The wolf and the lamb shall feed together
Or, "as one" {k}: as if they were one, of the same kind and
nature, and lived upon the same food. The people of God are
comparable to lambs, for their harmlessness and innocence; and
wicked men to wolves, for their fierceness and cruelty; but, by
the grace of God, the latter become as mild and as gentle as the
former, and live upon the same spiritual food, and join with them
in attendance on the word and ordinances, where they find
spiritual refreshment and comfort together; such who have been
persecutors of the church shall now become members of it; and
many instances of this kind, as there were in the first times of
the Gospel, so there shall be in the latter day: and the
lions shall eat straw like the bullock,
or "ox"; to which creature the ministers of the Gospel are
compared for their laboriousness, as wicked persecutors are to
lions; and sometimes the latter have been so changed by the grace
of God, as to become preachers of it, as Saul was, and very
probably many will hereafter; however, there will be no
persecution of the church after those days; wolves and lions will
have their nature changed, and be in fellowship with the saints,
and be better employed than before in persecuting them: and
dust shall be the serpent's meat;
the meat of the old serpent, the devil, as was threatened, (
Genesis
3:14 ) to which he shall now be confined; he shall not be
able to bite the saints, being bruised under their feet; he shall
only have power over carnal, worldly, earthly minded men; and
shall not be able to give the church any trouble, by instigating
men to persecute it: they shall not hurt nor destroy in all
my holy mountain, saith the
Lord;
that is, Satan and his emissaries; wicked men, comparable to
lions and wolves, shall no more drink the blood of the saints, or
persecute the church of God; after the calling of the Jews, and
the bringing in the fulness of the Gentiles, and the destruction
of antichrist, there will be no more persecution of the church of
Christ, the mountain of God's holiness; he has said it, and we
may be assured of the truth of it; (See Gill on Isaiah
11:9). (This verse may also apply to the Millenial state,
in which the effects of the curse on the animals is to be
removed. However, from this verse it seems that the curse on
snakes is permanent. Editor.)
F11 (dxak) "sicut unus", Montanus, Musculus, Gataker.