Isaiah 35

Yahweh’s day of blessing ch. 35

In contrast to the preceding chapter, this one is full of joy and rejoicing. There God turned the world into a desert; here He transforms that desert into a garden. The order of events is significant because they rule out postmillennialism, which teaches that the world will get increasingly better-until the utopia (Millennium) described in this chapter comes about-following which Messiah will return to the earth. Genesis 12:3, one of the original promises to Abraham, even suggests the order explained in Isaiah 34, 35 : cursing followed by blessing, both on a universal scale. References to "be glad" and "gladness" begin and end the poem, forming an inclusio. "Shout of joy," "shout for joy," and "joyful shouting" appear at the beginning (Isaiah 35:2), middle (Isaiah 35:6), and end (Isaiah 35:10). The structure is chiastic, centering on hope (Isaiah 35:5-6). However, Isaiah tantalized his readers by offering images that create questions in their minds that only further reading can answer. The chapter increasingly builds to an intellectual resolution and an emotional climax in the last verse.