As the Days of a Tree

±15 yrs ago, I lived in Fonthill, S of St Catharines. One spring, local news reported that a cougar migrated to the area. It slept in a barn near town. No livestock, pets, or people were injured. There were calls for the cougar to be removed or destroyed.

I get it: remove the threat before anyone is hurt. Yet it’s too bad some people get afraid and aggressive when a cougar is nearby. Yet, the picture Isaiah paints of the new heavens and the new earth is intriguing: “‘They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain,’ says the Lord.”

Won’t that be amazing: to enjoy the power and the agility of a cougar w/o fear for yourself or your livestock? . . . to see a wolf and a lamb feeding together and a lion eating straw like an ox?

Isaiah is an OT prophet who speaks about the Kingdom of God. He sharpens our longing for the goodness, the Shalom, in the Kingdom of God. Shalom = everything in a healthy relationship with everything else.

When you see the conflicts b/t people – wars b/t countries, but also conflicts in families and w/in communities, even in churches – you get a feeling for how deep human problems run. Some conflicts are so antagonistic, it would take a miracle to heal everyone and to set all our relationships straight. Yet doesn’t shalom sound good – and desirable?

When is this new heavens and new earth supposed to come?

Nobody knows. Today it’s closer than ever before!

The broad scope of history, according to the Bible, can be traced out as: Creation, Fall, Redemption, New Creation.

Creation – (Gen. 1) God spoke world into existence.

Fall – (Gen. 3) Disobeying God’s commands creates conflict, causes broken relationships, leads to death.

It affects us all – at least, I’ll speak for myself, I wrestle w/ temptation and sin. Don’t you?

Like most OT prophets, Isaiah calls people to turn to God for hope, forgiveness, for help.

We all, like sheep, have gone astray,

each of us has turned to our own way;

Redemption – (Gen. 3 – throughout OT, NT) climax of God’s rescue plan is described in the gospels:

God the Father sent God the Son to become human – Jesus came to take punishment for sin.

Isaiah had glimpses of Jesus’ role: Is 53

and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Isaiah 53:6 (NIV)

New Creation: after Jesus’ death, he was buried. On 3rd day he rose again. Jesus’ resurrection is the beginning of the renewed creation. Isaiah bring God’s promises:

See, I will create new heavens and a new earth.

The former things will not be remembered,

nor will they come to mind. Isaiah 65:17 (NIV)

God gives Isaiah a vision of the new heavens and the new earth. He reports a word from the Lord that sharpens the appetite in his day – years and years before Jesus was born – for the new heavens and the new earth.

Jerusalem will be a delight; it’s people a joy – to God

“Sound of weeping ... will be heard no more” appealing, no?

Long life – 100+ years; as the days of a tree.

How long does an olive tree live?

2000 yr old olive trees on Mt of Olives

5000 yr old near Bethlehem

It’s hard to imagine all the events that have happened in the lifetime of these trees. Countless generations of people have lived, raised families, enjoyed grandchildren, and died. Houses, barns, and towns have been built, grew old, and collapsed. Armies, nations, and empires have come and gone. Yet the olive tree just stands there, bearing ½ tonne of olives per year.

Isaiah speaks to God’s people of the Lord’s gift of stability. God’s covenant people will remain in one spot, like a tree. They will enjoy living in the land God entrusted to them.

They will build houses and dwell in them;

they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.

No longer will they build houses and others live in them,

or plant and others eat. Isaiah 65:21–22a (NIV)

Robin & I are building a house.

It would be tough if, when it was finished, an army invaded Ontario and we were refugees w/ soldiers making our new house their headquarters.

That won’t happen in God’s Kingdom: when you’re a citizen of the Kingdom of God you can put down deep roots!

For as the days of a tree, so will be the days of my people;

my chosen ones will long enjoy the work of their hands. Isaiah 65:22b (NIV)

In the coming Kingdom, there will be life: abundant life. All people will thrive. Most parents are concerned for children to live well. B/c of Jesus and in the power of the HS, you’ll be able to truly live the way God created you to live:

They will not labor (work) in vain,

nor will they bear children doomed to misfortune;

for they will be a people blessed by the Lord,

they and their descendants with them. Isaiah 65:23 (NIV)

It’s a gift to believers. It’s also a goal; something to strive for. The promise is for you, your children and all who are far off:

Before they call I will answer;

while they are still speaking I will hear.

The wolf and the lamb will feed together,

and the lion will eat straw like the ox,

and dust will be the serpent’s food.

They will neither harm nor destroy

on all my holy mountain,” says the Lord. Isaiah 65:24–25 (NIV)

Not perfect yet but we have taste of life at Lord’s Supper.