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Isaiah 35
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.
This is such a great chapter and a welcome word in times of great trouble and distress.
Trust is still the central issue, although the word “trust” does not appear in the chapter. The previous chapter dealt with what would happen to those who chose not to place their trust in the Lord. This chapter answers a question that has been on the readers' minds from nearly the beginning of Isaiah: “What happens if we place our trust in the Lord and not in the strength of other nations?”
Overall, there are two outcomes for those who entrust their lives to the Lord. One is spiritual renewal and restoration. Isaiah describes this as a desert springing to life, becoming a great garden with pools of water and grassy meadows.
Even the most desolate human situations can be changed by God if we let Him.
The other outcome is a relationship. The imagery of a highway is used to communicate easy access to the Lord. The Lord is making a way, removing any obstacle, so that those who trust Him can come to Him. The Lord is coming to His people, and those who trust Him can easily come to His house.
The joy of all of this is captured in verses 5-7. These verses are a crimson thread tying us to Jesus. Just think about Jesus’ miraculous signs and how all the things spoken of in these verses are seen in Jesus’ life and ministry.
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1.1-5, 14
The most striking thing to me is how the Lord can completely change even the most desperate circumstances. God changes the desolation that the people have endured to complete and total restoration. A wasteland becomes a paradise, the blind see, the deaf hear, the lame leap like a deer, and the mute sing for joy!
Everything can change if we entrust our lives to Jesus. Our lives, our trajectory, and how we perceive our circumstances can totally change if we trust the Lord. The Lord will deliver us so that we can participate in the life He has and continues to promise us in His Son, Jesus.
I love John Oswalt’s comment on this from this chapter. He wrote, “God has come to us and day by day makes it possible for us to walk with him in greater and greater likeness to him, until that last day when we arrive in the heavenly city were gladness will displace sorrow forever.”
Awesome stuff. My encouragement to you today is to trust the Lord in every way. Don’t hold back. Don’t hesitate. Live into the life which He has always promised to you in relationship with His Son Jesus.
God bless you, and know that you are constantly in my prayers.
Scott
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