ISAIAH 35: 1-10
THE LORD’S TIME OF BLESSING
Here is revealed the desired kingdom for which the nation has longed since God first promised it to Abraham. This is the state that mankind constantly longs for-a utopia in which peace and productivity prevail. This condition will not come, however, till after God’s judgment on the world (ch. 34).
The world rejects God and His way, thus they head toward judgment. They choose their own ways and misuse His gift of life. But those who choose to trust in God and follow Him, put their life in His hands. A continued trusting in God brings glimpses of relief and restoration in present life and the hope of sharing in God’s future kingdom and glory. Here we see some of the beauty of God’s earthly reign.
God asks us to keep the long view about life in mind because He works things out in His way on His time schedules. God will establish His glorious kingdom and defeat all evil for His people. This will be a time of God blessed peace, productivity, and plenty.
I. THE REJOICING OF NATURE, 1-2.
II. THE RECOMPENSE OF THE REMNANT, 3-4.
III. THE RESTORATION OF LIFE, 5-7.
IV. THE RANSOMED RETURN, 8-10.
The wilderness and the desert will be glad, and the Arabah will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus (2) it will blossom profusely and rejoice with rejoicing and shouting of joy. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They will see the glory of the Lord, The majesty of our God.
With shocking suddenness the picture changes. In chapter 34 the nations (symbolized by Edom) became a gloomy wilderness, a dry desert, full of predators. Suddenly the wilderness becomes a place of gladness and the desert a place rejoicing. The parched land will blossom with beautiful natural and rich agricultural productivity (32:15). The dry areas of the nation will become fertile (figuratively expressed as being glad) and will blossom.
What has happened? The answer is God has come near (vv. 2 & 4). We humans think we can produce joy and rejoicing on our own. We never can. Joy is the by-product of the presence of God in life. When we, through our lack of trust, push Him away, the end result is dryness and lifelessness. It is only when we turn to Him, recognizing the insufficiency of all other help, that we perceive His coming to us and find the joy and healing of His transforming grace. (Oswalt, Isaiah, p. 622).
To demonstrate this time of transformation apparently God will bring about climatic changes that will result in more rain in the promised land. Small flowers burst forth to turn the desert into a place of beauty. Lebanon . . . Carmel, and Sharon, which were becoming barren (33:9), will once again become fruitful areas of agriculture. People in those areas will see the Lord’s glory, that is, they will see the fruitfulness that comes because of righteousness (33:17). They (emphatic), who have repeatedly asked for God to reveal Himself, will see the glory of Him who will make the land and nature rejoice and shout for joy. He who can do such things in nature can also do such things within the human heart.
II. THE RECOMPENSE OF THE REMNANT, 3-4.
Encourage the exhausted, and strengthen the feeble. (4) Say to those with anxious heart, "Take courage, fear not. Behold, your God will come with a vengeance. The recompense of God will come, But He will save you."
Isaiah now spoke again to the people in his day. He encouraged the believing remnant to live according to God’s covenant stipulations. They should encourage the weary, those exhausted or depressed (lit. those with feeble hands), and the terrified (those whose knees . . . give way), and the fearful or anxious, for God in divine retribution will . . . save (deliver) them.
Confronting ruthless people and mighty nations can strike fear and inaction into even the most godly. But God’s word endued with God’s power and presence can encourage the most weary, feeble and anxious. God is greater than any one, any group, or any nation and they will not be allowed to continue their oppressive ways against God’s people with impunity. In His time He will recompense the distortion by executing vengeance upon the oppressor.
He comes! This is God’s promise to those whose heart cries out to Him. God comes to us through His Word, through acts of providence, through His Spirit and He will continue to come to our aid and deliver us until that day when we will be united with Him forever and ever. Amen!
III. THE RESTORATION OF LIFE, 5-7.
Verses 5-7 expand the promise of salvation. Two figures, the healing of the handicapped and the watering of the desert, are used to express the promise of restoration to full and abundant life. Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf will be unstopped. (6a) Then the lame will leap like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb will shout for joy.
Then emphases the impact of the promised salvation being fulfill. Its fulfillment will bring changes in the people and in the land. Because of God’s healing power (33:24) those who are blind will see, those who are deaf will hear (32:3; 42:7) those who are lame will leap (33:23), and those who cannot talk will shout.
These figures stress abundant physical, social, and spiritual life. The blind, the deaf, lame and mute are used frequently to speak of spiritual conditions and well as physical (6:10; 28:7; 29:9-10, 18; 30:20-21; 32: 3-4). The prophet promises a day when true values are seen and true guidance is received. A time when God’s people cease to trust in man or the nations and trust in Him (42:18-19).
Physical, spiritual and social healing are signs of the Messiah and the messianic age (Mt. 11:5; 12:22; Acts 3:7-8). The Messiah will bring about this restoration of life.
(6b) For waters will break forth in the wilderness and streams in the Arabah. (7) and the scorched land will become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water; In the haunt of jackals, its resting place, Grass becomes reeds and rushes.
The land will change from dryness to a well-watered pool (35:1-2; 41:18; 43:19-20; 44:3-4). Water will be plentiful, helping grass . . . reeds, and papyrus . . . grow, all of which require much water (reeds and papyrus grow near marshes and lakes, 19:6-7). Streams in the desert is a common thought in chapters 40-55. The intent is literal (Deut. 28:1-14) but they also figure the abundance of physical and spiritual blessings. With the Lord living among His people and with righteousness being practiced by them, the Lord will provide physical healing and agricultural fertility.
In a land as dry as Israel became, water is a refreshing promise of life and salvation. The way of God is to take the useless and make it productive.
IV. THE RANSOMED RETURN, 8-10.
Verse 8 begins the climax with the imagery of a highway upon witch the holy walk. And a highway will be there, a roadway, and it will be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean will not travel on it, But it will be for him who walks that way, and fools will not wander on it.
Righteous pilgrims will once again travel to Jerusalem. They will go on a highway (a road built up to make traveling easier; 11:6; 40:3) known as the Way of Holiness, for it will lead to God’s city where His ways will be followed. It will not be traveled by the unclean or wicked fools. No morally perverse person, or the person who refuses God’s truth will travel or even wander there. Iit is set apart for those who are holy, only the redeemed are holy.
The holy are those who are walking in genuine Christ-likeness. It is for those who walk the way (8b) probably means that the way is holy because of the character of those who walk there, not because of some inherent quality of the road itself.
An old man living on a nobleman’s estate in Glamorganshire England used to go to the chapel along the nobleman’s private walk because it saved considerable distance. An unkind neighbor told the nobleman, who was a magistrate, about it. One day, as old man went to worship, the magistrate met him on the private walk. He demanded "What right have you on this path?" "No right at all, sir," he answered, "but I thought you wouldn’t mind an old man who has lived on your estate so many years going this way to worship God, especially as it’s so far the other way."
"Give me your stick!" said he sternly. The trembling old saint gave him his stick, not knowing what to expect. To his surprise, the nobleman gave him his own walking-stick, capped with gold and bearing his family crest. With a kind smile and a gentle tone, he said: "My good man, when anyone asks you again what right you have to walk this path, show them this, and tell them I gave it to you!"
What right have you to walk on the Highway of Holiness? Have you been redeemed from the way of the world by Jesus’ precious blood? Then walk in holiness, in Christ-likeness and Christ will walk with you all the way to Zion.
Verse 9 indicates it will be a secured way. No lion will be there, nor will any vicious beast go up on it. These will not be found there. But the redeemed will walk there,
Though the highway passes through lust water regions no ferocious wildlife or being will hinder the travel of the redeemed on that highway. The redeemed are those who have been bought out of captivity, out of slavery to sin, by the precious blood of Christ. They alone will walk in God’s holy way. Human attempts to forge our own way lead only to insecurity, but to follow God’s way is to find a security none can harm.
[In the millennial kingdom God’s people will once again be involved in certain aspects of Old Testament formal worship (Zech. 14:16-19; Ezek. 40-44). Since righteousness and a desire to do the will of God will be esteemed, the people will willingly follow His instructions for worship. Also the redeemed will be indwelt by the Holy Spirit (Ezek. 36:24-28). Walvoord, John & Zuck, Roy; The Bible Knowledge Commentary : An Exposition of the Scriptures. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1983-1985, S. 1085 ]
[Walk of the Redeemed] I just traveled the length of the BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY and I learn that commercial vehicles are not permitted on it. I enjoyed the fact that there were so few access roads leading to it. I didn’t need to worry that anyone with any kind of vehicle would turn on to it at any time. I could enjoy the trip instead of worrying about dangerous traffic.
Limited access highways have changed the traveling habits of Americans. We are all familiar with signs forbidding pedestrians or other types of vehicles on these express ways. Only permitted vehicles are allowed on them.
Isaiah describes a limited access pathway called the way of holiness over which only the redeemed of the Lord would journey into Zion after God has dealt with the oppressor. There would be no wicked men on it, no fierce beasts, nothing would hinder God’s people in their walk out of barren deserts back into the abundant blessing of worship in a restored promised land.
The New Testament description of the Christian life as a "walk" (Eph. 4:1) and the way (Acts 19:9). Jesus points us to the highway of life and asks us to pilgrimage on it with Him to the land God has promised us. [Our "way" is the straight and narrow and our "walk" is our Christian behavior.]
Because we have not yet arrived in this promised land at times on the highway of life we meet obstacles that are like the beasts and robbers of Old Testament times. They hinder our journey. But in Christ we have One who walks with us and protects us by His presence.
I pray that as you walk the highway of holiness, you will feel the closeness of One who walks with you.
Verse 10 sums up the promises of restoration and renewal. And the ransomed of the Lord will return, and come with joyful shouting to Zion, with everlasting joy upon their heads. They will find gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.
The end result of walking the Holy Way is Zion, the Holy City of God. It is the place of worship of Zion’s king, our Messiah. There the redeemed find a gladness and joy that will drive away all sadness forever. There God’s people will be set free from their own sins and the sins of others. There they will be restored to God image, full Christ-likeness, and will be fully at home with God. There life long struggle with sorrow and sighing will be ended and everlasting joy will overflow their mind.
The ransomed of the Lord will have everlasting joy, with no sorrow, for they will realize what God has done for them. They will rejoice that He has saved them from destruction and brought them into peace and prosperity, in fulfillment of His promises.
CONCLUSION / RESPONSE
The best is yet to come for God’s people. Sure in this life we sample foretastes and foreshadowings of what is to come, but the best is still to come. God’s people will not continue to face opposition in an oppressive land. God’s purified people will walk on His highway, the Highway of Holiness on their way to Zion to worship the Lord. Holiness, Christ-likeness will lead to great reward. If God be God, then He will keep all His promises.
