Isaiah thirty-five is a passage full of rich treasures. Hawker says, ‘This chapter is as full of blessed promises to God’s church, as the former was full of threatenings to God’s enemies’. The prophet lifts his hearers’ gaze from the wrath of God with its razor sharp judgment to the salvation of God with its blessings of grace. Isaiah lightens his message and softens the vision with encouragements for renewal, refreshment and peace. He plants the promise of spiritual fruitfulness, cultivates the prospect of holy worship and flourishing service, sweetens the air with the fragrance of praise as roses bloom in a desert breeze. Ignorance no excuse In our passage ‘the sword of the Lord’ is referring to judgment and chastisement upon the nations of…

Swords used by the ancient Hebrews were pointed, two-edged, worn in a sheath and suspended from a belt around the waist. When Isaiah speaks of the Lord’s sword this is what would be in the mind of his hearers. In scripture the phrase ‘the sword of the Lord’ carries the sense of divine punishment and judgment. It was Gideon’s rallying cry in his role as Judge in Israel. It is also descriptive of the holy scriptures for their heart-piercing and liberating power. Ignorance no excuse In our passage ‘the sword of the Lord’ is referring to judgment and chastisement upon the nations of the world. Whether the nations ever came near to hear Isaiah’s message is no hindrance to its certain fulfilment. Likewise people today…