Isaiah 35:2, commentary and pictures

The wilderness and desert will bloom richly and break into joyful singing, made like a fruitful garden adorned with the beauty, richness and splendor of Lebanon, Carmel and Sharon, so that in the changed land the greatness, grace and tender love of the Lord are seen. The land has no glory of its own, for the change is wholly God's work, and it will be completed when the Messiah's peaceful kingdom comes, the ransomed gathered into the heavenly Canaan and new earth forever free from curse, death, sorrow and pain. That coming revelation of God's glory is already advancing as the gospel is carried to every nation and kindred, and where the message is received it turns a wilderness of thorns into a garden and changes the character of society. The barren desert pictures the spiritual barrenness of cities, towns and country places, which are not to stay desolate but to be watered until every neglected field blossoms, as those entrusted with the water of life go out as missionaries and establish centers, sanitariums and schools, and as love for Jesus banishes selfishness and brings the peace of heaven like a refreshing stream. It is therefore a promise to be trusted, claimed and repeated for faith and courage by fearful and discouraged hearts, calling every soul to be glad, grow in grace in full obedience, and consecrate wholly to God's service in this fitting-up time for heaven.

Desert Made Glorious

The desert and wilderness will blossom abundantly and rejoice even with joy and singing, becoming like a garden filled with beautiful flowers and fruit-bearing trees. The wilderness will flourish and share in that gladness, blossoming fully with singing as a sign of transforming work among a cooperating people. To be given the glory of Lebanon and the excellency of Carmel and Sharon is to be given their beauty, richness, fruitfulness, abundance, and splendor. The once barren land receives that bestowed beauty, and the barren places made fruitful and glorious mark its renewed splendor.

They shall see the glory of the LORD and the excellency of our God means the transformed land displays His glory, greatness, grace, merciful kindness, and tender love. Through that landscape people behold the Lord’s greatness, and the restored Zion makes His glory and excellence known, even to those who once bowed to idols as people of every kindred, tongue, and people are accepted in Christ. The wilderness has no glory or excellence of its own, for its transformation and resulting glory come from God. All honor for this work belongs to God and none to the human agents through whom He works and through whom His power works, as He works on minds in this world and calls for cooperation without giving credit to men.

The verse is prophecy of future restoration when the Messiah’s peaceful kingdom is established at the Lord’s coming, belonging to the glory surrounding that coming and the final establishment of His kingdom. Then the ransomed of the Lord are safely gathered into the heavenly Canaan and the new heaven and new earth, forever delivered from the bondage of the curse after pardon and acceptance, when Christ’s great work of atonement is completed and sins are forever blotted out. They shall return and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads and obtain joy and gladness while sorrow and sighing flee away, rejoicing with joy unspeakable and full of glory. The tabernacle of God will be with men and He will dwell with them and wipe away all tears, with no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, nor pain. This restoration is given for encouragement in the closing work before the work is closed up and the sealing is finished, when the outpouring of the Spirit comes, and God’s people will then be out of the cities where the place blossoms and rejoices.

In that heavenly world the bright holy land gives the weary and lonely pilgrim band a dwelling and rest, where they will be homeless no more in a little while. Its green fields wave and never know blight, its wild deserts bloom fair, and the roses of Sharon grow there in the fair goodly land where life’s pure river runs. Around the temple on Mount Zion the land is made glorious with blossoming flowers and trees, with seven mountains growing roses and lilies bearing never-fading flowers. All kinds of trees beautify the temple grounds — the box, the pine, the fir, the oil, the myrtle, the pomegranate, and the fig tree bowed down with timely figs — which little children climb to pluck or fly to on little wings, and this blooming beauty is the glory of the LORD and the excellency of God seen in the heavenly world.

Gospel Brings Fulfillment

The glory of the Lord revealed to all the earth, even to those who once bowed to idols, is a future revelation now advancing as the gospel is proclaimed to every nation, with people of every kindred and tongue and people accepted in Christ to display the glory of His grace, which is His merciful kindness and tender love. The message Christ entrusts to His messengers carries that fulfillment, for when it is received it changes the character of society entirely, turning a wilderness of thorns and thistles into a garden of beautiful flowers and fruit-bearing trees.

The barren desert pictures the spiritual condition of many cities and towns and country places, and as desert land is made fruitful by cultivation and irrigation, so human hearts and barren places are changed by the saving grace of Christ when those enriched with the water of life act as stewards of grace and go forth as faithful missionaries in earnest self-sacrificing effort to impart light and truth. Had those who knew the truth done this work, the wilderness would already have blossomed as the garden of the Lord. The wilderness becomes a sacred place when God's people are filled with the missionary spirit and establish centers for His work, including sanitariums to care for the sick and afflicted and schools to educate youth in right lines.

Desolate places are not to remain desolate but are to be given fertility and gladness and watered like a garden until every part blossoms with gladness and fertility and rejoices with joy and singing. The watering stream must not be confined to one spot while other parts are left dry and barren and crying for water, but must flow through every place and every neglected field. This requires carrying the work out of and away from centers where it has largely centered in the past, spreading to neglected fields and to many cities rather than enlarging plans and erecting greater buildings and making more display in one favored place, because prophecy declares the end of all things is at hand. That abundant flourishing and joy, when the glory of Lebanon and the excellency of Carmel and Sharon are given and the glory of the Lord is seen, is the future restoration held out for encouragement in the closing work before the sealing of God's people is finished and the outpouring of the Spirit comes with angels in the midst, to be met when God's people are out of the cities, making the present the fitting-up time to grow in grace, walk in full obedience to all God's commandments, accept Christ as Saviour and friend, and consecrate wholly to God's service.

The same change from barren wilderness to green pasture with fragrant flowers pictures the spiritual revival that comes into every sanitarium and publishing house and school when the love of Jesus fills the heart. Then selfishness and suspicion and self-importance and arbitrary authority are banished, self-denial and self-sacrifice are practiced, and the holiness and peace of heaven are brought in, for the love of Christ in the soul is like an ever-flowing stream in the desert that refreshes all and revives spirituality in an atmosphere over which all heaven rejoices. In the same way, making rough and wild places attractive by placing beautiful things among what is unattractive pictures the work people are called to do.

Encouragement for Today

The verse stands as a word of promise for the future, giving grounds for faith, hope, and assurance to churches and believers. It is to be trusted, claimed, read, and repeated for encouragement, especially for fearful hearts facing spiritual lack, disappointment, depression, discouragement, and emergency. Its picture is that the wilderness will blossom abundantly and rejoice with glad singing, be given the beauty, richness, and splendor of Lebanon, Carmel, and Sharon, and display the glory, greatness, and excellence of the Lord. When disappointment is felt over spiritual lack seen in churches and individuals, these promising words of inspiration are to be read and claimed in times of emergency.

It belongs together with the command to strengthen weak hands and feeble knees, supplying a special message to bear to fearful hearts in times of depression and discouragement. When meeting those unwilling to be helped and strengthened, and finding halting and disaffection among believers with a strong spirit of unbelief and satanic counterworking even in meetings, faith is to stay strong in God. Discouragement is to be refused, discouraging words are not to be repeated, and God's rich encouraging promises are to be repeated, leaned upon as sure in Christ, and shared to encourage others. This calls for renewed consecration to a higher standard and daily continuance of Christ's work for humanity.

God's promise of future restoration can also be fulfilled in people's lives in this world as He works upon their minds. As they cooperate with Him, He transforms their lives and the influence of their work, turning a barren place into one of abundance, beauty, and joy. The glory and excellence belong to God who brings about that change, so no credit goes to human agents.

As barren land becoming a garden, so the word of God appears to the renewed heart: what once seemed desolate becomes full of beauty and life, like a place covered with fragrant buds and blooming flowers. Through the Holy Spirit the renewed mind finds divine beauty and heavenly light in God's word where the earthly mind finds nothing to delight in. The blossoming of a home in the wilderness and the beauty of flowers can direct children and parents from nature to God and serve as reminders of His love.

The verse is words of cheer calling every soul to be glad, to speak that gladness in the congregation of the saints, and to tell of the goodness and power of God in every place where the gospel is carried to those who do not know present truth. It is given for encouragement in the closing work before the work is closed up and the sealing of God's people is finished, when the outpouring of the Spirit will come and angels will be in the midst. The present is the fitting-up time for heaven, calling each person to grow in grace, walk in full obedience to all the commandments of God, accept Christ as Saviour and friend, take offered salvation, and consecrate wholly to the service of God.