In Galatians 3:14, Paul says it’s “by faith that we receive the promise of the Spirit.” Which ties in perfectly with Abraham because, verse 9, Abraham is called “the man of faith.”
So did Abraham receive the Spirit because of his faith too? It would seem odd if he didn’t, because he is “the father of us all” and “our father in the sight of God” (Romans 4:16, 17). So if we, as “Abraham’s offspring” (16) receive the Spirit by faith, then surely he as our father and “man of faith” would have received the Spirit too.
But why is this important? Because if Abraham did have the Spirit, then what the Spirit did in his life would give us some clues as to what the Spirit does in our lives. Which, according to Galatians 3:9, was meant to be, because “those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham,” so what he was blessed with we are blessed with too.
Can we see signs of the Spirit at work in Abraham’s life, then, that show the Spirit at work in our lives too?
There’s a clue in Genesis 13:4, when Abraham returns to Bethel “where he had first built an altar, and there Abraham called on the name of the Lord.” But why on “the name of the Lord”? Why not just “on the Lord”? Or was there something special about “the name” in Abraham’s mind?
The Hebrew name of the Lord in that verse is YHWH, first used in Genesis 2:4. In verses 2 and 3, “God” is ELOHIM, the supreme and mighty one, but when dealing directly with humans in verse 4 the name YHWH is added to Elohim. Elohim emphasizes the creative power and sovereignty of God, but YHWH emphasizes the relational God, the great I AM in Exodus 3:14 who’s always “watching over us” (verse 16) caring and rescuing us and answering our call for help (as he did for the Israelites), and that’s the name he wants to be known by “from generation to generation” (15).
And that’s the name Abraham knew him by. Which strongly suggests Abraham had the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit emphasizes the relational God for us today too. In Romans 8:16, for instance, “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children,” so that God to us becomes “Abba Father” (15).
Which begs the question: Since the Holy Spirit is doing the same for us that he did for Abraham, are there examples in Abraham’s relationship with God that clue us in to what happens in our relationship with God too?
But another question first: “Is there a contradiction about YHWH in Exodus 6:3?”…(next blog)
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