Isaiah 4 WHEN THE LORD RETURNS The first verse of this chapter concludes the warnings of Isaiah regarding “that day” when Jerusalem and Judah will be decimated by the coming judgments. The male population will have been so depleted by death as a result of war, that there will be a scarcity of men. The women will be willing to support themselves and not be dependent on their husbands if only they could have a name for posterity and have their “reproach” taken away. In those ancient times an unmarried woman was looked down upon. Christianity declares men and women to be equal in value with gifts given by God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit that are suitable to them. The value of each person is the same, even though the roles that each fill are different and diverse.
In the New Testament church, there are “diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.” Husbands are to love their wives as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it. Women are to submit to their husbands as unto the Lord. Men are given an audible role in church gatherings. Women are given a visible role in church gatherings. Each are priests in the “kingdom of priests,” so each worships the Lord and offers gifts and sacrifices in the way suitable to their gender and their capacity. When this life is over and we are in heaven, the people are the same, but the relationships will be different. We will all be as children in the family of God rather than identifiable couples as in a marriage relationship.
“In that day” in verse two, describes a very different time than that in verse one. This is a reference to the millennium which will be a day of redemption rather than a day of judgment. This redemption will come from “The Branch of the Lord,” who will bring abundance of blessing to His people Israel. Our Lord Jesus Christ, who came from the kingly line of David, will bring true glory and beauty back to Israel.
“Those of Israel who have escaped” are those true believers who have been born again during the tribulation. That will be a cleansing time from idolatry and wickedness by the fires of divine judgment dealing with sin and bringing in justice upon sin. A minority of Israel will “believe the report,” and “the arm of the Lord” will be revealed to them. They will endure to the end to be physically saved from the terrors of the tribulation. The saved Jews who have been truly born again and by God’s grace have been made holy, will live holy lives as citizens of Jerusalem in spite of all that will go on around them. The grace of God will set them apart for Himself, and He will protect them.
People who are saved in any age are those who know that our Lord Jesus Christ, “The Branch,” “was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities.” They have personal knowledge of the sacrifice of Christ who died for them and bore away their sins forever. People who have been healed and cleansed, love the Lord and want to obey Him in spite of what other people may do. There has always been, and always will be, a marked contrast between those who believe and those who believe not. The Jews living in Jerusalem in the time of Isaiah, were very different from those described in the coming day of blessing. True believers in Christ are marked by holiness, not by material success, wealth and prestige because of the positions they hold. That was true in the past, it is true in the present, and it will be true in the future.
The cleansing necessary by the Righteous King, will take place when the “wheat” will be gathered and the “chaff” burned. The population in the cleansed city will want to obey God and will want the moral standards of holiness that make peaceful living possible. They will be devoted to the Lord and He will shield them from disasters and adversity. He will put an end to the widespread evil that permeated society in Isaiah’s day and likewise, in our day. The covenant God made with Israel will be fulfilled. “In Thee shall all nations of the earth be blessed.” The presence of the Lord Jesus Christ will create a covering that will overshadow the people of Israel who have been so terribly persecuted down through the centuries. It will be especially terrible for them during the tribulation.
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth; peace, good will toward men,” will be an actual fact. Israel will be preserved by the Lord; they will be placed in His presence; they will enjoy the promised blessings of the covenant when they dwell with Him as His earthly people in a scene which will be like heaven on earth.
The descriptions of our Lord Jesus Christ in this little chapter are very instructive and a blessing to us. As “The Branch of Jehovah, His deity is declared. As “the fruit of the earth, His humanity is declared. “Beautiful and glorious,” is His priesthood. “Excellent and comely (appealing),” speaks to us of His majesty and glory. “For those of Israel have escaped,” He is the Deliverer. For “those written among the living,” His holiness is extended. He will “wash away” the filth of those in that city, telling us of His purity. A canopy of a “cloud by day and a fire by night,” like in the past when Israel was in the wilderness, will cover the whole habitation of Israel when the Lord is their Protector. The tabernacle will indicate His presence with them as His dwelling place and as a “refuge” and “covert,” His glory will be obvious to all. God will dwell with His people.
He has dwelt with His people in the past and He will in the future. He dwells with those today who know Him and love Him. We are “His seed” that is “accounted to the Lord for a generation.” He is in the midst of His own giving grace when needed, showing mercy and loving kindness, granting the joy of His presence to those who worship Him. He hears our prayers, meets our needs according to His will and guides our pathway through life. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today, and forever.”