The Wolf and the Lamb

Transcript

Hello, my friend… so glad you're with me today. This is By God's Call — day 223, The Wolf and the Lamb.

"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." Isaiah 11:6.

This scene comes right after an enormous promise: a shoot will spring up from the stump of Jesse, and the Spirit of the Lord will rest upon him — a spirit of wisdom, of counsel, of might. And it's only after introducing that King that Isaiah describes the world he will bring. In other words: this peace is not the product of human effort, of a treaty, of goodwill between parties. It flows from the rule of Someone.

Notice the choice of animals. The wolf and the lamb are not just different — they represent the most basic hostility that exists in creation. One hunts, the other is hunted. There's no natural middle ground between them. And that's exactly the impossible enmity Isaiah chooses to describe the peace of the Kingdom. This isn't peace among similar creatures learning to tolerate each other. It's the reconciliation of what seemed irreconcilable.

And watch how the list keeps growing. Leopard and goat. Calf, lion, and fattened calf. Isaiah piles image on top of image, as if he wants it unmistakably clear: no hostility in all creation will be left out of this restoration. None. No matter how ancient, how instinctive, how impossible to resolve it seems — God's Kingdom reaches even there.

And then comes the line that always catches me: "a little child shall lead them." Not a warrior. Not a tamer with a whip. A small child, with no strength of his own, no cunning, leading beasts that would once have devoured one another. In the restored Kingdom, the power that used to govern the world — strength, claws, the instinct to survive — no longer holds command. A small one leads. And that's only possible because the very nature of the beasts has been transformed from the inside out.

Now, the full Kingdom hasn't arrived yet — we know that, just by looking at the world around us. But Christ has already reconciled in himself what was once hostile. He has already broken down the wall of enmity. And that means this vision isn't just distant prophecy — it's an invitation for today.

I want to ask you: is there a relationship in your life where you've been acting like the wolf — with strength, with the upper hand, taking what you can? Or maybe you feel more like the lamb — hurt, guarded, waiting for the next attack. God is inviting you to live, even on a small scale, the same peace that will one day cover all creation.

So today, I want to challenge you to identify one of those relationships — just one — and take one concrete step of peace. It could be a message you've been putting off. It could be a forgiveness you've been withholding. It could be a kind word where lashing back would have made more sense. A step that only God's grace can explain.

Stay close to God. Pray — then act. I'll see you tomorrow, my friend.