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.1 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.
Section Overview: Zion Is Secure
Often jewelers show off particularly beautiful gems against a dark background; here the beauty of true Zion shines particularly brightly against the darkness of the Zion of Isaiah’s day. There is no cheap grace offered; a purging is necessary. But the result of that purging will be a truly cleansed people settled in the place prepared for them. This section, which began in 2:1, now culminates in a picture of a restored Zion. In 2:1–5 the prophet showed us God’s people gathering in Zion; here the emphasis is on how that gathering in Zion comes about through the work of the branch.
This is one of the many pictures in the book of the new creation, expressed in vivid imagery and drawing here on the exodus story, a prominent theme in later chapters. Like all such pictures, this is no mere pious wish but a sure and certain announcement of what will happen.
Section Outline
I. The King High and Lifted Up (1:1–12:6) . . .
D. Zion Is Secure (4:2–6)
1. The Branch Will Flourish (4:2)
2. Lives Will Be Transformed (4:3–4)
3. A Glory and a Covering (4:5–6)
Response
This short but rich passage creates an inclusio with 2:2–5 and brings this section on the true and false cities to a close. The main themes about Zion—its divine creation, constitution, environment, and worship—have been established, and the people’s rebellion against these have been exposed. Several points may be made.
First, this judgment is certain to come; as already noted, the phrase “that day” is the day God is committed to bringing about. This has great practical value, as only a strong doctrine of the world to come will keep us going through the challenges that face us in this world. This is not being “too heavenly minded for any earthly use,” a common but rather silly phrase (as I doubt any of us has ever met anyone like that in our lives). Rather, like the people of ancient Judah, we can be so caught up in the ways of our society that we forget this world is not everything there is. Indeed, the more firmly we believe that Christ will wind up the affairs of this world and usher in a better one, the more diligently we will pursue lawful and worthy activities here until he comes.
Second, we cannot enter the new Zion in our sins but need to be made holy. This is the great theme of chapter 6, but here it is particularly related to citizenship in the new Jerusalem. This idea is picked up in the vision of the holy city at the end of the Bible, from which unrepentant sinners are excluded (Rev. 21:8). The great blessing is that this cleansing is a work of God himself; all human efforts to be holy without the Spirit of God are doomed to failure. This message is fully developed in the NT, where the forgiveness that comes through the gospel results in freedom from our sins by the blood of Christ (Rev. 1:5).
Third, there is a wonderful sense of the continuity of God’s purposes and people throughout history. This is one of the great gifts to help us on our journey, “surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses” (Heb. 12:1). The cloud and fire echo the signs of God’s presence that accompanied the Israelites on their desert wanderings. The sense of his continual protection of his people is powerfully expressed.Isaiah 4:2–6
Isaiah 5