Q6. The Highway of Holiness

[linda bass]

The verses of Isaiah 35:1-10 brought hope to their first readers by a promise of hope.

What is promised here is, the desert will bloom,water will gush forth in the wilderness,the blind will see, the deaf will hear, the mute will shout with joy, the lame will leap like a deer.

Isaiah relies on heavily figurative to communicate these promises because He wanted God's people to catch a vision of what the New Jerusalem would be like. He is trying to get the point across that the land will not just be a place of abundance only,but also a spiritual place to those who love the Lord.

Isaiah describes the "highway of holiness" as The Way of Holiness.

Those who have been redeemed and ramsomed by the Lord will be allowed to walk on the highway.

Those who are wicked and unclean will not be allowed to travel on the highway.

What it means to be redeemed and ransomed is,being freed from sin and bondage to Satan by the atoning blood of the Lord Jesus.

[wifee]

6a)They gave hope to the exiles,that loving God would in the future in his mercy would provide a way for their return to Jerusalem,starting 538. They knew what would happen if God didn’t interven.

b)the redeemed will walk there, 10 and the ransomed of the LORD will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away." (35:8-10 A new beginning a new land flowing in abundance of peace, joy, justice,happiness ,dignity,milk&honey,paradise like

c)it helps people to picture in imagination the future hope in their minds 

 d)it will be called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not journey on it; it will be for those who walk in that Way;it leads to the New Jerusalem and the throne of God

e)those who have been redeemed,who put their trust in the Lord. Prophecy fulfilled in part when exiles returned following their Babylonian captivity. There was great joy and profound recognition that God had released them from their bondage 

f)the unclean &wicked fools won’t walk on it

g)We are God’s possessions,Jesus has paid the price/ransom for our lives &broken Satan’s hold of sin& death on us.From being slaves to the world,we are now free restored to loving relationship with God and our fellow sisters in Christ Jesus.

[JoanG]

There is a light at the end of the tunnel. It tells that no matter what we go through, we will have a great ending. God has not left us. We still belong to him. He will be there for us. I feel that God gave to Isaiah visions that he would be able to understand. These were visions that he would be able to describe to others. It will be a highway where only the people of the Lord will walk. Those that were wicked and those that never loved God will be left behind. We are redeemed by the Blood of the Lord. Our sins were washed clean.

[Commissioned]

 

Q6. (Isaiah 35:1-10) How do you think these verses brought hope to their first readers? What is promised here? Why do you think Isaiah relies on heavily figurative language to communicate these promises? How does he describe the “highway of holiness”? Who will walk on it? Who won’t? What does it mean to be redeemed and ransomed?

 

These verses brought hope to their first readers at a time when there was holelessness. The promised here is prtection, provision, joy, redemption, freedom and salvation.  Isaiah relies on heavily figurative language to communicate these promises at the time to get the people to relate there present live with the vision.  He describes the “highway of holiness” as a place where only the righteous can enter.  The redeemed of the Lord will walk on it. The wicked and unclean cannot walk on it.  To be redeemed and ransomed is to have receved Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as your Savior.  Believing the the blood of Jesus cleanses us from our sins and he paid the price for us to be forgiven.

[Ray B]

Q6. (Isaiah 35:1-10) How do you think these verses brought hope to their first readers? That God would make away for them to walk in his light and live by his laws and decrees. That would bring them freedom, hope, that they would flourish and be safe.

What is promised here? That nothing will harm them, God will protect them and feed them, that they will flourish.

Why do you think Isaiah relies on heavily figurative language to communicate these promises? God.

How does he describe the "highway of holiness"? That the redeemed shall walk there, that no lion or ravenous beast shall be there. They obtain gladness, sorrow and fear shall be no more.

Who will walk on it? The redeemed.

Who won't? The unclean and fools.

What does it mean to be redeemed and ransomed? A ransom has been paid for and therefore the redeemed are Gods people.

[Krissi]

The original readers for whom these passages were written would have been relieved to know that their deaths were not imminent and suffering would eventually cease. They were promised to live in peace -- "a peaceful abode" --and justice -- "The Lord is our judge ..." -- an abundance of material goods as well as health.

I don't know why Isaiah relies on such flowery, metaphoric language. It's a bit like Jesus talking in parables, a way of circumventing straight talk and the giving of hints. Jesus said he spoke in parables because people wouldn't understand direct language. The idea is that the elect/believers would be given special insight into it's meaning, presumably by the Spirit, and that outsiders/damned would be flummoxed by the language.

The highway of holiness could be the calling or divine path that we're supposed to trod after becoming Christians. Only believers are walking on this highway. It appears to lead to heaven/Zion which is a joyous, free-spirited place.

I wonder if redeemed and ransomed are found together in the bible in other places. They're related words. Redeemed refers to the agent of redemption, the one who pays the fees incurred. Ransomed refers to the process, the payment of the fees. Christ is our redeemer and has ransomed us.

 

 

 

[crissy464]

Hope, restoration

He is coming for His redeemed. At that time there will be a highway, a very broad roadway that leads to Jesus.

The unclean wont walk in it, only for those who walk with God

Redeemed means Jesus died on the cross for us
Ransomed means reasued 

 

[Anna Rogers]

Q6. (Isaiah 35:1-10) How do you think these verses brought hope to their first readers? What is promised here?

I imagine these verses would have brought great hope to their first readers and to their readers today, as some of the promises won't be fully seen till the millennium. We are promised that the desert will become a fruitful place, our hands and knees will be strengthened, God will come and save us, the eyes of the blind will be opened, the deaf shall hear and the lame shall leap like deer, there will be a highway to Zion that is safe for the redeemed. 

Why do you think Isaiah relies on heavily figurative language to communicate these promises?

Perhaps because they talk about fulfillment in more than one time period

How does he describe the “highway of holiness”? Who will walk on it? Who won’t?

It is a highway only for His redeemed. It is set above the ground and goes to Zion. It is completely safe as you can't fall off and their are no wild beasts on it. 

What does it mean to be redeemed and ransomed?

The redeemed are us who have been washed clean by the blood of Jesus. 

[Katy]

Q6.These verses would have given great hope and expectation to the first readers because God was giving them an insight into what was to come. Likewise it gives us present day readers great hope and excitement for the future, when this world with all its evil and injustice will pass away and Our Saviour will rule over us. 
It will be a land of abundance, with no more suffering or pain, evil or injustice. Everything will be set right. No one who is evil will be there. Everything will be perfection. 
Isaiah uses figurative language to get his message across to his readers. He wants them to read and understand what is in store for those who follow Jesus and those who don’t!

The highway of holiness describes the narrow road we are on to journey towards heaven. Many decide to go on the broad road and not walk or follow God. Only those who are committed to God may be on this highway. 
Those of us who have committed our lives to God are redeemed or ransomed. This means that we have been bought back out of our slavery (to sin), by the precious blood of Christ. Only Jesus who was sinless could redeem us , by dying a horrible cruel death on a cross. By doing this Jesus paid the price for our forgiveness, and so we are redeemed or ransomed from eternal death, and punishment.