Our scripture this morning is Isaiah 11:1-9.
A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear; but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his loins. The 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.
This prophecy from Isaiah shares God’s promise of a leader to come from the royal family of David, son of Jesse. He is described as wise, knowing the will and word of the Lord, and that He will judge the world righteously. The promise of the Messiah has been with us always, whether we have recognized it or not.
This passage also tells us that the relationship between man and beast will return to the way it was at creation, that no human or animal will harm each other. God wanted all of His creatures to live together in harmony, but when sin entered the world through human selfishness this relationship was broken. When the Messiah comes in glory, all these relationships will be restored.
If we will live in peace with the beasts, how much more will our connection to our brothers and sisters be restored? God intends for us to be one family in His kingdom. The return of Jesus will renew our relationship with God and each other, and we will live together with Him eternally.
Loving Lord, thank You for the beauty of Your creation and all its wonder. Bless us to use it wisely for the good of all Your children, living together according to Your plan. Amen.