Isaiah 35:1-10
Isa 35:1
The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for
them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.
Many attempt to make this chapter as speaking of modern
Israel and it has nothing to do with that counterfeit Israel.
Christians need to stop taking the blessings of God which belong to the
true body of believers and attaching them to the followers of the cult of
Judaism which hate both God and Christ.
This chapter deals with the coming of the true gospel
which will begin in Jerusalem and then will be sent all over the world.
The wilderness and the solitary place are symbolic for the Gentile world
as they had no gospel but were steeped in false gospels and false religions but
now the truth of the gospel has come to the Gentile world and the body of
believers will become much larger once the gospel goes forth.
The Gentile world was a spiritual desert having no gospel or plan of
salvation except worshipping false gods which was their damnation.
Once the gospel starts going forth that spiritual desert will blossom as
the rose which is probably the asphodel which was a lily with long sprays of
blossoms.
I
am the rose of Sharon,
and the lily of the valleys.
(Song of Solomon 2:1) The lily
of the valleys and rose of Sharon are both symbols for the Lord Jesus himself.
Isa 35:2
It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy
and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of
Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the LORD, and the
excellency of our God.
The coming of the true gospel will result in abundant
blossoming, that is, the abundancy of the true church as it continues to grow
all over the world and that will result in the joy of the true believer
expressed by singing as many great hymns have been written over the years, many
borne out of tragedies. The glory of Lebanon was their cedars which were used
extensively in the homes of many wealthy Israelites.
The cedars are being compared to the true believers who will stand strong
among the world as the enemies come against them like the elements coming
against the cedar trees. Carmel and
Sharon were two places in Israel known for their fruitfulness and their pastures
for grazing. As Christians grow in
the faith and become more fruitful in their lives, they will be both grazing the
word of God and bearing fruit. Once
a person becomes saved, they will see the glory of the LORD and the excellency
of our God as he continues to water the true believers and grows the body of
Christ through adding to them daily.
Unbelievers see mother nature but the true believer sees the handiwork
and glory of God as he continues to work through his creation.
Isa 35:3
Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble
knees.
No longer will the true believer have weak hands or
feeble knees as they find their strength in the LORD.
The gospel repairs the breaches of weakness in a person’s life to the
point they are willing to give their lives for the LORD as many martyrs
throughout history have proven.
Feeble knees and weak hands are a sign of weakness but the gospel strengthens
them.
Let the words of my mouth, and the
meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my
redeemer. (Psalm 19:14) In the
New Testament the believers are also told the same thing.
Wherefore lift up the hands which
hang down, and the feeble knees; (Hebrews 12:12)
They are to find their strength in the LORD and not rely on the strength
of flesh which always lets us down.
Isa 35:4
Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be
strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even
God with a recompence; he will come and save you.
Then after Assyria had been conquered by the LORD and the
people were free from their threats, there were still some that held on to their
fear and the LORD is now telling them that they are not to fear because God will
come to them and fight for them with a vengeance.
This also applies to the Christian because many times they concern
themselves with what Satan might do to them and we are to find our strength in
the LORD knowing that he was defeated at Calvary.
The Lord will come and save us.
The first time the Lord came was to die for the sins of his people but
the second time he comes, it will be the completion of the salvation of the
believer.
So Christ was once offered to bear the
sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time
without sin unto salvation. (Hebrews 9:28)
The second time the Lord Jesus comes will be the removal and destruction
of all the enemies of God, that is, all the unbelievers.
Isa 35:5
Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears
of the deaf shall be unstopped.
The blind are those who are believers in false gospels
and are blinded to the fact they are condemning themselves to hell.
The deaf are those who do not hear the words of the true gospel but
continue to remain in unbelief.
Then once the true gospel comes and the LORD begins to save his Elect, their
eyes are no longer blind to the truth and their ears will hear and understand
the true gospel. They will then be
able to grow in the faith and
become fruitful.
Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go
your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind
see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised,
to the poor the gospel is preached. (Luke 7:22)
Isa 35:6
Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the
tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and
streams in the desert.
Peter and John were going to the temple and came across a
lame man who was begging alms but Peter had no money instead he was healed in
the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And he leaping up stood, and walked, and
entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God. (Acts
3:8) The man just didn’t stand
up instead he leaped to his feet and continued to leap just as a deer leaps.
Then Jesus had cured a man who was dumb and could not speak.
And he was casting out a devil,
and it was dumb. And it came to pass, when the devil was gone out, the dumb
spake; and the people wondered. (Luke 11:14)
Then once the people saw these things they marvelled which was like being
awe struck at the healing. Both of
these have spiritual meanings that once a person becomes saved, they are no
longer spiritually lame but they are strong in the Lord and have strengthened
the feeble knees and weak legs.
Then they begin to bring the true gospel to others as they now speak the truth
where before they spoke only things of the world which was like being dumb to
the true gospel but now they sing the true gospel out.
He that believeth
on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living
water. (John 7:38) Then as the
true gospel is given out to those who have not heard or those in false religions
which is like being in a spiritual wilderness, the waters of life begin to
irrigate the heart and minds of the people.
In conjunction to this, when people become saved then they will turn into
a stream of living water that will go throughout the desert that is filled with
false gospels which would be like an arid desert.
Isa 35:7
And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the
thirsty land springs of water: in the habitation of dragons, where each lay,
shall be grass with reeds and rushes.
The parched ground which is so dry that it actually
yields mirages shall no longer be mirages but will become a pool of water which
will water all those who hear the gospel and become saved.
It will be their oasis in the midst of the desert of false gospels.
Then not only will there be pools but those pools will create springs of
water which is the water of the gospel that shall never run dry.
For I will pour water upon him
that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy
seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring: (Isaiah 44:3)
Then the habitations of dragons which represent the
leaders of Israel who dwell in the cities will also partake of the truths of the
gospel as the reeds and rushes are symbolically watered to allow them to grow.
This means that the gospel will go forth into the entire world both in
the rural places and the cities.
The dragons once occupied the cities because they were left unkempt but now with
the gospel coming to them, they will once again be cities where people can dwell
in. Remember the ultimate city
which is the New Jerusalem where all the true believers will dwell eternally.
Isa 35:8
And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be
called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall
be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.
The highway that shall be there is called the way of
holiness and the only way a person can become holy is if they are saved through
the Lord Jesus Christ. Holiness
must be inward and not outward as the law was.
Therefore, this is not speaking of the law but of grace through the Lord
Jesus Christ.
Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I
am holy. (1 Peter 1:16)
Holiness comes through the Lord Jesus Christ and no other way.
The unclean shall not be on that highway which means that no unbeliever
can ever be in Christ no matter how much of the law they keep.
It shall only be for the true believer
who are considered wayfaring or traveling through in this world.
Even if they were fools when they were unbelievers shall no longer be
fools but will become strong believers in Christ.
Personally speaking, I was a fool because before I was saved, I drank a
goodly amount of alcohol but since I became saved, I never had a drink, not even
one. The gospel gives us new
perspectives on life and changes our priorities.
Isa 35:9
No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast
shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk
there:
No lion or ravenous beast shall ever be on the highway.
This means that once a person becomes saved, nothing Satan can do will
ever cause us to lose our salvation even though he will try to derail us, he
will never have access to that highway. Be
sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh
about, seeking whom he may devour: (1 Peter 5:8)
The only ones allowed on that highway will be the redeemed, those who are
saved in Christ.
Hereafter I will not talk much with you:
for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me. (John 14:30)
If Satan has nothing in the Lord Jesus then he has nothing in us even
though he wants us to think we are still under his authority.
Isa 35:10
And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to
Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and
gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.