Isaiah 11:1-2 -
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.
It’s good to hear the whole of chapter 11, as all of it speaks of the peace to come because of this child from the line of Jesse, who is the father of David. V. 6 tells us about the “wolf and lamb” lying together, the leapord with the young goat, and the lion and the calf together, and “a little child shall lead them.” If you imagine any of these pairs in the wild, we know that there would be no hesitation from the predator in destroying its prey. But The child who is born is bringing forth a comprehensive peace that is so strong that it is like a lion and a young calf just sitting together in absolute peace. It is the little child who will initiate this peace.
Notice that the Spirit will be upon this child, and we must never forget the Trinity at work in the life of Christ. We see it plainly in places like the baptism of Jesus, where God the Father says, “This is my Son, with whom I am well pleased.” At that moment the Spirit of the Lord comes down upon Jesus in the form of a dove. We shouldn’t think that the Spirit was not with Christ before this, but instead we see a symbolic picture of the whole Trinity functioning as it always has - Jesus saving, the Father planning salvation, and the Spirit working in the heart of Christ on earth, and in every believer who would follow him. The Father plans, The Son executes the plan, and the Spirit applies it to us - that is how it works.
Poetically, Isaiah the prophet gives us these extraordinary words in chapter 12: “With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. And you will say in that day - Give thanks to the Lord, call upon his name, and makes known his deeds among the peoples, proclaim that his name is exalted.”
Hymn for Reflection: O Little Town of Bethlehem. Here’s a Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grKx1YSeLr0