Jesus the promise of hope

The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon; they will see the glory of the Lord, the splendor of our God. Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.” Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs. In the haunts where jackals once lay, grass and reeds and papyrus will grow. And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness; it will be for those who walk on that Way. The unclean will not journey on it; wicked fools will not go about on it. No lion will be there, nor any ravenous beast; they will not be found there. But only the redeemed will walk there, and those the Lord has rescued 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.

The Eerdmans Companion to the Bible 35 A Preview of Renewal

The barren southern desert (Heb. “Arabah”) will blossom as gloriously as Canaan’s densely vegetated north (vv. 6–7); spiritual and physical healing will abound (vv. 5–6; cf. Matt. 11:6); and God’s redeemed will travel the peril-less “Holy Way” to return to Zion, where they will find never-ending joy. This picture far surpasses Judah’s actual restoration following the Babylonian exile and later that of the returned Diaspora. Ultimately, the prophecy anticipates the glorious final age envisioned in Revelation 21–22.

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36.63

Luke 1:45–55 KJV 1900

And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord. And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: For, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; And holy is his name. And his mercy is on them that fear him From generation to generation. He hath shewed strength with his arm; He hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He hath put down the mighty from their seats, And exalted them of low degree. He hath filled the hungry with good things; And the rich he hath sent empty away. He hath holpen his servant Israel, In remembrance of his mercy; As he spake to our fathers, To Abraham, and to his seed for ever.

: 45-

Mary offered praise to God, in same language as Hannah’s song after Samuel’s birth (see ). Mary’s song, often called the Magnificat, spoke of what God had done and would do in her life (1:46–49) and in the life of her nation (1:50–55). Mary spoke of God’s concern for the poor and humble, a theme prevalent in OT prophecy (see exposition on ) and in Christ’s ministry (see 7:22; 14:12–14).

Willmington, H. L. (1997). Willmington’s Bible handbook (p. 581). Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.

Hope of Regeneration

Isaiah 35:1–2 KJV 1900

The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; And the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice Even with joy and singing: The glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, The excellency of Carmel and Sharon, They shall see the glory of the Lord, And the excellency of our God.

Isaiah 35:1–3 KJV 1900

WILDERNESS Land that is basically wild and sparsely inhabited or unfit for permanent human settlement. It may be desert, mountains, forest, or marsh. In the Near East the wilderness is characteristically dry, desolate, and mostly rock and sand. It is rough, uneven, and interlaced with dry watercourses

says that “the pastures of the wilderness are dried up” . And refers to the wilderness as a land where no human can live: it is a place for various animals and birds, such as wild asses, jackals, vultures, and owls.

BUT WITH JESUS

expressed: the pastures of the wilderness is soaked with richness and abundance

Ephesians 4:22–24 NIV

You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Galatians 4:4–7 KJV 1900

But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

Galatians

II.

4497 I. מִדְבָּר (miḏ·bār): n.masc.; ≡ Str 4057; TWOT 399k—1. LN 1.86–1.87 desert, wasteland, barren wilderness, i.e., a relatively large tract of sparsely inhabited land, or virtually empty of habitation, a place providing little or no sustenance (; ; ); 2. LN 1.86–1.87 open land, i.e., large tract of open country or steppe land that is suitable for grazing ([EB 12]; ; , ) 4498 II. מִדְבָּר (miḏ·bār): n.masc.; ≡ Str 4057; TWOT 399k—LN 8.19 mouth, i.e., a part of the body that is the instrument of speech (+) מדד (mdd): see 4499 or 4571 BDB

DBL Hebrew

Creation: Renewal, Encouragement, Faith, Glory, Happiness, Health and Healing, Holiness, Joy, Kingdom of God, Music, Power, Prophecy, Redemption, Restoration, Revenge, Salvation

: 1-3

Ephesians 4:22–24 NIV

Ephesians 4: 22-24

Hope of Power and Stength

Isaiah 35:3–6 KJV 1900

Strengthen ye the weak hands, And confirm the feeble knees. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: Behold, your God will come with vengeance, Even God with a recompence; He will come and save you. 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: For in the wilderness shall waters break out, And streams in the desert.

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Hope of Redemption

Isaiah 35:10 KJV 1900

10 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 35

Isaiah 35:8 NIV

8 And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness; it will be for those who walk on that Way. The unclean will not journey on it; wicked fools will not go about on it.

Tyndale Bible Dictionary Redeemer, Redemption

REDEEMER, REDEMPTION English words derived from a Latin root meaning “to buy back,” thus meaning the liberation of any possession, object, or person, usually by payment of a ransom. In Greek the root word means “to loose” and so to free. The term is used of freeing from chains, slavery, or prison.

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Latin

Redemption is derived from the Latin word: redemptio meaning “to buy back.” and to liberate one’s possessions, object, person, usually by paying a ransom.

Greek:

Is to loose or set free

Redemption is used in the bible in three contexts: legal, social and biblical.

In the legal context, redemption is substituting an animal for a person or another animal. The redemption process is complete when a price is paid in full or else the captive or bonded is killed.

The promise of virgin birth, is even more significant as in ancient eastern culture the firstborn is often given as both the redeemer and the redeemed.

In the Social, when a family member loses an inheritance, the person who is next in line for the inheritance will get the chance to buy back what has been lost.

Third: Christ is our redeemer as the promised ransom

Galatians 4:4–7 KJV 1900

Galatians 4

Hope of Freedom

Isaiah 35:9 KJV 1900

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:

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1 Corinthians 7:22–24 KJV 1900

For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord’s freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ’s servant. Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men. Brethren, let every man, wherein he is called, therein abide with God.

Hope of Joy and Flourishing