“Say to those who have an anxious heart, ‘Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.’” (Isaiah 35:4, ESV)
What encouraging words to hear in these chaotic times. All people need to know that there is hope, that there is justice for the oppressed. That justice is in our Lord Jesus Christ, of course, for all those who have faith in Him. And so God’s words help us persevere, just as the prophet had intended for God’s people when he first spoke them.
In the preceding chapters the prophet Isaiah has depicted a series of dark and bloody judgments that would fall on the Lord’s chosen people because of their sins. Then, suddenly, he interjected this bright ray of joy that described the blessed hope of the righteous, those who have kept faith in God. In life they have been terribly oppressed and abused. They are called blind, lame, deaf and mute because they are totally helpless, utterly incapable of caring for themselves, or attaining justice for their injuries or victory over their oppressors. But such are those who make up the Kingdom of God. The strong and powerful, the beautiful and the proud, the self-righteous and self-assured do not enter that Kingdom. Only the lowly, the sick, the helpless will get in because they have faith in Jesus and trust in Him,
The beauty of this chapter is like an oasis in a desert of barrenness and pain. It helps us to focus on the reality of the unseen Kingdom of God amidst the trials and turmoil of life. It serves as an assurance that there is a better place than this world. The glory of God’s Kingdom is a great comfort because it will be free of pain, violence, doubt, and darkness. Many poets and hymn writers have tried to describe the beauty of that heavenly Kingdom, but true beauty is in the Lord Himself. Heaven is made magnificent not by streets of gold and glorious mansions but by the glorious and loving presence of the Lord God.