Yes, the message that Isaiah delivers is grim, but God doesn’t leave his people without hope. He promises to restore Israel (and us!) to an even greater glory than we had before.
In the last days (or the millennium) the desert around Israel will be as lush as the area around the sea of Galilee. The blind will see again, those who cannot walk will skip and dance. It will be a time of unprecedented happiness and peace.
I wonder if this future event could be used as a metaphor for our current difficulties? For instance, “what part of your life is dry and barren?” If there are areas of your life that don’t “bear fruit”, God can make them blossom. Maybe the love has evaporated from your marriage, God can refresh it so that it is as full as a sponge soaked with water. Maybe you have lost satisfaction in what you do for a living, God can restore that as well. What God is saying here is that
God is speaking to these people as if they will see it personally, even though it won’t happen until after they die. I wonder if they will see it at the same time you and I will…and it will seem like it’s only been a few days since they were alive?
Or, on the other hand He is speaking metaphorically. The highway of holiness isn’t an actual road, it’s a way of life that begins in Jerusalem, Israel. Either way, it will be both an honor and a privilege to walk along it. The pathway of holiness can be walked upon today by seeking out God’s will for your life and living it in both humility and obedience.
Ch 35: 5-6 sounds like the ministry of Jesus. Isaiah has a gift for speaking both to the people of his time, and to us as well. And, to people who may live sometime after us….if the Lord delays His return.
Speaking of the highway of holiness: 35:10 says “the redeemed will return”. I wonder if this “highway” will be an actual road in the Millennium, where we enter into Jerusalem? Is this when God brings us back to life, or is it the humble people returning from captivity in Persia? Do we walk the highway when we confess Christ as our Savior and begin to live for Him? Or is will it be a road that we all walk on, heading into town? Or both?
Speaking of humility, (humble people walking on the highway) there is a stark contrast here between the fate of the arrogant and the humble. When Hezekiah humbles himself and goes to the Temple, he hears from God. In fact, God is speaking to him through Isaiah in this passage, telling him of days ahead where He will pour out his blessing upon the nation. On the other hand the hubris and arrogance displayed by the Assyrians, and by Israel north have already spelled defeat for Israel, and will soon spell defeat for Assyria. No army is so powerful that they can stand up to the Holy One.
When king Sennacherib advances toward Jerusalem his interaction with the people and the officials inside the city seems to mirror how the devil works against us. The evil envoy speaks proudly of all the gods he has demolished…so what? They were false gods to begin with, the only person that is going to scare is someone who believes in the deity of false gods. The enemy is pounding his chest, yelling loudly and boasting of the great power that he has, and has imposed upon everyone who has come against him. But, I am reminded that those people he has defeated were prophesied to fall by God long ago, because of their disobedience and their pride. If the Assyrian king were truly wise, he would take a lesson from the people he has been “gifted” to conquer, and realize that he isn’t doing any of this in his own power. The devil often thinks he is winning, only to find out that he hasn’t even come close.
The way to defeat satan (it seems to me) is to not engage him in argument or conversation, but rather, to go directly to God and make your plea for deliverance before Him. Why waste time speaking and arguing with the devil when you could be talking to God?
Certainly there is much more, but the day beckons…
Faithfully,
PR