Isaiah’s Holy Highway – Found?

CNN reports that several Christians have found the fulfillment of prophecy found in Isaiah 35.8:

And a highway shall be there,
and it shall be called the Way of Holiness;
the unclean shall not pass over it.
It shall belong to those who walk on the way;
even if they are fools, they shall not go astray.

What is this fulfillment? I-35, an interstate that runs through 6 states. Yes, the fulfillment of Isaiah 35.8 is a stretch of road here in America. How do they figure that it’s this particular interstate? Well, to be frank, Minister Cindy Jacobs isn’t sure that it is, but I’ll let the article speak for itself:

“She says she can’t be sure Interstate 35 really is what is mentioned in the Bible but says she received a revelation to start this campaign after ‘once again reading Isaiah, Chapter 35.’”

Ok. Two things really quick. First, she is quick to claim that it is a “revelation” but isn’t sure it can be trusted. Where, then, does she expect this “revelation” came from? Does she really think that if it was from God that she couldn’t be sure of it? Thank God that the Prophets and Apostles never had that problem in their writing. “Thus sayeth the Lord….maybe.”

Second, chapters and verses are not inspired. They were not part of the inspired text. They were added much later, with definite chapter and verse marks in the 1400s. To say that Isaiah 35 speaks of I-35 because of the initial (I) and number (35) is a failure to understand that she is reading an English translation, with English names and numbers. She is reading a 21st century culture into a centuries old document written in a place far removed in culture.

That I even have to mention these things is unfortunate. What it goes to show, however, is that there is always more work to do in educating people in how to read, interpret, and study their Bibles. However, we should not think of ourselves as being above this education either. We tend to bring our own anachronisms and cultural biases to the texts. I pray that this story would remind us to consider how we approach Biblical texts ourselves.