Swords into Plow Shears, the USS Midway into a Dance Floor!
Isaiah 2
Isaiah begins his book of prophecy with Judah and Jerusalem – giving almost 10 chapters to their fate as a broken nation. It begins with an apocalyptic, yet hopeful picture of the last days – vision-casting a time when all people who joyfully go up the mountain of God – and that God would teach his ways to everyone. That all nations will be ruled by God, and that weapons of war and destruction will be transformed into tools of peace and productivity.
“They will beat their swords into plow shears and spears into pruning hooks” (2:4) is a beautiful picture of peace and prosperity and cooperation. It is amazing how much you can accomplish when you are not focused on killing or being killed!
I had an Isaiah 2:4 moment when I visited San Diego last summer. I was walking by the Seaport Village, near an active navy base. The ships and vessels were gargantuan! And right in the middle of it all was the USS Midway – the longest-serving aircraft carrier in Navy history. Now the deck of the boat has been converted into a dance floor, and another nearby area has been converted into a restaurant. As much violence and wrath as this ship may have seen, I find it oddly beautiful that we can “beat our sword into a plow shear” and enjoy a peaceful meal while we dance on the face of war, praying for peace.
That doesn’t mean we forget how peace was accomplished – in this world, it unfortunately has come through might and violence. Until the US and every other country throws up the white flag, and until the lion lays down with the lamb, we continue to pray for the end of this madness. And we as Christians can be the voice of the prophet, like Isaiah to pray for peace while staring down the barrel of the Babylonian Empire.
