6 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. 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 asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den. 9 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. 10 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.
“Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me…the peace that was meant to be.”*
This passage paints a detailed picture of a peaceable kingdom where all creation lives in harmony and EVERYONE will know God. The passage is full of juxtapositions of animals who would normally be enemies living together in peace, carnivores eating the same straw diet as an herbivore. A little child leads them, small, still nursing children can play over a snake pit, and slightly older and more independent toddlers can stick their hands in the snake pit and not be harmed. Neither animal nor human will hurt or be hurt in this peaceful kingdom.
This passage invites the reader into a place where the disorder of nature is restored. Just as water naturally makes up the sea, the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord.
The root of Jesse is a person and not a plant, and he will be the source of a shoot that will be hope, a little tendril of growth sprouting up. That signal will be sought after and will be glorious for all to see.
Our hope is found in Jesus, descendent of Jesse, and in this season of Advent we can breathe in and out as we imagine this very peaceful scene where violence, hatred, and harm are not found. Through our hope in Jesus, our own tendrils can grow into a hope and peace that we can share with the world in our actions.
We can live into and shape our daily words and actions by the image of this peaceable kingdom as we move on toward the hope and promise of the coming Christ who will make all things new.
Our actions matter! “Let this be my solemn vow, to take each moment and live each moment in peace eternally. . . . and let it begin with me.” (from Let There Be Peace on Earth, by Jill Jackson and Sy Miller, 1955)
Contributed by Kristi Button