New Testament Emblems

by Roy Dickson, Melbourne, Australia | Category: The Holy Spirit | Nov 1993

A Dove

The word of the Lord to Isaiah speaks prophetically of the Christ to come: "Behold My Servant, whom I uphold . .. I have put My Spirit upon Him" ('s. 42:1). This was demonstrated immediately after the Lord Jesus was baptized by John: "the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended in a bodily form, as a dove, upon Him" (Luke 3:21,22).

It is clear from this verse and from John's own witness (John 1:32) that this was a literal and not a poetic description. This was God's proof to him that Jesus was the Christ: "And I have seen, and have borne witness that this is the Son of God" (John 1:34).

There must be something vital for us in this episode, not only of the Lord's example of baptism, but also of the manifestation of the Holy Spirit in such a way. Certainly it is a remarkable fulfilment of the Isaiah scripture and is the first emblem adopted by the Spirit in the New TestaanenL

The appearing of the Spirit in the bodily form of a dove cannot be separated from the incident on the bank of the Jordan. The Lord's baptism points the way of obedience by faith to those who would follow, and signifies aiso His coming baptism into death. God, His Father, has seen all and is well pleased with His beloved Son, and the

Holy Spirit graciously descends upon Him in public testimony of heaven's approval of this Man.

The dove is emblematic of the unity and harmony of the Triune God as the Lord Jesus, the perfect Man, begins His life work. Here was a Man who was holy, who would not fail to please God and on whom the Holy Spirit could descend and remain. It was from an open heaven that the Dove-Spirit came down and rested upon Him.

How different from that occasion when the first dove was sent out of the ark to search for land, but "found no rest for the sole of her foot" (Gen.

8:9).

The coming into the world of the Son of God now made it possible for the Spirit of God to find a place to rest in a Man of flesh and blood, but without sin.

The dove is also widely used as a symbol of peace and genfleness. These are characteristics of the Lord. Not only did He bring peace to others, He was at peace within Himself. True, He was a Man of sorrows; true, He agonized in the Garden, and fmally He was forsaken by His God on the Cross. He possessed, nevertheless, a perfect character with no dark place of self-doubt or inner fear in His heart. Indeed the heart of Christ is beautiful

in its dovelike gentleness (Mat.

11:29).

The Holy Spirit filled Him in all that He did, but never again was He revealed as the Dove-Spirit as on that momentous day by the Jordan. For the Spirit will take whatever form, within the will of God, suits His marvellous purposes.

Wind

Nicodemus, the Pharisee, was grap~ pling with the new teaching of Jesus. The Holy Spirit was touching him mysteriously as the Lord explained:

The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the voice thereof but knowest not whence it cometh, and whither it goeth (John 3:8).

Nothing of this could be seen. It was not a natural phenomenon. This aspect of the Spirit's work is often the most amazing, for He deals with each soul personally and secretly. As the unseen wind bjows, so the Spirit draws souls to Christ, and a spiritual creature is born from above.

Nicodemus felt the soft but compelling breeze of the Spirit on his soul. He believed, either that night or subsequently, and appreciated what the Saviour meant by, "That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit: (John 3:6).

The wind-emblem recurs in Acts 2, but in a most dramatic fashion. The disciples were gathered together on the day of Pentecost, the Lord having ascended into heaven, and were waitmg, when:

Suddenly there came from heaven a

sound as of the rushing of a mighty

wind ... and there appeared unto them tongues parting asunder, like as offire; and it sat upon each one of them (Acts 2:2-4).

Here the inrushing Spirit is audible and visible. A mighty wind and tongues parting asunder were signs not only of His Presence, but also of the Spirit's first indwelling of believers on Christ The Lord's words in Mark are fulfilled:

There be some here of them that stand by, which shall in no wise taste of death, till they see the kingdom of God come with power (Mark 9:1).

As the Lord had promised shortly before ~is 'ascension (Luke 24:49), power would characterize the Spirit's coming upon them. They saw it and received ii, the power of the indwellmg Spirit. Filled with power they spoke the Name of the Lord without fear in other tongues as led by the Spirit.

These happenings were unique to the apostles, eyewitnesses of the sufferings of Christ and the first to receive the Holy Spirit The mighty wind and tongues parting asunder unmistakably demonstrated that something revolutionary was occurring, and God was setting them apart as chosen vessels. Power was given to heal, to prophesy and to speak in other tongues, all apostolic gifts for their day.

Fire

As a result they were on fire with spiritual energy from the Lord: and as in the incident of the burning bush,

they were not consumed by the fire. The Person of the Holy Spirit was indwelling them, giving them power and a burning heart, but their own personalities remained intacL Today His power and fire are still given to those who will receive Him.

Water

Our last emblem depicts the Holy Spirit by means of one of the most basic elements of life - water:

If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink. He that believeth on Me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living waler. But this spake He of the Spirit, which they that believed on Him were to receive (John 7:3739).

What a wonderful picture the Lord paints of the Spirit's capacity to quench spiritually the parched souls of men and women enabling Chrisdikeness to flow out towards others! The living water emblem reveals the Holy Spirit not given sparingly (John 3:34), but to overflowing.

Tremendous! Through simple faith

in Christ, the whole reservoir of God's blessing is at the child of God's disposal and the only limiting factor is the willingness to drink. How sad if the river of living water should become a trickle, or a pool without inlet or outlet. Let us drink deeply through communion with the Lord in prayer and through His Word, and the outflowing of the Spirit will be seen in our living.

The Holy Spirit does not adopt these emblems idly. They portray His majesty and power and yet His gendeness in dealing with sinful man. We have seen Him in wind, fire and water and as a dove, each one revealing a facet of His Person. Yet none of them can adequately define Him, for He is God the Spirit, beyond our comprehension.

He, the Holy Spirit, on the other hand knows us and loves us, as He also knows the heart of God and in everything acts to His greater glQry. "Even so the things of God none knoweth, save the Spirit of God" (1 Cor. 2:11).

Roy Dickson, Melbourne, Australia | Nov 1993
The Holy Spirit