Scripture
Today is the Third Sunday of Advent. I am preaching a series of messages during Advent on the Old Testament Scripture Readings that I am calling, “Advent in Isaiah.”
One commentator on Isaiah wrote the following on chapter 35, our text for today:
No one can call Isaiah a prophet of doom. At the slightest provocation, he becomes a poet and a songster when he sees what God has in store for his people. Each time he is compelled to prophesy the judgment of God, he follows with a picture of God’s redemptive purpose. As his oracles of punishment have deepened in severity, so his oracles of promise have soared to new heights. Therefore, after Isaiah’s gory revelation of God’s fury against the nations and Edom in chapter 34, we can expect poetry and song unmatched in his earlier prophecies of promise. Isaiah does not disappoint us. In his vision of the future transformation of Zion, all of his creative impulses are released in the text and tone of divine inspiration.
Isaiah 35 is a wonderful chapter that teaches us, in the words of The ESV Study Bible: “God’s word to all who trust him is that everlasting joy is coming.” This everlasting joy is coming to those who are described in Isaiah 35:10 as the ransomed of the Lord who shall return to Zion.
Let’s read about the ransomed of the Lord in Isaiah 35:1-10:
1 The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad;
the desert shall rejoice and blossom
like the crocus;
2 it shall blossom abundantly
and rejoice with joy and singing.
The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,
the majesty of Carmel and Sharon.
They shall see the glory of the Lord,
the majesty of our God.
3 Strengthen the weak hands,
and make firm the feeble knees.
4 Say to those who have an anxious heart,
“Be strong; fear not!
Behold, your God
will come with vengeance,
with the recompense of God.
He will come and save you.”
5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
and the ears of the deaf unstopped;
6 then shall the lame man leap like a deer,
and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.
For waters break forth in the wilderness,
and streams in the desert;
7 the burning sand shall become a pool,
and the thirsty ground springs of water;
in the haunt of jackals, where they lie down,
the grass shall become reeds and rushes.
8 And a highway shall be there,
and it shall be called the Way of Holiness;
the unclean shall not pass over it.
It shall belong to those who walk on the way;
even if they are fools, they shall not go astray.
9 No lion shall be there,
nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it;
they shall not be found there,
but the redeemed shall walk there.
10 And the ransomed of the Lord shall return
and come to Zion with singing;
everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;
they shall obtain gladness and joy,
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. (Isaiah 35:1-10)
Introduction
Isaiah is a marvelously contemporary book. Isaiah was ministering to people in his day who professed to have a relationship with God, but who were about to face God’s impending judgment, discipline, and banishment into exile.
Isaiah 34 is a chapter dealing with God’s universal judgment for sin. It is a sobering reminder of God’s holiness. Isaiah 35 provides the people of God with a wonderful hope, filled with joy, that is found in a right relationship with God. God’s people are called to be like him in holiness and righteousness. That process begins the moment the Holy Spirit takes up residence within us, but that is only the beginning. God’s purpose is to eradicate the sin in our lives and to restore us to paradise. It is a process that culminates in the beatific vision of God, that is, when we shall behold God face-to-face, and we live with him for all eternity in light of his beauty, glory, and grace.
C. S. Lewis put it this way:
Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you understand what he is doing. He is getting the drains right, and stopping the leaks in the roof, and so on: you knew that these jobs needed doing and you are not surprised. But presently he starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably, and does not seem to make sense. What on earth is he up to? The explanation is that he is building quite a different house from one you thought of – throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage: but he is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it himself.
Isaiah, then, paints a marvelous picture of God’s promises to his people who place their trust in him.
Lesson
The analysis of the ransomed of the Lord as set forth in Isaiah 35:1-10 shows us that everlasting joy is coming to all who trust in him.
Let’s use the following outline:
1. God Promises the Ransomed a New World (35:1-2)
2. God Promises the Ransomed a New Life (35:3-7)
3. God Promises the Ransomed a New Highway (35:8-10)
I. God Promises the Ransomed a New World (35:1-2)
First, God promises the ransomed a new world.
Isaiah said in verses 1-2a, “The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus; it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon.” The image behind these verses is the exodus. God’s people set out from Egypt and journeyed to the Promised Land. Along the way, God ministered to them in wonderful ways, providing for all their needs. And it was also in the desert that they saw the glory of the Lord (Exodus 16:10).
All of this was a promise to the people of God of the new world that God would give to his people. In the new world, nothing will hinder the full display of the glory of the Lord in the works of the Lord. So, Isaiah said in verse 2b, “They shall see the glory of the Lord, the majesty of our God.” God’s glory is his inherent worth, and his majesty is his splendor in his person and works.
If you are one of the ransomed of the Lord, you are one who is repenting of your sin and trusting in Jesus. God’s promise to you is a new world where you will see his glory and his majesty in amazing and astonishing and jaw-dropping ways. The people in the wilderness in that first exodus saw God’s glory, and we shall see it too. It is a wonderful promise to us.
So, first, God promises the ransomed a new world.
II. God Promises the Ransomed a New Life (35:3-7)
Second, God promises the ransomed a new life.
When God’s people left Egypt, they did not see blossoming. They saw only barrenness (Exodus 15:21). However, the blossoming came as they walked the path God set before them.
Isaiah was encouraging the people of God to look to God who promises the ransomed a new life. He alerts them to what it is that they should expect as they journey to the new world.
A. The Ransomed Are Under Oppression (35:3-4)
First, the ransomed are under oppression.
The ransomed of the Lord live in a world that is opposed to God and his people. We live in a culture that is hostile to God and the things of God. So, Isaiah said in verses 3-4, “Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who have an anxious heart, ‘Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.’”
Isaiah encouraged the ransomed of the Lord to strengthen the weak hands, that is, to commit to personal action. He also encouraged the ransomed of the Lord to make firm the feeble knees, that is, to persevere for the duration of the pilgrimage. And, finally, he encouraged them to say to those who have an anxious heart, that is, to speak words of encouragement to each other.
Notice that the ground of encouragement to each other is “your God”! It is only as we point each other to God that we find encouragement when we are under oppression. In the dark days of discouragement when the people of God lived in an utterly pagan culture, they were reminded of God’s promise to Jacob in Genesis 46:4, “I myself will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also bring you up again, and Joseph’s hand shall close your eyes.”
B. The Desert Is Being Transformed (35:6c-7)
Second, the desert is being transformed.
In the new world that God will usher in, he will demonstrate a transformation even in nature itself, as Isaiah said in verses 6c-7, “For waters break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water; in the haunt of jackals, where they lie down, the grass shall become reeds and rushes.” This is a picture of nature itself that is transformed by the Lord at the time he ushers in the new world.
C. The Ransomed Are Renewed for Their Journey (35:5-6b)
And third, the ransomed are renewed for their journey.
God’s work of salvation gives new life to his people. Isaiah described it as follows in verses 5-6, “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.” The weakness that is seen in verses 3-4 will be transformed into new abilities. Commentator Alec Motyer says, “The contrast between two faculties of reception (eyes, ears) and two of action (leap, sing for joy) is meant to express totality.” That is, there is a wonderful transformation that affects every faculty of the person so that each person is renewed for their journey to the new world.
So, first, God promises the ransomed a new world. Second, God promises the ransomed a new life.
III. God Promises the Ransomed a New Highway (35:8-10)
And third, God promises the ransomed a new highway.
Isaiah pointed to a number of truths about the new highway.
A. The New Highway Is a Raised Causeway (35:8a)
First, the new highway is a raised causeway.
Isaiah said in verse 8a, “And a highway shall be there.” In the midst of the wilderness there shall be a high way, that is, a raised causeway. This image speaks of the narrow road along which the people of God travel to the new world.
B. The New Highway Is Only for the Holy (35:8b-c)
Second, the new highway is only for the holy.
Isaiah said in verse 8b-c, “. . . and it shall be called the Way of Holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it.” The highway is a narrow road upon which those who have been set apart by God and for God will travel. It is a road designed for the children of God, and no unbeliever, here described as “the unclean,” shall travel upon it. Motyer says, “The Lord never reduces his standards to match the weaknesses of his people; he raises his people to the height of his standards.” Isaiah did not say how God raises his people to the heights of his standards. However, we know that God does so by crediting us with Christ’s righteousness, and then by giving us the Holy Spirit who works that righteousness into our lives in a process of sanctification.
C. The New Highway Is Unmistakably Clear (35:8d-e)
Third, the new highway is unmistakably clear.
Isaiah said in verse 8d-e, “It shall belong to those who walk on the way; even if they are fools, they shall not go astray.” Usually the word “fool” in Scripture refers to one who is morally deficient. However, in this context it carries the idea that the Way of Holiness is so clear that traveling upon it is not dependent upon human ability. Even a person who is not bright, and yet knows the grace of God in his or her life, shall not go astray.
D. The New Highway Is Free of Danger (35:9)
Fourth, the new highway is free of danger.
Isaiah said in verse 9, “No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it; they shall not be found there, but the redeemed shall walk there.” Nothing or no-one will be able to destroy the saving work of God in the life of those who are walking on the Way of Holiness.
E. The New Highway Is Filled with Joy (35:10)
And fifth, the new highway is filled with joy.
Isaiah said in verse 10, “And the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.” Amazing, astonishing, everlasting gladness and joy await those who complete their journey to Zion. Isaiah wanted the people of God to have great hope as they would experience indescribable joy at the end of their earthly journey to the new city of Zion.
So, first, God promises the ransomed a new world. Second, God promises the ransomed a new life. And third, God promises the ransomed a new highway.
Conclusion
Therefore, having analyzed the ransomed of the Lord as set forth in Isaiah 35:1-10, let us make sure that we trust in the Lord.
Ever since he was a kid, Bob Goff had a dream to sail across the Pacific Ocean to Hawaii. So, Bob and four of his friends entered the Transpac Race, a semi-annual sailboat race from Los Angeles to Hawaii. With limited sailing skills, Bob and his friends loaded their thirty-five-foot sailboat with canned chili and bottled water and set sail for Hawaii. But for Bob and his friends, the most moving part of the journey was the arrival at the finishing line. Bob writes:
There’s a tradition in the Transpac Race no matter when you finish the race, even if it’s two in the morning. When you pull into the Ala Moana Marina in Oahu, there’s a guy who announces the name of the boat and every crew member who made the trip …. It’s the same guy, and he’s been announcing each boat’s arrival at the end of every Transpac Race for decades.
Just when we came to the end of our supplies, we sailed across the finish line just off Diamond Head and into the marina. It was a few hours before dawn. It had been sixteen days since we set out from Los Angeles in our little boat knowing very little about navigation. Suddenly, the silence was broken by a booming voice over a loudspeaker announcing the name of our tiny boat …. Then he started announcing the names of our ragtag crew like he was introducing heads of state. One by one he announced all of our names with obvious pride in his voice, and it became a really emotional moment for each of us onboard.
When he came to my name, he didn’t talk about how few navigation skills I had or the zigzag course I’d led us in to get there. He didn’t tell everyone I didn’t even know which way north was or about all my other mess-ups. Instead, he just welcomed me in from the adventure like a proud father would. When he was done, there was a pause and then in a sincere voice his last words to the entire crew were these: “Friends, it’s been a long trip. Welcome home.” Because of the way he said it, we all welled up and fought back tears. I wiped my eyes as I reflected in that moment about all the uncertainty that had come with the journey, all the sloppy sailing and how little I knew. But none of that mattered now because we had completed the race.
I’ve always thought that heaven might be kind of a similar experience …. After we each cross the finish line in our lives, I imagine it will be like floating into the Hawaiian marina when our names were announced, one by one. At the end of our lives, after our many mistakes and midcourse corrections, our loving Heavenly Father will simply say, “Friends, it’s been a long trip. Welcome home.”
If you are a Christian, you are one of the ransomed of the Lord. You have a great expectation of joy when you come to the end of your earthly pilgrimage and meet the Lord. You have a wonderful welcome awaiting you!
But, I must warn you that if you are not a Christian, you have no such expectation of joy when you come to the end of your earthly pilgrimage. You face an eternity in hell and you will never get out. I urge you to repent of your sin and believe in Jesus so that you may also experience the joy of the Lord when you see him face to face. I urge you to do so today. Amen.
