What does it mean that a little child shall lead them in Isaiah 11:6?

Answer

Isaiah 11 focuses on Israel’s restoration theme and presents a depiction of the Messiah, the righteous kingdom He will establish, and the remnant who will inhabit it. Following the description of the Messiah (verses 1–5), Isaiah proceeds to detail the ideal conditions of the kingdom He will establish: “The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them” «The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. », (Isaiah 11:6, ESV).

In the utopian setting of the Messiah’s future realm, all threats from the animal kingdom will cease. Isaiah pairs each animal with its natural prey. The lamb will be secure from the wolf, the goat will remain unharmed by the leopard, and the fatted calf will not fear the lion’s menace. Under the perfect rule of the Prince of Peace, the world will be so peaceful that even the most ferocious wild animals will obey the guidance of a little child.

Human dominance over animals will persist in the millennial kingdom of the Messiah but will be enhanced. Even small children—who would typically be preyed upon by wild animals—will not only be protected from these predators but will also have authority over them. This harmonious relationship between predator and prey is frequently used in prophetic Scripture to illustrate life under the Prince of Peace: “‘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” «The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox; and dust shall be the serpent’s meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain,» (Isaiah 65:25, ESV).

Lion shall eat straw like the bullock, and dust shall be the serpent’s meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD.”, (Isaiah 65:25).

Ezekiel describes the harmony and safety of a restored creation in similar terms: “I will make a covenant of peace with them and rid the land of savage beasts so that they may live in the wilderness and sleep in the forests in safety” (Ezekiel 34:25; see also Hosea 2:18). The apostle Paul seems to echo this future expectation: “For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time” (Romans 8:19-22). In the restored kingdom, all creation will be at peace because the curse will be lifted.

When Isaiah said, “A little child shall lead them,” he meant that even a small boy or girl would be safe to lead former predators and prey together as if they were domesticated animals, like a dog on a leash or horse on a lead. Under Messiah’s restored kingdom, peace and security will reign over all creation, even in the wild animal kingdom, and nothing will be able to disturb or threaten that tranquility.