First Timothy speaks of the history of Adam and Eve in 2:13-14: “For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived; but the woman, having been quite deceived, has fallen into transgression.” Satan did not deceive Adam directly; his deception was aimed at Eve. He tempted Eve first, and then Eve tempted Adam. First Eve fell as a result of Satan’s deception, and then Adam fell as a result of Eve’s temptation. In the Old Testament we only have the record of this fact. But in the New Testament, the Holy Spirit opens up this fact to us and shows us that the woman should not be the head in the church; she should not dominate over the man. A pattern is shown, and a basic principle is established. Whenever the woman assumes headship, sin is brought into the world. This fact is part of the history of Adam and Eve. Yet when this fact is opened up, it becomes the basis of the ministry of the word.
In Romans 9 Paul spoke of the story of Abraham. He quoted from Genesis 21. Romans 9:7 says, “‘In Isaac shall your seed be called.’” Verse 9 says, “‘At this time next year I will come, and Sarah shall have a son.’” This is Old Testament history; it is Old Testament fact. Yet the Holy Spirit opened up to Paul the fact of Abraham’s begetting of Isaac, and he was able to see its significance. He began to realize that “not all who are out of Israel are Israel; neither is it that because they are the seed of Abraham, they are all children” (vv. 6-7). Only those who are out of Sarah are the children. God’s promise was to Sarah when He said, “‘At this time next year I will come, and Sarah shall have a son’” (v. 9). This was God’s promise. Isaac was born of God’s promise. Only this son was reckoned as Abraham’s descendant. Hence, only those who have believed in the Lord Jesus, who are born of God’s promise, are the children of God. The Holy Spirit unveiled the history of Abraham’s begetting of Isaac to Paul. When he saw this, he had the ministry of God’s word. If Paul had read the story of Abraham and Sarah without the interpretation of the Holy Spirit, it would have remained just a story; he would not have had the ministry of the word. Hence, God’s Word requires the interpretation of the Holy Spirit. Without the interpretation of the Spirit, one cannot use God’s past words as the basis of his speaking, and he will not have the ministry of the word.
In the book of Galatians, the story of Isaac is expounded with more detail and clarity. Galatians 3:29 says, “And if you are of Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, heirs according to promise.” Galatians 4:28 says, “But you, brothers, in the way Isaac was, are children of promise.” This was Paul’s word; it was his ministry of the word. Where did he derive his ministry from? He derived it from an Old Testament story. The Holy Spirit opened this story to him and showed him the key to this story, which was the promise. The key of the promise is found in Genesis 18:10: “I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son.” This was a promise of God. It was to happen the following year, not that very day. This is the reason we can say that Isaac was born according to a promise. Like Isaac, we are also born according to promise. Thus, the matter becomes clear. Paul was able to minister God’s word to His children because the Holy Spirit had interpreted this word to him. He had the ministry of the word. Hence, ministry of the word is based on the interpretation of the Holy Spirit. Without the interpretation of the Spirit, there is no release of the word. We need the interpretation of the Spirit for prophecy and for history. Every part of the Old Testament history requires the explanation of the Spirit. Without the interpretation of the Holy Spirit, there is no release of the word.
Another clear example can be found in Galatians 3:15, which says, “Brothers, I speak according to man, though it is a man’s covenant, yet when it has been ratified, no one nullifies it or makes additions to it.” Paul said that any man who makes a covenant cannot nullify it or make additions to it. This is true not only with God but even with man. Verse 16 then says, “But to Abraham were the promises spoken and to his seed. He does not say, ‘And to the seeds,’ as concerning many, but as concerning one: ‘And to your seed,’ who is Christ.” This shows us how accurate Paul was. In Genesis God told Abraham that He would bless others through his seed. In this passage the Spirit of God explained this word to Paul. God would bless others through Abraham and his seed. What do we know about the word seed in Hebrew? This word is singular, not plural, in Hebrew. As soon as this fact dawned on Paul, he became clear. God’s intention was not to bless the nations through the many descendants of Abraham. If that were the case, God’s grace would have been for the Jews only; only they could bring blessing to the whole world. But the word seed is singular in number. It refers to Christ. When God said that He was going to bless the nations through the seed of Abraham, He was referring to Christ. The fact is simple, involving one word being singular rather than plural in number. Yet behind this simple fact lies a very important truth. The Holy Spirit opened up this fact to Paul and showed him the meaning behind this fact. Once he became clear, he had the ministry of the word.
Let us consider another fact. Abraham believed God, and God reckoned him righteous. This is recorded in Genesis 15. Based on this Paul showed us that God does not justify man according to his righteousness but according to his faith. This is Paul’s ministry. Abraham believed God, and God reckoned this faith as righteousness. Paul went on to show us that all of Abraham’s descendants are justified the same way that Abraham was justified. Abraham was justified by faith, and all those who are justified by faith are sons of Abraham (Gal. 3:6-7). God justified Abraham out of faith; He reckoned Abraham righteous out of faith. Similarly, He justifies everyone who, like Abraham, possesses the same faith (vv. 8-9). Paul shows that Genesis 15 speaks not only of a fact or of history but of a principle, the principle of justification by faith.
We should remember that both Old Testament history and Old Testament prophecies are equally valuable. Some people think that the prophecies, ordinances, and teachings in the Bible are valuable but that the history is not. They consider the history as merely stories. But we must remember that all historical records in the Bible are part of God’s word, in the same way that the teachings are God’s word. If we show an unbeliever God’s Word, he may take the book of Proverbs and throw out Genesis. But we know that the prophecies recorded in the Old Testament are God’s word, and so are the teachings, the ordinances, and even the history. God’s Word is one undivided whole, and the same principle governs all of its parts. Whether they are presented in the form of history or in the form of prophecy, they are equally God’s word, and they equally require the Holy Spirit’s interpretation. Prophecies require interpretation by the Holy Spirit, and the history also requires interpretation by the Holy Spirit. Many truths and revelations come from the unveiling of Old Testament history. In serving as a minister of God’s word, Paul sometimes received the Spirit’s revelation through Old Testament prophecies and sometimes through historical records. Once he saw the revelation, he had the ministry of the word. There is the need for the interpretation of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit has to interpret the facts in the Old Testament to us before we can have the ministry of the word. Otherwise there is no ministry of the word.