The Gift of Counsel

“There shall come forth a rod from the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. 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. His delight is in the fear of the Lord, and He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes,Nor decide by the hearing of His ears (Isaiah 11:2-3)”

Isaiah 11:1-3 is where we find the revelation of seven of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Among them is the Spirit, or the gift, of counsel. While the listings are somewhat different, the Apostle Paul also speaks about Gifts of the Spirit in I Corinthians 7, I Corinthians 12, Romans 12 and Ephesians 4. This particular Old Testament passage, written by the prophet Isaiah, begins with a prophecy about the coming of a Messiah. Isaiah referred to the Messiah as a branch that would grow from the royal family line of King David, who was the son of Jesse. While David’s line was on the throne at the time, it would later be cut down like a tree. That, however, would not be the end of David‘s lineage serving in royal splendor. God gave a promise, through this prophetic word, that there would again come a day when David’s family line would come forth as King.

Isaiah’s Prophecy Fulfilled

More than 100 years after Isaiah recorded these prophetic words in Biblical history, the prophecy was fulfilled . . . Jesus Christ the Messiah, Son of God, King of kings and Lord of lords, the Wonderful Counselor came and fulfilled the prophecy (cf. Isaiah 11:1). Isaiah 9:6 says “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace”. When Jesus was born the angel announced “He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David (Luke 1:32)”.
The Spirit of the Lord Who rested upon Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity (cf. Isaiah 11:2). He is the same Spirit by which the prophets spoke and it is He, the Holy Spirit, Who endowed Jesus with the perfected seven (7) gifts of the Spirit. It is also He, the Holy Spirit, Who also endows us with Gifts of the Spirit according to the will of God.

Seven Gifts of the Spirit Manifested

Christ Jesus manifested each and all of the seven gifts of the Spirit that were prophesied by Isaiah. He delighted in reverence of His Father, counseled the people considerately and justly according the word and the will of God, He did not condemn the world based upon what He had seen or rumors He had heard. Instead, Jesus gave His life for the redemption of our sins. This He did as the embodied perfection of the Gifts of the Spirit with which He was endowed by the Holy Spirit:

• The Spirit of the Lord: The gift of the Holy Spirit (also see Mark 1:9-10; Acts 2:38)

•  Wisdom: Knowledge not learned by the natural mind (see also Psalm 11:10; I Corinthians 12:8)

•  Understanding: Insight into the truth; to comprehend the truth (see also 1 John 5:20; John 8:32)

•  Counsel: Prudence to make right judgment and avoid sin (see also Proverbs 8:14)

•  Might: Fortitude, power and courage to stand up for what’s right (see also Psalm 31:24)

•  Knowledge: Understanding of the will and counsel of God (see also Ephesians 1:11)

• Fear of the Lord: Agape love, respect, obedience, awe and reverence for God (see also Proverbs 1:7, 9:10)

Jesus, Our Wonderful Gift of Counsel

Jesus, the Wonderful Counselor, is the gift of counsel! In Christ we have received the Gift and the Giver hence these words spoken by the Apostle Paul . . . “Personally I am satisfied about you, my brethren, that you yourselves are rich in goodness, amply filled with all [spiritual] knowledge and competent to admonish and counsel and instruct one another also (Romans 15:14 AMP). “

While some are gifted and called to ‘the vocation or ministry of counseling’, it is Jesus who is the ‘Wonderful Counselor’, God who chooses our gift(s) and the Holy Spirit who endows, empowers and equips every Christian with spiritual gift(s) [Greek: charismata] to be used of the Lord for the edification of the body of Christ (cf. 1 Corinthians 12:7, 14:12).

*The scriptures noted in this post are from the New King James Version (NKJV) unless otherwise noted. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. You are welcome to reprint this article provided the author information, below, is included.