The Holy Mountain

Isaiah 11:6-9
The wolf shall dwell with the lamb,
and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat,
and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf 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 cobra,
and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den.

They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain;
for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.

Devotional
Yesterday we saw how Christ is a faithful and strong judge. Today we see the fruits of his judgment.

God doesn't judge wickedness to make people unhappy. He does it for the same reason that punishments are always supposed to be done: to make a better future and change people for the better.

I don't know what God will do to cobras and adders (and recall how dangerous a snake once was to humanity back in Eden), but I know that for children to be playing around them, the change must be big.

I once heard a Bible teacher quip, "Under what circumstances would a lamb be comfortable living next to a wolf? The wolf has to be de-fanged."

Peace doesn't come by leaving everything the way it is. The world will be better, filled with the knowledge of the Lord, with God dwelling among us. There will be neither hurt nor destruction, there will be life without hurt or destruction.

Prayer
Lord, give us knowledge of you now, and eyes to look forward to the world to come. Amen.