It Starts Small

² On 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 Israel’s survivors. ³ Whoever remains in Zion and whoever is left in Jerusalem will be called holy—all in Jerusalem written in the book of life— ⁴ when the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and cleansed the bloodguilt from the heart of Jerusalem by a spirit of judgment and a spirit of burning. ⁵ Then the Lord will create a cloud of smoke by day and a glowing flame of fire by night over the entire site of Mount Zion and over its assemblies. For there will be a canopy over all the glory, ⁶ and there will be a shelter for shade from heat by day and a refuge and shelter from storm and rain.

Isaiah 4:2-6

Isaiah 4 begins with the end of Isaiah’s prophecy from the previous chapter. He described how the proud and wealthy women of Jerusalem and Judah would be brought terribly low (Isaiah 3:16–24). This would include having their men killed and all their adornments taken from them. In fact, they would be left in reproach: as widows with no status in their community.

Isaiah concludes this thought by noting that all the men of Judah have been killed or exiled. As a result, very few will remain in the land. Those who remain will receive offers from seven women. They want them to become their wives with no strings attached (Isaiah 4:1). In Isaiah’s time, men were expected to provide wives with food, resources, and other necessities. The situation Isaiah describes is so desperate. Women want nothing more than a name, a family, and a permanent place in the community.

Isaiah then turns back to where this section began in Isaiah 2. In Isaiah 2:1–5, he described the glorious time in Israel’s far future. During this period, the Messiah would rule over Israel and the world from the mountain of the Lord in Jerusalem. Now Isaiah returns to that setting in this chapter. He describes the Messiah as “the branch of the LORD.” The Messiah is also the fruit of the land (Isaiah 4:2). This shall be the honor of the people of Israel.

Now pictured is a nation of Israelites. They have dramatically changed from the unfaithful people he has been describing in the previous chapters. All those who have survived and remain in Jerusalem will be called holy, recorded for life. This will occur after the Lord has washed away all the sin of the people of Israel. Additionally, Jerusalem will have been cleansed. He will achieve this with a ‘spirit of judgment and spirit of burning.’ This might describe the judgment placed on the Messiah on the cross. This was for the sins of the world (Isaiah 4:2–4).

At that time, the Lord will create a canopy over Mount Zion. There will be a cloud for the day and smoke and fire for the night. This canopy of cloud and fire will serve as protection for God’s people once and for all. Neither sun, rain, nor storm can ever hurt them (Isaiah 4:5–6).

Despite the Lord’s just anger, what does this say about how the Lord really feels about His people?

He promises that His glory will be like a canopy creating a refuge and a hiding place for His people.

Take time today to sit for a moment. Picture sitting under this shade. Experience His hiding place. Experience His refuge.

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