Isaiah 4:2-6

Once again we see the balance in the prophetic literature; the balance between stern warning and bright hope. ”We have already seen Isaiah change abruptly from scenes of judgment (Isaiah Chapter 1) to scenes of redemption (Isaiah 2:1-5). From this we can understand that the ”day of the Lord” includes both judgment and redemption – judgment for the wicked and redemption for the Righteous.” Tom Hale: The Applied Old Testament Commentary, p.997

The primary meaning of ”the Branch of the LORD” (2) relates to the remnant of Judah: the Jews who would survive God’s judgment and return from Babylon to resettle their land (see 1:9). God would grant renewal of life to this ”Branch” and produce ”the fruit of the land”; i.e. both physical and spiritual fruit. Not only would the Jews be revived, but their land also. All this happened when the Jews returned, as described in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. But there is another and more important meaning. The ”Branch” is also a name for the Christ, the Messiah. Yes, this verse does refer to a renewed community of Judah. But one day, that community would be embodied in one Man, Jesus. So Isaiah’s vision applied to both the near and more distant future. (We often find this double fulfilment aspect in the prophets.) God had a greater blessing for the Jews than just a fruitful land. He was planning to come to them Himself and redeem them by the sacrifice of His body on the cross. God’s revelation in the Bible is progressive. Words like ”Branch” came to have a new meaning as the revelation unfolded. Later prophets used this term specifically regarding the Messiah (Jer.23:5; 33:15; Zech.3:8; 6:12. Even Isaiah himself did also: Isaiah 11:1-3).

The purpose of the Lord’s judgment on Jerusalem was not only to destroy the evil there, but also to purify what remained (4-6). ”GOD will give Zion’s women a good bath. He’ll scrub the bloodstained city of its violence and brutality, purge the place with a firestorm of judgment. Then GOD will bring back the ancient pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night and mark Mount Zion and everyone in it with his glorious presence, his immense, protective presence, shade from the burning sun and shelter from the driving rain.” The Message.

What a beautiful picture of the calm after the storm.

Prayer: Thank you Lord for how you so carefully prepared the way for the coming of your Son into the world. It amazes me to think how much you revealed hundreds of years earlier, and it causes me to worship you. You are great beyond any words.