Bible references

Key NT Scriptures

• Acts 1:4-8
• Acts 2:1-4
• Acts 2:14-21
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• Acts 2:38-39
• Acts 4:8
• Acts 4:31
• Acts 6:3-5
• Acts 9:17-22
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• Acts 10:37-38
• Acts 10:44-48
• Acts 11:15-18
• Acts 13:9
• Acts 13:52
• Acts 15:7-9
• Acts 19:1-7
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• Colossians 1:9-10
• 1 Corinthians 3:16-17
• 1 Corinthians 12:8-13
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• 1 Corinthians 12:28-31
• 2 Corinthians 1:21-22
• Ephesians 1:13-14
• Ephesians 3:16-17
• Ephesians 5:8-10
• Ephesians 5:18-20
• Galatians 5:18
• Galatians 5:22-23
• John 3:4-8
• John 7:37-39
• John 14:15-17
• John 14:26
• John 15:16
• John 16:7
• Luke 1:41
• Luke 1:67-68
• Luke 4:18-19
• Mark 16:17-18
• Matthew 3:11
• Romans 8:14-16
• 2 Timothy 1:14

Key OT Scriptures

• Daniel 5:13-14
  Jewish Commentary
• Deuteronomy 34:9-10
  Jewish Commentary
• Exodus 14:20
  Jewish Commentary
• Exodus 29:42-46
  Jewish Commentary
• Exodus 31:1-3
  Jewish Commentary
• Exodus 33:7-11
  Jewish Commentary
• Exodus 40:34-38
  Jewish Commentary
• Ezekiel 2:1-2
  Jewish Commentary
• Ezekiel 36:26-27
  Jewish Commentary
• Ezekiel 37:1-4
  Jewish Commentary
• Ezekiel 37:14
  Jewish Commentary
• Genesis 1:1-2
  Jewish Commentary
• Genesis 41:38
  Jewish Commentary
• Isaiah 11:1-2
  Jewish Commentary
• Isaiah 11:5
  Jewish Commentary
• Isaiah 61:1
  Jewish Commentary
• Jeremiah 31:30-33
  Jewish Commentary
• Joel 3:1
  Jewish Commentary
• Joel 3:1-5
  Jewish Commentary
• Judges 3:10
  Jewish Commentary
• 2 Kings 2:9-15
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  Jewish Commentary
• Micah 3:8
  Jewish Commentary
• Numbers 11:16-17
  Jewish Commentary
• Numbers 11:27-29
  Jewish Commentary
• Numbers 14:10
  Jewish Commentary
• Numbers 16:19-21
  Jewish Commentary
• Numbers 17:7
  Jewish Commentary
• 1 Samuel 10:6
  Jewish Commentary
• 1 Samuel 16:13
  Jewish Commentary
• 2 Samuel 23:2
  Jewish Commentary

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Commentary

Rabbi Michael Rudolph

Today, the Holy Spirit is so identified with the New Covenant, that the reality of the Spirit's ministry among men going back to creation is often overlooked. Except for historical studies, the rabbinical community and much of the Christian Church ignores the Holy Spirit, and relegates His work among men to the distant past. In fact, none of the Covenants that God made with men throughout the ages could have existed without the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit has always been the entity that allowed men to interact with God the Father. The order of the Scriptures presented in this Mitzvah shows the work of the Holy Spirit at various stages of history, and it is striking how similar and consistent His work has always been. He has always descended upon men, lived within men, filled men, empowered men, gifted men, counseled and led men and, enabled communication between men and God. The uniqueness of the New Covenant in regard to the Holy Spirit is not the newness of His work, but rather with whom He now interacts, and the intensity of the interaction. Prior to the New Covenant, the Holy Spirit enabled all men to speak to God (generally through prayer), but God was very particular about to whom He spoke back. He conversed with Adam, Noah, the patriarchs, Moses, and others, but they were always persons selected at His discretion. We call persons prophets if it is their function to hear God, and to repeat what they hear to others. As marvelous as God's early form of interaction with men was, it was limited because the ordinary Israelite did not have general access to the Holy Spirit, and therefore had to consult with those that did have access, if he wanted to receive God's guidance. It was like having a father whom you have never met, and with whom you can only converse by way of a messenger. That limitation changed dramatically in the New Covenant, when God fulfilled His promise through Joel to pour out His Spirit upon all flesh ( Joel 3:1 (2:28) ). Today, we are blessed to be able to relate to our heavenly father in a direct and personal way, and to be able to have conversations with Him, not only by our speaking to Him, but also by Him speaking back to us. Through the New Covenant, we have gained a relationship with God that most of us would not have had, had we lived prior to the time of Yeshua. Now that brings me to Yeshua, of whom I have not yet spoken. Yeshua is a critical part of the New Covenant, because His atoning sacrifice for us is what enables us to be cleansed of sin so that the Holy Spirit can live within us. Without Yeshua, we could not receive the Holy Spirit, and that is why Hebrews 9:13-15 says of Him, that He is the mediator of a New Covenant: For if sprinkling ceremonially unclean persons with the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer restores their outward purity; then how much more the blood of the Messiah, who, through the eternal Spirit, offered himself to God as a sacrifice without blemish, will purify our conscience from works that lead to death, so that we can serve the living God! It is because of this death that he is mediator of a new covenant [or will]. Because a death has occurred which sets people free from the transgressions committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promised eternal inheritance. There are two ways that we can utilize the gifts of the Holy Spirit that have been given to us in the New Covenant. We can use the gifts to enhance our personal lives, and we can use them to enhance the lives of others. There are a few among us who are specially gifted to equip others for ministry, and these we sometimes call the "fivefold gift ministers", a term that refers to the five ministries listed in Ephesians 4:11-12 . Furthermore, he gave some people as emissaries, some as prophets, some as proclaimers of the Good News, and some as shepherds and teachers. Their task is to equip God's people for the work of service that builds the body of the Messiah ... Among the gifts of the Spirit, tongues tends to be the most spoken about because of confusion that has resulted from incorrect teaching. Three incorrect things that I have most often heard taught about tongues are: Speaking in tongues was a spiritual gift for the past only - not for today (this is sometimes said about all of the gifts of the Spirit). Those who do not speak in tongues are not saved. Speaking in tongues is a sign that one has been filled with (baptized in) the Holy Spirit, and those who do not speak in tongues have not been filled. I hope and trust that my earlier reference to 1 Corinthians 12:28-30 is sufficient to put the lie to #2 and #3 above: And God has placed in the Messianic Community first, emissaries; second, prophets; third, teachers; then those who work miracles; then those with gifts of healing; those with ability to help; those skilled in administration; and those who speak in various tongues. Not all are emissaries, are they? Not all are prophets, are they? or teachers? or miracle-workers? Not all have gifts of healing, not all speak in tongues, not all interpret, do they?) As for #1 above, and other gifts of the Holy Spirit, suffice it to say that the New Covenant, as we know it, could not exist without them. Now just a bit more about the "immersion" or "baptism of the Holy Spirit". First, the word "of" is incorrect, because it is not the Holy Spirit that Immerses - it is Yeshua that immerses us in the Holy Spirit ( Matthew 3:11 , etc.). More importantly, several Christian denominations teach that the "the baptism of the Holy Spirit" is a singular event of filling of the Spirit - a second work of grace that necessarily comes after one is born again. Both Scripture and life's experiences testify that immersion in the Spirit need not be just a one-time occurrence ( Acts 9:22 and Ephesians 5:18-20 ), and it need not be a distinguishable second event after salvation because one can be filled with the Holy Spirit at the very moment that one is "born again". Consider Cornelius the God-fearer and others present when Peter preached the Good News of Yeshua in Cornelius' home: Acts 10:44 Kefa was still saying these things when the Ruach HaKodesh fell on all who were hearing the message. Filling and refilling with the Holy Spirit can occur periodically throughout one's life.

Classical commentators

Maimonides, Meir, and HaChinuch did not accept that there is a New Covenant, and did not write on this subject of the Ru'ach HaKodesh .

Copyright © Michael Rudolph and Daniel C. Juster, The Law of Messiah, Torah from a New Covenant Perspective, Volume 1 & 2

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Based on The Law of Messiah - Torah from a New Covenant Perspective by Michael Rudolph and Daniel C. Juster.

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Disclaimer: the original content is authored by Rabbi Michael Rudolph and Rabbi Daniel Juster; additional notes or implementation details on this website are not part of their original work and do not represent their views.

Record source: The Law of Messiah - Torah from a New Covenant Perspective - Volume 1 & 2

Copyright note: Copyright © Michael Rudolph and Daniel C. Juster, The Law of Messiah, Torah from a New Covenant Perspective, Volume 1 & 2