1 A small treea will begin to grow from the stump of Jesse.b That branch will grow from Jesse’s roots. 2 The Lord’s Spirit will always be with that new king to give him wisdom, understanding, guidance, and power. The Spirit will help him know and respect the Lord. 3 He will find joy in obeying the Lord.
This king will not judge people by the way things look. He will not judge by what he hears. 4-5 He will judge the poor fairly and honestly. He will be fair when he decides what to do for the poor of the land. If he decides people should be beaten, he will give the command, and they will be beaten. If he decides people must die, he will give the command, and those evil people will be killed. Goodness and fairness will be like a belt he wears around his waist.
6 Then wolves will live at peace with lambs, and leopards will lie down in peace with young goats. Calves, lions, and bulls will all live together in peace. A little child will lead them. 7 Bears and cattle will eat together in peace, and all their young will lie down together and will not hurt each other. Lions will eat hay like cattle. 8 Even snakes will not hurt people. Babies will be able to play near a cobra’sc hole and put their hands into the nest of a poisonous snake.
9 People will stop hurting each other. People on my holyd mountain will not want to destroy things because they will know the Lord. The world will be full of knowledge about him, like the sea is full of water.
10 At that time there will be someone special from Jesse’s family. He will be like a flag that all the nations gather around. The nations will come to him and ask him what they should do. And the place where he is will be filled with glory.e
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“Bees wouldn’t sting, bears wouldn’t bite and bad things wouldn’t happen.” Amanda, 6
“You could keep lions and tigers for pets. The world would be wonderful.” Marci, 9
“God would walk with us.” Chris, 11
“There would be no homeless people or people that live in the streets or unhealthy people.” Kyle, 9
Amanda and Marci have a really good idea. You see, the prophet Isaiah wrote of a time when the lion will lie down with a calf and eat straw like an ox. Children will be able to play anywhere and not worry about wild animals or snakes biting them.
Maybe this is the way it was in the Garden of Eden before Adam and Eve disobeyed God and ate the forbidden fruit. The world would also be full of peace. Sounds pretty neat, doesn’t it?
The prophet Isaiah wrote about a future time when the world will be full of the knowledge of the Lord. The good news is that you don’t have to wait for the whole world to know the Lord. You can know him now. And if you follow God now, you know his ways and enjoy the blessings of his kingdom.
God’s kingdom comes in stages. We are now in the stage where a large part of God’s kingdom is hidden. Only those who know God’s ways can see it. Jesus is ruling on his throne (Hebrews 12:2). He has sent the Holy Spirit to live inside of his people (1 Corinthians 6:19).
There was a time when God’s presence lived in a temple of stone, where priests made animal sacrifices. But now, God’s spirit lives in temples of flesh, our bodies. Christians who allow God’s Spirit to control their lives are filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18). If Jesus is living through a Christian, you’ll see “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23).
Before Adam and Eve sinned, they walked with God. All of nature worked together in harmony because sin had not entered the world. Jesus came to take away our sin so that we can enjoy God’s presence. Once again, God will make the world a place where everything works together in harmony.
Think About This: Peace in this world begins with the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Prince of Peace.
Memorize This Truth: “We have been made right with God because of our faith. So we have peace with him through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1).
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