Dr. Fruchtenbaum, from his manuscript on “The Trinity,” says:
The Holy Spirit’s sometimes seen as God and sometimes He is seen as one person within the Godhead. His many appearances in the Old Testament are also evidence…[1]
Of a number of examples, let us choose Isaiah 11:2 that reads:
The spirit of the LORD shall alight upon him: a spirit of wisdom and insight, a spirit of counsel and valor, a spirit of devotion and reverence for the LORD.[2]
In Isaiah 11:2, the Spirit is called YHVH and then described in personal terms. A force or power does not possess insight, wisdom, reverence, etc. The Holy Spirit is an indivisible, but distinguishable person in the Godhead. A comment in the Midrash Rabbah refers to Isaiah 11:2 and appears to make this connection as well.
- Midrash Rabbah, Genesis II, 4.
… AND THE SPIRIT OF GOD HOVERED: this alludes to the spirit of Messiah, as you read, And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him (Isa. XI, 2).[3]
In this midrash the Spirit of God and the spirit of the Messiah are identical. The implication would be that the Messiah is a Divine Person, equal to God yet distinguishable from God. This is proved by the fact that the Spirit is equal yet distinguishable.