When the World is Whole
Isaiah's vision of the future is the confidence that one day the most primal instincts of Creation will be transformed into the ultimate expression of God's shalom.
"The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them.
The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
The infant will play near the cobra’s den,
and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest.
They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain,
for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea." — Isaiah 11:6–9 (NIV)
Can you imagine it? A world so deeply healed that even the relationships of predator and prey are transformed. The world Isaiah envisions is not merely peaceful – it is remade, suffused with the knowledge of God like oceans swollen with truth and love.
This is shalom in its ultimate form: not just the end of violence, but the restoration of harmony between all creatures, between creation and Creator. It is the deep, cosmic wholeness for which the world aches.
In Jewish tradition, this vision aligns with tikkun olam – the mending of what is broken, the restoration of the world to its intended beauty. We catch glimpses now – in kindness, in healing, in justice done well. But Isaiah gives us the promise: one day, it will be complete.
We long for that day, and live now as those who believe it is coming.
Prayer:
God of peace, make me a vessel of Your coming shalom. Let my life reflect the hope of a world remade in love. Amen.
