STREAMS
IN THE DESERT
Isaiah
35:1-10
Introduction: Water is an
essential commodity for the existence and survival of life. We cannot live without it, but the abundance
of it can be dangerous. This past week I enjoyed watching the gentle rainfall through
our sunroom. It seemed like the flower plants, trees, and the grass were saying
thank you to God as they gratefully soaked up the rainwater. At the same time, torrential
rains caused devastating flash floods in New Orleans.
In
1985, our small town in India was inundated with excessive rains causing flash
floods. The floodwater made the streets impassable and homes unlivable. My
family, along with a few other families, had no other choice other than to move
up to a penthouse on the roof of their building. They stayed up there like in
the times of Noah until the floodwaters receded.
Later,
my mother told me that she saw all around their building huts and mud houses
collapsing. In spite of several warnings to evacuate that building by the local
government, my family chose to remain up there trusting that God the good
shepherd would protect them!
If you have attended our Connect groups, we
have introduced you to the “Inductive method” of studying the Bible. It is
nothing but observing the passage by asking a set of questions such as: who, to
whom, what, where, when, and why? As we study this passage, we will be
following the same set of questions. Who
is writing this passage? To whom was it written? What were the circumstances, where
was it written, when was it written, and why was it written? And what is the BIG idea of this passage? So, let’s get
started!
As
the title of the book suggests, it was written by Isaiah, which means, “The
Lord is salvation.” The prophecies
written in the book of Isaiah are so crucial as it was quoted in the NT over 65
times, far more than any other OT prophet.
Isaiah prophesied during the period of the divided Kingdom, directing
the major thrust of his message to the southern kingdom of Judah.
Isaiah
was written around 740 BC. His primary audience were the people of Judah, who
were failing to live according to the requirements of God’s law. Isaiah
prophesied judgment not only upon Judah but also the surrounding nations. On
the other hand, Isaiah delivered also stirring messages of repentance and
salvation of any who would turn to God.
At the time of his writing, the nation of Judah was in exile in Babylon.
Let’s study our passage.
I. HOPE FOR RESTORATION
(Vs. 1-2)
Vs.1-2,
“Even the wilderness and desert will be glad in those days. The wasteland will rejoice and blossom with
spring crocuses. Yes, there will be an abundance of flowers and singing and
joy! The deserts will become as green as the mountains of Lebanon, as lovely as
Mount Carmel or the plain of Sharon. There the Lord will display his glory, the
splendor of our God.”
In
these two verses, we see a bunch of places and their names, and a sudden turn
of events of restoration and abundance. What do these places mean? How bad was
the situation before it turned for better? At the time of this writing, the
Israelites were taken into exile away from their lusciously green pasture lands
of Jerusalem into a desert location named Babylon. Perhaps all they could see
around them was desert and wilderness.
If
you know anything about Judean deserts, they are treacherous. Everything is dry,
and nothing grows. The heat is unbearable at times, rising to 125 degrees
Fahrenheit. As Laniak mentions in his book While Shepherds Watch Their Flocks,
“The desert is a place of death.” Just imagine what these exiles might have
been going through in such situations?
The
Israelites strength might have been drained; joy vanished, and hopes of
returning to Jerusalem were anywhere from little to nonexistent. Into such
drought-filled and hopeless existence, the prophet Isaiah spoke a future
prophecy of restoration. He said as sudden as crocuses will burst forth during
spring, that was how God would turn their fortunes around.
He
was going to change their desert and wilderness experience into a place of
abundance of flowers, singing, and Joy. He said, “the deserts will become as
green as the mountains of Lebanon, as lovely as Mount Carmel or the plain of
Sharon. There the Lord will display his glory, the splendor of our God.” What
do we know about, Lebanon, Mount Carmel, and Sharon?
The
Mountains of Lebanon are known for their tallest and remotest peaks. These
mountains were a place for the tallest cedars and most elegant cypresses in
that region. Their deepest forests were untamable. (2 Kings 19:23). Mount
Carmel rises over 500 meters (1,600 ft) above the Mediterranean Sea. It is one
of the country’s most lush and evergreen regions.
The
current Plain of
Sharon is the section
of the Mediterranean coastal plain, and the most densely settled of Israel’s natural
regions. It extends about 55 miles north-to-south from the beach at Mount
Carmel to the Yarqon River.[1] It
was known for fertile areas renowned for their beautiful trees and foliage. Our town Sharon is called a naturally
beautiful place to live.
Though
this prophecy was directed towards the immediate restoration of Israel from the
land of their exile into their homeland of Jerusalem, its implications are
far-reaching. It is talking about how during the Messiah’s reign on earth, the whole world will become a flourishing garden, and this will offer encouragement
to the weak and the feeble-hearted.
II. THE LORD IS
OUR SALVATION: (Vs 3-4)
Vs.
3-4, “With this news, strengthen those who have tired hands and encourage those
who have weak knees. Say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, and do not
fear, for your God is coming to destroy your enemies. He is coming to save
you.”
The
prophecy of Isaiah was good news. One day the Lord will restore the fortunes of
Israel. He will come with a vengeance to destroy their enemies. God will come
to save them.
So,
with that news, they were to cheer one another up, strengthen the weak, and
encourage the fearful ones. The Israelites were looking for a Messiah who would
come and deliver them from the tyranny of their enemies. Did that ever happen?
Yes, it did! After seventy years of exile in Babylon in 539 BC, God used a
Persian king named Cyrus to overthrow Babylon and to make a decree for the
remnant of exile to return to Jerusalem.
With
the return of Jews to Jerusalem and the rebuilding of the Temple one would
think that the Israelites have finally learned their lesson and now they would
live in accordance with the laws of God and never rebel against Him ever, again
right? But that was not the case.
Fast
forward to thousands of years to the first century AD, once again the Jews came
under the tyranny of their enemies, this time the Roman emperor. They might
have looked back to the prophecy of Isaiah for a Messiah to come and deliver
them. How about this time did the
Messiah come to save them? Let’s see how the latter part of Isaiah’s prophecy was
fulfilled.
III. STREAMS IN
THE DESERT (5-6)
Vs. 5-6, “And when he comes, he
will open the eyes of the blind and unplug the ears of the deaf. The lame will
leap like a deer, and those who cannot speak will sing for joy! Springs will
gush forth in the wilderness, and streams will water the wasteland.”
Who
was the prophet Isaiah referring here to when he says, “And when he comes”? He
was referring to the future savior, the Messiah who would come and restore the
physical abnormalities and ailments, and turn the wastelands into fertile lands
by causing streams to flow in the desert. This scripture was foreshadowing the
earthly ministry of Jesus.
When
we read through the gospels, we will see Jesus performing miracles of healing
the blind, the cripple, the deaf, and the mute who could not speak. It was only
a partial fulfillment of this prophecy. The ultimate achievement will be when
Jesus comes back a second time.
What
is the significance of the streams in the desert? To understand, we are to look at how the
shepherds of Palestine took care of their sheep in the desert. While Shepherds
tend their flock in the desert, they are very observant of where to find water
for their thirsty sheep. They patiently look for rains, but what they truly
desire in the desert is not so much rain but the streams that follow after the storm.
That is where he leads his sheep to quench their thirst.
What
is the implication of the streams in the desert for us today? Our modern-day
lifestyle can be compared to the desert experience of the Israelites in exile.
It is often void of joy, full of worry, misery, exhaustion and spiritually
famishing. In this fast-paced world, we are chasing after our dreams, not
finding real purpose and fulfillment in life.
In
one way we are living in a desert, a wilderness, as I mentioned earlier the desert
is a place of death. If we let him, Jesus can come into our spiritual desert
and cause streams of living water to flow, and by drinking from those streams,
we can be refreshed, revived, and bear fruit.
Jesus,
during his earthly ministry, gave an invitation to all those who were weary and
thirsty to come and drink of Him. He
offered divine water to the socially isolated Samaritan woman who came in a search of some physical water to quench her thirst.
Jesus
said, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. 14 But
those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a
fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.” John 4:13-14 In
closing, would you join me for some self-assessment? How is your soul
today? Are you physically weary and tired? Are you spiritually hungry? Are you
going through a drought and desert type of experience?
Would
you consider coming to our good shepherd who can make streams in the desert and
gently lead you by those still waters? Would you like the Samaritan woman drink
of the divine water that Jesus is offering, so that it can be a wellspring of
water within you? Amen!
