts of an individual or a group of people exceed the limit that God has set, disasters come down through the spirit of burning.
They are burned by the fire that is sent directly, or He judges them through disasters such as wars, famine, or diseases.
These works of God can be found in many parts of the bible.
For example, Genesis 15:16 says, “Then in the fourth generation they will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete.”
It is the word of prophecy that the Israelites would escape from Egypt and come back to the land of Canaan.
When the Israelites came back in their 4th generation, seven tribes including Amorites were living there.
In order to get the land back, the Israelites had to either drive them out of the land or destroy them.
However, it doesn’t mean that the tribes of the land received the judgments without doing anything wrong.
Even though God had chosen the people of Israel, He didn’t stubbornly and arbitrarily pass judgment on the Gentiles.
He judges according to precise justice.
God knew in advance that, as the time came, the sin of the people of the land would reach the level that they couldn’t escape from being judged.
And, when the time came, God used the Israelites as the means of judgment.
At the same time, God gave the Canaan land to the Israelites to keep the promise that God made with Abraham.
Moses clearly knew this kind of will and providence of God.
And so, he made this known to the Israelites as the land of Canaan was before their eyes.
Deuteronomy 9:4-5 says, “Do not say in your heart when the LORD your God has driven them out before you, ‘Because of my righteousness the LORD has brought me in to possess this land,’ but it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD is dispossessing them before you. It is not for your righteousness or for the uprightness of your heart that you are going to possess their land, but it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD your God is driving them out before you, in order to confirm the oath which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”
Now, does God the Father judge only according to the justice?
If you read Jonah, you can understand God’s love that transcends justice.
God said in Jonah 1:2, “Arise, go to Nineveh the great city and cry against it, for their wickedness has come up before Me.”
Here, the wickedness of the city of Nineveh came up before God, the judgment of destruction was proclaimed.
God came up with this conclusion after He had searched through “the spirit of judgment.”
The spirit then measured only according to justice. By justice, the city of Nineveh could not have been able to avoid the judgment.
But what did the people of Nineveh do when they knew through Jonah that they were on the verge of the judgment of destruction?
Not only its people, but also the king, and his servants fasted and cried to the LORD. They repented and turned from the wickedness.
They even made their flocks fast.
Then, it is written in Jonah 3:10, “When God saw their deeds, that they turned from their wicked way, then God relented concerning the calamity which He had declared He would bring upon them. And He did not do it.”
Our God the Father shows His love that transcends justice in this way.
Is here anyone who is being confronted with any disaster or affliction?
If you don’t want to encounter anything worse, please completely humble yourself before God like the people of Nineveh.
Even if by any chance you have gone toward the path of a sinner, please turn back quickly from it to the way of righteousness.
You should make God the Father who searches everything say, “Well done. I cannot find any reason to punish you.”
By the way, is there anyone who says, “Even if I commit sin, there isn’t really any punishment”?
That is never a good thing.
That’s because you are already not a child of God.
Hebrews 12:8 says, “But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.”
Fleshly parents don’t care if some others person’s child does something wrong.
Likewise, if someone who is not a child of God commits sin, God doesn’t care.
But people will be judge according to what they have done.
Another is reason there is no punishment even though they commit sin is that the punishment may be impending.
Thanks to the love of God the Father who endures, the punishment has only been delayed.
Before punishing His children, God the Father wants His children to turn back.
Where in the world is a parent who likes to punish their child?
The children suffer from the punishment, but their parents also feel troubled in their hearts.
Therefore, if the children turn back before they receive punishment, it couldn’t be better.
However, if there is no sign of repentance, the parents don’t have any other way but to punish them.
If the parents truly love their children, they cannot leave their children going astray.
Those of you who say, “I don’t receive punishment even if I commit sin,” should feel the heart of God who says, “Please turn back for yourself before the punishment comes on you.”
You should also realize that you are on the verge of the punishment.
If the situation reaches a moment when God cannot slow the punishment any longer, you have no idea what kind of punishment is waiting for you.
If you never want to make the love of the enduring God the Father be in vain, you should turn back from your sin right now.
I ask you in the name of the Lord that, if you, by any chance, in the darkness, to come out to the light.
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