Isaiah 35:1
The wilderness and the land will be glad; the desert will rejoice and blossom like a rose.
The wilderness and the land will be glad
The Hebrew word for "wilderness" is "midbar," which often refers to a desolate, uninhabited region. In the biblical context, the wilderness is frequently a place of testing and transformation, as seen in the Israelites' journey through the desert. Here, the wilderness symbolizes areas of life that seem barren or devoid of hope. The phrase "will be glad" suggests a profound transformation, indicating a divine intervention that brings joy and renewal. This transformation is a promise of God's redemptive power, turning desolation into delight, a theme that resonates with the hope of restoration found throughout Scripture.

the desert will rejoice
The term "desert" in Hebrew is "arabah," which refers to a dry, arid region. Deserts in the Bible often symbolize spiritual dryness or lifelessness. The promise that the desert "will rejoice" is a powerful image of renewal and life. This rejoicing is not merely a superficial change but a deep, spiritual revival. It reflects the joy that comes from God's presence and the fulfillment of His promises. Historically, deserts were places of danger and scarcity, but this prophecy envisions a future where even the most inhospitable places are filled with joy and life.

and blossom like a rose
The Hebrew word for "blossom" is "parach," which means to sprout or flourish. This imagery of a rose, or more accurately, a "crocus" or "lily" in some translations, blooming in the desert is a vivid picture of beauty and life emerging from barrenness. In ancient times, flowers in the desert were rare and signified a miraculous event. The rose is often associated with beauty and fragrance, symbolizing the splendor and glory of God's creation. This blossoming is a metaphor for the spiritual renewal and growth that occurs when God's kingdom is established. It is a promise of hope and a foretaste of the ultimate restoration that God will bring to His creation.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Wilderness and Desert
These represent barren and desolate places, both physically and spiritually. In the context of Isaiah, they symbolize the transformation and renewal that God promises to His people.

2. Isaiah
The prophet who conveyed God's messages to the people of Israel. His prophecies often included themes of judgment and hope.

3. Israel
The primary audience of Isaiah's prophecy, representing God's chosen people who were experiencing exile and hardship.

4. Messianic Hope
The event of the coming Messiah, which is often foreshadowed in Isaiah's prophecies, bringing restoration and joy.

5. Restoration
A key event in the prophetic vision, where God promises to restore and renew His creation and His people.
Teaching Points
Transformation through God’s Power
God has the power to transform the most desolate areas of our lives into places of beauty and joy. Just as the desert can blossom, so can our hearts and circumstances when we trust in Him.

Hope in Times of Desolation
Even in the wilderness seasons of life, we can hold onto the hope that God will bring renewal and joy. This hope is rooted in His promises and faithfulness.

Spiritual Renewal
The blossoming desert is a metaphor for spiritual renewal. We are called to seek God’s presence and allow Him to renew our hearts and minds.

Joy in God’s Promises
The rejoicing of the desert symbolizes the joy that comes from trusting in God’s promises. We are encouraged to find joy in His Word and His faithfulness.

Preparation for the Messiah
Isaiah’s prophecy points to the coming of the Messiah, who brings ultimate restoration. We are called to prepare our hearts for His coming and live in anticipation of His return.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the imagery of the wilderness and desert in Isaiah 35:1 speak to your current life circumstances?

2. In what ways can you experience spiritual renewal in your own "desert" moments?

3. How do the themes of transformation and hope in Isaiah 35:1 connect with the message of the Gospel?

4. What practical steps can you take to prepare your heart for the coming of the Messiah, as foreshadowed in Isaiah’s prophecy?

5. How can you find joy in God’s promises, even when facing difficult or barren times in your life?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Isaiah 40:3-5
This passage also speaks of transformation in the wilderness, preparing the way for the Lord, which connects to the theme of renewal and hope.

Psalm 126:5-6
These verses talk about sowing in tears and reaping in joy, paralleling the transformation from desolation to rejoicing.

Revelation 21:5
The promise of making all things new connects to the theme of renewal and restoration found in Isaiah 35:1.
What Life's Journey May BeAlexander MaclarenIsaiah 35:1
Changed Circumstances Following the Return of Divine FavorR. Tuck Isaiah 35:1, 2
Transformation by the TruthW. Clarkson Isaiah 35:1, 2, 5-7
Christianity Finally TriumphantJ. Parsons.Isaiah 35:1-10
Christmas BlessingsJosiah Batsman, M. A.Isaiah 35:1-10
Glories of the Messianic AgeE. Johnson Isaiah 35:1-10
Life Out of DeathJ. R. Miller, D. D.Isaiah 35:1-10
NativityW. Jones, M. A.Isaiah 35:1-10
The Blessings of the GospelG. F. Pentecost, D. D.Isaiah 35:1-10
The Desert BlossomingA. Smellie, M. A.Isaiah 35:1-10
The RoseW. Houghton, M. A.Isaiah 35:1-10
The RoseP. Delitzsch, D. D.Isaiah 35:1-10
The Transformative Field and Force of the GospelHomilistIsaiah 35:1-10
The Wilderness Made GladJames Foote, M. A.Isaiah 35:1-10
TransformationJ. Kay.Isaiah 35:1-10
People
Isaiah
Places
Carmel, Edom, Lebanon, Sharon, Way of Holiness, Zion
Topics
Arabah, Blossom, Crocus, Desert, Dry, Flourish, Flowers, Full, Glad, Gladdened, Joy, Lowland, Parched, Places, Rejoice, Rose, Solitary, Waste, Wilderness
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Isaiah 35:1-2

     2378   kingdom of God, characteristics
     4402   plants
     4446   flowers
     8146   renewal, natural order
     8287   joy, experience

Isaiah 35:1-10

     4209   land, spiritual aspects
     4299   wilderness
     4824   famine, spiritual
     8149   revival, nature of

Library
What Life's Journey May Be
'The redeemed shall walk there: And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.'--ISAIAH XXXV 9,10. We have here the closing words of Isaiah's prophecy. It has been steadily rising, and now it has reached the summit. Men restored to all their powers, a supernatural communication of a new life, a pathway for our journey--these have been the visions of the preceding
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Miracles of Healing
'Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing.'--ISAIAH xxxv. 5,6. 'Then'--when? The previous verse answers, 'Behold, your God will come, He will come and save you.' And what or when is that 'coming'? A glance at the place which this grand hymn occupies in the series of Isaiah's prophecies answers that question. It stands at the close of the first part of these, and is the limit of
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Mirage or Lake
'For in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert. And the glowing sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water.' ISAIAH xxxv. 6, 7. What a picture is painted in these verses! The dreary wilderness stretches before us, monotonous, treeless, in some parts bearing a scanty vegetation which flourishes in early spring and dies before fierce summer heats, but for the most part utterly desolate, the sand blinding the eyes, the ground cracked and gaping as if
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The King's Highway
'And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called the way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein. No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there.'--ISAIAH xxxv. 8, 9. We can fancy what it is to be lost in a forest where a traveller may ride round in a circle, thinking he is advancing, till he dies. But it is
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Effects of Messiah's Appearance
The eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped: Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing. H ow beautiful and magnificent is the imagery, by which the Prophet, in this chapter, represents the effects of MESSIAH'S appearance! The scene, proposed to our view, is a barren and desolate wilderness. But when He, who in the beginning said, Let there be light, and there was light, condescends to visit this wilderness, the face of nature is
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 1

Weak Hands and Feeble Knees
But my text, especially commands the minister to deal tenderly with those of Christ's people who are in such a condition, and these are not a few, for although religion changes the moral temperament of men, it does not change the physical. A man who is weak in health before conversion will probably be as weak afterwards, and many a spirit that has a tendency to despondency, has exhibited that tendency after conversion. We do not profess that the religion of Christ will so thoroughly change a man
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 5: 1859

The Pathway of the Holy
An highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness.' (Isaiah xxxv. 8.) One would think that Isaiah was speaking of two separate roads, for his prophetic eye sees 'a highway and a way' along which the course of God's people runs. Perhaps we may interpret the prophet's distinction as referring to the higher and lower paths along some of the roadways in the Holy City; but he makes it quite plain that the course of the truly godly may be correctly described as 'The
T. H. Howard—Standards of Life and Service

The Highway of Holiness
One of the things that we must learn if we are to live the victorious Christian life is its utter simplicity. How complicated we have made it! Great volumes are written, all sorts of technical phrases are used, we are told the secret lies in this, or that and so on. But to most of us, it is all so complicated that, although we know it in theory, we are unable to relate what we know to our practical daily living. In order to make the simple truths we have been considering even clearer, we want in
Roy Hession and Revel Hession—The Calvary Road

The Blessed Country
"The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose."--Is. xxxv. 1. C. P. C. tr., Emma Frances Bevan, 1899 O glad the wilderness for me, And glad the solitary place, Since Thou hast made mine eyes to see, To see Thy Face. Not heavenly fields, but desert sands Rejoice and blossom as the rose; For through the dry and thirsty lands Thy River flows. O Way beside that living tide. The Way, the Truth, the Life art Thou; I drink, and I
Frances Bevan—Hymns of Ter Steegen and Others (Second Series)

Light and Sound
"Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped."--Is. xxxv. 5. C. P. C. tr., Emma Frances Bevan, 1899 Thou glorious Lord! mine eyes at last unsealed Behold Thee now-- In sudden radiance to my soul revealed, Light, sight, art Thou. One moment--and the night has passed away, Unbarred the prison; And I pass forth to God's eternal day, The dead arisen. One moment--and I see Thy glorious Face Look down on me, Unutterable love that fills all space, Where'er I
Frances Bevan—Hymns of Ter Steegen and Others (Second Series)

Oil and Wine
Gerhard Ter Steegen Is. xxxv. 10 There is a balm for every pain, A medicine for all sorrow; The eye turned backward to the Cross, And forward to the morrow. The morrow of the glory and the psalm, When He shall come; The morrow of the harping and the palm, The welcome home. Meantime in His beloved hands our ways, And on His Heart the wandering heart at rest; And comfort for the weary one who lays His head upon His Breast.
Frances Bevan—Hymns of Ter Steegen, Suso, and Others

John's Doubts and Christ's Praise
'And the disciples of John shewed him of all these things. 19. And John calling unto him two of his disciples, sent them to Jesus, saying, Art thou He that should come? or look we for another? 20. When the men were come unto Him, they said, John Baptist hath sent us unto Thee, saying, Art Thou He that should come? or look we for another? 21. And in the same hour He cured many of their infirmities and plagues, and of evil spirits; and unto many that were blind He gave sight. 22. Then Jesus, answering,
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions Of Holy Scripture

John's Doubts of Jesus, and Jesus' Praise of John
'Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, 3. And said unto Him, Art Thou He that should come, or do we look for another? 4. Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: 5. The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. 6. And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in Me. 7.
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Hedge of Thorns and the Plain Way
A sermon (No. 1948) delivered at the Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington, by C. H. Spurgeon. "The way of the slothful man is as an hedge of thorns: but the way of the righteous is made plain."--Proverbs 15:19. You must have noticed how frequently godly people almost wear out their Bibles in certain places. The Psalms, the Gospel of John, and parts of the Epistles are favourite portions, and are thumbed in many an old believer's Bible till the fact is very noticeable. There are certain sheep-tracks
C.H. Spurgeon—Sermons on Proverbs

Healed by Divine Power
I have now to relate what to me is one of the most important events of my life. Up to this time I had been a hopeless invalid. The doctors could not cure me. Under the care of some, my health would improve for a short time; but others would not undertake to do anything for me. After inquiring into my condition, they would say that it would be as easy to make a world as to restore me to health. I remember especially that this remark was made by the doctor who was attending me shortly before my healing.
Mary Cole—Trials and Triumphs of Faith

Blind Bartimeus
Mark 10:52 -- "And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way." When the apostle Peter was recommending Jesus of Nazareth, in one of his sermons to the Jews, he gave him a short, but withal a glorious and exalted character, "That we went about doing good." He went about, he sought occasions of doing good; it was his meat and drink to do the works of him that sent him, whilst the day of his public administration
George Whitefield—Selected Sermons of George Whitefield

Last Journey and Death, 1858 --Concluding Remarks.
We are now arrived at the closing scene of John Yeardley's labors. The impression which he had received, during his visit to Turkey in 1853, of the opening for the work of the Gospel in the Eastern countries, had never been obliterated; it had rather grown deeper with time, although his ability to accomplish such an undertaking had proportionately diminished. This consideration, however, could not satisfy his awakened sympathies, and, according to his apprehension, no other course remained for him
John Yeardley—Memoir and Diary of John Yeardley, Minister of the Gospel

Fifthly, as this Revelation, to the Judgment of Right and Sober Reason,
appears of itself highly credible and probable, and abundantly recommends itself in its native simplicity, merely by its own intrinsic goodness and excellency, to the practice of the most rational and considering men, who are desirous in all their actions to have satisfaction and comfort and good hope within themselves, from the conscience of what they do: So it is moreover positively and directly proved to be actually and immediately sent to us from God, by the many infallible signs and miracles
Samuel Clarke—A Discourse Concerning the Being and Attributes of God

How Christ is to be Made Use of as Our Life, in Case of Heartlessness and Fainting through Discouragements.
There is another evil and distemper which believers are subject to, and that is a case of fainting through manifold discouragements, which make them so heartless that they can do nothing; yea, and to sit up, as if they were dead. The question then is, how such a soul shall make use of Christ as in the end it may be freed from that fit of fainting, and win over those discouragements: for satisfaction to which we shall, 1. Name some of those discouragements which occasion this. 2. Show what Christ
John Brown (of Wamphray)—Christ The Way, The Truth, and The Life

In Judaea
If Galilee could boast of the beauty of its scenery and the fruitfulness of its soil; of being the mart of a busy life, and the highway of intercourse with the great world outside Palestine, Judaea would neither covet nor envy such advantages. Hers was quite another and a peculiar claim. Galilee might be the outer court, but Judaea was like the inner sanctuary of Israel. True, its landscapes were comparatively barren, its hills bare and rocky, its wilderness lonely; but around those grey limestone
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life

Christian Behavior
Being the fruits of true Christianity: Teaching husbands, wives, parents, children, masters, servants, etc., how to walk so as to please God. With a word of direction to all backsliders. Advertisement by the Editor This valuable practical treatise, was first published as a pocket volume about the year 1674, soon after the author's final release from his long and dangerous imprisonment. It is evident from the concluding paragraph that he considered his liberty and even his life to be still in a very
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

Isaiah
CHAPTERS I-XXXIX Isaiah is the most regal of the prophets. His words and thoughts are those of a man whose eyes had seen the King, vi. 5. The times in which he lived were big with political problems, which he met as a statesman who saw the large meaning of events, and as a prophet who read a divine purpose in history. Unlike his younger contemporary Micah, he was, in all probability, an aristocrat; and during his long ministry (740-701 B.C., possibly, but not probably later) he bore testimony, as
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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