24 “Before they call I will answer;
while they are yet speaking I will hear.
John Gill
Before they call I will answer—The sense is, should they be attacked by any enemy, or fear that they shall be disturbed by them, and so turn themselves of making application to the Lord for help; while they are preparing for prayer, stirring up one another to it, and appointing a season for it, to meet together on that account; before they are able to put up one petition in a regular way, the Lord will appear for them, and give an answer of peace:
While they are yet speaking I will hear—While they are praying to him, he hears and answers, and grants their requests, and more, as he did Daniel. This shows the readiness of the Lord to help and assist his people in any time of trouble, or when they may fear an enemy; and is a great encouragement to attend the throne of grace constantly.
Then he said to me, “Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words.” DAN 10:12
John Gill
Then he said to me, “Fear not, Daniel”—Perceiving him to shake and tremble, and to be intimidated at his presence, he speaks comfortably to him, and encourages him to lay aside his fears, that he might be more capable of attending to what he was about to say to him; and which had a tendency of themselves to remove his fears, and increase his confidence in the Lord:
For from the first day you set your heart to understand—Not so much the former visions which he had an understanding of, as the future state of his people; or rather, the reason of their present distressed condition, being hindered by their enemies in rebuilding their city and temple:
And humbled yourself before your God—To humble himself in prayer, and to afflict himself by fasting:
Your words have been heard—His prayers were heard, and an answer ordered to be given, the very first day he began to pray, and fast, and mourn, though it was now full three weeks since; just as, at the beginning of his former supplications, Gabriel had a commandment to go and show him that they were heard (Dan 9:23):
And I have come forth because of your words—On account of his prayers, to bring an answer to them; the reason why he came no sooner, when it was three weeks since he received his order, is as follows.
Taanit 8b:10
They said to him: From where do you know this, the fact that one may take a fast upon himself that he cannot observe? Rabbi Zeira said to them that the reason is as it is written: “Then he said to me, ‘Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and to fast before your God, your words have been heard’ ” (Dan 10:12). This verse indicates that from the moment one turns his heart to fast, his prayers are heard.
Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. MAR 11:24
John Gill
Therefore I tell you—For encouragement in prayer more particularly, without which nothing should be attempted, and especially which is above the power of nature, and is of a miraculous kind:
Whatever you ask in prayer—That is, according to the revealed will of God, is for the confirmation of his gospel, and for the glory of his name:
Believe that you have received it, and it will be yours—The petitions that are desired, and the things asked in them: that is, be as much assured of having them, as if you had already received them, and you shall have them; for the sense can never be, that they should believe they received them before they had them; this would be a contradiction in terms; and Beza’s ancient copy, and one of Stephens’ copies read it, “believe that you will receive,” as in (Mat 21:22), and so the Vulgate Latin version; with which agree the Arabic and Ethiopic versions, which render it, “believe that you will enjoy,” or “obtain”; and the Syriac version, “believe that you are about to receive”; and great faith it is so to believe; and this is the prayer of faith; see 1Jn 5:14-15.
25 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. ISA 65:24-25
John Gill
The wolf and the lamb shall graze together—Or, “as one”: 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:
The lions shall eat straw like the 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 food—The food of the old serpent, the devil, as was threatened (Gen 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 or destroy in all my holy mountain,” says 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 Isa 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.)
Rashi
Shall eat straw and will not have to destroy animals.
And . . . the serpent’s—Indeed, dust is the serpent’s food, which is always available for him. And the Midrash Aggadah explains: The lion shall eat straw like the ox. Since we find that Esau will fall into the hands of the sons of Joseph, as it is said (Oba 1:18): “The house of Esau stubble, and the house of Joseph a flame etc.” But that they should fall into the hands of the remaining tribes, who were compared to beasts, we do not find. It is, therefore, stated: “The lion shall eat straw like the ox.” Those tribes that were compared to a lion, such as Judah and Dan, like Joseph, who was compared to an ox, shall devour Esau who was compared to straw.
Tractate Kallah Rabbati 3:22
BARAITHA. Do not slander your fellow-man for there is no healing to whoever slanders.
GEMARA. Whence do we learn this? From the instance of the serpent; as it is written, The wolf and the lamb shall graze together; the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and dust shall be the serpent’s food. Raba said: Hence it may be inferred that the wolf, lion, bear and leopard sinned and the All-merciful made them hated by his creatures; but the reason why they will be healed is that their guilt is not like the serpent’s. The wolf is the first to pounce upon its prey, the lion the first to steal; but as for the serpent, because it engaged in slander there is no healing for it.
9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality,
John Gill
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? A way of speaking much like that in the Talmud, “Do you know that the world to come is not made but for the righteous?” Without a righteousness there will be no entrance into the world of bliss and happiness hereafter; and this must be a better righteousness than what a sinful creature is capable of working out, and no other than the righteousness of Christ. It was a loss and want of righteousness that cast the angels down from heaven, and turned Adam out of paradise; and whoever of his remnant: are destitute of one, will fall short of enjoying the glory of God; for it is not agreeable to the holy nature of God, to his infinite justice and righteous law, to admit any into heaven without a righteousness: hence a judgment seat is erected, before which all must stand; and those that will be found without a righteousness, will be for ever excluded the kingdom of heaven; and could any unrighteous persons be received there, it would spoil the pleasure and happiness of the saints. Now this is said, partly to dissuade the Corinthians from going to law with each other before unrighteous persons, who have no right to the kingdom of God, and living and dying as they are, will have no share in it; and therefore since they are not to be fellow heirs and companions with them in another world, they should not bring their causes before them in this; and partly to reprove them for their injurious and unrighteous actions among themselves, their tricking and defrauding of one another, with other sins they were guilty of; which, if not repented of, would show, that notwithstanding their profession, they were destitute of the grace of God, were unfit to be in the kingdom of God, in a gospel church state here below, and would be shut out of the kingdom of heaven hereafter.
Do not be deceived—Imagining, that through your knowledge and profession you shall be saved, live as you will:
Neither the sexually immoral—Such as are guilty of uncleanness with persons in a single state:
Nor idolaters—Who worship more gods than one, and not the true God; who do service to them that are not gods, and perform what the Jews call “strange service”: and not only fall down to stocks and stones, but serve various lusts and pleasures, the idols of their own hearts:
Nor adulterers—Such as have criminal conversation with persons in a married state:
Nor men who practice homosexuality—Or “soft,” or, as the Syriac renders it, “corrupters”; that is, of themselves, by voluntary pollution, such as are guilty of the sin of Onan (Gen 38:8-9). Sodomites.
10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. 1CO 6:9-11
The world God wants for us is peaceful. God gives us a glimpse of the kingdom here: He will be so close to his people that he will answer before they call and hear them even as they begin to speak. Not even the animals considered natural enemies will hurt or destroy each other in his kingdom. How have you glimpsed God’s kingdom peace on this earth?