Isaiah · Old Testament · Isaiah 35:1–10
The New Exodus and Highway of the Redeemed
The Story
Isaiah opens with a burst of joyful imagery — the wilderness and the dry desert will be glad, the wasteland will rejoice and blossom with spring crocuses, blossoming abundantly and singing with joy. The glory of Lebanon, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon — the most lush and beautiful regions of the land — will be given to the desert as it is transformed, so that all people will see the glory and majesty of the Lord. Against this backdrop of renewal Isaiah turns to a word of encouragement for the weary and fearful — "With divine care he will come to save you." He then catalogs a series of miraculous healings that will accompany this salvation — the blind will see, the deaf will hear, the lame will leap like a deer, and the mute will sing for joy. Springs of water will break out in the wilderness and streams will flow through the wasteland, the burning sand will become a pool, and the thirsty ground will become springs. Through this transformed landscape Isaiah describes a great highway — the Way of Holiness — on which the redeemed of the Lord will travel. The unclean will not walk on it and the foolish will not wander onto it, but the redeemed and ransomed of the Lord will return on it with singing, crowned with everlasting joy, as sorrow and mourning flee away. "They will be filled with joy and gladness, and sorrow and mourning will disappear."
The Message
Isaiah's vision of the new exodus is a picture of God's salvation as total and comprehensive — transforming not just the human heart but the physical world, healing not just sin but every brokenness that sin has caused. The Highway of Holiness is a stunning image of the security and joy of those who walk in the way of God's redemption — a path that is clear, safe, and leads unerringly to the presence of God. The passage is an invitation to fix hope not on the partial and temporary restorations of this age but on the full and final redemption that God has promised and will accomplish.