Devotion Booklets for Seasons of the Church Year Advent 2019 - God With Us | Page 13

Thursday, December 19
Reading: Isaiah 34-35 (
5 minutes)
Short Reading: Isaiah 35:1-10 (
1 minute)
Chapters 34 and 35 come at the end of the section of five woes (chapters 28-33). These two chapters
(34-35) direct our attention to the end of time by presenting two contrasting pictures. Chapter 34
announces the coming day of the Lord’s vengeance and chapter 35 announces the coming
deliverance. How does Isaiah describe the impact and joy that springs because “Your God will come
to you” (35:4)? (This is the joy we have in Advent as we prepare for God’s entry into our world in the
flesh, as God comes to us in his Word and sacraments, and as we look forward to his coming again in
glory!)
Isaiah uses the term “the glory of the LORD” in 35:2. This is the first time he uses the term, which will
appear three more times in his prophecy (40:5, 58:8, 60:1). Throughout the Old Testament, the term
serves as a reminder that the Lord is present in a special manner, but that he is also going to go into
action in a supernatural way and do something special. Consider how the glory of Lord shone around
the shepherds in Luke 2:9.
New Testament Connections: Isaiah 35:5-6 → Matthew 11:4-5, Luke 7:22
Friday, December 20
Reading: Isaiah 36-37 (
8 minutes)
Short Reading: Isaiah 37:14-20, 30-38 (
2 minutes)
Isaiah 36-39 serves as almost an “interlude” on part 1 of Isaiah’s message (chapters 1-39) and part 2
(40-66). It shares how God delivered Jerusalem from the threat of the approaching Assyrian army.
What was King Hezekiah’s prayer and how did God answered his prayer?
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