ANOTHER COFFEE BREAK: NATURE OF THE SEVEN SPIRITS OF GOD Part 4

NATURE OF THE SEVEN SPIRITS OF GOD

Part 4

November 25, 2022

As I was spending time in meditation before the Lord, the Holy Spirit began downloading revelation concerning the Spirit of Knowledge and the Fear of the Lord, so that’s where we’re going with today’s discussion.

Perhaps we can come back again to the Spirit of Counsel and Might in another study session.

For reference’ sake, here again is a list of the Seven Spirits of God – all of which are a part of the central character and makeup of the Lord Jesus Christ – LOVE!

The Spirit of Judgment & Burning (Isaiah 4:4)

The Spirit of Wisdom &Understanding (Isaiah 11:1-5)

The Spirit of Counsel and Might (Isaiah 11:1-5)

The Spirit of Knowledge and the Fear of the Lord (Isaiah 11:1-5)

The Spirit of Grace &Supplications (Zechariah 12:10)

The Spirit of Truth (John 15:26)

The Spirit of Glory (I Peter 4:14)

Let’s begin by reviewing Isaiah’s prophecy (chapter 11).

Isaiah 11:2-9: ²And 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;

³And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:

⁴But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.

⁵And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins. ⁶The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.

⁷And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

⁸And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ den.

⁹They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.

Ever notice how the Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding precedes the Spirit of Knowledge and the Fear of the Lord? Do you see the Spirit of Counsel and Might preceding the Spirit of Knowledge and the Fear of the Lord?

There is an order in God’s economy that the body of Christ often misses. It is always tantalizing to get new knowledge. Our flesh – programmed by the DNA of sin and thousands of years of tradition and practice – loves “information” and “knowledge”; and those are what Adam and Eve traded the presence of the Lord for in order to receive “the knowledge of good and evil.”

Adam and Eve traded “The Fear of the Lord” for the knowledge of evil; and that brought them the Fear of Evil instead. As we have already noted in previous discussions, the Fear of Evil is a wrong fear of the Lord God.

The Fear of Evil brings a perception of God as being a vengeful personality Who just can’t wait to bring His hammer down on those who sin.

The Fear of Evil brings religion and religious practices – all of which are driven by a conscious (or sub-conscious) need to please God by the “doing of things” and keeping certain laws, commandments and precepts.

The Fear of Evil creates a performance-based relationship with God that measures our standing with God only in negative terms.

The Spirit of Knowledge and the Fear of the Lord link these two things together in inextricable fashion.

Knowledge which comes by revelation from the Lord is based in a proper relationship with Him. The Fear of the Lord is an awe and astonishment AND a holy respect of who and what He is.

Sadly there are many believers whose relationship with the Lord is still based in performance rather than relationship. In a performance environment it becomes easier to obey certain commands and admonitions in the Word, and just as easy to ignore others that one chooses to set aside.

In a performance-based environment, our priorities really get messed up – and there are a number of really screwy doctrines that have permeated the Body of Christ as a result. To the reasoning person and the “rational mind” these doctrines sound right and good, but it is the fruit that comes from the observance of them that is the proof of their error.

Go back to Isaiah’s prophecy again and consider the whole picture.

What happens when the Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding, the Spirit of Counsel and Might AND the Spirit of Knowledge and the Fear of the Lord work together, prioritized in that order?

[They] shall make him of quick understanding in the Fear of the Lord.

Now there’s a statement where the KJV completely misses it translation-wise. The Hebrew reads like this:

“And [He] is made to breathe in (and breathe out) the awe and reverence of [God] Yowd He Vav He.”(RAC Translation & Amplification)

We’re talking about a lifestyle here, folks! “Breathing in and breathing out” is how we live. If our entire living is predicated on the awe and reverence of the Lord, it won’t take long for the way we behave, the way we think and the way we speak to be properly ordered.

He shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears.

Let’s look at this in the Hebrew as well.

“He shall not pass sentence according to the outward appearance of an individual or a matter, nor will he argue and justify and convict according to or because of what he hears with his ears.”(RAC Translation & Amplification)

When one operates in and lives in/with the Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding, the Spirit of Counsel and Might, and the Spirit of Knowledge and the Fear of the Lord, the wisdom and revelation that come by and through the Spirit overshadow and take precedence over that which we see with our natural eyes and that which we hear with our natural ears.

Instead we make judgments according to what the Holy Spirit is saying. Human perception and judgment have no place whatever when we receive the kind of knowledge that comes by and through the Spirit of the Lord. That knowledge is pure, and it is peaceable.

But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth.

Here’s my reading from the Hebrew text.

“But with rightness and prosperity will he sentence (or vindicate) the weak and needy, and decide for (or against) – using straightness, justice and a level playing field – those who are the depressed in mind or circumstances of the earth.”(RAC Translation & Amplification)

Once again, that’s hard to do when one’s reference is humanly-acquired knowledge or understanding concerning a situation. This is where the Spirit of Knowledge works hand-in-hand with the Fear of the Lord, and the Spirit of Truth.

Revelation knowledge (epignosisin the Greek) working in conjunction with that awe of the Lord – awe of His power, His authority, His grace and His love – gives us the ability to make right judgments and act to vindicate the downtrodden and the oppressed in a righteous manner.

He shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips slay the wicked.

When we see this statement, “He shall smite the earth,” the Hebrew ‘erets literally describes the earth itself – the producing ground for agriculture, for cattle, sheep, goats, etc.

This prophecy declares, therefore:

“He shall strike the producing ground, the planted fields, orchards and vineyards, and the grazing fields with the sword of his mouth [the Word], and with the very wind produced by the words of judgment he articulates, he will kill and destroy those who do wickedly [and commit acts which violate the Word of God].”(RAC Translation & Amplification)

Now we see the Spirit of Judgment and Burning working hand-in-hand with the Spirit of Knowledge and the Fear of the Lord.

By now we can see that none of the Seven Spirits of God work independently of each other. They work in harmony. There is a flow and a consistency with which these Spirits operate, and they all demonstrate the agape love of God.

Righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.

Each time we see this word “righteousness” occurring in Isaiah’s prophecy, the Hebrew wordtsedeqis used. As a matter of quick reference, this is the word which appears in Genesis 14 when the King of Salem comes out to greet Abraham as he is returning from the slaughter of the kings. We see the word as the conjunctive title, Malchiy – Tsedeq, in the Hebrew, and Melchizedek in English.

We refer to the King of Salem (Shem) by his title with the rather generic interpretation of “King of Righteousness” but this word tsedeq also represents “rightness” in a moral, physical, ethical and legal sense; and by extension, “prosperity.”

With that in mind, we can look at #5 and read it like this:

“Rightness, equity, justice and prosperity shall be the belt of protection which ensures his ability to reproduce, and faith (and faithfulness), firmness, security and fidelity in stability will be the belt of protection which sustains his strength and fortitude.”(RAC Translation & Amplification)

The next three verses of Isaiah 11 (6, 7, 8) all draw a picture of what results manifest themselves as a result of the Seven Spirits of God in harmonious operation and synchronicity together.

Instead of would-be predators preying on the weak, the wolf lives side-by-side with the lamb, the leopard lies down with the baby goat (kid), the calf, the young lion and the full-grown cow will eat together (and not of each other) – and to top it all off, a little child will be able to lead them (and play with them).

Cows and bears will eat together and their young will sleep peacefully side-by-side. Lions will be transformed from carnivorous creatures to herb-eating. And the picture continues.

A nursing baby will be able to lie down on the hole in the ground marking the home of a deadly snake, and a young child will be able to place his hand on the den of a poisonous viper.

Finally we have this picture.

They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.

What did Isaiah just say? There will be no turning of “normally” antagonistic creatures against one another, and people will be completely and totally safe in the presence of former predators.

How is that possible?

“All the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord,” and that’s because the Spirit of Knowledge and the Fear of the Lord have functioned with complete authority and power in the earth, with the cooperation and harmonious working of the other six Spirits of God!

We haven’t talked yet about Solomon or the fact that he was considered the wisest man that ever lived. Let’s consider what he prayed to the Lord when he took the throne of Israel.

II Chronicles 1:10-12: Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people: for who can judge this thy people, that is so great?

And God said to Solomon, Because this was in thine heart, and thou hast not asked riches, wealth, or honour, nor the life of thine enemies, neither yet hast asked long life; but hast asked wisdom and knowledge for thyself, that thou mayest judge my people, over whom I have made thee king:

Wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee; and I will give thee riches, and wealth, and honour, such as none of the kings have had that have been before thee, neither shall there any after thee have the like.

Solomon, indeed, did not lack in knowledge or wisdom. Think about how this relates to the Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding. Consider what he wrote in the Proverbs.

Proverbs 1:1-7: The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel; To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding;

To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity; To give subtlety to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.

A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels: To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

And again we have the following.

Proverbs 2:1-11: My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;

Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, andliftest up thy voice for understanding; If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.

For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly. He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints.

Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity;yea, every good path.

When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul; Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee:

And again:

Proverbs 3:17-20: Her [Wisdom and Understanding] are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her.

The LORD by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens. By his knowledge the depths are broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew.

And we continue:

Proverbs 5:1-2: My son, attend unto my wisdom, and bow thine ear to my understanding:

That thou mayest regard discretion, and that thy lips may keep knowledge.

There’s still a lot more. Take a look at these references to the fear of the Lord.

Proverbs 19:23: The fear of the LORD tendeth to life: and he that hath it shall abide satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil.

Proverbs 22:4: By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, and honour, and life.

Proverbs 23:17: Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long.

Isaiah 33:6: And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times, and strength of salvation: the fear of the LORD is his treasure.

Acts 9:33: Then had the churches rest throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied.

We’ve gone through a fistful of scriptures to illustrate the importance of the Spirit of Knowledge and the Fear of the Lord. As is clear from these references, the two spirits are intertwined with one another. Both function in cooperation and conjunction with each other.

I cannot stress enough the connection between the way all of the Seven Spirits of God interconnect and work with each other. Let’s go back to the beginning for a minute. None of the operation of the six Spirits of God, beginning with the Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding, followed by the Spirit of Counsel and Might, and so forth could become operational in any believer without his or her first submitting to the Spirit of Judgment and Burning. The cleansing and purification that occurs when we submit to God’s righteous judgment and the fire of His correction sets the stage for everything that follows.

If you’ve watched the interconnection that occurs repeatedly in the Proverbs, Wisdom and Understanding, along with Counsel and Might operating freely within us pave the way for the unfolding of the divine Knowledge that proceeds from the Fear of the Lord. The Fear of the Lord is not some kind of scary, doom and gloom kind of fear. It is the awe and reverence of Him, who He is, and what He does in us so that we can become more and more that original image that He created with Adam and Eve.

Adam and Eve had total dominion over the earth. They walked with the Lord in complete confidence and trust. They enjoyed the ability to move interdimentionally with Him. They lived a place of power and authority that is available to each of us because of the price Jesus paid with His suffering, His persecution, His death on the Cross and subsequent resurrection. Let us continue on in our growth and development!

In case you are missing out on real fellowship in an environment of Ekklesia, ourSunday worship gatherings are available by conference call – usually at about 10:30AM Pacific. That conference number is (712) 770-4160, and the access code is 308640#. We are now making these gatherings available on video usingZOOM. If you wish to participate by video on ZOOM, our login ID is 835-926-513. If you miss the live voice-onlycall, you can dial (712) 770-4169, enter the same access code and listen in later. The video call, of course, is not recorded – not yet, anyway.

Blessings on you!

Regner

Regner A. Capener
CAPENER MINISTRIES

RIVER WORSHIP CENTER
Temple, Texas 76502

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