'When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.' (Acts 2:1-2) The form of the Spirit ( Both the Hebrew word rûah and the Greek word pneuma means wind, breath, the immaterial part of a person, spirit being and has been translated as spirit, ghost ) has not been seen by any because he has no body, unlike God the Father whose form has been seen by a few because he has a body. ( Exodus 24:9-10, 33:22-23, Ezekiel 1:26-27, Revelation 4:2-3) However, the Spirit gives evidence of his presence when he comes, in the form of a pillar of cloud or a pillar of fire ( Exodus 13:21-22), or in the form of a dove (John 1:32) or as tongues of fire (Acts 2:3). Not that the Spirit looks like a cloud or fire or even like a dove but these are just symbols of his presence. Since he moves like a wind, Jesus said of him, "The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear it's sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." (John 3:8) Everyone in Jerusalem heard the sound of the Spirit coming for he came like a violent wind and on hearing it, a crowd came together to find out what had happened. The Spirit can blow gently to kindle a fire in us or can blow violently to part the sea or tear the mountains. 'Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground with a wall of water on their right and on their left.' (Exodus 14:21-22) Which wind on earth can hold the waters of the sea like a wall? None! 'Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks.' (1 Kings 19:11) Which wind on earth can tear mountains apart? None! Then it has to be the wind of the Lord and it has been characterized in Scriptures as the breath of his mouth or as the blast of his nostrils! 'The valleys of the sea were exposed and the foundations of the earth were laid bare at your rebuke, O Lord, at the blast of breath from your nostrils.' (Psalm 18:15) This wind has been seen in action many times. 'God remembered Noah ... and he sent a wind over the earth and the waters receded.' (Genesis 8:1) 'Now a wind went out from the Lord and drove quail in from the sea.' (Numbers 11:31) Since God controls the four winds of the earth - the east wind (Exodus 10:13) west wind (10:19) north wind (Proverbs 25:23) and the south wind (Psalm 78:26) , he commanded Ezekial to prophesy to the breath (rûah) and say to it : "This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come from the four winds, O breath (rûah) and breathe into these slain, that they may live."' ( Ezekiel 37:9) The day is coming when the Spirit will come from the four winds and breathe over 'those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshipped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They will come to life and reign with Christ for a thousand years.' ( Revelation 20: 4) At his second coming, 'he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.' (Matthew 24:31, Mark 13:27) Let the wind of the Spirit blow over our lives that we may be renewed. 'When you send your Spirit (wind, breath) they are created and you renew the face of the earth.' (Psalm 104:30) Amen.
Sam Matthews. K
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