Holy Spirit Lesson 4 Companion Devotional

As I continue to introduce the Holy Spirit to you I want to tell you more about Him. I want all of us to have a deeper understanding of who He is and what He is like. The Bible helps us in this endeavor by giving us many different metaphors that explain a different aspect of the Holy Spirit. Let’s explore some of these today.

Dove
Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist. As His head came up out of the water, the heavens opened and a dove came down and rested on Him. Luke 3:22 tells us this dove was the Holy Spirit descending upon him in bodily form like a dove. Let’s think about the attributes of a dove. A dove paints a very different picture of the Holy Spirit than the powerful wind that we looked at last time. A dove is not a symbol of power or energy; a dove is a symbol of gentleness, undistracted love and devotion. In the Song of Solomon the Shulammite woman is described as having eyes like doves, which pictures eyes that are devoted to her lover. Doves mate for life. Faithfulness comes to mind as a description.

Doves are sensitive, they will flare up and fly away if they find something not to their liking. A dove with an olive branch in his mouth is the universal symbol of peace. Jesus instructs us to be harmless, innocent and free from guile as a dove. A dove portrays a beautiful picture of the Holy Spirit.

Water
One of Jesus’ favorite metaphors for the Holy Spirit is water. When He interacted with the woman at the well early in His ministry He spoke to her about living water. The Greek word for living in this passage is zao. It means alive, lively, real life, having vital power in itself. The woman was curious and asked more questions. Then Jesus answered her, “Everyone who drinks of this water (the water from Jacob’s well) shall thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”

Later in John 7 on the last day of the Feast of Booths (also called the Feast of Tabernacles) Jesus gave us more information about this living water. He cried out, “If any man is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, “From his innermost being (or his spirit) shall flow rivers of living water.” This He spoke of the Spirit whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”

We are thirsty people who look to all sorts of things to satisfy our thirst. We often settle for so much less than what we were created for. Jesus offers the only thing that will truly bring satisfaction, living water. He describes it as like a spring of fresh alive water that breaks forth in our spirit and flows out from there. It is the joyful ministry of the Holy Spirit to give us this water and quench our thirst. It is a free gift.

At the end of the Bible there is an invitation that is extended to all, And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost. Revelation 22:17

The unpolluted water that symbolizes the Spirit is pure, clear and life-giving. Water satisfies our thirst, it is also cleansing. Have you ever been on a several-days long camping trip? If you have, my guess is you know the pure pleasure of taking a shower after several days in the wild. It is beyond refreshing to scrape off the layers of dust and dirt and become squeaky clean! Cleansing is one of the jobs of the Holy Spirit pictured by water. There are two verses in the Bible that further explain this work. You were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the Spirit of our God. I Corinthians 6:11. He saved us not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior. Titus 3:5-6

Oil
The final metaphor we are going to consider today is oil. Oil in the Bible is not west Texas crude oil, but olive oil. In the Old Testament oil was used to anoint a person for service. This anointing symbolized the person had been chosen, equipped and empowered by the Spirit for his particular job.

I Samuel 16 has a passage that tells about the anointing of David to be king. After considering each of the older sons of Jesse, Samuel knew the Lord had settled upon David as His choice for the next king. Now he was ruddy, with beautiful eyes and a handsome appearance. And the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him, for this is he.” Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward. It would be years of perseverance, trials and steadfastness before David walked into the fulfillment of this anointing.

In the parable of the ten virgins in Matthew 25 we learn more about oil as a metaphor for the Holy Spirit. You may remember the story. Ten virgins went out with their lamps to meet their bridegroom. Five of them were prudent, five were foolish. The foolish ones did not take oil, but the prudent ones did. When the bridegroom came, the foolish ones had no oil for their lamps. They tried to borrow from the prudent ones who knew there would not be enough for themselves, sharing was not an option. Furthermore it was too late to buy oil for themselves. Sadly the foolish virgins missed the wedding feast. This parable is packed with significance. For our purposes we will focus upon oil as a symbol for the Holy Spirit. Here are a few take aways. No one can get oil for you. You have to procure it for yourself. Procuring oil is a matter between you and the Lord. You cannot rely on your parents or your spouse, you will not automatically have the Holy Spirit just because they have Him. You have to get the oil/Spirit for yourself. When we suddenly need oil, it is too late to try to find it. We do not want to be counted among the fools as far as not having the oil of the Holy Spirit is concerned.

Oil softens and penetrates, think of the work of the Holy Spirit drawing an individual to Christ, softening their heart. Oil greases machinery so that it runs smoothly, think of the Holy Spirit enabling us to persevere through problems and not experience burnout. He gives us the grace/strength to overcome obstacles and continue to pursue the Lord. The Holy Spirit brings healing, James 5:14 instructs us if you are sick to call for the elders of the church who will pray and anoint you with oil in the name of the Lord. Oil is energy. It is a valuable resource. It brings light and power. All of these images picture the work of the Holy Spirit.

Do you want more of Him in your life? He is gentle and sensitive, He brings peace. He is faithful and pure, He will never harm you. He springs up from your innermost being with living water that satisfies your thirst. He is refreshing and cleansing and renewing. He will empower you. He is your healer. He will not force Himself on you, you must get Him for yourself.

There is a passage in II Kings 4 that I think gives us instruction about what we can do if we want more of the Spirit in our lives. The story is about an indebted widow who was about to lose her two sons to the creditor. All she had was one jar of oil. Elisha told the widow to “borrow vessels from all your neighbors, do not get a few.” She did exactly what Elisha said. Then he told her to pour the oil from her small jar into the vessels. Every vessel was filled to the top. When she finished filling the last vessel the oil stopped.

I think the application for our lives in relation to the Holy Spirit is to open your vessel, your heart, wide. Be receptive. Ask, knock, seek and wait. The Lord will come and fill your vessel to the full. There is always more of the Spirit of God. Welcome Holy Spirit.

Dear Heavenly Father,
We are amazed by what we learn from the many metaphors for the Holy Spirit. Thank you for helping us understand what He is like. Thank you there is always more of your Spirit for each of us. Come and fill our vessels!

In Jesus’ name,
Amen