Reading Isaiah 11:2 again and again, and from varying translations, something struck me suddenly about these seven gifts of the Spirit; are they just gifts?
The Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
The Spirit of counsel and might,
The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord
The Spirit of piety
Throughout this verse there is one recurring theme – it’s
all about Spirit. It’s the spirit of…not gift of. Yes, we can debate that it’s
all been given but it is not spoken of as ‘gifts’. But what is the
significance?
“Pneuma” defined as the vital spirit, soul, or creative
force of a person is also translated spirit in Scripture. When God breathed
life into Adam’s nostrils (Genesis 2:7), it was His pneuma that filled Adam. Adam
received a divine inbreathing as we all do at our re-birth.
These spirits are meant to move us to perfection by inspiration
of the Spirit, so they are not ordinary gifts but much more, for they bring us
into a higher level. These spirits were infused in Christ, whose Spirit we receive
when we accept Him as our personal Saviour.
This divine inbreathing constitutes an internal process of
growth whereby we become so tuned into Christ’s Spirit that we operate not by human
reasoning but by divine instinct.
Isaiah 11:3 and 50:5 (NKJV)
“He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, nor decide by
the hearing of His ears… The Lord God has opened My ear; And I was
not rebellious”
All the abilities that the divine inbreathing perfected in Christ
we too receive as those who belong to Him, but must allow Spirit to develop.
Romans 8:14-17
For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of
God. And so we should not be like cringing, fearful slaves, but we should
behave like God’s very own children, adopted into the bosom of his family, and
calling to him, “Father, Father.” For his Holy Spirit speaks to us deep in
our hearts and tells us that we really are God’s children. And since we
are his children, we will share his treasures—for all God gives to his Son
Jesus is now ours too. (TLB)
Beloved, the Holy Spirit breathes into you the spirit of wisdom
to counteract foolishness, the spirit of understanding to counteract dullness, the
spirit of counsel to counteract imprudence, the spirit of might (fortitude) to
counteract cowardice, the spirit of knowledge to counteract ignorance, the spirit
of (reverential) fear of the Lord to counteract pride, and the spirit of piety
to counteract hardness of heart.
A closer look at the seven shows that they are
interconnected, meaning that they work together, and they reinforce each other.
For example, wisdom is pointless without understanding – Proverbs 4:7 tells us to
“get wisdom and with all your getting get understanding”. Fortitude is
undermined without the support of counsel and counsel profits little on one who
lacks fortitude.
These spirits are all necessary if we are to properly recognize
the fluttery promptings of the Spirit inside us.
It is the Spirit that moves within us to keep us from
foolishness, dullness, imprudence, cowardice, ignorance, pride, and the
hardening of our hearts.
As you continue your walk on the road to Pentecost, may you
dig deeper for yourself into the fascinating reality of Spirit living in you.
Amen †
Shelley Johnson “On the Road to Pentecost: Divine
Inbreathing” © 2025 May 12, 2025
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