In this message we want to see fourteen symbols of the Spirit. These fourteen symbols can be divided into seven pairs. The first pair is the brooding bird and the dove. The second pair is the olive oil and the anointing ointment. The third pair is the wind and the breath. The fourth pair is the cloud and the fire. The fifth pair is the light and the rain. The sixth pair is the living water and the river of water of life. The last pair is the seven lamps of the lampstand and the seven eyes of the Lamb.
It is interesting to note that both the Old Testament and the New Testament begin with the Spirit as a bird and end with the Spirit as water. In the Old Testament, Genesis 1:2 says that the Spirit of God was brooding (as a bird) upon or over the death waters. In the New Testament, Matthew 3:16b and John 1:32 show us that the Spirit is as a dove. The last symbols of the Spirit in the Old Testament are the rain (Zech. 10:1) and the river of water of life (Ezek. 47:1, 5, 7-9, 12). These symbols are concerning the water. Then the last symbol of the Spirit in the New Testament is the river of water of life (Rev. 22:1, 17b).
Genesis 1:2 says, “The Spirit of God was brooding upon the face of the waters” (Gen. 1:2—ASV note). Brooding is for bringing something into life. In Genesis 1 the Spirit of God was brooding over the death waters to produce something of life out of death. The brooding of the Spirit brought in light. Without light, there is no life. After light was brought in, the plant life came into existence. Following this was the animal life with the birds, the fish, the cattle, and the creeping things. Eventually, the human life was created. Then the tree of life, denoting the divine life, the highest life, was presented to the human life. All of these different kinds of life came out of the brooding of the Spirit as the divine bird. The brooding of the Spirit brought forth life. This is the basic principle of the move of the Spirit today. Before we heard the gospel, we were dead just like the death waters. Then the Spirit of God came to brood over us, and that brooding produced life. The thought of the Lord as a brooding bird is also expressed in Deuteronomy 32:11 and Isaiah 31:5. Whenever the God of life comes to the ones in death, He comes as a brooding bird. He comes to brood over them to produce life.
In John 1:29, John the Baptist said, “Behold, the Lamb of God.” Then in verse 32, John said, “I beheld the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He abode upon Him.” John introduced Jesus as a little lamb with a dove upon Him. The Lamb redeems, and the dove’s work is to produce life. The redeeming Lamb is the life-producing dove. The Spirit as the brooding bird and as the dove is for the producing of life.
The (olive) oil is another symbol of the Spirit (Psa. 45:7; Heb. 1:9; Isa. 61:1; Zech. 4:6, 11, 14—Darby). Psalm 45:7 says, “God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness.” The oil of gladness is the Spirit of joy. God has anointed Christ with the oil of gladness, the Spirit of joy. Now we need to ask how we know that the olive oil symbolizes the Spirit. We know this by comparing Isaiah 61:1 with Hebrews 1:9. Isaiah 61:1 says, “The Spirit of the Lord Jehovah is upon me; because Jehovah has anointed me.” Hebrews 1:9 says that God has anointed Christ “with the oil of exultant joy.” The Spirit with which Christ was anointed in Isaiah 61:1 is the oil of exultant joy in Hebrews 1:9. This proves that the oil is the anointing Spirit.
Zechariah is a wonderful book concerning Christ with His Spirit. Zechariah 4 shows us the two olive trees on the right of the lampstand and on its left (v. 11). The work of the lampstand is to shine with light, but for the lampstand to shine, it needs the olive oil. Without the olive oil, the lampstand stops working. Today it is the same with us. Revelation 1 tells us that the churches are the lampstands. The work of the church as the lampstand is to shine with light. For the churches to shine forth light, there is the need of the Spirit. Zechariah 4:6 says, “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit.” The two olive trees on the right and on the left of the lampstand are full of oil (v. 12), full of the Spirit. Zechariah 4:14 tells us that the two olive trees are the two sons of oil (Darby). The lampstand needs the Spirit. From all these verses, we can see that the olive oil is a symbol of the Spirit, which the lampstand needs to shine forth the light.