THE GOSPELS, Luke 4:14, The POWER of the HOLY SPIRIT

16 May 2025

We are studying Luke 4:14-32, Mathew 4:12, Mark 1:14-15 about the beginning of the MINISTRY of YESHUA THE MESSIAH. And today we are going to focus on Luke 4:14.

We are mainly reading from the Complete Jewish Study Bible – insight for Jews and Christians.  And use the Hebrew name of God, YHVH (Yod-Heh-Vav-Heh) where the word LORD in English is indicated in capital letters in the Scriptures and use the Hebrew Name Yeshua the Messiah instead of the English Name Jesus Christ translated from the Greek.

In Luke 4:14 we read: “Yeshua returned to Galilee in the power of the (capital letter) Spirit (the Holy Spirit) and reports of Him spread throughout the countryside.”

So, let’s talk more about the POWER of the HOLY SPIRIT. First of all we must REMEMBER that Yeshua the Messiah is die BODY of GOD THE FATHER as we read in Colossians 1:15, 2:9 and John 14:9 and the HOLY SPIRIT is the SPIRIT of both GOD the FATHER and YESHUA THE MESSIAH (read Romans 8:9-11 and 1 Corinthians 12:13), which make sense because they are ONE (read Deuteronomy 6:4, John 1:1-14 and 1 Timothy 2:5), although Yeshua Himself said that the FATHER is greater than Him and we know we approach the Father through Him (read John 14:6 and 28).

It helps to understand this when we look at ourselves because we know we are created in YHVH our God’s image (read Genesis 1:26-27, Genesis 5:1, Genesis 9:6, Colossians 3:10 and Romans 8:29, 2 Corinthians 3:18, and 1 John 3:2). And Paul confirms in 1 Thessalonians 5:23 we to have a body (including a physical brain and a heart) as well as a soul (including a mind, emotions and free will) and a spirit (able us to communicate with His Holy Spirit). And when we die, our earthly bodies will go back to dust as the dust it is formed from and our souls (including our minds, emotions and free will) and our spirits will return to the Father who gave them (in accordance to Ecclesiastes 3:21,7:1 and 12:7, Genesis 2:7 & 3:19, Ecclesiastes 3:21,7:1, Job 34:15 and Psalm 90:3 & 103:14) and at the second coming of Yeshua the Messiah, believers will receive their RESSURECTED BODIES, similar to the one He received when the Father resurrected Him three days after (read 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).

So what else do we read about the POWER of the HOLY SPIRIT in the Word? He is also referred to as the FINGER of GOD THE FATHER (read Exodus 8:19 & 31:18, Deuteronomy 9:10, Psalm 8:3, Lukas 11:20), while YESHUA the MESSIAH is referred to, especially in the OLD TESTAMENT as the RIGHT HAND OF GOD THE FATHER (Exodus 15:6 & 12, Deuteronomy 7:8,  Isaiah 48:13, 62:8, Ezekiel 1:3, Lamentations 2:3, Psalm 18:35, 60:5, 63:8, 77:10, 89:13, 98:1, 108:6, 118:15-16, 138:7, 139:10

We read GOD’s HOLY SPIRIT was present at CREATION.

In the beginning when the earth was without form and vid and darkness was over the face of the deep, the SPIRIT of GOD the Father (the Holy Spirit) was hovering (flying, soaring) over the face of the waters.

And David confirms in Psalm 33:6 by the WORD of YHVH the HEAVENS were made and their WHOLE HOST by a BREATH from HIS MOUTH. We know that the BREATH of God describes His HOLY SPIRIT as we also read in John 20:21-22 after Yeshua’s resurrection He met with the disciples and said to them: “’Just as the FATHER sent Me, I Myself am also sending you’. Having said this, HE BREATHED on them and said to them, ‘RECEIVE the RUACH HAKODESH (the Holy Spirit).’”

Genesis 2:7 KJV says: “And YHVH formed man of the DUST of the GROUND and BREATHED into his nostrils the BREATH of LIFE; and man became a LIVING SOUL.

Job understood this, we read in Job 33:4 “It is the (capital letter) SPIRIT of GOD that MADE me, the BREATH of the ALMIGHTY that GIVES me LIFE. “ Also read Psalm 104:30 and Job 27:3.

In Genesis 6:3 just before the FLOOD, God said His SPIRIT will not live in human beings forever, for they too are FLESH, therefore their LIFE SPAN is to be 120 years.  And later in Psalm 90 we read in the time of Moses the LIFE SPAN of human beings had been shortened to 70 years and for those who are strong 80 years, but it will be at best years of toil (hard work) and sorrow. But we also have the promise of our Messiah Yeshua in John 10:10b that He came to give us LIFE abundantly because He came to conquer the hold of sin and death on all who CHOOSE to BELIEVE in Him and FOLLOW HIM in obedience to the Father on the NARROW WAY with the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Then we see right through the Old Testament how God filled people with His SPIRIT to achieve specific PURPOSES.

In Genesis 41 Joseph interpreted the dream of Pharaoh as well as give him the SOLUTION with the help of God to ensure food security during the seven year drought that was to follow and Pharaoh admits that the SPIRIT of GOD LIVES in Joseph and he appointed him as second in charge in Egypt to execute the God given solution through Joseph because he said there is NO ONE as DISCERNING and WISE as Joseph.

In Exodus 28:3 we read that God gave the SPIRIT of WISDOM to all the craftsmen to make Aaron’s GARMENTS to SET him APART for YHVH so that he can SERVE HIM in the OFFICE of PRIEST.  

In Exodus 30 we read about the TABERNACLE FURNITURE that had to be made according to the specifications of God and in Exodus 31:1-9 God said to Moses He has SINGLED OUT Bezalel from the TRIBE of JUDA and Has FILLED him with His SPIRIT – with WISDOM, UNDERSTANDIING and KNOWLEDGE concerning every kind of artisanry. And He has appointed as his assistant Oholiab of the TRIBE of DAN  and endowed (gifted) ALL the CRAFTSMEN with the WISDOM He had ordered Moses – for the TABERNACLE (the tent of meeting) the ARK for the TESTIMONY (the TEN Commandments as the summary of the Torah, Genesis to Deuteronomy)  and ALL the FURNISHINGS of the TABERNACLE (also read Exodus 35:31).

In Numbers 11:14 Moses told YHVH that he cannot carry the entire amount of people in the wilderness by himself as it is too much for him and he asked His MERCY and in verses 16-17 God told Moses to bring 70 of the leaders of ISRAEL and bring them to the TENT of MEETING (the Tabernacle) and have them stand there with him and he will come down and speak to Moses there and He will take some of the (capital letter) SPIRIT which rest on Moses and PUT IT ON THEM. Then they will carry the burden of the people along with Moses, so that he won’t carry it himself alone any longer.

And at times God even let His SPIRIT came upon ISRAEL’s enemies to FAVOUR and BLESS them.

We read in Numbers 22-24 about Balak, a king of Moab who was scared of the Israelites and hired Balaam to CURSE the ISRAELITES. But God did not allow this. And we read in Numbers 24:1-9 Balaam saw that it pleased God to BLESS ISRAEL and he didn’t go, as at the other times, to make use of divination, but looked out toward the desert. He raised his eyes and SAW ISRAEL ENCAMPED TRIBE by TRIBE (at this stage ALL TWELVE TRIBES were still together and known as ISRAEL). Then the (capital letter) SPIRIT of God came upon him, and he blessed them as we read in verses 4-9. It is therefore clear that God can even let His Spirit temporarily COME UPON believer’s ENEMIES to give us FAVOR in their eyes so that they will BLESS us and not CURSE us.

In Numbers 27:12-22 God informs Moses that his death was near and that he had to commission Joshua (son of Nun from the TRIBE of EPHRAIM, read Numbers 13:8 & 30), a SPIRITUAL MAN as his successor by lying hands on him and delegating SOME of Moses’ AUTHORITY so that YHVH’s community will not be like SHEEP WITHOUT a SHEPHERD. And we read in Deuteronomy 34 of the death and burial of Moses and in verse 9 it says: “Joshua, the son of Nun was full of the (capital letter) SPIRIT of WISDOM, for Moses laid his hands on him, and the people of ISRAEL HEEDED (listened to and followed) him and DID what God ordered Moses.   

In 1 Samuel 10:6 we read this interesting verse about king Saul, the first anointed king of ISRAEL, Samuel the prophet of God at the time said to Saul: “The SPIRIT of YHVH will fall on you; you will prophesy with them (with the prophets) and BE TURNED INTO ANOTHER MAN! And we read in verse 7 God will be with him and in verse 9: GOD GAVE SAUL ANOTHER HEART.  This is what God also promised in Ezekiel 36:24-27 when REGATHERING, CLEANSING and RESTORING ISRAEL of their sins and to give them a NEW HEART and a NEW (small letter human spirit) spirit, He will take the stony heart out of their FLESH and give them a HEART of FLESH and put HIS (capital letter) SPIRIT, HIS HOLY SPIRIT in them and CAUSE them to LIVE by HIS LAWS, RESPECT HIS RULINGS and OBEY them. And we see in 1 Samuel chapter 11 Saul conquered his enemies. But unfortunately we see in chapter 15 that although God GAVE Saul a NEW HEART and HIS HOLY SPIRIT, Saul CHOSE to rebel against God’s INSTRUCTIONS with his FREE WILL and to FOLLOW HIS OWN WILL and therefore GOD REJECTED Saul as king, and we read in 1 Samuel 16:14 the SPIRIT of YHVH LEFT Saul and INSTEAD, AN evil spirit FROM YHVH WOULD SUDDENY COME OVER Saul. This is quite shocking but what we MUST understand GOD IS IN CONTROL of EVERYTHING – including evil spirits, and it is confirmed in Colossians 1:15-17 by Paul saying the Son of YHVH the Father, YEHSUA the MESSIAH is: “…the VISIBLE IMAGE of the INVISIBL GOD. HE IS SUPREME OVER ALL CREATION, because in connection with Him ALL THINGS WERE CREATED – in HEAVEN and on EARTH, VISIBLE and INVISIBLE, whether THRONES, LORDSHIPS, RULERS or AUTHORITIES – they have ALL been created THROUGH HIM and FOR HIM. He existed BEFORE ALL THINGS, and HE HOLDS EVERYTHING TOGETHER.”

We also know from the parable of the UNFROGIVING SERVANT in Matthew 18:23-35 who wanted forgiveness from the king but did not want to FORGIVE someone who owed him was given over to the TORTURERS or PUNISHERS and Yeshua then said in Luke 18:35 “This is how my HEAVENLY FATHER will treat you, UNLESS you each FORGIVE your brother from your HEARTS.”  We must UNDERSTAND GOD’s FAIR PRINCIPLE of WHAT YOU DO TO OTHERS WILL BE DONE TO YOU, therefore what you SOW you WILL REAP. That is WHY we are COMMANDED to LOVE others AS WE LOVE OURSELVES. This is NOT because God hates us or wants to harm us, ON THE CONTRARY it is HIS WAY of DISCIPLINING us. Also read Hebrews chapter 12 in order for us to come to repentance and LIVE a full live in this life as well as have everlasting life (meaning not dying the second death as we read about in Revelation 20:14 and 21:8) And as Paul explains in Romans chapter 2. And ALWAYS remember Romans 8:28 He is the GOD that WORKS TOGETHER EVEYTHING for the GOOD of THOSE who LOVE HIM (by OBEYING HIM, read John 14:15) and is CALLED for HIS PURPOSE. Don’t let the enemy deceive you – if you are HEARING HIS WORD, you are CALLED! You must now decide whether you are going to ANSWER HIS CALL to execute the PURPOSE, HE HAS MADE YOU FOR.

And in 1 Samuel 16 Samuel the Prophet is instructed by YHVH to anoint DAVID as king and we read in verses 13 “From that DAY on, the SPIRIT of YHVH would fall upon David WITH POWER. And we know David could kill a lion and a bear with his bare hands with the help of YHVH who saved him from them (read 1 Samuel 17:34-37), and he was also not afraid of Goliath the giant who challenged the armies of the LIVING GOD and David battled against the giant in the NAME of YHVH TSAVAOT, THE GOD of the ARMIES of ISRAEL and he slayed the giant (read 1 Samuel 17:38-54) and this is proof of 2 Timothy 1:7  that the SPIRIT of GOD gives us POWER, and makes us fearless as we also read in Acts 4:29-31.

In 1 Chronicles 12:18 we also see that God COVERED Amasai the chief commander with His SPIRIT to help David in the time he had to flee from Saul who wanted to kill David.

After David became king he sinned with an affair with Bathsheba a married woman and tried to cover it up by having her husband murdered on the battle field, but after God sent the prophet Nathan to him to confront him with his sin because remember David in effect transgressed the sixth and seventh commandments of the TEN COMMANDMENTDS (you shall not murder and you shall not commit adultery, Exodus 20:13-14) and that is why he later admitted with a broken heart that he TRANSGRESSED against YHVH Himself and he repented as we read in Psalm 51 and in verses 10-14 David said: “Create in me a CLEAN HEART, God; RENEW in me a RESOLUTE (firm, small letter, human) spirit. Don’t thrust me away from YOUR PRESENCE, don’t take YOUR RUACH KODESH (Holy Spirit) away from me. RESTORE my JOY in YOUR SALVATION, and let a WILLING (small letter, therefore his own) spirit uphold me.”

So what was the difference between David and Saul? Both sinned against God. David was willing to REPENT, to BOW HIS KNEE before the LIVING GOD and ADMIT he was wrong and needed God’s help. But Saul STUBBORNLY REBELLED and did not want to admit that he was wrong and later turned to find help from evil sources.

On David’s death bed he said: “The SPIRIT of YHVH SPOKE THROUGH me, HIS WORD was on my tongue (2 Samuel 23:2). When we read the Psalms, it is evident that David was not only a king of ISRAEL but also a player of the HARP, a SINGER as WELL as a PROPHET as we read in 2 Samuel 23:1-2.