6 The 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.
7 And the cow and the
bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall
eat straw like the ox.
8 And the sucking
child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his
hand on the cockatrice’ den.
9 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. (Isaiah 11:6-9)
These verses speak of a future when
animal creation lives peacefully together. I note that Isaiah describes how
predatory animals will not take advantage of the trust and closeness of
plant-eating animals to harm or eat them.
It will be cool to see this happen
literally, but I think it also describes a spiritual reality that will come
among humans. There are predatory types among humanity too, and I think Isaiah
is telling us there will come a time when the knowledge of God will spread to
the extent that those people who are predisposed to prey upon others—we’d call
them sociopaths—will restrain themselves to live by the Lord’s doctrines and
will refrain from harming. “They shall
not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain.”
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