The Spirit of the Lord

"The Spirit of the Lord came upon him, so that he became Israel's judge and went to war." Judges 3:10

"Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet, summoning the Abiezrites to follow him." Judges 6:34

"Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Japhthah...and from there he advanced against the Ammonites." Judges 11:29

"The Spirit of the Lord came upon him in power so that he tore the lion apart with his bare hands as he might have torn a young goat." Judges 14:6

"Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon him in power. He went down to Ashkelon [and] struck down thirty of their men." Judges 14:19

Lately, my quiet time has taken me through the book of Judges. I began reading Judges because I knew it was filled with the stories of strong leaders and warriors. As a man, I want to be strong in battle; both physical and spiritual battle. In Judges we read the stories of Othnieol, Japthah, Gideon, Samson, and other mighty men of God.

One thing is common among these men: they trusted and followed God, and he gave them strength. As illustrated through the above verses, the "Spirit of the Lord" is extremely powerful. When the Spirit came upon these men, it was not always in the form of physical strength. On some occasions it was courage, on others wisdom or insight. One thing is clear though, their strength was not their own, it was from the Lord. This is confirmed through the story of Samson who forsook the Lord and lost his strength.

I do not believe that the "Spirit of the Lord" spoken of here is the same as the Holy Spirit that is found in the New Testament. In all of the cases in Judges, the Spirit of the Lord came upon men during times of stress and difficulty. The Spirit of the Lord was like a mighty wind, rushing through, destroying everything in its path and leaving stillness and calm. No man could survive the constant presence of the Spirit of the Lord; its power is too great and overwhelming. Only during times of need did the Spirit enter into a man.

It is my desire to be a mighty man for God and a mighty man of God. I have been praying that the spirit of the Lord would come upon me when I am in need of strength, wisdom, or courage. This past week, I believe that the Spirit of God did come upon me as I was called to battle against Satan's schemes.

After finishing Judges, I moved back into the New Testament where I began reading 1 Thessalonians. Early in the letter, Paul spoke about the Spirit of the Lord:

"For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction..." (1:4)

Here, Paul mentions both the Holy Spirit and special power that came with the gospel. I believe that this power could be the Spirit of the Lord that is found in Judges. Paul also says that the Christians have been "chosen" just like God chose men to be Judges in the Old Testament. Once again, it is my prayer that I will be chosen by God to carry out a part of his eternal plans.

The Spirit of the Lord is another of God's gifts to us as we face the challenges of each day. There is no excuse for us, God has provided all the tools that we need to stand strong. We must choose to utilize what we have been given. The gospel of Christ is more than mere words, it is power.