It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and it shall be lifted up above the hills; and peoples shall flow to it, and many nations shall come, and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He shall judge between many peoples, and shall decide disputes for strong nations far away; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore; but they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree, rand no one shall make them afraid, for the mouth of the LORD of hosts has spoken. (Micah 4:1-4 ESV).
I can only imagine what a peaceful experience it would be to sit under a grape arbor in Tuscany, Italy or Cefula, Sicily casually dining, whether an early brunch or late dinner. We did not have grape arbors when I grew up. There were many fig trees that grew as large as small trees and provided a wonderful experience to gather under their shade and pluck a ripe, juicy bit of fruit to snack on, but never grape arbors. They are common in Italy and Sicily. I can imagine walking through those neighborhoods where you might see folks sitting in the shade of a grape arbor in their tiny front yards, houses crowded around them, surrounded by the bustle of the city. There they would sit enjoying a pleasant conversation with old friends. This is the image of our next example of what our redemption is like.
The word pictures we find in our reading point us to the full life in the kingdom of God, which Jesus will fully establish on this earth when he comes again. Other Bible passages give us similar pictures of peace and joyful abundance (cf. Isaiah 25:1-9; 65:17-25; Revelation 21:1-5), and even now we can see signs and catch glimpses of God’s sustaining care and his work among us in this world.
The pressures and hectic pace of life are intensified by the dangers and deep-seated hatred among nations that we hear about in the daily news. But for all who are saved, “the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard [our] hearts and [our] minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7). We know that although there is enmity between nations and we will face struggles in life, God is sovereign and his everlasting kingdom will prevail. What a great day that will be!