Isaiah 11: The Inverted Kingdom – Part XII
Sunday, January 28, 2024
Can we possibly imagine . . . ?
Wolves and lambs, leopards and kids, calves and lions . . . and a child shall lead them.
Cattle and bears, lions and oxen, the infant plays at the lair of the asp . . . and a child shall lay his hand on the adder.
Pain and destruction shall fall away. The earth is full of knowledge. The faithful remnant recovers.
The outcasts are gathered. The dispersed come from the four corners of the earth.
Jealousy departs, hostility is cut off. God’s Word has come to inhabit the world.
Do we expect an apocalyptic judging of those who are not “us” and “we”? Or do we await the gentle yet firm turning of all to the kingdom that Isaiah foretells and Jesus embodies? Our behavior each day is an indication to ourselves and to the world of our relationship with God, of our faith in the past, our hope for the future, and our love for the conversion of the present. Moving forward in reconciliation, we recognize Christ in the “other” who walks with us. And we invite the Spirit to remain with us always as we all come together in God’s peaceable kingdom of inversion.
Compare varying versions of these verses by using the scripture link for a view of God’s Kingdom.
For a reprise of The Noontimes reflection on Isaiah 11, enter the words On that day into the blog search bar and explore.
Click on the Hicks image or visit http://poulwebb.blogspot.com/2013/08/edward-hicks-part-2.html for an interesting comparison of Hicks’ images of the kingdom.
The Noontimes 