Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD, or being his counselor has taught him?
hat directed
Job 21:22 Shall any teach God knowledge? seeing he judgeth those that are high.
Job 36:22,23 Behold, God exalteth by his power: who teacheth like him? …
Luke 10:22 All things are delivered to me of my Father: and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him.
his counsellor.
or informed Him as His counselor?
This part of the verse further stresses the incomparability of God's wisdom. The rhetorical question suggests that God requires no advice or counsel from any being, as His understanding is perfect and complete. This is consistent with passages like Romans 11:34, which echoes the sentiment that no one can fathom the mind of the Lord or serve as His advisor. Historically, kings and rulers often had counselors to guide them, but this verse asserts that God, the ultimate King, needs no such guidance. Theologically, this points to the self-sufficiency and omnipotence of God, reinforcing the belief that His plans and purposes are executed with perfect wisdom and knowledge.
“Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD…?” (Isaiah 40:13)
• The question assumes the obvious answer: no one. From the first page of Scripture, the Spirit of God is active and sovereign (Genesis 1:2).
• God’s Spirit is never “steered” by created minds. Job learned this when God asked, “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?” (Job 38:4).
• The verse sits in a chapter that magnifies God’s transcendence: He measures the waters in His hand (Isaiah 40:12) and calls the stars by name (Isaiah 40:26). Directing such a Spirit is beyond us.
• Romans 11:34 echoes the same line to underscore God’s unsearchable judgments. Paul’s point matches Isaiah’s: divine plans originate within God alone.
Takeaway: Because the Spirit acts of His own perfect wisdom and power, we can rest in His guidance without trying to manipulate or second-guess Him.
“…or informed Him as His counselor?” (Isaiah 40:13)
• Counsel presumes deficiency—someone lacks insight and needs advice. God never occupies that position. “Who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct Him?” (1 Corinthians 2:16).
• Even the wisest among humans—Solomon, Daniel, Paul—received wisdom; they never supplied it to God (Daniel 2:20-23; 1 Kings 3:12).
• Job confessed, “Surely I spoke of things I did not understand” (Job 42:3). When confronted with God’s grandeur, the only fitting response is humble silence and worship.
• Isaiah’s audience, surrounded by pagan nations who consulted idols and court advisors, hears a clarion reminder: the LORD’s counsel is self-contained. “The counsel of the LORD stands forever” (Psalm 33:11).
Implication: If God needs no counselor, His Word stands as the final authority. We submit to it rather than placing our own reasoning above it.
Isaiah 40:13 invites us to marvel at the utter independence and wisdom of God. No creature can direct His Spirit or improve His counsel. Recognizing this frees us from the futile urge to control, correct, or advise the Almighty. Instead, we bow in trust, confidence, and awe, knowing that the One who needs no counselor graciously guides those who wait on Him.
(13) Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord?--The term, which had been used in a lower sense in Isaiah 40:7, is here clothed as with a Divine personality, answering, as it were, to the wisdom of Proverbs 8:22-30, with which the whole passage has a striking resemblance. Eastern cosmogonies might represent Bel or Ormuzd, as calling inferior deities into counsel (Cheyne). The prophet finds no other counsellor than One who is essentially one with the Eternal.Verse 13. - Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord? Mr. Cheyne remarks, that "in Isaiah there is a marked tendency to hypostatize the Spirit;" and the remark is undoubtedly a just one (see Isaiah 32:15; Isaiah 34:16; Isaiah 48:16; Isaiah 61:1, etc.). In the present place, perhaps, the introduction of "the Spirit of the Lord" arises out of the remembrance of the part in creation which is assigned to the Spirit in Genesis 1:2. He "moved," or "brooded," upon the face of the waters, and thence began the change, or series of changes, by which order was produced out of confusion. The Spirit of the Lord "directed," or regulated, these changes; but who, Isaiah asks, "directed," or regulated, the Spirit itself? Can it be supposed that he too had a director over him? Isaiah does not seriously doubt on this point, or "leave it an open question." He makes his inquiry by way of a reductio ad absurdum. Is it not absurd to suppose that he had a director or a counsellor? He does not - here, at any rate - so far "hypostatize the Spirit" as to view him as a Person distinct from the Person of God the Father, working under him, and carrying out his will. Or being his counsellor hath taught him? "The Lord by wisdom founded the earth" (Proverbs 3:19); but he was his own counsellor. He had no adviser external to himself. The wisdom which wrought with him was his own wisdom, an essential part of the Divine essence. The evangelical prophet approaches those mysteries of God's nature which the gospel brought to light, but cannot penetrate them.