UNDERSTAND the SEVEN ATTRIBUTES of the HOLY SPIRIT!

 

July 19 Bible Reading: Isaiah Chapters 10-12

UNDERSTAND the SEVEN ATTRIBUTES of the HOLY SPIRIT!

"There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots. 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 11:1-2)

Isaiah 11 is one of the greatest passages on the Millennium in the entire Bible. These prophetical words about the Jesus the Messiah (4:2; 7:14; 9:6) consists of three sections: His endowment (vv. 1, 2), His righteous rule (vv. 3–5) and His kingdom of peace (vv. 6–9).

In the New Testament, we learn that the term ‘Spirit of the Lord’ refers to the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity (Matt. 28:19). Solomon prayed for wisdom and understanding (1 Kin.  3:9), the administrative skill to govern the people according to the principles of righteousness and justice (Deut. 1:15–17). The Holy Spirit’s counsel is not just advice, but authoritative plans and decisions. Human counsel may or may not be in accord with God’s plan (30:1), but the Messiah’s counsel is by “the Spirit”. Knowledge refers to wise and submissive living in accordance with the will of God (33:6; 53:11). It is a perfection of God (40:14). Fearing God includes obeying His commandments because of faith that the Lord will keep His threats against transgressors (Prov. 1:7). The Messiah will embody all this: He will be the ideal King (33:6).

The ‘Spirit of the Lord’ refers to the seven-fold Spirit of God (Rev. 4:5) described here in relation to His seven attributes—exalting the Lord’s rule, wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, and fear (reverence). The Messiah’s anointing with the ‘Spirit of the Lord’ is expressed in three pairs of spiritual attributes. W. E. Vine explains them clearly and concisely:

“The first, “the spirit of wisdom and understanding”, relates to powers of mind: wisdom discerns the nature of things, understanding discerns their differences. The second, “the spirit of counsel and might”, relates to practical activity: counsel is the ability to adopt right conclusions, might is the power exercised in carrying them out. The third pair, “the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord”, relates to fellowship with Jehovah as knowledge is here the intimate knowledge of Jehovah God (see John 8:55).

Jesus Christ was born as a descendant of King David and was filled with the Holy Spirit (Matt. 3:16). The work of the Holy Spirit in the Person of Jesus Christ included leading Him (Luke 4:1), inspiring His teaching (Luke 4:14, 15, 18), enabling Him in the working of miracles (Luke 4:18), and being involved in His offering up of Himself (Heb. 9:14), His resurrection, and His exaltation (Rom. 1:4). One day in the future, He would be a merciful but a true judge of humankind.

Let us also be filled with the Holy Spirit from on high so that we will personify all the seven attributes in our daily lives as well. "I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit." (Gal. 5:16-18, 25)