Isaiah 65: 25 Commentary

The scenario described in this verse is of THE WONDERFUL WORLD TOMORROW WHEN GOD’S KINGDOM would have COME and Jesus is the King all over the Earth!

By TIUCHE (wrote 3264 Bible Commentaries - permalink to this Commentary)
Posted on: 10/23/2011 14:59 pm

Isaiah 65:25 – Dream World

25 The wolf and the lamb will feed together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox,
but dust will be the serpent’s food.
They will neither harm nor destroy
on all My holy mountain,”
says the LORD.

This passage ranks as one of my favorites in the whole Bible. As I’ve studied along through Isaiah, I have fondly anticipated reaching it. So, I’ve savored the moments as I have printed its Hebrew text, looked up its words, pondered their meaning, and read the commentaries of my old buddies. I wish somehow, like a curtain, I could draw this passage around me and hide in its bliss until the Prince of Peace reigns and it all becomes reality. My favorite part of it all is the latter half of v25, “’they will not harm nor destroy on all My holy mountain,’ says the Lord.”

Since Adam’s fall, the whole world has fallen into this pervading evil. Even the very animals are ferocious, vicious, and savage. I remember camping and many times hearing in the night the scream of some poor rabbit falling prey to some fox or owl or other predator. That’s their world – a world of ceaseless predation of the strong on the weak. And so it is with the human world. To some extent we’ve enjoyed a momentary respite from this in America, yet it is still true. The strong ceaselessly prey on the weak. The rich prey on the poor. But it isn’t just that. It is pervasive from the bully on the playground, to the cruelty of parents toward their children, to criminals’ inexpressible meanness, to the phone company and their deliberate schemes of “robbery by confusion, to Islamic terrorists blowing up innocent people, etc., etc.”

When will it end? When Jesus comes. Hallelujah. Even the animals themselves will return to their Edenic docility. In the meantime, it is the effect of genuine Christianity (although not pharisaical formality – which is too prevalently pawned off as Christianity) to actually subdue this ferocity in people. But the full effect will finally be felt when Jesus reigns. “Be glad and rejoice forever … the sound of weeping and crying will be heard no more… No longer will they build houses and others live in them, … my chosen ones will long enjoy the works of their hands. They will not toil in vain … Before they call I will answer; … The wolf and the lamb will feed together, …They will neither harm nor destroy on all My holy mountain,” says the LORD.

What a world that will be! No more cruelty. No more meanness. No more broken hearts or grieving parents. No more disappointment. No more fear. “They shall neither harm nor destroy on all My holy mountain.” I love those words.

One last thought. An interesting observation from the Hebrew. The word translated “harm” is a word that can mean either “to do evil” or “to hurt.” Isn’t it interesting that, in a Hebrew mind, “to do evil” and “to hurt” are the same word? In our godless world, people like to imagine they can do as they please and only hurt themselves. Yet, to do evil is to hurt. Perhaps it would do us all well to realize that our sin always hurts others in some way. We cannot sin and only hurt ourselves. To do evil is to hurt. I have maintained for years that is the reason why God hates immorality – because (in my observation) it always hurts children. Even the selfishness a teenager learns from practicing sexual fantasies will itself one way or another hurt their children, not to mention the abominable pains which more significant immoralities of ours can cause them. One more reason we should be motivated to study the Word, to apply it, to grow in it, should be that we might do less harm to others. The less I “do evil,” the less I’ll “hurt.” Conversely, the more I become like Christ, the more I’ll do my part to produce a world which will, at least in some small ways, be a world of love and joy and peace for others around me.

May it be said of us that “we neither hurt nor destroyed,” but rather that we “served our generation, and died.” And oh what a day it will be when Jesus reigns!

By Don Bixby (wrote 1 Bible Commentary - permalink to this Commentary)
Posted on: 12/6/2008 14:33 pm