In chapter 35 it is as though a brilliant shaft of light breaks through the clouds and all is bathed in splendor again. Arid wastes burst into bloom as the glory of the Lord comes down like refreshing showers, and the whole earth shouts for joy (vv. 1-2). It’s a vision to steady trembling hands, strengthen weak knees, and lift fearful hearts (vv. 3-4). The people addressed here remember the sights of home, but they are far away, and powerless to return. They have been conquered and brutalized, and their anguished hearts cry out for vengeance, retribution, and deliverance. But they have no strength to right the wrongs they have suffered or to bring those responsible to account. They are blind, deaf, lame, and mute; they have no power to help themselves; only God can save them. And the good news of this chapter is that He will do just that (vv. 5-7). He will raise up a highway for them and bring them home. They will enter Zion with singing…sorrow and sighing will flee away, and they will be overtaken by a joy that will never end (vv. 8-10).

Clearly, a situation of exile and return is in view here, something that will be developed at length in the second half of the book. But just as clearly, this chapter reaches beyond that to something else. The everlasting joy of this chapter corresponds to the everlasting destruction of the previous one. Beyond the judgments and blessings of history lie the final “everlastings” of salvation and damnation. These are the ultimate realities we have to reckon with. There are foreshadowing’s of them within history, but in Scripture something greater always looms up behind.

We of course, would like to have only one of these realities: blessing without curse, salvation without judgment, heaven without hell. And we are always in danger of rewriting the rules, so to speak, to suit our own inclinations. But the biblical revelation has a stubborn shape to it that resists all manipulation of this kind. It forces us to decision: we must have it as it is or not at all; accept it or make up your own religion. No quarter is given, either by biblical writers or by Jesus Himself. On the last day, some will go away to eternal punishment, and some to eternal life.

Let us concentrate for a moment on the highway of verse 8. It is the way to everlasting joy. It is the way to Zion, the city of God, and all that it symbolizes. In New Testament terms it is the highway to heaven. And it’s the Way of Holiness, which puts us in touch again with a major theme of the book. For Isaiah, holiness is the defining characteristic of God Himself. Above all else, God is Holy, so the way of holiness is not just the way to Zion, or the way to heaven; it’s the way to God! It’s not the golden streets or the pearly gates that make heaven what it is, but the presence of God. To be in heaven is to be with God forever, in totally joyous, unspoiled fellowship. And the way to heaven is provided by God Himself. It is for those who have been redeemed, or ransomed (vv. 9-10). These terms refer to powerful and costly deliverance. They have their roots in the exodus from Egypt, and find their final significance in the work of Christ, by which God rescues us from the power of sin and Satan. These acts of judgment and deliverance are the expressions, par excellence, of His holiness. Look at them, and you will see His holiness in action. The way of holiness is the way of salvation that God provides.

But it is also the way we must choose; it is not for the unclean or for the wicked fools (v. 8). It is for those who have chosen holiness as their way of life and renounced other ways. And what a glorious picture of holiness this chapter gives us! The way of holiness is the way of singing, joy and gladness (v. 10). No drabness here! The pursuit of holiness is the pursuit of God Himself, and the face that is set towards God will open to joy and gladness like a flower opening to the sun.

With this we have reached another resting-point in our journey through Isaiah’s vision. And as we pause and catch our breath, where do we find ourselves? At home, joyful and at rest in the presence of God; it’s where we long to be, and the only place where we will ever be totally content to stay. For we too are exiles, and our hearts cry out for home; for we cannot save ourselves, but the way has already been raised up for us, and we have already set out on it. Like the prodigal, we are on the way home, but we know far better than he did the welcome that awaits us. And this part of Isaiah’s vision is like a refreshing oasis on the way, where we can pause and gather strength for what remains of the journey. Joy and gladness and God Himself are up ahead, and with that certain knowledge we can rise above our weariness and set out again.

Isaiah 35:1-10 Reflection Questions:

Are you trying to make up your own religion by picking and choosing what you like from the Bible?

Have you ever found yourself to have no power to help yourself get out of the mess you’re in? How did God save you?

Have you chosen the way of holiness?