The Spirit of wisdom, understanding, counsel and might

The Spirit of wisdom, understanding, counsel and might

Scripture:- And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; Isaiah 11:2

Observation:- Isaiah 11 is a powerful prophetic chapter which gives us a marvelous picture of the coming reign of Jesus Christ on earth. Imagine a wolf and a lamb, a calf and a lion, a cow and a bear, lying together side by side, and a little child leads them. The picture gives us the impression of surreal peace, a going back to the time of Eden when animals dwelt together in harmony with each other and with men. There were no predators, no animals posing any danger to man or to each other.

In verse 2, we are shown 6 characteristics of the spirit of the Lord which was upon our Lord Jesus Christ, and He has availed this same spirit to us. Of course, the Holy Spirit has many, many more precious aspects and characteristics but we want to focus on just these 6 here.

Four of these characteristics, wisdom, understanding, counsel and knowledge are similar. Knowledge is more in respect of information. Jesus knew the Samaritan woman had 7 husbands. Jesus knew what the Pharisees were thinking in their hearts. The Spirit also is able to give us knowledge which might help us in a particular situation. I have heard a testimony of a brother involved in house cleansing who was given a word of knowledge by the Holy Spirit to help him identify a particular object which had to be destroyed for the home to be at peace. The Spirit of knowledge is able to give us the knowledge that we need in any particular situation of ministry or even in daily life.

Counsel is relating to decision-making, what is the best path to take when a choice is needed. Paul was led by the Spirit to go to Macedonia instead of Asia. Philip was led to walk beside the Ethiopian eunuch. The Spirit of counsel also works in our daily lives, warning us against certain wrong decisions or leading us towards right decisions. We need to be sensitive to that.

Understanding is relating to knowing the why of things. Jesus understood that men’s heart was deceitful beyond cure and did not entrust Himself to them. Jesus understood what His Father wanted, and was always seeking to reveal the Father’s heart to the people. He understood that we need simple faith like little children to enter the kingdom of God. The apostle John  understood that the whole world was held sway under the evil one and we are not to love the world. Perhaps the greatest understanding the Spirit can give us is to understand ourselves. When we understand areas where we are weak, we will take care and be careful not to put ourselves in such situations.

Wisdom is often said as knowing how to apply knowledge. We may have knowledge, but use it wrongly. In the Corinthian church, those who were more mature understood that food sacrificed to idols was still food essentially, not making a person better or worse. However, Paul exhorted them to use their wisdom not to eat anyway if it would cause a fellow brother to stumble. Jesus said not to give pearls to pigs. Wisdom is tied in closely with discernment, knowing when the time is suitable and what knowledge to use.

And then there is Might. The Spirit of God has great power, enabling David to slay the giant Goliath, enabling Samson to defeat many men and perform great feats of strength. The Spirit of God raised Jesus from the dead, helped the apostles perform signs and wonders, even created the whole world. The Spirit of God is mighty within us, and is something we would do well to remember and believe.

Finally, there is the fear of the Lord. In Timothy, it is written that God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind. That spirit was a fear of other things, but the fear of the Lord is a profound reverence that we must always have for God who is almighty, powerful, and worthy to be praised. The fear of the Lord keeps us from sin and rebellion. He is a mighty King who invites us to fellowship with Him, yet we must always respect and revere Him.

Application:- As we seek to deepen our relationship with the Holy Spirit who is with us, we can focus on these 6 characteristics and ask Him to show it real in our lives – wisdom, knowledge, understanding, counsel, might and fear of the Lord.

Prayer:- Holy Spirit, you are precious and perfect in every way. Grant us Your wisdom, Your knowledge, Your understanding, Your counsel, Your might, and fill us with the fear of the Lord that we might always glorify Jesus. In Jesus name, Amen.