How does one put words a vision of a world in which peace and compassion had become the truest laws of nature?
That is the work given by God to Isaiah – putting language to the depth of shalom that is coming, a picture of creation as it will be when the project of salvation is complete.
Is. 11:1-9 is an image Isaiah masterfully articulates in his poetic description of a time when the most “natural” of enemies find their rest in each other’s presence, when predator and prey become bedfellows and the most innocent and defenseless have no cause for fear.
In this episode we walk through Isaiah’s oracle of a coming king, reestablished in the line of David, one who will be so aligned with the will of God that his reign will be of justice and peace – to the point that even the “laws of nature” change. Lions lying down the the lambs, bears will graze with the oxen… It is a picture of love becoming entirely the name of the game, and a call to those who have already received some measure of the Spirit to labor presently to bring just justice and love to reign.
By the by, if you are interested in the liturgical seasons or the lectionary (I recommend it), I just discovered some great resources produced by the Vanderbilt University Divinity Library – click here.
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