WILL A NURSING CHILD PLAY BY THE COBRA’S HOLE IN THE KINGDOM?
For people who told to a futuristic view of endtimes still expect a physical kingdom where some impossibilities will exist. Unless we understand prophetic and figurative expressions used in the Old Testament will have false expectations where whole doctrines will be built and passed down to generations yet unborn.
One of such places can be found in Isaiah 11:9
The NURSING CHILD SHALL PLAY BY THE COBRA’S HOLE,
And the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper’s den.
And the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper’s den.
Will a small child put his/her hands into snake’s hole in the kingdom?
Isaiah starts by introducing the chapter a figurative language.
“There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse,
And a Branch shall grow out of his roots.”
And a Branch shall grow out of his roots.”
So the question is this. Was Jesse a plant, does he have a stem and branch growing out of him?
Isaiah’s prophecy was simply referring to Jesse’s descendant who we know as Jesus. This was to confirm his lineage. Just the same Jesus is the seed of Abraham.
He describes Christ as one whose;
“Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins,
And faithfulness the belt of His waist.”
And faithfulness the belt of His waist.”
Do we have to imagine him as a wrestler wearing a belt that is inscribed in gold with the phrase “Righteousness and Faithfulness”
Later in vs 15 we see;
“The Lord will utterly destroy the tongue of the Sea of Egypt;..”
Does the sea of Egypt have a tongue for tasting food?
Let’s look at the text.
“The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb,
The leopard shall lie down with the young goat,
The calf and the young lion and the fatling together;
And a little child shall lead them.
7 The cow and the bear shall graze;
Their young ones shall lie down together;
And the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
8 The nursing child shall play by the cobra’s hole,
And the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper’s den.
9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain,
For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord
As the waters cover the sea.”
The leopard shall lie down with the young goat,
The calf and the young lion and the fatling together;
And a little child shall lead them.
7 The cow and the bear shall graze;
Their young ones shall lie down together;
And the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
8 The nursing child shall play by the cobra’s hole,
And the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper’s den.
9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain,
For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord
As the waters cover the sea.”
This is about the redemptive work of Christ. This work involved the bringing in the gentiles where the hostility that once existed would be removed and co-existence. Paul’s calls this the mystery that was hidden in ages.
Vs 10 actually explain what the figurative part meant;
“And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse,
Who shall stand as a banner to the people;
For the GENTILES SHALL SEEK HIM,
And His Resting Place Shall Be Glorious.”
Who shall stand as a banner to the people;
For the GENTILES SHALL SEEK HIM,
And His Resting Place Shall Be Glorious.”
This was fulfilled when Peter was first sent to the house of Cornelius, the Roman official. He experienced firsthand that God wanted everyone into the kingdom. It was an aberration for a Jew to be in the house of a gentile and let alone dine with them. This was before the new covenant age.
I love the way it is captured in the Message translation;
10 On that day, Jesse’s Root will be raised high, posted as a rallying banner for the peoples. The nations will all come to him. His headquarters will be glorious.”
Paul explained in Ephesians 2;
For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, (Ephesians 2:14,15 NASB)
Who is he himself? Jesus. The rod of Jesse.
He also proved that this was being fulfilled during his apostolic ministry when he wrote in Romans 15
8 Now I say that Jesus Christ has become a servant to the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made to the FATHERS, 9 and that the Gentiles might GLORIFY GOD for His mercy, as it is written:
“For this reason I will confess to You among the Gentiles,
And sing to Your name.”
And sing to Your name.”
10 And again he says:
“Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people!”
11 And again:
“Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles!
Laud Him, all you peoples!”
Laud Him, all you peoples!”
12 And again, Isaiah says:
“There shall be a root of Jesse;
And He who shall rise to reign over the Gentiles,
In Him the Gentiles shall hope.”
And He who shall rise to reign over the Gentiles,
In Him the Gentiles shall hope.”
So when he says that no one will be hurt in the mountain. He was referring to Mount Zion where we are brought into the same family of faith. In this mount which signifies the kingdom no one is a threat and no one is more favoured. The glory of the Lord is resting on all in Zion.
This also includes the concept of the wolf and lamb dwelling together. Although many wrongly quote it as the lion and lamb living together (due to passed down traditions). Isaiah still rehearses it again in a subsequent chapter.
“The wolf and the lamb shall graze together; the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and dust shall be the serpent’s food. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain,” says the LORD.” [Isaiah 65:25]
The wolf (Gentiles) and the lamb (Jews) now dwell in the mountain of the Lord (Zion) i.e. the kingdom. This is not a future regathering of Jews in our time. The current state of Israel does not represent this either as some would propose or neither does it refer to a future period of utopia.
It is the reunion of the families of the earth in the SEED; Jesus. To whom was the Abrahamic promise fulfilled. There is no more Jew and non-Jew for all have been made in Christ.
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