Isaiah 4:1-6 Click here for Bible Verses
Hi GAMErs!
Today’s passage is Isaiah 4:1-6. Let’s go!
Isaiah 4:1 (NIV)
1 In that day seven women will take hold of one man and say, “We will eat our own food and provide our own clothes; only let us be called by your name. Take away our disgrace!”
On verse 1: Even though both verses 1-2 of chapter 4 both begin with the words “in that day”, verses 1 and 2 appear to be talking about two very different things. Also, verse 1 of chapter 4 seems to continue the final verses of chapter 3 which describe the shame and desperation that the women of Judah would face when Jerusalem and Judah fall to the Babylonians. For this reason it is best to group verse 1 of chapter 4 with the rest of chapter 3.
Keep in mind that Isaiah himself did not insert the chapter and verse references himself; rather these were added in later for convenience and general reference. So the chapter and verse references can often, though not always, serve as a helpful guide, but they are not inspired the way we believe the actual Scriptures themselves are.
Isaiah 4:2-6 (NIV)
2 In that day the Branch of the LORD will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of the survivors in Israel.
3 Those who are left in Zion, who remain in Jerusalem, will be called holy, all who are recorded among the living in Jerusalem.
4 The Lord will wash away the filth of the women of Zion; he will cleanse the bloodstains from Jerusalem by a spirit of judgment and a spirit of fire.
5 Then the LORD will create over all of Mount Zion and over those who assemble there a cloud of smoke by day and a glow of flaming fire by night; over all the glory will be a canopy.
6 It will be a shelter and shade from the heat of the day, and a refuge and hiding place from the storm and rain.
On verse 2: What or who is this “Branch of the LORD”? Some scholars have tried to interpret “the Branch of the LORD” literally to mean the actual land of Judah. But, given the context, it is best to see “the Branch of the LORD” as a reference to the Messiah, the Christ, that God would send to the Jewish people. Isaiah would be the first of the Old Testament prophets to use the picture of “the Branch” to describe the Messiah. Other prophets coming after him would do the same (Jeremiah 23:5; Zechariah 3:8).
Somehow with the appearing of this Branch, God’s people (“Zion”) will go from being filthy and stained by sin, to cleansed by the Lord and holy to Him (v3-4).
Somehow with the appearing of this Branch, God’s supernatural protection will be on His people. Just as in the book of Exodus God protected the Israelites who wandered in the wilderness with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, so with the coming of this “Branch” God would create “a cloud of smoke by day and a glow of flaming fire by night” (v5) to protect God’s people in the future. God’s protection for His people would be there in all circumstances – “a shelter and shade from the heat of the day, and a refuge and hiding place from the storm and rain” (v6).
In other words, Isaiah is saying that when the Messiah comes, He will bring a cleansing and a protection that only God can bring. And that is exactly what Jesus would do. Jesus is the Branch whose appearing would make it possible for sinners to be forgiven, for their scarlet sins to be made white as snow (Isaiah 1:18). Jesus is the Branch whose appearing would give those who trust in Him a divine 24/7 protection on their lives. Because they are shielded by God’s power (1 Peter 1:5) no matter what the circumstances nothing can ever separate them from God’s love and presence again (Romans 8:38-39).
Jesus is the Branch who cleanses us, who calls us holy, and who covers us with His protection.
Thank You Jesus for being the Branch who cleanses us, who calls us holy, and who covers us in the cloud and canopy of Your everlasting protection. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
