Letter To The Editor
In the March-April issue of Focus, David Clifford writes on page 21: “In Isaiah 63, there are three more titles of the Holy Spirit which are full of meaning:
“The angel of His presence saved them … But they rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit” (vv. 9-10).
“Where is He that brought them up out of the sea (Red Sea) with the Shepherd of His flock? Where is He that put His Holy Spirit within Him?” (v. 11, KJV).
“That led them by the right hand of Moses with His glorious arm .. . the Spirit of the Lord caused him to rest: so didst thou lead thy people, to make thyself a glorious name” (vv. 12 and 14, KJV).
Dr. Clifford considers these three titles to be applied to the Holy Spirit, but is not “the Angel of His Presence” an Old Testament designation of Christ? Similarly, is Christ not the “Shepherd” of both the Old and New Testaments? If the “Arm of the Lord” in Isaiah 53 is the Messiah, how can He be the Holy Spirit in chapter 63?
Should we not be strictly consistent in any interpretation of the Word of God?
Yours in Christ,
S. O. M.
Editor’s Note: I am in full agreement with the observations expressed in the above letter. When readying Dr. Clifford’s article for publication I, too, questioned his interpretation at this point in his study. A copy of this issue of Focus will be sent to the author and perhaps at a later date we shall be able to publish a word of explanation by Dr. Clifford himself.
Meanwhile, in the area of nonessentials (i.e., where no essential or cardinal doctrine of the Word of God is violated), it is the policy of this editor to nevertheless publish in Focus a viewpoint or interpretation with which I am not necessarily in agreement.