There shall come forth a shoot from the stump
of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear
fruit. 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 11:1-2)
This is a promise written hundreds of years before
the coming of Jesus. Isaiah spoke of a “shoot from
the stump of Jesse,” which is another way of saying
that Jesus would be a king from David’s line
(since Jesse was David’s father). As
a “branch” from this royal line,
Jesus would “bear fruit.” So
what fruit do we see from
Jesus’ coming?
We see the fruit of
sinners, countless
multitudes of sinners,
saved from their sin
by God’s grace. Men
and women who
have been redeemed,
transformed, and
restored to a right
relationship with God.
And the fruit of that
relationship with God
includes the fruit of the Spirit:
“. . . love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control”
(Galatians 5:22-23). This same Spirit is the One who
will rest on Jesus, for He is 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).
We see the fulfillment of this promise as Jesus
is baptized and the Spirit comes to rest on Him
(Matthew 3:16). In this sense, Jesus is unique,
gloriously unique. He possesses the fullness of the
Holy Spirit, and so we worship and praise Him. At
the same time, because Jesus died on the cross for
our sins, rose from the grave in victory over sin, and
ascended on high to the right hand of the Father,
He has made it possible for all who trust in Him to
be forgiven of their sins and indwelt by His Spirit.
So if you’re a Christian, that means the Spirit of the
Lord––”the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of
knowledge and the fear of the Lord”––dwells in you.
This is what we celebrate at Christmas. Not only
that Jesus came but also that He lives in us by
His Spirit. We should live in light of that
reality each and every day.
PRAYING IN LIGHT OF
TODAY’S PASSAGE
Praise God for sending
us His Spirit through
Christ, and ask Him
for the grace to
depend on the Spirit
rather than on your
own wisdom and
strength.