The Peaceable Kingdom

This week I'm looking again at the subject of "peace," peace as referenced in Hebrew as "shalom." It is the peace that involves our relationship with God and with other human beings wherever we meet them. It is a way of life taught and lived by Jesus when he lived among us.

The painting here was done by a Quaker named Edward Hicks. He actually painted many different versions of the peaceable kingdom, but this particular one is the one that most people like best.

This painting, and the concept of a peaceable kingdom, is taken from the writings of Isaiah, who gave us perhaps the closest picture of what the Messiah, the Christ, would be like when he came. It was Isaiah to whom Jesus referred the most when he quoted the Old Testament to point out His mission.

The biblical text for the peaceable kingdom is found is Isaiah 11:6-9: "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 hole of the cobra, and the young child will put his hand into the viper's nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea."(NIV)

Interpreting this text and finding applications for its meaning have always resulted in differences of opinion. When was the time to come that the prophet spoke of? Reading the verses preceding the above quotation gives one a picture of what the coming Messiah was to be like. Perhaps one could find some clues there as to when this vision would become reality.

We have in our home many visible reminders of the peaceable kingdom. About 10 years ago or so Clara finished an applique about three feet square which hangs on our living room wall. Atop our entertainment center we currently have six small porcelain or metal figures of the lion and lamb together. Granted, in the biblical text it is the wolf and lamb that are pictured together, but the long-standing concept is lion and lamb, so that's what we use. (There may be other reasons the lion and lamb are used together). Also on the wall we have two pictures of the lion/lamb combination.

We happen to believe that the time for fulfillment is now rather than later. We as God's people are to live lives of peace with all other people, regardless of their belief system, color, race, political orientation, or whatever. This belief system is based solely on the life and teachings of Jesus, Who has told us that if we want to be His disciples we must follow Him, even to the cross. The acrostic, WWJD, "what would Jesus do?" is often used when seeking to solve a question about how to conduct our lives. I rather prefer to use, WDJD, "what did Jesus do?" Looking for answers to how to live peaceful lives in a troubled, often violent world, comes best for me by looking anew at what Jesus said, and how He Himself lived.

How I long for more expressions of the peaceable kingdom in our world! We can catch a glimpse of that once in awhile, and it is truly amazing to see in real life. How wonderful it will be when it comes in its full expression! I have often failed to meet even my own expectations of how to live out the principles of the peaceable kingdom, let alone God's. But I continue to press on toward that goal.

I hope to write yet this week more specifically on Jesus and Peace, and perhaps on Menno and Peace. Until then I'm just

Pilgrim on the way