The promised One - 11

"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 the fear of the LORD."

Isaiah 11:2

The promised Messiah will come. The prophesy gives details. Six traits are mentioned: wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, and fear of the LORD.

I found those six traits to be fascinating! Most of them occur in our thoughts: wisdom, understanding, knowledge, and I would lump counsel in with these as well. Interesting that 4 out of 6 happen inside our bodies with our hearts and mind.

That leaves might and fear of the LORD. I think of these as "stances". For might, I picture a warrior taking his "stance"- preparing for battle, solid, unmoving, etc. For fear of the Lord, the picture that comes to mind is a person on their knees - showing reverence and submission.

"And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. 

He shall not judge by what his eyes see,

or decide disputes by what his ears hear,

but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,

and decide with equity for the meek of the earth..."

Isaiah 11:3-4a

I found these verses truly convicting. I'm the type of person who's quick to come to an opinion and unfortunately, I often decide based on what my eyes see. It's a complete contrast to the 6 traits mentioned in the previous verses. This was a good reminder for me.

"They shall not hurt or destroy

in all my holy mountain;

for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD

as the waters covers the sea."

Isaiah 11:9

I love that picture, the EARTH FULL OF KNOWLEDGE OF THE LORD. How amazing will it be when that day occurs, when our completely imperfect earth, suddenly has an awareness of the perfect, holy one.

"In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples - of him shall the peoples inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious. In that day the Lord will extend his hand yet a second time to recover the remnant that remains of his people...He will raise a signal for the nations and will assemble the banished of Israel, and gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth."

Isaiah 11:10-12