Is the Holy Spirit called YHWH and worshiped in Psalm 95 and Hebrews 3:7?

Question

Hebrews 3:7-11 begins, "Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says" (NKJV, emphasis mine) and then quotes from Psalm 95:7-11. However, the one speaking in Psalm 95:7-11 "is our God" (v. 7, NKJV) and is worshiped as "the LORD our Maker" (v. 6, NKJV), which in the original Hebrew is "YHWH."

Would these passages therefore serve as proof that the Holy Spirit is to be worshiped as YHWH? Thanks!

Answer 1

While I firmly believe that the Holy Spirit is an integral and eternal member of the Godhead, this comparison of these two texts cannot be used as evidence for that conclusion. Let me elaborate.

In Heb 3:7, 8 has

Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts ...

In Ps 95:6-8 has

O come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD our Maker. For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, the sheep under His care.

Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts

Note that:

1. In Ps 95 it is the psalmist speaking and encouraging the true worship of YHWH, Jehovah as God.
2. Heb 3 simply says that the psalmist wrote Ps 95 under the direct guidance of the Holy Spirit as per the record in the following:

• 2 Peter 1:19-21 - 19 We also have the word of the prophets as confirmed beyond doubt. And you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. 20 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture comes from one’s own interpretation. 21 For no such prophecy was ever brought forth by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
• Mark 12:36 - Speaking by the Holy Spirit, David himself declared: ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand until I put Your enemies under Your feet.” ’
• Acts 6:10 - but they could not stand up to his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke.
• 2 Sam 23:2 - The Spirit of the LORD spoke through me; His word was on my tongue.
• Acts 1:16 - “Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled which the Holy Spirit foretold through the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide for those who arrested Jesus.
• Neh 9:30 - You were patient with them for many years, and Your Spirit admonished them through Your prophets. Yet they would not listen, so You gave them into the hands of the neighboring peoples.

... and so forth. Thus, nothing can be deduced about the divinity or personhood of the Holy Spirit from Heb 3:7, 8 except that the Holy Spirit inspired the Psalmist who wrote Ps 95.

Answer 2

When one worships God your worshipping the Son and the Holy Spirit since there is only one God.

The Holy Spirit is a person in relation to the Father and the Son. The Holy Spirit is God in relation to us. If your in a relationship with the Father/Son/Holy Spirit, then you must be in a relationship with them all; for there is only one God. If you deny one, you deny all.

The Holy Spirit is identifed as God at Acts 5:3-4, "But Peter said, Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit, and to keep back some of the price of the land?

Vs4, "While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And it was sold, was it not under your control? Why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men, but to God."

So here's a question to consider? If the person of the Holy Spirit is not God, why at Acts 5:3 did not the writer just say, "why has Satan filled your heart to lie to God, and keep back some of the price of the land?"

The same can be said at Hebrews 3:7? The writer could have just as easily stated,"Therefore just as God says, Today if you hear MY voice etc." So yes, to worship God is worshipping both the Son and the Holy Spirit.