Logos Isaiah 11:6-10

Isaiah 11:6-10The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them.  The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.  The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder's den.  They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.  On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious.

Read this, and you might be thinking, "I don't know who this Isaiah is, but his plan is impossible, and could be dangerous.  Who in his right mind would allow a child to play over a poisonous snake's den? Who would ever imagine that a lion would change its nature and not kill to live?" We read these words and we experience moments of wonder and delight at the image they bring, but who would expect this to actually be truth?

We know the nature of the world. We know that leopards are predators, and that children are not normally in leadership positions. We know that snakes are dangerous, and that bears and cows are not best friends. We know that war is sometimes necessary and that our society rewards success, at times not caring about the cost by which it is achieved. We know that the rich won't go hungry, while the poor do. We believe people should pull themselves up by their own bootstraps and if they are not successful in life, they don't deserve to be. We know that addicts can quit, and that sex sells. If you and I don't know it, then society knows it for us.

And yet...

There are these words that tell of something different. Something impossible. And what these words describe is the kingdom of God. Do we believe it, or don't we?