“2 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 of the fear of the Lord;
3 And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord; and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears.
4 But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.
5 And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.”

These depictions of the savior are also powerful guides for us as we seek to become more like him through the power of his spirit.

I want to focus on Verse 2  which describes several gifts of the spirit that are available to all of us as we have faith in the savior and aspire to be like him.

First, the spirit of wisdom and understanding – Wisdom in the scriptures is described as far more than mere knowledge. Instead it is a deep sense of understanding the will of God and living in harmony with that understanding. The wise not only know divine truth, but they are able to apply it to their lives and live it. They have truly been converted to the teachings of the Lord. Understanding likewise conveys something deeper than mere knowing or belief. This deep understanding can only come from the spirit of God.

Second the spirit of counsel and of might- In the context of Christ, these verses seem to refer to his attribute of being a mighty counselor. For us, I think this attribute perhaps has more to do with our ability to heed and take counsel from the spirit. Being led by the spirit leads to power and might becuase we are than following the counsel of our father in heaven and our Savior. When we heed the spirit, we are allowing the Godhead to give us counsel. That counsel is truly an endowment of might from on high. Because of his role as savior and redeemer, Christ has all wisdom and if we hearken to him and his teachings, we will be led in the path that we are to go. The spirit is the lifeline to his teachings and counsel.

Third, the spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord- I love that these two gifts are linked closely. Knowledge without the gift of fear of the Lord can lead to haughtiness and pride. If we think we are wise, we can come to think that we do not need the counsel of God. Godly knowledge leads to a sense of our own inadequacy and need for God. Learning is a divine gift and as we seek knowledge through study and faith the spirit will help us to preserve the requisite faith and fear in the Lord.