Isaiah 35 Encouragement Brings Life

Isaiah 35:1,2 "The wilderness and the desert will be glad,
And the Arabah will rejoice and blossom;
Like the crocus
2 It will blossom profusely
And rejoice with rejoicing and shout of joy.
The glory of Lebanon will be given to it,
The majesty of Carmel and Sharon.
They will see the glory of the Lord,
The majesty of our God."

v 1-2 The wilderness is a type of our soul that is dry without life. This chapter explains how a transformation can take place by encouragement.

Isaiah 35:3,4 "Encourage the exhausted, and strengthen the feeble.
4 Say to those with anxious heart,
“Take courage, fear not.
Behold, your God will come with vengeance;
The recompense of God will come,
But He will save you.”

v 3-4 Talks about encouragement. And the way we encourage is to say what God is going to do. And we know what God is going to do by the promises that are in the Bible. And we understand that all the promises in the Bible are for us by 2 Corinthians 1:20. So we speak the promises of God to each other to encourage.

Isaiah 35:5,6 "Then the eyes of the blind will be opened
And the ears of the deaf will be unstopped.
6 Then the lame will leap like a deer,
And the tongue of the mute will shout for joy.
For waters will break forth in the wilderness
And streams in the Arabah."

v 5-6 The problem with our soul is that it is blind deaf and we are not able to walk in God's ways. It is encouragement of the Scriptures that brings life to our soul. John 6:63

We have the Spirit of God within but a mind set on the flesh brings death. Romans 8:5-8 The Spirit is then repressed within us not able to operate. When we are encouraged to put our mind on the Spirit life springs forth and we operated in the life of the Spirit of God.

Waters will break forth in the wilderness and streams in the Arabah. This is a type that ties into John 4:14 that as we drink of the water Jesus gives the Holy Spirit will spring forth from us to others in ministry.

Isaiah 35:6,7 ". . . For waters will break forth in the wilderness
And streams in the Arabah.
7 The scorched land will become a pool
And the thirsty ground springs of water;
In the haunt of jackals, its resting place,
Grass becomes reeds and rushes."

v 6-7 wilderness, desert, thirsty ground, haunt of Jackals.
These terms are types of our soul that is void of life and the water that flows from the Spirit. When water comes, (the word of God believed), than life changes the wilderness to life.

Isaiah 35:8-10 "A highway will be there, a roadway,
And it will be called the Highway of Holiness.
The unclean will not travel on it,
But it will be for him who walks that way,
And fools will not wander on it.
9 No lion will be there,
Nor will any vicious beast go up on it;
These will not be found there.
But the redeemed will walk there,
10 And the ransomed of the Lord will return
And come with joyful shouting to Zion,
With everlasting joy upon their heads.
They will find gladness and joy,
And sorrow and sighing will flee away."

v 8-10 This life that comes from the word of God believed, (not just acknowledged as valid), brings us along the highway to the presence of God. The lions, vicious beasts represent the enemy that tries to destroy our hope and belief. We reject these attacks with God's word. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5

Belief is not just acknowledging the validity of Scripture or the existence of God and the work of our Savior Jesus. Belief is taking the Scripture and accepting it to bring forth fruit from the word with perseverance. Luke 8:15 Belief will set aside the worries and pleasures of the world and be committed to love God and others to bring God's kingdom into peoples lives. Matthew 6:10  It takes work to maintain belief. John 6:29

Notice it is a highway that brings us to the presence of God. It is going, serving in belief having the water of the word within us we have interaction with the Lord. When we are not walking in service we don't have the presence of God apparent but it is repressed.

As we are encouraged in the Scriptures and respond with belief and faith we have God's presence apparent and this relationship brings the joy that sends us with power to the world.

Isaiah 55:12  "“For you will go out with joy
And be led forth with peace;
The mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you,
And all the trees of the field will clap their hands."