Isa 11:6-10 | KingComments | STEP | After the description of the Messiah follows a description of the glorious situation of peace that will reign in righteousness on earth under the government of the Messiah, the Prince of peace. Righteousness brings forth peace ( ). All kinds of crises that we can experience now, such as climate crisis, financial crisis, social crisis, will no longer be there. They have all disappeared because they have been solved by the Messiah. Peace will also be sweetly present in the realm of the animals ( ). There is not only peace between the animals, but also between people and animals. The scene sketched here shows what it was like before the fall into sin. When the curse is removed, that situation will be restored by the Lord Jesus, as Isaiah prophesies here. Then “the period of restoration of all things” will have come, “about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time” ( ), including Isaiah. The earth will then have been set free from the curse that has been placed upon it since man fell into sin and through which peace has been so cruelly and long-lastingly disturbed ( ). Paul gives a detail in Romans 8 that Isaiah does not know. It says that it is not only the revelation of Christ as the “root of Jesse” ( ), but also “the revealing of the sons of God” ( ), the believers of the New Testament church who are connected with Him. The realm of peace is the reign of the last Adam, Christ, Who will restore everything that is corrupted by the first Adam, although sin has not been completely abolished then. Righteousness reigns , which means that evil is still present, but then is restrained because satan will be bound and imprisoned for a thousand years ( ). It is indeed a restoration of the time before the fall into sin, where the animals also feed on the herb of the field ( ). There is no question of animals devouring each other. The instigator of evil can do no more evil and cause no more destruction ( ). Nor can he exert his darkening influence on the knowledge of the LORD anymore. The whole earth bears the hallmark of “My holy mountain”, which is the temple mountain, God’s dwelling place on earth. The whole earth will be dedicated to God and full of His glory ( ). This is thanks to “the knowledge of the LORD”. This knowledge will be generally present among the inhabitants of the earth, not superficially, but deeply, like the bottom of the sea. This means more than that people possess intellectual knowledge of God. It means much more that people everywhere will live according to God’s principles and His Word. It is about the reign of Christ and its effect on the creation subject to Him. The believers of today are already a “new creation” ( ) and are subject to their Lord ( ). In the different animals in the realm of peace we can also see different characters of the redeemed, who can live in peace with each other under the reign of Christ. We already see this distinction in character in the disciples of the Lord Jesus who are all different, yet together they follow Him. It is to be hoped that the peace that will soon be present everywhere on earth will already be present among the believers in the local churches. Today, the disciples of Christ go out into the world to bring Christ’s message everywhere. But “in that day” ( ) all nations will ask for Christ. To this end, the nations will go up to Jerusalem (cf. ). There they will receive instruction about Christ from Israel, for the Israelites will be called “priests of the LORD” ( ). Christ is the Center unto Whom all come. They will see Him as the glorified Man and acknowledge Him as “the root of Jesse”, that is, the One to Whom the house of David owes its birth ( ). With “shoot” ( ) we think of Christ as Man, Who came forth from the lineage of David. With “root” we think of Him in His Godhead, from Whom the generation of David originated. He is both the Origin and the Descendant of the lineage of David. As God, He is the Origin and as Man, He is the Offspring. They will also see Him as the “signal for the peoples”, as the One Who is exalted above all nations and to Whom all nations will turn ( ). He is the great landmark. With Him is rest, a rest which He spreads over the whole earth. Because everything on earth is in accordance with His will, the whole earth is “His resting place” and therefore a glorious resting place. All who then live on earth share in that rest ( ). The center of peace will be God’s dwelling place Jerusalem. That is the city He has chosen to let His Name dwell. David’s prayer will then have been fulfilled: “Arise, O LORD, to Your resting place” ( ; ). The glory of this resting place is manifested in the Shechina , which is the cloud of the LORD as the visible sign of the glory of His presence. Paul quotes in Romans 15 ( ). He does this to show that not only Israel, but also the nations are included in God’s plan of salvation. Mind you, it is not about the church. In the Old Testament the church is a mystery. What matters here is that God’s heart also in the Old Testament goes out to the nations outside of Israel. They certainly have a different place than Israel. Israel was and remains God’s chosen people. It has a separate place in the history of salvation, but this does not mean that God has rejected the other nations.

‏ Isaiah 11:6-10

The Realm of Peace

After the description of the Messiah follows a description of the glorious situation of peace that will reign in righteousness on earth under the government of the Messiah, the Prince of peace. Righteousness brings forth peace (Isa 32:1). All kinds of crises that we can experience now, such as climate crisis, financial crisis, social crisis, will no longer be there. They have all disappeared because they have been solved by the Messiah. Peace will also be sweetly present in the realm of the animals (Isa 11:6-8). There is not only peace between the animals, but also between people and animals.

The scene sketched here shows what it was like before the fall into sin. When the curse is removed, that situation will be restored by the Lord Jesus, as Isaiah prophesies here. Then “the period of restoration of all things” will have come, “about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time” (Acts 3:21), including Isaiah.

The earth will then have been set free from the curse that has been placed upon it since man fell into sin and through which peace has been so cruelly and long-lastingly disturbed (Rom 8:19-22). Paul gives a detail in Romans 8 that Isaiah does not know. It says that it is not only the revelation of Christ as the “root of Jesse” (Isa 11:10), but also “the revealing of the sons of God” (Rom 8:19), the believers of the New Testament church who are connected with Him.

The realm of peace is the reign of the last Adam, Christ, Who will restore everything that is corrupted by the first Adam, although sin has not been completely abolished then. Righteousness reigns, which means that evil is still present, but then is restrained because satan will be bound and imprisoned for a thousand years (Rev 20:2-3). It is indeed a restoration of the time before the fall into sin, where the animals also feed on the herb of the field (Gen 1:30). There is no question of animals devouring each other.

The instigator of evil can do no more evil and cause no more destruction (Isa 11:9). Nor can he exert his darkening influence on the knowledge of the LORD anymore. The whole earth bears the hallmark of “My holy mountain”, which is the temple mountain, God’s dwelling place on earth. The whole earth will be dedicated to God and full of His glory (Isa 6:3).

This is thanks to “the knowledge of the LORD”. This knowledge will be generally present among the inhabitants of the earth, not superficially, but deeply, like the bottom of the sea. This means more than that people possess intellectual knowledge of God. It means much more that people everywhere will live according to God’s principles and His Word.

It is about the reign of Christ and its effect on the creation subject to Him. The believers of today are already a “new creation” (2Cor 5:17) and are subject to their Lord (2Cor 5:15).

In the different animals in the realm of peace we can also see different characters of the redeemed, who can live in peace with each other under the reign of Christ. We already see this distinction in character in the disciples of the Lord Jesus who are all different, yet together they follow Him. It is to be hoped that the peace that will soon be present everywhere on earth will already be present among the believers in the local churches.

Today, the disciples of Christ go out into the world to bring Christ’s message everywhere. But “in that day” (Isa 11:10) all nations will ask for Christ. To this end, the nations will go up to Jerusalem (cf. Isa 2:3). There they will receive instruction about Christ from Israel, for the Israelites will be called “priests of the LORD” (Isa 61:6).

Christ is the Center unto Whom all come. They will see Him as the glorified Man and acknowledge Him as “the root of Jesse”, that is, the One to Whom the house of David owes its birth (Rev 22:16). With “shoot” (Isa 11:1) we think of Christ as Man, Who came forth from the lineage of David. With “root” we think of Him in His Godhead, from Whom the generation of David originated. He is both the Origin and the Descendant of the lineage of David. As God, He is the Origin and as Man, He is the Offspring.

They will also see Him as the “signal for the peoples”, as the One Who is exalted above all nations and to Whom all nations will turn (Psa 72:8-11 ; 17). He is the great landmark. With Him is rest, a rest which He spreads over the whole earth. Because everything on earth is in accordance with His will, the whole earth is “His resting place” and therefore a glorious resting place. All who then live on earth share in that rest (Mic 4:2-3).

The center of peace will be God’s dwelling place Jerusalem. That is the city He has chosen to let His Name dwell. David’s prayer will then have been fulfilled: “Arise, O LORD, to Your resting place” (Psa 132:8a ; 13-14; 2Chr 6:41). The glory of this resting place is manifested in the Shechina, which is the cloud of the LORD as the visible sign of the glory of His presence.

Paul quotes Isa 11:10 in Romans 15 (Rom 15:12). He does this to show that not only Israel, but also the nations are included in God’s plan of salvation. Mind you, it is not about the church. In the Old Testament the church is a mystery. What matters here is that God’s heart also in the Old Testament goes out to the nations outside of Israel. They certainly have a different place than Israel. Israel was and remains God’s chosen people. It has a separate place in the history of salvation, but this does not mean that God has rejected the other nations.