July 24 — The Highway of Holiness
SCRIPTURE READING:
Isaiah 35-36
SCRIPTURE:
Isaiah 35:¹ The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.
Isaiah 35:² 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 35:³ Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees.
Isaiah 35:⁴ 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.
Isaiah 35:⁵ Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.
Isaiah 35:⁶ 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.
Isaiah 35:⁷ And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water: in the habitation of dragons, where each lay, shall be grass with reeds and rushes.
Isaiah 35:⁸ And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.
Isaiah 35:⁹ 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:
Isaiah 35:¹⁰ 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 36:¹ Now it came to pass in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah, that Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the defenced cities of Judah, and took them.
Isaiah 36:² And the king of Assyria sent Rabshakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem unto king Hezekiah with a great army. And he stood by the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the fuller’s field.
Isaiah 36:³ Then came forth unto him Eliakim, Hilkiah’s son, which was over the house, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah, Asaph’s son, the recorder.
Isaiah 36:⁴ And Rabshakeh said unto them, Say ye now to Hezekiah, Thus saith the great king, the king of Assyria, What confidence is this wherein thou trustest?
Isaiah 36:⁵ I say, sayest thou, (but they are but vain words) I have counsel and strength for war: now on whom dost thou trust, that thou rebellest against me?
Isaiah 36:⁶ Lo, thou trustest in the staff of this broken reed, on Egypt; whereon if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it: so is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all that trust in him.
Isaiah 36:⁷ But if thou say to me, We trust in the LORD our God: is it not he, whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah hath taken away, and said to Judah and to Jerusalem, Ye shall worship before this altar?
Isaiah 36:⁸ Now therefore give pledges, I pray thee, to my master the king of Assyria, and I will give thee two thousand horses, if thou be able on thy part to set riders upon them.
Isaiah 36:⁹ How then wilt thou turn away the face of one captain of the least of my master’s servants, and put thy trust on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen?
Isaiah 36:¹⁰ And am I now come up without the LORD against this land to destroy it? the LORD said unto me, Go up against this land, and destroy it.
Isaiah 36:¹¹ Then said Eliakim and Shebna and Joah unto Rabshakeh, Speak, I pray thee, unto thy servants in the Syrian language; for we understand it: and speak not to us in the Jews’ language, in the ears of the people that are on the wall.
Isaiah 36:¹² But Rabshakeh said, Hath my master sent me to thy master and to thee to speak these words? hath he not sent me to the men that sit upon the wall, that they may eat their own dung, and drink their own piss with you?
Isaiah 36:¹³ Then Rabshakeh stood, and cried with a loud voice in the Jews’ language, and said, Hear ye the words of the great king, the king of Assyria.
Isaiah 36:¹⁴ Thus saith the king, Let not Hezekiah deceive you: for he shall not be able to deliver you.
Isaiah 36:¹⁵ Neither let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD, saying, The LORD will surely deliver us: this city shall not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria.
Isaiah 36:¹⁶ Hearken not to Hezekiah: for thus saith the king of Assyria, Make an agreement with me by a present, and come out to me: and eat ye every one of his vine, and every one of his fig tree, and drink ye every one the waters of his own cistern;
Isaiah 36:¹⁷ Until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of corn and wine, a land of bread and vineyards.
Isaiah 36:¹⁸ Beware lest Hezekiah persuade you, saying, The LORD will deliver us. Hath any of the gods of the nations delivered his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria?
Isaiah 36:¹⁹ Where are the gods of Hamath and Arphad? where are the gods of Sepharvaim? and have they delivered Samaria out of my hand?
Isaiah 36:²⁰ Who are they among all the gods of these lands, that have delivered their land out of my hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?
Isaiah 36:²¹ But they held their peace, and answered him not a word: for the king’s commandment was, saying, Answer him not.
Isaiah 36:²² Then came Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah, that was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah, the son of Asaph, the recorder, to Hezekiah with their clothes rent, and told him the words of Rabshakeh.
DEVOTIONAL:
Isaiah 35 is one of Scripture's great songs of restoration. The wilderness and solitary place become glad, the desert blossoms, weak hands are strengthened, feeble knees made firm, fearful hearts told to be strong, and the blind, deaf, lame, and mute receive healing. The imagery reverses barrenness, exile, weakness, and sorrow. God does not merely forgive from a distance; His saving reign renews creation, restores bodies, gathers the redeemed, and brings them home with songs.
The highway of holiness is central to this promise. It is a way prepared by God for the ransomed to return, a road where danger is removed and fools do not wander off. Holiness here is not grim isolation from joy. It is the clean path of redeemed life, the safe road into the presence of the Lord. In the Torah, holiness meant belonging to the Holy One. Isaiah shows that the Lord Himself must make a holy way for His people to come home.
Isaiah 36 places this hope beside the harsh voice of Assyria. Rabshakeh stands outside Jerusalem with psychological warfare, mocking trust, twisting theology, and offering a counterfeit peace under imperial domination. His speech is carefully designed to weaken confidence in the Lord. The contrast is sharp: Isaiah 35 speaks of God's highway home; Isaiah 36 presents the enemy's road of surrender through fear. Faith must learn to recognize the voice that sounds practical while inviting unbelief.
Jesus identifies His ministry with Isaiah's restoration promises when He tells John's messengers to report that the blind see, the lame walk, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor receive the gospel. He is the way, the holy road into the Father's presence. His cross ransoms sinners, His resurrection secures joy, and His Spirit strengthens weak hands for obedience. The final Zion joy of Isaiah 35 begins now in salvation and will be completed when sorrow and sighing flee away.
In daily life, this reading speaks to weakness and intimidation. Families can encourage fearful hearts with God's promises, workers can resist manipulative voices that demand compromise, and churches can make room for weary saints to walk the holy way together. Holiness is not self-salvation; it is the path of the redeemed. Because Christ has ransomed us, we learn to walk away from fear, uncleanness, cynicism, and despair.
In U.S. civic life, the civic virtue tied to this reading is courageous encouragement. A fitting current prayer focus is for people facing intimidation, disability, displacement, grief, and public fear to receive protection and hope. Christians should show up as encouragers who strengthen weak hands, defend those mocked or pressured, and point anxious neighbors toward the Lord who makes a way home.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
How does Isaiah 35 describe restoration in creation, bodies, and worship?
What does the highway of holiness teach about belonging to God?
How does Rabshakeh's speech challenge trust in the Lord?
How does Jesus fulfill the promises of healing, ransom, and the way home?
PRAYER:
ADORATION: Redeeming Lord, You make the wilderness glad and prepare a holy way for the ransomed to return with joy.
CONFESSION: We confess that fear, pressure, and mocking voices often make us doubt Your promises and drift from Your path.
THANKSGIVING: Thank You for Jesus, the way to the Father, who ransoms sinners and gives strength to the weak.
SUPPLICATION – GENERAL: Strengthen fearful hearts, steady weary knees, and keep our families and churches walking in holiness together.
SUPPLICATION – U.S. / CIVIC: Protect those facing intimidation, disability, displacement, grief, and public fear, and make Your people courageous encouragers.
SCRIPTURE: "And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness"