The Spirit Upon Him

Isaiah 11:1-3a  A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. 2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him – the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord – 3a and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.
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Luke 2:40 And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him. 
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Luke 4:1 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert.
 
WITH two sentences - three verses - Isaiah records God’s eternal plan for your salvation. Just as briefly, Luke summarizes God’s way to declare the gospel. The Branch, who is Jesus, will come from Jesse’s family. From Jesse to David and through the generations to Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem, Isaiah’s prophecy came true.
   Isaiah also described the Branch’s character. He will have wisdom, understanding, power, knowledge and fear (honor, awe, reverence, worship) of the Lord, and it will delight him.
   Luke then revealed the fulfilled prophecy. The Spirit empowered Jesus’ birth. Luke 1:35 (speaking to Mary) “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.” Jesus then grew to became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him. When it was time to minister the gospel, the Spirit rested on Jesus, who was fully man, to baptize and fill him with God’s power to display God’s will on earth. Isaiah prophesied and Luke recorded how the Holy Trinity purposefully worked from eternity past to reveal the knowledge of God. In his grace, God has formed the way to him. He gave us his Word, the Holy Bible, so we know the way to grow in wisdom, understanding, power, knowledge and fear in our relationship with God.
   Are you a Christian? You are then the fruit of God’s eternal salvation plan. Your purpose is to know God. How will you respond to the glorious life he has given to you?  
 
Prayer: Holy Trinity, you have set for us an example of purposeful learning. Empower us, Spirit, to know God, to gain understanding and to delight in the worship of the Lord. Amen.