Easter Sunday 2018- Isaiah 35 Study Notes
Chapter 35
Key verse 8
And a highway will be there;
it will be called the Way of Holiness;
it will be for those who walk on that Way.
The unclean will not journey on it;
wicked fools will not go about on it.
In one of the most beautiful uses of language in all of the Bible, Isaiah now, intentionally of course, runs backward much of the very language of universal judgment used in chapter 34, in a stunning, complete, and absolute, albeit not universal, picture of restoration, blessing, and rejoicing for the faithful remnant of God’s people. The pattern of judgment and blessing repeats yet again in this wonderful pair of chapters that concludes (with the exception of the narrative interlude of chapters 36–39) the first half of Isaiah’s prophecy, and specifically concludes the prophetic section of Isaiah’s “burdens” and the woes covered in chapters 13–33.
There is quite obviously a literal rendering for the people of God here in Isaiah’s words, particularly when he speaks directly to them in verse 10, speaking about a return to Jerusalem from an exile that is itself still years away from happening.
The chapter is itself broken into four sections- in the first two verses the very land is itself personified and portrayed as rejoicing in its own restoration.
The desert and the parched land will be glad;
the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.
Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom;
it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.
The glory of Lebanon will be given to it,
the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;
they will see the glory of the Lord,
the splendor of our God.
This is not new language as the very ground was cursed at Adam & Eve’s fall and Paul speaks of this in Romans 8 as well. In the next section Isaiah speaks to the downtrodden, to those who have endured the years of mistreatment as well as lived through the judgments of God…
Strengthen the feeble hands,
steady the knees that give way;
say to those with fearful hearts,
“Be strong, do not fear;
your God will come,
he will come with vengeance;
with divine retribution
he will come to save you.”
The tender imagery here of a God who sees and who cares would have no doubt given hope to the hopeless and has certainly also done so through the ages for Christians in all sorts of dire circumstances. Next we see the healing of both the people and the land from their infirmities…
Then will the eyes of the blind be opened
and the ears of the deaf unstopped.
Then will the lame leap like a deer,
and the mute tongue shout for joy.
Water will gush forth in the wilderness
and streams in the desert.
The burning sand will become a pool,
the thirsty ground bubbling springs.
In the haunts where jackals once lay,
grass and reeds and papyrus will grow.
Certainly we see the Lord Jesus in these verses, He who would be the vehicle for this healing and who Himself is the first born of all creation! Finally, Isaiah concludes with the promise of return, both literal for the people of Judah and Jerusalem and certainly a picture of Christ’s Kingdom yet to come for all who call Him Lord and Savior (Rom. 10:9–10)
And a highway will be there;
it will be called the Way of Holiness;
it will be for those who walk on that Way.
The unclean will not journey on it;
wicked fools will not go about on it.
No lion will be there,
nor any ravenous beast;
they will not be found there.
But only the redeemed will walk there,
and those the Lord has rescued will return.
They will enter Zion with singing;
everlasting joy will crown their heads.
Gladness and joy will overtake them,
and sorrow and sighing will flee away.
Finally, it is pertinent to note that Isaiah is not espousing universal salvation, but contrary to these false doctrines, it is “for those who walk in the Way”, and “the redeemed” who will experience this heaven, and explicitly “The unclean will not journey on it; wicked fools will not go about on it.” What a warning and, when paired with chapter 34, we ought to be motivated to warn and invite- to warn of the judgment and wrath of God, deserved by each one of us for our rebellion and wickedness, and invite into the loving relationship God longs to have, bless, and bestow on us in the Kingdom of His Son!
Theme- Walk in the way! Judgment and blessing, darkness and light. These themes are juxtaposed when looking at chapter 34 and 35 together, and keep consistent the theme of remnant throughout Isaiah. There is here as specific a call to be faithful, attached to the promise of God’s care and blessing for those who are faithful to Him as anywhere else in the book. This chapter provides encouragement in many “time zones”. For the people of Judah in exile many years from this time, for the Jews persecuted at several points hereafter in human history, for the people of God today persecuted throughout the world, and for the anticipation of the consummation of all things, in Christ’s eternal kingdom to come.
Colossians 1:13–14- For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
