In times when life takes a threatening turn, we want answers. Some of the answers we get only appease our temporary fears; they do not reveal the entire truth and bring us peace.
Isaiah 11 was written during a time when many opposing nations were threatening Israel. Chapter 11 was written to reveal the coming of the Messiah and the nature of the Lord’s presence among His people.
The Lord’s nature and His truth have not changed. To understand His nature and how He reveals the truth remains the same today. If we want to discern His truth and apply it in today’s world, we need to understand the message Isaiah wrote about the Lord.
Only by hearing the Spirit will we be able to discern His voice among the many confusing voices that are rampant in our culture and, at times, within the Church.
Jesus said to His disciples that after His resurrection, He would send them the Helper, the Spirit, who would help them navigate through the barriers to their faith and would create fear in their hearts.
Isaiah revealed the seven manifestations of the Spirit that Jesus would carry and be delivered to the Church. These seven spirits of the Lord were also mentioned several times in the book of Revelation.
“And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on him – the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. He will delight in obeying the Lord. He will not judge by appearance nor make a decision based on hearsay” (Isaiah 11:2-3).
Everything we need to know is present in Jesus. To pursue Him above all others will bring to us a level of understanding we cannot gain by ourselves or with the help of others.
There is a great deal of hearsay flowing around today within the Church. This hearsay is a variety of mixed messages that can only be defined by Jesus, not by rumors and unsubstantiated facts that appeal to our flesh.
Until the Lord reveals what is happening in our world, through His word and by the Spirit, our lack of impatience in discerning the present and understanding the future makes us easy prey for deceiving spirits that are wrapped in misguided human certainty but not in the Spirit of the Lord.
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Garris Elkins
Featured Image by Unsplash
