“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 NLT
Isaiah 11 gives us one of the clearest pictures in the Old Testament of the coming Messiah. Centuries before Jesus walked the earth, Isaiah described the One who would come—and what would mark His life and leadership.
He would not simply be a gifted leader.
The Spirit of the Lord would rest on Him.
And that Spirit would produce wisdom, understanding, counsel, strength, knowledge, reverence for God, obedience, and righteous judgment.
When I read these verses, I am reminded that God’s greatest desire is not simply to make us more gifted. He wants to make us more like Jesus.
That is especially important for those of us who lead others.
Whether we lead a church, a worship team, a business, a family, or simply influence the people around us, Isaiah gives us a picture of the kind of person God wants us to become.
1. We need the Spirit of the Lord
Isaiah begins with the foundation:
“The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him.”
Everything else flows from this.
Jesus ministered in the power of the Holy Spirit. He didn’t operate merely from natural ability, intelligence, personality, or experience.
And neither should we.
We can develop our skills. We can become better musicians, communicators, leaders and teachers. But skill without the Spirit can never accomplish what God intends.
The goal isn’t simply to become better at what we do.
The goal is to become people through whom the Holy Spirit can work.
2. We need wisdom
“The Spirit of wisdom and understanding.”
Wisdom is more than knowing facts. It is knowing what to do with what we know.
A wise leader knows when to speak and when to remain silent.
A wise parent knows when to correct and when to encourage.
A wise worship leader knows that sometimes the most spiritual thing to do is not add another song—but to stop and give people space to respond to God.
Wisdom asks:
“Lord, what do You want me to do right now?”
3. We need understanding
Understanding gives us the ability to see beneath the surface.
People are often carrying things we cannot see.
Someone may appear angry when they are actually hurting.
Someone may seem distant when they are actually discouraged.
Someone may appear rebellious when they are simply confused.
Jesus looked beyond appearances and saw the heart.
We need that same kind of understanding.
Before we react to someone’s behaviour, perhaps we should pray:
“Lord, help me understand what is really happening here.”
4. We need God’s counsel
“The Spirit of counsel and might.”
We all need advice.
But not every voice deserves equal weight.
There are times when we need to stop listening to the loudest voices around us and start listening to the voice of God.
Proverbs says:
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.”
—Proverbs 3:5 NLT
Godly counsel doesn’t always tell us what we want to hear.
Sometimes God’s direction challenges us.
Sometimes it requires patience.
Sometimes it requires courage.
But God’s counsel will always lead us toward His purposes.
5. We need God’s strength
The passage connects counsel with might.
Knowing what to do and having the courage to do it are two different things.
There are moments when we know exactly what God is asking of us—but we’re afraid.
We need His strength.
You may need strength to forgive someone.
Strength to keep serving.
Strength to make a difficult decision.
Strength to say no.
Strength to keep believing when you don’t see the answer yet.
The Holy Spirit doesn’t just give us direction.
He gives us power to follow that direction.
6. We need knowledge
“The Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.”
Knowledge matters.
We should study God’s Word. We should learn. We should grow. We should develop our understanding.
But biblical knowledge isn’t merely information about God.
It is knowing God.
We can know Scripture without knowing the Author.
We can know theology without walking closely with Jesus.
True knowledge should lead us into deeper relationship with Him.
The more we know Him, the more we should love Him.
7. We need the fear of the Lord
The fear of the Lord doesn’t mean being terrified that God is going to strike us down.
It means having a deep reverence for who He is.
It means recognizing:
God is God—and I am not.
That attitude protects us from pride.
It reminds us that our gifts aren’t ours to boast about.
Our influence isn’t ours to possess.
Our ministry isn’t ours.
It all belongs to Him.
The fear of the Lord keeps our hearts humble.
8. We should delight in obedience
One of my favourite phrases in this passage is:
“He will delight in obeying the Lord.”
Jesus didn’t obey the Father reluctantly.
He delighted in doing the Father’s will.
That challenges me.
Obedience isn’t simply doing what God says because we have to.
It is learning to love what God loves.
There is a tremendous difference between saying:
“I have to obey God.”
and saying:
“I want to obey God.”
As our love for Jesus grows, obedience becomes less of a burden and more of a privilege.
9. Don’t judge by appearances
Isaiah says:
“He will not judge by appearance.”
That’s incredibly relevant today.
We live in a culture obsessed with appearances.
We judge people by what they look like, what they post, what they wear, what they say, where they come from and what others say about them.
But Jesus sees something deeper.
God sees the heart.
That means we need to be careful about making quick judgments about people.
The person who looks strong may be struggling.
The person who seems successful may be empty.
The person who appears insignificant may be carrying tremendous potential.
Don’t let appearances tell you everything you need to know about a person.
10. Don’t make decisions based on hearsay
Isaiah says that the Messiah will not “make a decision based on hearsay.”
That’s a powerful warning for leaders.
We can hear something about someone and immediately form an opinion.
We hear one side of a story and decide who is right.
We hear a rumour and pass it along.
But Jesus doesn’t lead that way.
He knows the truth.
Before we judge someone, perhaps we should ask:
“Do I actually know this—or have I simply heard it?”
There is a big difference.
Wise leaders don’t build their opinions on rumours.
They seek truth.
They listen.
They pray.
They investigate.
And they leave room for grace.
The Character of a Spirit-Filled Leader
Isaiah 11:2–3 gives us a remarkable picture of Jesus:
Wisdom.
Understanding.
Counsel.
Might.
Knowledge.
Fear of the Lord.
Obedience.
Righteous judgment.
Notice what is missing.
It doesn’t say He will be the most impressive.
It doesn’t say He will have the biggest platform.
It doesn’t say He will attract the largest crowds.
It doesn’t say He will have the most followers.
It describes His character.
That’s worth remembering.
God is far more interested in who we are becoming than in how impressive we appear to others.
And the good news is that the same Holy Spirit who rested upon Jesus is the Spirit who lives and works in His followers.
So perhaps our prayer today shouldn’t simply be:
“Lord, use me.”
Perhaps it should be:
“Lord, make me more like Jesus.”
Give me wisdom when I don’t know what to do.
Give me understanding when I don’t understand people.
Give me counsel when I need direction.
Give me strength when obedience is difficult.
Give me knowledge of You.
Give me a healthy fear and reverence for You.
Give me a heart that delights in obedience.
And help me see people the way You see them—not by appearances, assumptions or hearsay, but with truth, grace and love.
Lord, let Your Spirit rest upon me and make my life look more like Jesus.
