The following excerpts are from a writing by our friend Alan:
NKJ John 4:24 "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."
NKJ John 20:22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit”.
I was taught early in my spiritual journey that God ‘cut covenants’ with certain individuals, and that was the basis for much of the Bible; God ‘cut’ different covenants with certain men to achieve God’s goals. That description never tasted very good to me, though I wasn’t able to say why I could not comfortably embrace that idea. As I began to study the verses in the O.T. which address the idea of ‘covenant’, I discovered the real error in the line of thinking, at least for my ‘theology’, which describes God as ‘cutting covenant’ with specific individuals.
KJV Genesis 6:18 “But with thee will I establish (Strong’s # H6965 is the root verb used here) my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark; thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons’ wives with thee.” At this juncture can you imagine that the phrase “…come into the ark”, rather than describing physically entering into a large wooden box that can float above the death of destructive waters, can instead be referring to entering into a new level of thought and understanding, also referred to as a ‘covenant’? Can you consider that the ‘flood’ was actually a flood of words that would be used to kill and destroy and wash away an old and disorderly way of thinking, so that a new level of thinking (covenant) would be available?
NKJ Hebrews 9:8 the Holy Spirit indicating this, that the way into the Holiest of All was not yet made manifest while the first tabernacle was yet standing:
The Hebrew verb ‘qum’, pronounced in English as ‘Qoom’, iis Strong’s #6965, and is used many times in the Old Testament scriptures. The first place I can find the word appearing is in Gen. 4:8: “…Cain rose up (Strong’s #6965) against Abel his brother…”
The impact of the verb ‘’qoom’ is the idea of embracing the thought, or instructions, of ascending to a higher position of authority, and/or of obedient action. The word is generally used to communicate the activity of one who takes instructions from another to do something they weren’t previously doing. Most often it represents when a superior motivates a subordinate to do something: i.e., ‘Arise’; ‘stand up’; ‘rise up’; ‘go forth’; etc. In that context, then, let us consider this. “But with you I will establish (#6965) my covenant…” [Gen. 6:18]
This verse is also the first place in the scriptures that the word ‘covenant’ is used; in Hebrew and in English. The literal translation of these Hebrew words into English is as this: “I will cause to stand up (Strong’s #6965), in you and with you, my covenant”. The ‘covenant of God’ is the presence of God. And God is Spirit, on the authority of Yashua. That covenant declaration was not a promise to just Noah, and whatever ‘noah’ represents. This declaration was for all of mankind; all of humanity; ‘adam’, in all of ‘adam’s’ varied manifestations. For God is no respecter of persons. [Rom. 2:11, James 2:9, Acts 10:34] The idea being introduced here is that when man is obedient to the Spirit of God, the covenant of God ‘stands up’ in man. And the covenant of God is the Spirit Presence of God.
Many times throughout the O.T. we find this language being used to say that if a certain individual is obedient to the Spiritual instructions he/she is receiving from God, that God will cause to ‘stand up’ in them his presence; His covenant in them. God doesn’t make external covenant conditions with man. When man is obedient to the Spirit of God, the Spirit of God ‘stands up’ in man. And all who embrace the instructions and corrections from the Spirit partake of the benefit of having the Spirit of God ‘stand up’ in them; in their experience and in their actions and in their lives. When one hears something from the Spirit of God that causes them to embrace what they heard, the Spirit of God is being elevated in that individual. And all who embrace and accept, for themselves, that same idea of what was ‘heard’, also accept and endorse the benefit that goes with that level of Spirit obedience. For God is no respecter of persons. This Spiritual principle works whether or not one understands it.
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As the blood of Yashua was flowing forth from the wound in his side, water also flowed forth. What does water represent? The Word of God is often represented as water. “Out of your belly shall flow rivers of Living Water” rather than the ‘death’ waters of a destructive flood. The water and the Spirit and the Word are all used synonymously as representing the coming forth of the Spirit of God from within. As believers, we are encouraged to embrace baptism in water, and baptism in the Spirit. Yashua breathed upon them and said, “Receive you the Holy Spirit”. [John 20:22] The word ‘breath’ is most often associated with Spirit. The very breath that sustains us, in this physical dimension, is the gift of God.
The Breath of God and the Spirit of God are one and the same. For God is Spirit, and does not need to breathe as man needs to breathe. And if you can breathe, you are a candidate for manifestation of Covenant Life with Father. God has elevated His Covenant in ‘adam’ to another level. And in this Third Day experience, the Aquarius sign (which astronomically we have entered into) of the man with the pitcher of water being poured out has taken on a new and higher spiritual importance. The Spirit Words of God flowing forth from us believers is synonymous with the water being poured out by the man with the pitcher of water. And we must expend breath to speak the Word. Yashua breathed upon them and said these Words: “Receive the Holy Spirit”. [John: 20:22] ‘Tis by the breath of God that we speak the Words of God.