Isa. 11:6-9 - And the wolf will dwell with the lamb; And the leopard will lie down with the kid, And the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a young boy will lead them about. The cow and the bear will graze; Their young will lie down together; And the lion will eat straw like the ox. The nursing child will play by the cobra's hole, And upon the viper's den The weaned child will stretch his hand. They will not harm nor destroy In all My holy mountain, For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of Jehovah, As water covers the sea.
The very fact that wolves can dwell with lambs, leopards with kids, young lions with calves, cows with bears, and children and cobras is mind-boggling. This group of verses was simply an ideal imagination and wish, with no real expectation of actual fulfillment, until today, when, through the saints sharing, I came to realize that this seeming impossibility can happen (with man, it is impossible, but with God, all things are possible). The secret was in the last verse: for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of Jehovah.
The knowledge of Jehovah here is not simply knowing about God, or even as far as knowing every rule God has commanded. This knowledge of Jehovah is to know Christ in our daily living. The knowledge of Jehovah is not simply knowledge as in stuff for our brain. It is a life that issues in a kind of living, which we see in Christ when He was on the earth.
This life causes a change in nature, which in turn causes the mentioned verses to be fulfilled. The lion, bear, wolf, leopard, and cobra will all be changed in nature to no longer be creatures of destruction, biting, eating, scratching, tearing, poisoning, or even hurting other animals. This is a great testimony of God's greatness, that these things can actually take place.
For us today, we have the opportunity to experience this change in nature, day by day, whenever we turn our hearts to the Lord, seek Him in His word, pray, sing a hymn to the Lord, or even sometimes just fellowshipping with the saints. This is really when our nature is being changed to be the same as Christ.
Otherwise, it should be no surprise what goes on in the world. Afterall, there's lots of wolves, bears, lions, leopards, and what not. At most, people can only pretend, and try to get along temporarily. I've tried that, and it feels horrible. This I do, when I really ought to focus on the Lord alone.
The very fact that wolves can dwell with lambs, leopards with kids, young lions with calves, cows with bears, and children and cobras is mind-boggling. This group of verses was simply an ideal imagination and wish, with no real expectation of actual fulfillment, until today, when, through the saints sharing, I came to realize that this seeming impossibility can happen (with man, it is impossible, but with God, all things are possible). The secret was in the last verse: for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of Jehovah.
The knowledge of Jehovah here is not simply knowing about God, or even as far as knowing every rule God has commanded. This knowledge of Jehovah is to know Christ in our daily living. The knowledge of Jehovah is not simply knowledge as in stuff for our brain. It is a life that issues in a kind of living, which we see in Christ when He was on the earth.
This life causes a change in nature, which in turn causes the mentioned verses to be fulfilled. The lion, bear, wolf, leopard, and cobra will all be changed in nature to no longer be creatures of destruction, biting, eating, scratching, tearing, poisoning, or even hurting other animals. This is a great testimony of God's greatness, that these things can actually take place.
For us today, we have the opportunity to experience this change in nature, day by day, whenever we turn our hearts to the Lord, seek Him in His word, pray, sing a hymn to the Lord, or even sometimes just fellowshipping with the saints. This is really when our nature is being changed to be the same as Christ.
Otherwise, it should be no surprise what goes on in the world. Afterall, there's lots of wolves, bears, lions, leopards, and what not. At most, people can only pretend, and try to get along temporarily. I've tried that, and it feels horrible. This I do, when I really ought to focus on the Lord alone.
Updated on March 3, 2011