“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 in Isaiah 11:1–2 is clearly a promise written hundreds of years before the coming of Jesus, of one who had come from the line of David, a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
So, just think about the fruit that Jesus would bear, the fruit that would come from his life, his coming, what we celebrate at Christmas. The fruit of sinners, multitudes of sinners, countless sinners saved by God’s grace from their sin. Redeemed, changed, transformed, restored to relationship with God and all the fruit that comes from that. All that we see in the Bible of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, the fruit of his spirit, which is the whole point here in verse two, the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him. The spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, and the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
The Spirit Given by His Grace
So through the work of Christ, the Spirit that rested on Him is given to us by His grace through faith in Him.
So, the spirit of God fully resting on Jesus. This is what we see in Matthew 3:16–17, the fulfillment basically of this promise as Jesus is baptized. We see this glorious picture of the spirit of God just fully on him. Jesus has the spirit of God perfectly resting upon him. Now, here’s the beauty, because yes, Jesus is absolutely unique. He’s gloriously unique. He is gloriously unique in a way that we worship and we praise him.
Isaiah 11:1–2 Celebrates the Power of the Spirit
At the same time, do you realize what we’re celebrating at Christmas is not just that Jesus, the shoot from the stump of Jesse and branch from his roots has come and the spirit of Lord dwelled in him? Because, Jesus died on the cross for our sins, rose from the grave in victory over sin, ascended on high, and made it possible for all who trust in him to be forgiven of our sins and empowered by his spirit.
So Jesus has sent the same spirit that was on him into each one of our hearts. The spirit of the Lord. Yes, the spirit of wisdom and understanding. The spirit of counsel and might. The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. The same spirit that dwelled in Jesus, that Jesus perfectly personified is the same Spirit who dwells in us, who dwells in you and me. This is what we celebrate at Christmas. Not just that Jesus came, but that Jesus lives and his spirit lives inside of every one of us.
Guided by the Spirit of God
So, live in this today. Above all else, God, help us to live in this today. God, I pray that in my own life in everything I do, that your spirit would lead, guide, and direct me. Your spirit of wisdom and understanding and counsel and might and knowledge. The fear of you would totally direct everything I think can say and do today, that your spirit’s power in me would make me a witness just as you promised Jesus. That you would give me boldness by your spirit to share the gospel today and to point people to Jesus.
So, God, I pray that somebody would come to know Jesus through my life today. God, I pray for that and I pray for this for every single person who’s listening to this right now. That, first and foremost, they would trust in you, Jesus. They would trust in you to save them from their sins, to restore them to relationship with you, oh God. Then, oh God, I pray for every single person who’s listening to this who has trusted in you for the forgiveness of sins. Jesus, who is trusted in Jesus for the forgiveness of sins, and who now has your spirit. Jesus, the spirit of the Lord living inside of them. I pray that you would lead them. So, God, I pray that you would guide them, directed their every thought, their every word, their every desire, their every action, their every decision.
Isaiah 11:1–2 Prays for All Peoples to Walk with the Spirit
God, please help them to walk in step with your spirit, just totally following the leadership of your spirit in them. Above all else, help them to live a spiritual, spirit-filled life today. That they would be empowered by your spirit with boldness to share the gospel. To share the good news of your love in Jesus with those around them. God, please may it be so today. Use them to lead someone to Jesus by the power of your spirit in them.
So God, especially at Christmas when we have opportunities, so many opportunities to talk about Jesus. Please give us boldness to talk about Jesus today by the power of your spirit. We praise you. We praise you that your spirit dwells in us. As we celebrate your coming in the fullness of the spirit 2,000 years ago, we praise you for your life in us today and we pray for the fullness of your spirit in us. In every way, we pray. In Jesus’ name, amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
