ANCHOR DEVOTIONS (JANUARY 10, 2012)

By Grace: A Return to Eden
Isaiah 11:6-9;
65:25

"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."
(Isaiah 11:6)
In Genesis 3, we have the story of the first couple's sin and subsequent expulsion from the Garden of Eden. Here, Isaiah speaks of a return to Eden, brought about by the grace of God. The earth and its inhabitants will be renovated. Ancient hostilities will be forgotten. The cow and the bear will share the same food. No longer will the lion be a menace to the calf. "And a little child will lead them."
In the original Garden, Satan came in the form of a serpent. Here, in verse 8, we see that Satan's power to harm has been destroyed. "The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child put his hand into the viper's nest." The prophecy of Genesis 3:15 will have been completely fulfilled by "the seed of the woman" - Jesus. What a place that will be! What glorious peace! The battle has already been won by our Savior. Someday soon, these verses will become reality, and "the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea" (v. 9).

INSIGHT
Since the Fall, mankind has dreamed of returning to Eden. Many have proposed man-centered notions of getting there. But only Christ has the way.
READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Genesis 14-15
Psalm 7
Matthew 12
Isaiah 11:6-9; 65:25
6 The wolf will live with the lamb,
the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling[a] together;
and a little child will lead them.
7 The cow will feed with the bear,
their young will lie down together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
8 The infant will play near the hole of the cobra,
and the young child put his hand into the viper’s nest.
9 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.
Footnotes:
a. Isaiah 11:6 Hebrew; Septuagint lion will feed
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.