Meditation on Isaiah 35:1-10

Isaiah 35:1-10

The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad,

the desert shall rejoice and blossom;

like the crocus ²it 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.

3Strengthen the weak hands,

and make firm the feeble knees.

4Say to those who are of a fearful heart,

"Be strong, do not fear!

Here is your God.

He will come with vengeance,

with terrible recompense.

He will come and save you."

5Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,

and the ears of the deaf unstopped;

6then the lame shall leap like a deer,

and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy.

For waters shall break forth in the wilderness,

and streams in the desert;

7the burning sand shall become a pool,

and the thirsty ground springs of water;

the haunt of jackals shall become a swamp,

the grass shall become reeds and rushes.

8A highway shall be there,

and it shall be called the Holy Way;

the unclean shall not travel on it,

but it shall be for God's people;

no traveler, not even fools, shall go astray.

9No 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.

10And the ransomed of the LORD shall return,

and come to Zion with singing;

everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;

they shall obtain joy and gladness,

and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

Once more this week, just like last week, we get the hopeful vision put forth by Isaiah of what will happen when God restores the fortunes of Zion- a beautiful restored creation that bring prosperity and abundance to all the righteous, and Jerusalem (Zion) will be the location of a profound homecoming where God’s glory will be revealed (vv. 1- 2).

As a gardener in the Midwest, I want to ask, “Where are these crocus that flower abundantly in vv. 1-2?” Apparently in Carmel and Sharon.

The Exodus journey is recalled here, but this time, the wilderness itself is blooming. God will restore and bless creation so much that the land itself will sing (v. 2), Then there is an image of healing that those of us who are no longer teenagers will appreciate: weak hands and feeble knees will be healed and strengthened (v.3), anxiety that eats away at determination will be overcome with encouragement and promises of determination and vengeance on our behalf from God, for God is going to swoop in and wipe out all enemies as our savior (v. 4).

When reading verses 3-6a, it is important to remember that, until relatively recently, people who had various disabilities were often completely cut off from society. Here is the US, it wasn’t until the 1960s that standards for making buildings accessible were created, and it wasn’t until 1968 that federal laws began to require that federal buildings be accessible. Throughout history, most people with disabilities were marginalized, unemployable, refused education. It was this was in the time of Isaiah, certainly. That is why verses 3-6a are so revolutionary for their time. All isolating disabilities will be healed completely, so that the people will be truly together as one community. Remember that healing is a vital sign of Jesus’s messianic ministry as well.

We are reminded that God is with us and cares for us everywhere, in the beautiful places and in the barren places. God is the source of all that is good, and restores and refreshes and remakes even the desolate places; it is God who is our salvation. Like a fierce avenging angel or a mother wolf protecting her young, God swoops down on those who would attack the people of God “with (a) vengeance” (v. 4). This was a comforting promise indeed for the people during Isaiah’s time.

The desolate places will be made to be places overflowing with water (v. 6b). God will ‘make our ways straight’ in verse 8 (hey, that rhymes!). This is a rich image indeed, given all the descriptions of Christians as people on the move, as “pilgrims,” or “travelers,” of all the descriptions of the attempt to “discern God’s Way,” to “walk the path of wisdom,” And then the fact that the earliest followers of Jesus called themselves “The Way.” Psalm 1 begins with this verse:

“Happy are those
   who do not follow the advice of the wicked,
or take the path that sinners tread,
   or sit in the seat of scoffers”

and of course there is the 23^rd Psalm, verse 3:

“he restores my soul.^*
He leads me in right paths^*
   for his name’s sake.”

All of the calamities will be removed that could befall travelers, even those who are fools (and aren’t we all, at one time or another?). This is the path that will lead the righteous back into the promised land. Instead of being a place of chaos, turmoil, and danger, the wilderness will be a place of peace, where the faithful can travel with safety.

While the people of Judah were beset by competing empires and eventually cast into exile, they may have felt that God had turned away from them. But here is a God who is active among God’s people. Thus God saves, heals, provides, protects.

Resources: 

Walter Brueggemann, Westminster Bible Commentary: Isaiah 1-39

David L. Bartlett and Barbara Brown Taylor, Feasting on the Word, Year A, vol. 1