Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Isaiah+011

 

Chapter 11 (ESV)

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,
⁴ but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
⁵ Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist,
and faithfulness the belt of his loins.

⁶ The wolf shall dwell with the lamb,
and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat,
and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together;
and a little child shall lead them.
⁷ The cow and the bear shall graze;
their young shall lie down together;
and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
⁸ The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra,
and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den.
⁹ They shall not hurt or destroy
in all my holy mountain;
for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.

 

REFLECTION:

1. Read the passage slowly, noting how natural enemies are coexisting side by side (wolf and lamb, cow and bear, young child and serpent). This passage gives us a vivid picture of the kingdom of God as it will exist in the future.  What a different place it will be!
2. With this image in mind, consider the following:

What would you like best about such a peaceable world – filled with the knowledge of the Lord?  What feelings would be present for these creatures to exist this way?  Name your own enemies and imagine them standing beside you, with you, for you.  What will that be like for you?

Who might perceive you as an enemy or a threat? How can you become at peace with them?

3. Share with God how you feel about such a peaceable world and what you think such a world would show you about God.

 

PRAYER:

Stay with God for a little longer.  Continue to converse with God and listen to what He wants to tell you.  Then write down any thought and/or prayer in your spiritual journal.

 

HYMN:

All Creatures Of Our God And King – youtu.be/wSFK7UiH5Us