May 28
Reading: Isaiah 4
1 And seven women shall take hold of one man in that day, saying, “We will eat our own bread and wear our own clothes, only let us be called by your name; take away our reproach.”
2 In that day the branch of the LORD shall be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land shall be the pride and honor of the survivors of Israel. 3 And he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy, everyone who has been recorded for life in Jerusalem, 4 when the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and cleansed the bloodstains of Jerusalem from its midst by a spirit of judgment and by a spirit of burning. 5 Then the LORD will create over the whole site of Mount Zion and over her assemblies a cloud by day, and smoke and the shining of a flaming fire by night; for over all the glory there will be a canopy. 6 There will be a booth for shade by day from the heat, and for a refuge and a shelter from the storm and rain.
Isaiah 4:1 really completes the picture of the despair on the Day of the Lord when God takes away all the idols that people love. This final idol is marriage and having a man.
The Hebrew poetry takes a break in chapter 4 and gives way to narrative describing the state of Israel after the coming Day of the Lord. Now the focus is on the promise of God and what comes after judgment.
In verse 2, the Hebrew word translated “branch” could be translated “shoot” or “sprout.” In Isaiah, it will become a metaphor for the Messianic King who is coming. He is a branch from the line of David, a shoot from the root of Jesse. (Isaiah 11:1) It is the reign of this Messianic King that will transform God’s people and make the sinful city a holy beautiful place.
The Lord will wash His people clean from their rebellion, sin, and corruption. (vs. 4) He will do this by “a spirit of burning.” This means sacrifice, like a burnt offering. The smoke, fire, and glory of verse 5 indicate the constant presence of the Lord with His people, like His glory rested upon the Tabernacle in the wilderness. Then, God will be the refuge for His people. (vs. 6)
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” Revelation 21:1-4