Isaiah 35:1-10

With thanks to page sponsor: Pastor Nancy Amacher of Messiah Lutheran Church, Marquette, MI, in gratitude for all who preach the Good News.

• Reading the Text:
  • NRSV (with link to Anglicized NRSV) at Oremus Bible Browser.
  • The Bible Gateway: NIV, NASB, CEV, The Message, KJV, etc.
  • The Blue Letter Bible. KJV, alternate versions, Hebrew text with concordance, commentaries.
  • The World Wide Study Bible includes commentary, exposition and sermons.
• Historical References, Commentary and Comparative Texts:
  • "Healing," Comparative World Scriptures from United Communities of Spirit.
  • Chapter XLVIII, The First Apology of Justin Martyr. (c 150)
  • Chapter LXIX, Dialogue With Trypho, Justin Martyr. (c 160)
  • IV.XXXIII.11, Adversus Haereses, Irenaeus of Lyons. (c. 180)
  • Chapter IX, Adversus Judaeos, Tertullian (c. 198)
  • IV.8, IV.10, IV.12, IV.24, Against Marcion, Tertullian (c. 210)
  • Chapter XX, Chapter LVIII, On the Resurrection of the Flesh,  Tertullian (c. 211)
  • II.XLVIII, Against Celsus, Origen. (c.246)
  • Part 38, On the Incarnation of the Word, Athanasius of Alexandria, c. 318.
  • Rashi's Commentary, c. 1075. chabad.org.
  • From the Geneva Notes.
    • "He prophecies of the full restoration of the Church both of the Jews and Gentiles under Christ, which will be fully accomplished at the last day: although as yet it is compared to a desert and wilderness."
  • From Matthew Henry's Commentary.
    • "Those unable to do any thing good, by Divine grace were made active therein."
  • From Wesley's Notes.
    • "The most dry and barren places shall be made moist and fruitful; which is principally meant of the plentiful effusion of God's grace upon such persons and nations, as had been wholly destitute of it."
  • "Weak Hands and Feeble Knees; Isaiah 35:3," Charles H. Spurgeon, 1859.
  • From the Commentary on the Whole Bible (Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, 1871).
• Contemporary Commentary, Studies and Exegesis:
  • Commentary, Isaiah 35:4-7a, Frank M. Yamada, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2009.
    • "In many of our churches, we tend to align salvation with God's grace, themes that we then set over against divine judgment."
  • Isaiah 35:4-7a (Pentecost 14), Studies on Old Testament texts from Series B, Ralph W. Klein, Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.
  • Commentary, Isaiah 35:1-10, Fred Gaiser, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2007.
    • "This is one of those texts for which many of the hearers will know not only the words but the tune, because it stands behind the well-known alto recitative in George Frideric Handel's Messiah."
  • Isaiah 35:1-10: Comments (commentary) and Clippings (technical notes for in-depth study), Advent 3A, Chris Haslam, Diocese of Montreal.
  • Isaiah 35:1-10 (Advent 3A), Studies on Old Testament texts from Series A, Ralph W. Klein, Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.
  • The Old Testament Readings: Weekly Comments on the Revised Common Lectionary, Howard Wallace Audrey Schindler, Morag Logan, Paul Tonson, Lorraine Parkinson, Theological Hall of the Uniting Church, Melbourne, Australia.
    • "The connection between the Matthew passage and Isaiah 35 reminds us once again that the hope we have in Jesus, which is embodied in our Advent hope, is one which looks not just for some personal deliverer, someone to ease our individual troubles. What is envisaged is nothing less than the transformation of society and nature itself."
  • Commentary, Background, Insights from Literary Structure, Theological Message, Ways to Present the Text. Anna Grant-Henderson, Uniting Church in Australia.
    • "A theology in which the land itself sings and rejoices is part of Old Testament proclamation and understanding. This aspect did not become prominent in Western theology, but has been picked up in the Celtic tradition."
  • "God Himself Will Come to Save Us," Rev. Bryan Findlayson, Lectionary Bible Studies and Sermons, Pumpkin Cottage Ministry Resources. Includes detailed textual notes.
  • "Building Hope with Bricks of Justice," Paul Bellan-Boyer, St. Matthew Lutheran Church, Jersey City, NH.
    • "Make no mistake: that vision of deserts springing into bloom is not a vision of a heavenly Las Vegas, but a vision of God’s mercy and justice irrigating the world."
  • "A Desert in Bloom," Ruth A. Meyers, The Christian Century, 2001.
    • "The promise held before us offers God’s love and mercy, God’s power to heal and restore."
  • "A Real Advent Celebration," Expository Essay, Dr. William R. Long. Part 2.
• Articles & Background:
  • "A Christological Hermeneutic: Crisis and Conflict in Hermeneutics," Donald G. Bloesch. Chapter 5 in Robert K. Johnston, The Use of the Bible in Theology: Evangelical Options, John Knox Press, 1985). Reprinted at Religion Online.
    • "It is Jesus Christ who by his atoning death and vicarious love reconciles a fallen human race to the God of infinite holiness and mercy. He alone is the perfect peacemaker, and therefore he alone is perfectly blessed. It is he who has torn down the walls that separate sinners from one another and from the holy God."
  • "Following in the Footsteps of Ignatius," Margot Patterson, National Catholic Reporter, 2001.
    • "'There's a kind of desert journey,' he said. 'You travel into terrain that you want to forget about. You go there and you don't run away and you work through your fears and then you have the experience of Isaiah 35: the desert blooming like a rose.'"
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  • Broesterhuizen, Marcel, "Faith in Deaf Culture," Theological Studies, 2005.
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  • Davies, Andrew, "Oratorio as Exegesis: The Use of the Book of Isaiah in Handel's Messiah," Biblical Interpretation, 2007.
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  • Jumper, Mark A., "Post-War Preaching," Journal for Preachers, 2007. (Section on this text is on page 51.)
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  • Klein, Ralph W., "Isaiah for Advent," Currents in Theology and Mission, 2001.
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  • Oswalt, John N. "God's Determination to Redeem His People," Review and Expositor, 1991.
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  • Meyers, Ruth A., "A Desert in Bloom," The Christian Century, 2001.
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  • Posey, Lawton W., "Deafness: Physical and Spiritual," The Christian Century, 1980.
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  • Richter, Kimberly Clayton, "The Advent Texts: Glorious Visions, Dogged Discipleship," Journal for Preachers, 2004.
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  • Stratman, Jacob, "Harriet Beecher Stowe's Preachers of the Swamp: Dred and the Jeremiad," Christianity and Literature, 2008.
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  • Swartzback, Raymond H., "A Biblical Study of the Word 'Vengeance'," Interpretation, 1952.
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  • Wardlaw, Theodore J., "Preaching the Advent Texts," Journal for Preachers, 2007. (Section begins on page 6.)
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  • Yoder, Christine Roy, "Hope that Walks: An Interpretation of Isaiah for Advent Preachers," Journal for Preachers, 2001.
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• Sermons:
  • "Salvation in a Heartbeat," the Rev. Patti Davis, Day 1, 2006.
  • "Making the Deserts Bloom," Advent 3A, Rev. Edward F. Markquart, Sermons from Seattle.
  • "When God's Kingdom Comes - Joy," (2001) "Transformation - Now This Is Good News!" (1998) John Jewell.
• Reviews:
  • Review: Peter D. Miscall, Isaiah 34-35: A Nightmare/A Dream. (Sheffield Academic Press, 1999) Reviewed by Claire Mathews McGinnis in SBL's Review of Biblical Literature.
• With Children:
  • "The Desert Shall Rejoice and Bloom as the Rose," "Thirsty Ground Will Flow with Fountains," Sunday School Lessons: Family Bible Study, art projects, music, stories, etc.
• Drama:
• Graphics & Bulletin Materials:
  • Free Public Domain Clipart for Church Bulletins: Isaiah 35, Church Bulletin Resources.
  • Clip Art, Isaiah 35:5, Fr. Richard Lonsdale, Resources for Catholic Educators.
• Hymns and Music:
  • Hymns with Scripture Allusions: Isaiah 35:1, 8, 10. The Cyber Hymnal.
  • Hymn Selections, The Lutheran Hymnal, Lutheran Worship.
  • At Digital Hymnal (midi files, guitar chords, karaoke files, projection text):
    • Sweet By and By
• Fine Arts Images Linked at The Text This Week's Art Index:
  • Isaiah
• Study Links and Resources for the Book of Isaiah