Isaiah 35:6, commentary and pictures

The verse pictures crippled people suddenly moving with the free agility of deer and silent tongues breaking into song, a complete ending of bodily affliction and return of joy, while life-giving water bursts into barren land to make it live. It belongs to the command to strengthen weak hands and feeble knees and to tell fearful hearts to be strong and fear not because God comes to save, opening blind eyes and unstopping deaf ears, preparing a holy highway free from danger and error, and bringing the redeemed back to Zion with songs and everlasting joy when sorrow and sighing flee away. It foretold the healing work of the Messiah as proof of His divine mission, fulfilled when He healed all day before the messengers of John with blind seeing, deaf hearing, disease rebuked and the dead raised, and fulfilled again in the temple when the blind received sight, the mute praised God and the lame leaped for joy. Its full promise comes when the resurrected saints rise in perfect health with leaping and singing, in the new heaven and new earth where God dwells with men and ends death, sorrow, crying and pain, after the atonement is completed and sins are forever blotted out. That same future change is already fulfilled in this life when God works in cooperating hearts, as His truth, love and Word flow outward like desert streams to refresh others, making it a precious promise to be claimed and repeated for courage in times of depression, discouragement and spiritual lack.

Language and Imagery

The leaping promised to the lame is the agile bound of a deer, free and unhindered movement that will be prized above all by those who have known badly injured ankles, who have had to guard every step for fear of falling, and who have walked in much pain. The leaping of the lame joined to the singing of the mute pictures nothing less than complete bodily restoration, where affliction is ended and joy is given back. It belongs with the opening of blind eyes and the unstopping of deaf ears, and with the raising of the dead and the gathering of the remnant, as the deliverance of the redeemed at the Lord's coming. It stands within the larger hope of the redeemed returning to Zion, where joy is everlasting and sorrow comes to an end.

The breaking out of waters in the wilderness and the flowing of streams in the desert pictures life-giving water turning barrenness into life. It is the transformation God Himself brings, a change from barrenness to fruitfulness that is also fulfilled in this world in the lives of people in whom He works. That change comes from God, so the honor for it belongs to Him and not to the human agents through whom He works, and the lives and work of His people come to reflect His promises as they cooperate with Him.

Setting in Isaiah

The verse belongs to a summons to make firm the feeble hands and the failing knees and to speak to the timid heart to take courage and not be afraid, for God Himself will arrive with retribution and repayment in order to rescue. That word of rescue is then unfolded in bodily renewal, for the opening of sightless eyes and the unsealing of unhearing ears stands together with the leaping of those unable to walk and the singing of those unable to speak as one restoration of blind, deaf, lame, and mute.

The same renewal flows outward into the land, where sun-baked soil turns into a pool and thirsty ground into fountains of water with grass growing where jackals once couched, and where a raised road appears named the way of holiness from which the defiled are excluded, on which no lion or hungry beast is found and on which even simple travelers cannot wander. It reaches its goal when the redeemed and ransomed come back to Zion with singing and with endless joy crowning them, laying hold on gladness and delight while grief and sighing vanish, gathered in safety and set free forever from the slavery of the curse. That homecoming is the completion of God's saving work, when atonement is finished and sins are wiped out forever and the healed rejoice with inexpressible and glorious joy.

For full understanding it is to be taken together with the entire thirty-fifth chapter of Isaiah and alongside the fiftieth chapter of Isaiah.

Fulfillment in Christ's Ministry

The verse foretells the healing work of the Messiah as evidence of His divine mission and true character, showing God's power working through Him. Blind people receive sight, deaf people receive hearing, crippled people walk, the sick and paralytics are made whole, and mute people speak. These miracles display divine mercy and power in His ministry.

It was fulfilled when John's disciples asked if He was the Coming One, for instead of answering at once He spent the day healing before their eyes. His voice penetrated the deaf ear, and by word and touch blind eyes were opened to light and faces. Disease and fever were rebuked, the dying were raised in health and vigor, and paralyzed demoniacs obeyed and worshiped, while the poor and shunned were taught the words of eternal life. Telling John what they had seen and heard was the proof of His divinity, seen in meeting the needs of suffering humanity, with His glory shown in condescension to low estate and blessing for whoever finds no occasion of stumbling in Him.

It was fulfilled in the temple after the merchants were driven out, when the blind received sight, the mute praised God, and the lame leaped for joy. The tongues of the mute were loosed and speech was restored as a sign of healing. Those who came feeble and despairing returned well and encouraged, and suffering people received hope with thanksgiving as they were restored and freed to praise God.

In the temple He bent over the poor, suffering, and afflicted crying for pity with tender compassion. He gave health to the sick and diseased, sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, and freedom from disease and suffering to little children. He gave comfort, relief, health, and peace to the afflicted, so that acclamations of joy and songs of praise and thanksgiving rose from the healed and from mothers for their children.

Those healed surrounded Him at His triumphal ride into Jerusalem praising God for deliverance, as the glorious trophies of His labors rescued from Satan's power by love. The blind who had received sight pressed on leading the way, the mute whose tongues had been loosed shouted the loudest hosannas, and the healed cripples bounded freely, most active in breaking palm branches and waving them before Him.

His healings broke Satan's power over suffering, wrenching from his grasp those infirm and bound by his cruel power for many years. He restored those suffering under Satan's power to bodily soundness, joy, and praise to God, healing the lame so they leap for joy and glorify God. He comforted the weak, trembling, and desponding with gracious words, bringing the feeble suffering ones held in triumph by Satan to soundness of body and great joy and happiness, and He raised the dead to life as a mighty display of God's power for all who believe on Him. These bodily healings demonstrated His power to save and showed that He could take sin away from the heart.

Wherever He went health and happiness sprang up and followed, and the blind and deaf rejoiced in His presence. His merciful deeds made the promise of healing and renewed life visible. His words opened a fountain of life to the ignorant and sinful, and He gave abundant, unceasing blessings as gifts of eternal worth, bringing life and blessing abundantly like water giving life in a dry place and like living water that makes green growth appear.

Promise of Future Restoration

The promise is fulfilled when the resurrected saints rise from death, with the lame leaping and the mute singing with joy in complete bodily restoration and the ending of affliction, restored to full health in God's presence alongside the opening of blind eyes and deaf ears and the resurrection of the dead and gathering of the remnant. It belongs to the new heaven and new earth when the tabernacle of God is with men and He dwells with them as their God, wiping away all tears and ending death, sorrow, crying, and pain because the former things are passed away, comforting mourners with the return of the ransomed to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads, obtaining joy and gladness when sorrow and sighing flee away. It belongs to the time when the ransomed have been safely gathered into the heavenly Canaan, forever delivered from the bondage of the curse, when they will rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory because Christ's great work of atonement will have been completed and their sins forever blotted out.

It describes the restoration of Israel in the earth made new and the future glory of God's city, when those who have triumphed over sin and the grave live in joy with their Maker, freed from sin and every mark of the curse. Its waters belong to the restored creation, where water breaking out in the wilderness and streams in the desert brings life to barrenness so the land flourishes as the redeemed live happily in God's presence. The chapter's future restoration, set forth in Isaiah 35:2-10, with the lame leaping, the mute singing, and water in the wilderness and desert, expresses the transformation and joy of that promised future.

It will be fulfilled when God's people are out of the cities, before the work is closed up and the sealing is finished, when the outpouring of the Spirit comes and angels are in the midst, with its words to be laid up in the heart in accepting Christ as Saviour and friend, taking the offered salvation, standing wholly on the Lord's side, walking in full obedience to all the commandments, consecrating every member of the family to God's service, drawing together, and depending on Christ alone for salvation. It is given as encouragement to churches and believers facing spiritual lack, disappointment, or discouragement, with its promises to be claimed in times of need.

Present Meaning and Encouragement

The promise of the coming restoration is also fulfilled in this present life when God works in people, turning barrenness into life and weakness into strength among His people as they cooperate with Him. The change is God's own doing, so all honor for it belongs to Him and not to the people through whom He works, and He calls His people to cooperate with Him in the work.

The streams in the desert show how truth and love from God, received in an open heart, flow outward like life-giving water, so that kindness, benevolence, and the spirit of Christ refresh others and bring spiritual fruitfulness and freshness where life was barren and depleted. Those who obey God's law carry in this way a far-reaching and enduring influence of heavenly peace, cheerfulness, and refreshment. The love of Christ in the soul is as waters breaking out in dry land, an ever-flowing stream in the desert refreshing all. Where it reigns there is peace, selfishness and suspicion are banished, self-importance and arbitrary authority lessen, sin is not allowed to run riot, and those with the mind of Christ seek the highest good of others. In every sanitarium, publishing house, and school established to advance God's work this turns the sear and barren wilderness into a green pasture, revives spirituality, brings in the holiness and peace of heaven, and causes flowers to spring into fragrant life.

God's Word brings life and spiritual nourishment to a world that is desolate as a wilderness to the soul, giving water to starving people as living streams flowing from the throne of God for them to drink. To the earthly mind it is a desolate wilderness that gives no pleasure to contemplate, but to the mind renewed by the Holy Spirit it becomes a land of living streams, with divine beauty and celestial light shining from the sacred page. Its picture of water flowing in the desert applies to obedient love expressed through willing effort, flowing out in active service, with daily work showing that people are laborers together with God. Its promise of water for the poor and needy who seek water when there is none and their tongue fails for thirst recalls the living stream that flowed for Israel from the smitten rock and presents Christ as the rock of ages and the shadow of a great rock in a weary land who pours water on the thirsty and floods on dry ground and will hear and not forsake His people. The verse belongs to the invitation to every thirsty one to come to the waters, an invitation echoed in the closing of Scripture in the river of the water of life proceeding from the throne of God and the Lamb and the free offer to whosoever will to take the water of life freely.

It is a precious promise for the future given as a special message to encourage God's people and churches in times of depression, discouragement, disappointment, spiritual lack, disaffection, and resistance to help. It is to be laid up in the heart, read, repeated, claimed in times of need and emergency, leaned upon as yea and amen in Christ, and communicated to others to strengthen faith and encourage others. When disappointment comes through spiritual lack, halting, disaffection, unwillingness to be helped and strengthened, and a strong spirit of unbelief worked in the ranks by evil agencies counterworking the Spirit, faith is to stay strong in God and no discouraging remark is to be taken up or repeated to confirm evil. Instead the promise is to be made the strong testimony and mighty assurance in Christ, bringing a true heart to the help of the Lord against satanic agencies and carrying on the Redeemer's work of saving souls. It is part of the message of present truth to be proclaimed just now with assurance and power, with cheer and without any dolorous note or funeral hymn, with faith and hope and assurance and courage, confirming God's sure mercies, grace, glory, and desire to give precious victories.

Its words call for accepting Christ as Saviour and friend, taking the offered salvation, standing wholly on the Lord's side, walking in full obedience to all the commandments, consecrating every member of the family to God's service, drawing together, and depending on Christ alone for salvation.