Day By Day - Isaiah 4

By Anne Horsburgh (with help from Bible-studys.org)

Personal Thoughts:
We always enjoy the positive over the negative.  And here God gives hope in the midst of a prophecy against Judah.

Key Points:
1. Fear of Shame
Isaiah 4:1 appears to be a summary of Chapter 3.  Because of the famine and devastation in the land, there will not be enough men in the land.  War has taken its toll on the number of men.  For every man, there will be seven women looking for a husband.  It was considered a curse for a woman to have no children (being barren). Therefore, the women would be desperate not to be labelled as such.
 
2. Glorious Promise
In the midst of the warning of judgement, Isaiah pops in the positive future ahead. The branch symbolising the Lord Jesus Christ will be “beautiful and glorious.” 
The filth will be purged away - Revelation 1:5, “And from Jesus Christ who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of kings of the earth. Unto Him that loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood.” 
The consuming fire of God purifies, as well as protects.  There will be the Lord’s protective covering with cloud and smoke by day and fire at night which reminds us of God’s care during the exodus. God’s glory symbolised at all times.

3. Divine Protection
Isaiah 4:5b -6: “For over all the glory there will be a covering. And there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the daytime from the heat, for a place of refuge, and for a shelter from storm and rain.”
This is the protection for God’s people, the church, from the physical and the spiritual storms.

Conclusion:
Isaiah 2:3 sums it up for me in this old chorus!
'Come and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord; unto the house of our God!  Come and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord; unto the house of our God!  And He will teach us of His ways;  And we shall walk in His paths. And the law will go forth from Zion; And the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem.'