God’s promise of a glorious future for this world:
His coming kingdom of perfection and joy. Isaiah 35:1-10 TLB
Even the wilderness and desert will rejoice
in those days; the desert will blossom with flowers. 2Yes, there
will be an abundance of flowers and singing and joy! The deserts will become as
green as the Lebanon mountains, as lovely as Mount Carmel’s pastures and
Sharon’s meadows, for the Lord will display his glory there, the excellency of
our God.
3With this news brings cheer to all discouraged ones. 4Encourage
those who are afraid. Tell them, “Be strong, fear not, for your God is coming
to destroy your enemies. He is coming to save you.” 5And when he
comes, he will open the eyes of the blind and unstop the ears of the deaf. 6The
lame man will leap up like a deer, and those who could not speak will shout and
sing! Springs will burst forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. 7The
parched ground will become a pool, with springs of water in the thirsty land.
Where desert jackals lived, there will be reeds and rushes!
8And the main road will go through that once-deserted land; it will be
named “The Holy Highway.” No evil-hearted men may walk upon it. God will walk
there with you; even the most stupid cannot miss the way. 9No lion
will lurk along its course, nor will there be any other dangers; only the
redeemed will travel there. 10These, the ransomed of the Lord, will
go home along that road to Zion, singing the songs of everlasting joy. For them
all sorrow and all sighing will be gone forever; only joy and gladness will be
there.[1]
God issued a wonderful, astounding promise: someday in the future, the earth will be transformed, perfected, and filled with joy. This is a glorious description of the Messiah’s kingdom, what is known as the millennial reign of Christ on earth. One day the Lord Jesus Christ will return to earth to establish God’s kingdom. The future of the earth is bright, hopeful, promising, and encouraging. The Lord is going to change this evil world back into a Garden of Eden. What follows is a vivid portrayal of the transformation that will take place:
a. The land will be completely restored, transformed into a Garden of Eden (vv. 1–2). The desert and parched land of the earth will undergo a dramatic change. The soil will be filled with rich nutrients, and the vegetation will blossom so much that it will seem to break forth in shouts of joy and rejoicing (Ps. 55:12–13; 96:11–13; 98:7–9; Ro. 8:19–22).
The glory of Lebanon is a reference to the fragrant cedar forest of the land. Carmel was known for its mighty oaks and Sharon for its beautiful pastures and lush, green pastureland.1
b. On that day, the glory and splendor of God will be seen by all the people of the earth (v. 2). As a result of the total transformation, the whole earth will be filled with the beauty of nature, with the radiance and majesty of God. All the citizens of the earth will witness God’s glory in nature. But even more incredible, they will be able to see the Lord living upon the earth as their Ruler and King (33:17).
c. Down through the centuries, God has given weak and fearful believers the wonderful guarantee of God’s salvation. Isaiah now says that the weak and fearful should look ahead to the glorious future promised by God. They should strengthen themselves in the promise of God’s Word. When they become weak, they need to strengthen their weak hands and steady their feeble knees. They need to live strong and righteous lives, keeping the commandments of God. Furthermore, they need to be courageous witnesses for the Lord. Fear should never be allowed to take over their hearts, turning them into cowards. God’s people are to keep their eyes on the glorious future promised by the Lord. The Lord will come to carry out perfect justice and judgment upon this earth. He will come to save His people from their enemies, those who ridicule, mock, and persecute them (v. 4).
d. When the glorious transformation of the earth takes place, all disabled believers will be healed and restored to health (v. 5). All the blind will be able to see, and all the deaf will be able to hear. Crippled believers will leap like deer, and the mute—those who cannot speak—will shout out for joy.
e. All land that had been ruined and parched will be transformed and changed into fertile soil that is well watered (v. 6). Water will flow both in the wilderness and in the desert. Streams and rivers will flow abundantly across the face of the earth. Pools will replace desert sand, and springs will bubble up out of the ground that had lacked rain (v. 7). Vegetation will grow everywhere, on all land that had formerly been ruined or barren.
f. The Messiah’s kingdom will have a very special highway running through the midst of it, a highway that will be known as the Way of Holiness (vv. 8–10; 11:16; 19:23; 40:3; 62:10). In Isaiah’s day, traveling along the roads was often dangerous. The danger was due to ferocious animals, thieves, and natural obstacles such as deep ravines and narrow paths on the sides of hills. But in the Messiah’s kingdom, the highway of holiness will be perfectly safe. There will be no unclean or wicked person or ferocious animal to endanger the life of the traveler. All the unclean and wicked of the world will have been removed from the earth. Only the righteous—the holy and obedient who have kept God’s commandments—will be living upon earth. Therefore traveling the highway of holiness will pose no threat to anyone. Only the redeemed will travel this path.
Note the purpose for the highway: it is to be the road by which the ransomed of the Lord return to Him (v. 10). If a person is to return to the Lord, he must first be redeemed by the Lord. When the Lord calls individuals to the promised land from their captivity (to sin, evil, and wickedness), they must respond. They must return to the Lord by traveling along the Way of Holiness. This path is the only road by which a person can return to the Lord. In the Messiah’s kingdom, the highway of holiness will be the road that leads to Zion or Jerusalem, the capital of the Messiah’s government. In the present Scripture, the people of the Messiah’s kingdom are pictured traveling the Way of Holiness in order to worship the Lord in Jerusalem.
Thought 1. God gives the wonderful promise of a climactic change of the earth. He will cleanse the earth of its sinful, corrupt condition and transform it into a new Garden of Eden. The kingdom of God is coming to this earth, and when it does, the earth will become a perfect utopia. Listen to what God’s Holy Word says:
(1) The present heavens and earth will be recreated into a new heavens and earth.
V “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my
words shall not pass away” (Mt.
24:35).
V “But the heavens and the earth, which are
now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of
judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved, be not ignorant of this
one thing, that one day is with the
Lord as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack
concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to
us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to
repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the
which, the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall
melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be
burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be
dissolved, what manner of persons
ought ye to be in all holy
conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day
of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements
shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look
for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness” (2 Pe. 3:7–13).
V “Of old hast, thou laid the foundation of the
earth: and the heavens are the work
of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall
wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be
changed” (Ps. 102:25–26).
V “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for
the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more
sea” (Re. 21:1).
V “And all the host of heaven shall be
dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: and all their
host shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree” (Is. 34:4).
V “Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look
upon the earth beneath for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the
earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in
like manner: but my salvation shall be forever, and my righteousness shall not
be abolished” (Is. 51:6).
V “For, behold, I create new heavens and a new
earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind” (Is. 65:17).
V “For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain” (Is. 66:22).
(2) No people will enter the Messiah’s kingdom or live in the new heavens and earth unless they have been redeemed by the Lord and live holy lives.
V “For all have sinned, and come short of the
glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that
is in Christ Jesus” (Ro. 3:23–24).
V “Having, therefore, these promises, dearly
beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit,
perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (2 Co. 7:1).
V “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of
the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree” (Ga. 3:13).
V “In whom we have redemption through his
blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace” (Ep. 1:7).
V “That ye put off concerning the former
conversation [conduct, behavior] the old man, which is corrupt according to the
deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on
the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness” (Ep. 4:22–24).
V “In whom we have redemption through his
blood, even the forgiveness of sins”
(Col. 1:14).
V “Who gave himself for us, that he might
redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous
of good works” (Tit. 2:14).
V “Neither by the blood of goats and calves,
but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained
eternal redemption for us. For if the
blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling the unclean,
sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: How much more shall the blood of
Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God,
purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” (He. 9:12–14).
V “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord” (He. 12:14).
V “But as he which hath called you is holy, so
be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy;
for I am holy” (1 Pe. 1:15–16).
V “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not
redeemed with corruptible things, as
silver and gold, from your vain conversation [conduct, behavior] received by tradition from your fathers;
But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without
spot” (1 Pe. 1:18–19).
V “Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless” (2 Pe. 3:11–14).[2]
[1] Taylor, Kenneth Nathaniel. 1997. The Living Bible,
Paraphrased. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House.
vv. verses
1 H.C.Leupold.
Exposition of Isaiah, Vol. 1, p. 547.
[2] Leadership Ministries Worldwide. 2005. Isaiah (Chapters 1–35). Vol. I. The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible. Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide.
https://my.bible.com/bible/116/ISA.35.NLT
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