God’s Department of Transportation and Agriculture
One of my favorite things in Isaiah is the unique language and imagery that helps enrich our understanding of God, his world, and ourselves.
Isaiah 35 is a great picture that the prophet describes as he’s painting what a world run by God himself might look like. Isaiah  has this dynamic picture of both garden and civilization - one where no one, not man or nature, is completely in control – but all the earth submits to God.  In this chapter – it is a desert that transforms into a garden, and a highway (civilization) goes through through this new garden.  But this highway, typically a place where you are vulnerable to attack and exploitation, is now a redeemed space – where there “is no danger” and only “the redeemed travel.”  This highway leads right to Jerusalem, the place where “sorrow and mourning disappear and they will be filled with joy and gladness.”
So what does a world in God’s image look like? Â Its a garden from the desert – and a highway…of peace. This brings under God’s power both the world of nature, and the world of humanity - and helps design a new project, the missio dei - one in which salvation no longer is a personal decision, but is a world-wide event. Â Suddenly – its not just about you coming to terms with sin, but its about you gaining citizenship in a holistic world of peace.
This image has something for the city-slickers and the country-folk. Â It is a message of hope, and a message of warning. Â This message says – “your world is not under God’s submission, and it must be redeemed.”
But it also says, “there are parts of what you deeply love that God deeply loves too, and he wants to see it thrive.”
Does your view of God’s Missio Dei include both personal and social? Â Does it include both nature and city? Â What would change in how you lived your life if you truly believed that this image was the aim and end goal of God?
