Allow me to share something of our Lord Jesus Christ. It comes from Isaiah 11:1-3.
1 There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. 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 the fear of the Lord. 3 And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear….
The first verse in this passage establishes that it refers to the Messiah, who is to come from the same lineage as David, son of Jesse. In the next verse, the prophet foretold that the Spirit of God would rest upon him. Here is how the New English Translation presents verse 2:
The LORD’s spirit will rest on him—
a spirit that gives extraordinary wisdom,
a spirit that provides the ability to execute plans,
a spirit that produces absolute loyalty to the LORD.
The third verse begins with an expression that is commonly translated, “And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.” The Hebrew text reads literally, “and his breathing (or smelling) is in the fear of the Lord.” The expression suggests a lively perception of the Lord and a loving response to His presence. Robert Alter, in his recent translation of the Hebrew Bible, renders the expression, “his very breath in the fear of the Lord.” Alter notes, “The Hebrew here is literally a verbal noun that has somewhat perplexed interpreters, but the context indicates a sense like the one proposed in this translation. One should note that this verb reflects the same root as the reiterated word for ‘spirit.’” (He is referring to the reiterated word “spirit” that occurs in verse 2.) This man’s wisdom, ability and absolute loyalty to his heavenly Father would be the outcome of a constant connection to the Spirit of the Lord.
Regarding the remainder of verse 3, Robert Alter writes: “This is reminiscent of God’s words to Samuel, which have to do with making the right choice, that is David, for the kingship: ‘For man sees with the eyes and the Lord sees with the heart’ (1 Samuel 16:7). The ideal king breathes the spirit of the Lord, and that, rather than appearances, guides him in judgement.”
Old-fashioned diving suits had a long tether to the boat at the surface, along with an air hose. Now underwater divers carry tanks of compressed air, but that air came from the atmosphere above—as it were, a different realm. This provision of air is necessary to sustain human life in a hostile environment. Jesus drew His life from the Father through the Holy Spirit. In the same way we can draw upon him, our crucified, risen and ascended Lord. His life dwells within us. The Spirit of God sustains that life. We need only to be open and breathe.
When God created the first human, He breathed into him the breath of life (Genesis 2:7). Human life was of His making, His craftsmanship. Our new creation life also originates in Him, as Paul points out in Ephesians 2:10, “We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works…”
Breathing in the life of Christ keeps our spirits alive and keeps our focus on Him rather than ourselves. He protects us from becoming preoccupied with our past, present and future. In Him we have wisdom, ability and loyalty to God. He is our complete provision. He directs us in good works. He keeps us on track.
Breathe on me, Breath of God,
Fill me with life anew,
That I may love that which You love
And do what You would do.
Breathe on me, Breath of God,
Until my heart is pure,
Until my will is one with Yours,
To do and to endure.
(Edwin Hatch, “Breathe on me, Breath of God” verses 1 and 2.)
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