- Isaiah 35 (Contemporary English Version)
- Thirsty deserts will be glad; barren lands will celebrate and blossom with flowers.
- Deserts will bloom everywhere and sing joyful songs. They will be as majestic as Mount Lebanon, as glorious as Mount Carmel or Sharon Valley. Everyone will see the wonderful splendor of the LORD our God. *
- Here is a message for all who are weak, trembling, and worried:
- "Cheer up! Don't be afraid. Your God is coming to punish your enemies. God will take revenge on them and rescue you."
- The blind will see, and the ears of the deaf will be healed.
- Those who were lame will leap around like deer; tongues once silent will begin to shout. Water will rush through the desert.
- Scorching sand will turn into a lake, and thirsty ground will flow with fountains. Grass will grow in wetlands, where packs of wild dogs once made their home.
- A good road will be there, and it will be named "God's Sacred Highway." It will be for God's people; no one unfit to worship God will walk on that road. And no fools can travel on that highway.
- No lions or other wild animals will come near that road; only those the LORD has saved will travel there.
- The people the LORD has rescued will come back singing as they enter Zion. Happiness will be a crown they will always wear. They will celebrate and shout because all sorrows and worries will be gone far away.
In previous chapters Isaiah has painted a picture of the present reality for the Israelites. It was not a pretty picture for they had turned away from the Lord and Isaiah's task was to tell them of God's coming punishment. Thus it was not a picture the Israelites were willing to look at or accept as reality. It was not that Isaiah's understanding of reality for them was far-fetched, but their own denial of that reality that kept them from accepting the picture he had painted for them. They denied that they were doing anything wrong, and although they knew Assyia to be a threat, they denied that anything serious would become of it, furthermore denying that it was a situation they could not handle themselves through their own cunning and military prowess.
In this chapter Isaiah paints another picture. This one is of future reality. It is a beautiful picture portraying a rich fertile land in place of the dry arrid land they have always known. Not only will the land be transformed but the people living in it will also be transformed. No longer will there be those who are blind and deaf and lame or those with other maladies. The Lord will take away disease. Neither will there be evil or danger. There will be a road through this land called the Holy Way. Only the "ransomed of the Lord" (35:10) will walk on this road going to and from their worship of the Lord. Neither the unclean nor the fool nor vicious beasts will be found on this road. There will be great joy and gladness that will overtake the people who live in this land.
Isaiah encourages the people to accept this picture of future reality saying ,"Be strong; do not fear! Here is your God; vengeance is coming. God's retribution is coming; He will save you." (35:4) However, they cannot accept this picture without also accepting the picture of their present reality which is much less attractive. They must go through the present time of punishment to get to the future time of blessing. But if they are not willing to accept the one for what it is, neither will they be able to enjoy the other. There must be repentance and forgiveness if they are to walk on that "Holy Way" and enjoy the blessings of the Lord.
Those who walk with the Lord will experience suffering, but it will only be for a short period of time. In contrast, those who do not walk with the Lord may experience prosperity, but it too will only be for a short period.
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