Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.
The promise is that when God comes to save His people, the blind will see and the deaf will hear, together with the lame leaping, the mute singing, the desert blossoming, and the ransomed returning to Zion with everlasting joy where sorrow flees away. This was fulfilled in the healing work of Jesus, who gave sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf by word and touch as signs that He is the promised Deliverer, breaking Satan's power and showing His mercy, goodness and divine mission. It will be fulfilled completely at the final deliverance, when the redeemed are gathered into the heavenly Canaan with every bodily weakness and affliction gone and sorrow and suffering ended forever. It is also fulfilled now when the gospel and the Holy Spirit open spiritually blind eyes and deaf ears to see God's salvation in His word, turning the wilderness of the mind into a place of living streams, peace and holiness. Therefore it is present truth to be proclaimed just now with cheer and assurance for the encouragement of fearful hearts and needy churches, calling all to be strong, fear not, and place themselves wholly on the Lord's side.
Surrounding Promise in Isaiah
The opening of blind eyes and the unstopping of deaf ears belongs to God's promise of coming salvation and restoration, when He Himself comes with vengeance and recompense to save His people. It is given as encouragement to the fearful and discouraged, assuring them of His saving power and the restoration He will bring.
Its immediate setting is a word to fearful hearts to be strong and fear not, strengthening weak hands and confirming feeble knees. The promise tells those of a fearful heart to be strong and fear not because God will come with vengeance and recompense to save them, and then blind eyes are opened and deaf ears are unstopped. That saving coming joins the gift of sight and hearing to the lame leaping, the mute singing, waters breaking out in the wilderness and streams in the desert, the parched ground becoming pools, and the wilderness and desert blossoming as the rose. These are signs of God's glorious restoration, alongside the renewal of the wilderness and the redeemed's joyful return to Zion.
It belongs with the highway called the way of holiness, where the unclean are absent and no ravenous beast is found. It belongs with the ransomed of the Lord returning to Zion with songs and everlasting joy, where sorrow and sighing flee away. That return is the safe gathering of the ransomed into the heavenly Canaan, forever delivered from the bondage of the curse, after Christ's great work of atonement is completed and sins are forever blotted out, in joy unspeakable and full of glory. As God's Word of promise, the chapter confirms His sure mercies, grace, and glory and encourages faith, hope, and assurance.
Fulfilled in Christ's Ministry
The promise describes the marks of the Messiah's work, and it was fulfilled in the healing ministry of Jesus, when by word and touch blind eyes were opened and deaf ears were unstopped, together with the mute speaking, the lame leaping, and the sick being healed. At His touch the blind saw and the deaf heard, displaying divine mercy, goodness, and power in acts of relief for the suffering. Those healings revealed Him as a messenger of mercy and the promised Deliverer and Redeemer, bringing health, happiness, hope, joy, praise, and thanksgiving, and those healed returned home sound in body and enlightened in mind. His healing of the blind and other afflicted ones in the temple was this promised restoration made visible, bringing relief and hope to the suffering.
In the temple He restored even those who had never seen or heard, so that His face and His words became their first experience of sight and hearing. In giving sight to the blind He broke Satan's cruel power over suffering people, rescuing captives by labors of love, and those delivered glorified God with bodily soundness and joy. Those He healed became trophies praising God for deliverance who surrounded Him at His triumphal ride into Jerusalem. The sight-restored blind pressed on and led the way, the loosed-tongued dumb shouted the loudest hosannas, and the healed cripples bounded freely and were most active in breaking palm branches and waving them before Him as King of Glory.
These miracles showed His true character, divine mission, compassion, mercy, goodness, and power, confirming that He was the Messiah foretold in prophecy. The blind receiving sight and the deaf hearing were the signs He gave to John as evidence of His messianic mission, even though He did not establish an earthly kingdom or free John from prison. His opening of blind eyes so people could see the light of day gives the sick hope that He can cure their maladies. His bodily healings showed His power to save completely and take sin from the heart, and His words opened a fountain and source of life to the ignorant and sinful, in whose presence the blind and deaf rejoiced in health and happiness.
Future Restoration of Redeemed
The verse describes the restoration of the redeemed at the final deliverance, when the sleeping saints are raised from death. Then the blind will see and the deaf will hear, with the lame also leaping and the mute singing. All bodily weakness, disability and affliction will be gone when God saves His people.
It will be fulfilled when the ransomed are safely gathered into the heavenly Canaan and the new earth, forever delivered from the bondage of the curse. That is after Christ's great work of atonement is completed and sins are forever blotted out, in joy unspeakable and full of glory. There sorrow, suffering and sighing flee away and end. It belongs together with the wilderness and desert blossoming, waters breaking out in the desert, the holy highway where no ravenous beast is found, and the ransomed coming to Zion with songs and everlasting joy.
The promised restoration is already fulfilled in people's lives even in this world as God works upon minds in transformation and salvation among His people. The opening of blind eyes and unstopping of deaf ears is part of the transformation God brings.
That transforming work depends on human cooperation. All honor and glory for it belongs to God, not to the people through whom He works.
Its fulfillment will come before the work is closed up and the sealing of God's people is finished. It comes when God comes with vengeance and recompense to save, when fearful hearts are told to be strong and fear not and weak hands and feeble knees are strengthened. It arrives in the time of the outpouring of God's Spirit with angels in the midst, when God's people are out of the cities and growing in grace and in full obedience to all the commandments in fitting up for heaven. It belongs with the wilderness blossoming as the rose, the lame leaping, the dumb singing, waters in the desert, the way of holiness for the redeemed, and the ransomed returning to Zion with songs and everlasting joy where sorrow and sighing flee away, and it calls for accepting Christ as Saviour and friend and placing wholly on the Lord's side in consecration to God.
Spiritual Sight and Hearing
The promise supplies the image of blind eyes opened and deaf ears unstopped for those who need divine help to see and hear the truth and to become humble. Through the gospel proclaimed by human workers and blessed by the Holy Spirit, the spiritually blind receive sight to see God's salvation and His statutes, and God writes His law on the hearts of those who are truly penitent. The Holy Spirit opens spiritual sight and hearing toward the word of God, so that what is to the earthly mind a desolate wilderness with no pleasure becomes to the renewed mind a place where divine beauty and celestial light shine from the sacred page as a land of living streams that uplifts mind and soul.
When the subduing love of Christ received in the soul becomes an ever-flowing stream in the desert, it turns the sear and barren wilderness into green pasture where flowers spring to fragrant life. Then self-confidence, self-importance, selfishness, suspicion, and arbitrary authority are banished, heavenly grace brings peace, sin is not allowed to run riot, spirituality revives, and the holiness and peace of heaven fill every sanitarium, printing office, and school established to advance God's work. Inside the church, the opening of spiritually blind eyes is the sword of the Lord cutting away self-righteousness from proud, carnally secure members who have had great opportunities and passed them by, who hide in a refuge of lies and think themselves whole while they are not whole in God's sight.
That opening comes in a purging and cleansing passing through every such church in the perils of the last days, which have already come, when pure and sanctified hearts are needed to retain the light given. In that purging the sword pierces far deeper than before to cut soul and marrow of fleshly lusts, appetites, and passions, to cast down the proud, and to show the blind their true condition.
Proclamation and Encouragement Today
This promise is present truth to be proclaimed just now with assurance and power, with cheer and without any dolorous note or funeral hymn. It is a precious promise for the future to be spoken as a special message in times of depression and discouragement. It strengthens weak hands, confirms feeble knees, and tells fearful hearts to be strong and fear not because God will come with vengeance and recompense to save. Its fulfillment gives sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf as part of that saving coming, joined to the lame leaping, the mute singing, waters breaking out in the wilderness and streams in the desert, the parched ground becoming pools, the highway called the way of holiness where the unclean and ravenous beasts are absent, and the ransomed returning to Zion with songs and everlasting joy where sorrow and sighing flee away.
It is given for the encouragement of churches in times of spiritual need, lack, and emergency. Its words of coming salvation, restoration, renewal, and healing are to be claimed as assurance. Claiming them strengthens faith and helps believers encourage others rather than become discouraged by resistance, halting, or disaffection.
With the whole of Isaiah 35 and with Isaiah 50, it is a promising word of inspiration to be read when disappointed by the spiritual lack seen in churches and in individuals. It is to be leaned upon as sure, taken hold of, and communicated to encourage others while daily carrying on the work the Redeemer undertook in His life and death so that humanity might not perish but have everlasting life. In such emergencies, when meeting those unwilling to be helped and strengthened, and when finding halting and disaffection among believers, it is to be held with strong faith in God proved true in the past. It is to be repeated instead of repeating any testimony or remark of strange spirits and of evil angels working in the ranks in the form of believers to bring in unbelief and to counterwork the Spirit of God, bringing a true heart to the help of the Lord against satanic agencies.
It belongs with the wilderness blossoming as the rose, the lame leaping, the dumb singing, waters in the desert, the way of holiness for the redeemed, and the ransomed returning to Zion with songs and everlasting joy where sorrow and sighing flee away, and it calls for accepting Christ as Saviour and friend and placing wholly on the Lord's side in consecration to God. It means the Lord can give sight to blind men. Those who treat blind men must have faith that He can do this.
The promise is that when God comes to save His people, the blind will see and the deaf will hear, together with the lame leaping, the mute singing, the desert blossoming, and the ransomed returning to Zion with everlasting joy where sorrow flees away. This was fulfilled in the healing work of Jesus, who gave sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf by word and touch as signs that He is the promised Deliverer, breaking Satan's power and showing His mercy, goodness and divine mission. It will be fulfilled completely at the final deliverance, when the redeemed are gathered into the heavenly Canaan with every bodily weakness and affliction gone and sorrow and suffering ended forever. It is also fulfilled now when the gospel and the Holy Spirit open spiritually blind eyes and deaf ears to see God's salvation in His word, turning the wilderness of the mind into a place of living streams, peace and holiness. Therefore it is present truth to be proclaimed just now with cheer and assurance for the encouragement of fearful hearts and needy churches, calling all to be strong, fear not, and place themselves wholly on the Lord's side.
Surrounding Promise in Isaiah
The opening of blind eyes and the unstopping of deaf ears belongs to God's promise of coming salvation and restoration, when He Himself comes with vengeance and recompense to save His people. It is given as encouragement to the fearful and discouraged, assuring them of His saving power and the restoration He will bring.
Its immediate setting is a word to fearful hearts to be strong and fear not, strengthening weak hands and confirming feeble knees. The promise tells those of a fearful heart to be strong and fear not because God will come with vengeance and recompense to save them, and then blind eyes are opened and deaf ears are unstopped. That saving coming joins the gift of sight and hearing to the lame leaping, the mute singing, waters breaking out in the wilderness and streams in the desert, the parched ground becoming pools, and the wilderness and desert blossoming as the rose. These are signs of God's glorious restoration, alongside the renewal of the wilderness and the redeemed's joyful return to Zion.
It belongs with the highway called the way of holiness, where the unclean are absent and no ravenous beast is found. It belongs with the ransomed of the Lord returning to Zion with songs and everlasting joy, where sorrow and sighing flee away. That return is the safe gathering of the ransomed into the heavenly Canaan, forever delivered from the bondage of the curse, after Christ's great work of atonement is completed and sins are forever blotted out, in joy unspeakable and full of glory. As God's Word of promise, the chapter confirms His sure mercies, grace, and glory and encourages faith, hope, and assurance.
Fulfilled in Christ's Ministry
The promise describes the marks of the Messiah's work, and it was fulfilled in the healing ministry of Jesus, when by word and touch blind eyes were opened and deaf ears were unstopped, together with the mute speaking, the lame leaping, and the sick being healed. At His touch the blind saw and the deaf heard, displaying divine mercy, goodness, and power in acts of relief for the suffering. Those healings revealed Him as a messenger of mercy and the promised Deliverer and Redeemer, bringing health, happiness, hope, joy, praise, and thanksgiving, and those healed returned home sound in body and enlightened in mind. His healing of the blind and other afflicted ones in the temple was this promised restoration made visible, bringing relief and hope to the suffering.
In the temple He restored even those who had never seen or heard, so that His face and His words became their first experience of sight and hearing. In giving sight to the blind He broke Satan's cruel power over suffering people, rescuing captives by labors of love, and those delivered glorified God with bodily soundness and joy. Those He healed became trophies praising God for deliverance who surrounded Him at His triumphal ride into Jerusalem. The sight-restored blind pressed on and led the way, the loosed-tongued dumb shouted the loudest hosannas, and the healed cripples bounded freely and were most active in breaking palm branches and waving them before Him as King of Glory.
These miracles showed His true character, divine mission, compassion, mercy, goodness, and power, confirming that He was the Messiah foretold in prophecy. The blind receiving sight and the deaf hearing were the signs He gave to John as evidence of His messianic mission, even though He did not establish an earthly kingdom or free John from prison. His opening of blind eyes so people could see the light of day gives the sick hope that He can cure their maladies. His bodily healings showed His power to save completely and take sin from the heart, and His words opened a fountain and source of life to the ignorant and sinful, in whose presence the blind and deaf rejoiced in health and happiness.
Future Restoration of Redeemed
The verse describes the restoration of the redeemed at the final deliverance, when the sleeping saints are raised from death. Then the blind will see and the deaf will hear, with the lame also leaping and the mute singing. All bodily weakness, disability and affliction will be gone when God saves His people.
It will be fulfilled when the ransomed are safely gathered into the heavenly Canaan and the new earth, forever delivered from the bondage of the curse. That is after Christ's great work of atonement is completed and sins are forever blotted out, in joy unspeakable and full of glory. There sorrow, suffering and sighing flee away and end. It belongs together with the wilderness and desert blossoming, waters breaking out in the desert, the holy highway where no ravenous beast is found, and the ransomed coming to Zion with songs and everlasting joy.
The promised restoration is already fulfilled in people's lives even in this world as God works upon minds in transformation and salvation among His people. The opening of blind eyes and unstopping of deaf ears is part of the transformation God brings.
That transforming work depends on human cooperation. All honor and glory for it belongs to God, not to the people through whom He works.
Its fulfillment will come before the work is closed up and the sealing of God's people is finished. It comes when God comes with vengeance and recompense to save, when fearful hearts are told to be strong and fear not and weak hands and feeble knees are strengthened. It arrives in the time of the outpouring of God's Spirit with angels in the midst, when God's people are out of the cities and growing in grace and in full obedience to all the commandments in fitting up for heaven. It belongs with the wilderness blossoming as the rose, the lame leaping, the dumb singing, waters in the desert, the way of holiness for the redeemed, and the ransomed returning to Zion with songs and everlasting joy where sorrow and sighing flee away, and it calls for accepting Christ as Saviour and friend and placing wholly on the Lord's side in consecration to God.
Spiritual Sight and Hearing
The promise supplies the image of blind eyes opened and deaf ears unstopped for those who need divine help to see and hear the truth and to become humble. Through the gospel proclaimed by human workers and blessed by the Holy Spirit, the spiritually blind receive sight to see God's salvation and His statutes, and God writes His law on the hearts of those who are truly penitent. The Holy Spirit opens spiritual sight and hearing toward the word of God, so that what is to the earthly mind a desolate wilderness with no pleasure becomes to the renewed mind a place where divine beauty and celestial light shine from the sacred page as a land of living streams that uplifts mind and soul.
When the subduing love of Christ received in the soul becomes an ever-flowing stream in the desert, it turns the sear and barren wilderness into green pasture where flowers spring to fragrant life. Then self-confidence, self-importance, selfishness, suspicion, and arbitrary authority are banished, heavenly grace brings peace, sin is not allowed to run riot, spirituality revives, and the holiness and peace of heaven fill every sanitarium, printing office, and school established to advance God's work. Inside the church, the opening of spiritually blind eyes is the sword of the Lord cutting away self-righteousness from proud, carnally secure members who have had great opportunities and passed them by, who hide in a refuge of lies and think themselves whole while they are not whole in God's sight.
That opening comes in a purging and cleansing passing through every such church in the perils of the last days, which have already come, when pure and sanctified hearts are needed to retain the light given. In that purging the sword pierces far deeper than before to cut soul and marrow of fleshly lusts, appetites, and passions, to cast down the proud, and to show the blind their true condition.
Proclamation and Encouragement Today
This promise is present truth to be proclaimed just now with assurance and power, with cheer and without any dolorous note or funeral hymn. It is a precious promise for the future to be spoken as a special message in times of depression and discouragement. It strengthens weak hands, confirms feeble knees, and tells fearful hearts to be strong and fear not because God will come with vengeance and recompense to save. Its fulfillment gives sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf as part of that saving coming, joined to the lame leaping, the mute singing, waters breaking out in the wilderness and streams in the desert, the parched ground becoming pools, the highway called the way of holiness where the unclean and ravenous beasts are absent, and the ransomed returning to Zion with songs and everlasting joy where sorrow and sighing flee away.
It is given for the encouragement of churches in times of spiritual need, lack, and emergency. Its words of coming salvation, restoration, renewal, and healing are to be claimed as assurance. Claiming them strengthens faith and helps believers encourage others rather than become discouraged by resistance, halting, or disaffection.
With the whole of Isaiah 35 and with Isaiah 50, it is a promising word of inspiration to be read when disappointed by the spiritual lack seen in churches and in individuals. It is to be leaned upon as sure, taken hold of, and communicated to encourage others while daily carrying on the work the Redeemer undertook in His life and death so that humanity might not perish but have everlasting life. In such emergencies, when meeting those unwilling to be helped and strengthened, and when finding halting and disaffection among believers, it is to be held with strong faith in God proved true in the past. It is to be repeated instead of repeating any testimony or remark of strange spirits and of evil angels working in the ranks in the form of believers to bring in unbelief and to counterwork the Spirit of God, bringing a true heart to the help of the Lord against satanic agencies.
It belongs with the wilderness blossoming as the rose, the lame leaping, the dumb singing, waters in the desert, the way of holiness for the redeemed, and the ransomed returning to Zion with songs and everlasting joy where sorrow and sighing flee away, and it calls for accepting Christ as Saviour and friend and placing wholly on the Lord's side in consecration to God. It means the Lord can give sight to blind men. Those who treat blind men must have faith that He can do this.