Randy, Thank you very much for your insights into the Spirit within and amoung in the OT. I hope you are doing well.
I'm doing well--my computer--not so much!
I think an upgrade has mixed things up a bit, and slowed things down terribly. But I'll try to get through it.
Do you have any other (I know you presented Deu 30:14) reasoning based on scripture that would speak to this taking issue and pointing toward the asserted fact that...
1. There was a dwelling of the Holy Spirit within the OT saints (not just the main characters).
2. That dwelling of the Holy Spirit in the OT could never be viewed as final or lasting.
There are Scriptures that God dwelt with the people of Israel by virtue of His dwelling "within" the Temple structure. This indicated that God was with the people, generally, to bless them and to prosper them, to defend them and to reward them. What they were commissioned to do, in displaying themselves as the People of God, would be enhanced by God providing His own righteousness in them as they submitted to His word.
This "righteousness" that Israel displayed was not yet Christian Justification, but it was based on the same principle of "faith" that has always enabled Man to obey God's word. Ultimately, after Christ came and did his work, righteousness came packaged with forgiveness, allowing for Justification.
OT righteousness is therefore what I call "temporary righteousness" because it is a good that is always ultimately delegitimized by the lack of access to Christ's Justification. But after Christ did his work to justify us, our righteousness by faith becomes a lasting, or eternal, righteousness. This information can be understood from the book of Hebrews.
Your Deu 30:14 is a good one.
I can't emphasize it enough. Faith is a universal by which Man responds to God's mandates and words of command. When we respond in faith to what God tells us we are automatically enabled to perform the necessary tasks. God would not ask us to do something that we absolutely cannot do!
Faith then is also the basis of Justification through Christ. When Christ's word comes to us offering us a combination of righteousness and forgiveness, acceptance of that word brings us Justification for Eternal Life. No different from OT faith except that faith is now directed towards a word from God that now includes Christ's atonement for sin.
God's word always includes the virtue necessary to obtain what is being asked of us, whether righteousness in the OT or Justification in the NT. Salvation comes by faith just as obedience for Israel came by faith in the OT under the Law.
So God was present...
1. In the community or among the people (as a whole)
2. In the person (individually)
Just as there were to be sacrifices for the Jewish people in general, there were sacrifices for individual sins. So it seems we can make a distiction here and apply where exactly the Spirit resided in each case, 1 and 2.
Great point! Yes, the sacrificial system under the Law did differentiate between sacrifices made for the entire community and for the individual!
In the same way I would say that the faith and obedience of the individual could bring upon that individual or his family certain blessings. And the entire nation could be blessed if the vast majority in the nation was in general compliance with the big mandates for the nation.
A spiritually divided nation could not bring blessings upon the whole nation. An idolatrous section of the nation could not bring blessings upon itself, though the nation, despite that bad section, might still be able to be blessed.
We see that in the history of the Kings of Israel. There was a mixture of blessings and curses as the nation divided and struggled to unite around the Law of God. There was sometimes partial compliance with God's Law, and blessings persisted despite the more isolated curses.
One can see and take note that the Northern Kingdom of Israel, more idolatrous than Judah initially, succumbed to God's curse 1st and was destroyed by Assyria. Later, when the Southern Kingdom of Judah also turned to gross idolatry, they fell to Babylon. Not even a righteous prophet like Jeremiah could prevent this!
In regard to (2), the person individually. God is present...
2a. within the individual through the Holy Spirit in the OT.
Do we have verses for this? Biblical reasoning from verses? What were the fruits of God's prescence from being within the individual in the OT? Do we have verses for this?
The entire biblical record shows God's blessings for individual Hebrews and for the entire nation of Israel when there was a measure of obedience to God's mandates. As I said, God's spiritual presence in the individual and among the nation are often noted in 1) God's word to the person, 2) God's showing favor to the person, 3) God's giving of gifts/enablement to the person.
Quite frankly, if you read the Psalms you will know the close connection King David had with God. Jesus said that close relationship existed between God and Abraham--a friendship. Enoch certainly had it. Elijah had it. The Prophets had it.
The very definition of "sainthood" implies that God is in and with people who exhibit God's holiness. The whole question of residence in people by God comes from NT arguments concerning the degree of His dwelling with people. And I explain that as the difference between a "temporary dwelling" and a "final dwelling."
This is based on the theology of Salvation. If a person receives Christ, God's dwelling in him is permanent. Of course that depends on whether faith in God's word of Salvation is consummated in a full and real commitment to Christ or not.
Based on what I just presented as general presence, it seems that there should be no question that the Holy Spirit was working during OT times. We have further biblical evidence that God worked in the prophets and key characters of faith that led the Jewish people. What what about the common Jewish person?
Not sure what you mean here, but yes--clearly the Spirit and faith have always been and always will be. They will always be with the saints of God who exhibit genuine faith. That faith has now been consummated in Christ's Salvation. That word has been given to us, and we can now receive it.