“But in that day, the branch of the Lord will be beautiful and glorious; the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of all who survive in Israel. All who remain in Zion will be a holy people— those who survive the destruction of Jerusalem and are recorded among the living. The Lord will wash the filth from beautiful Zion and cleanse Jerusalem of its bloodstains with the hot breath of fiery judgment. Then the Lord will provide shade for Mount Zion and all who assemble there. He will provide a canopy of cloud during the day and smoke and flaming fire at night, covering the glorious land. It will be a shelter from daytime heat and a hiding place from storms and rain.”
Isaiah 4:2-6 NLT
In his vision, Isaiah could see the day when the Lord would have dealt with the “filth” in Jerusalem by applying “the hot breath of [His] fiery judgement”. He could see a beautiful and glorious city with the survivors, a holy people, washed and cleansed. And the Lord will protect Mount Zion, where Jerusalem was located, with something reminiscent of the flight of the Israelite slaves from Egypt – “a canopy of cloud during the day and smoke and flaming fire at night”.
But what was the “branch of the Lord” that Isaiah could see? Some scholars believe this is a pointer to the coming Messiah, Jesus Himself, the divine descendant of David. There is also mention of the branch in Zechariah 3:8, “Listen to me, O Jeshua the high priest, and all you other priests. You are symbols of things to come. Soon I am going to bring my servant, the Branch.” But is this a prophecy foretelling the First or Second coming of Jesus? Perhaps there is more evidence for the Second, because we have read Revelation and the chapter about the new Jerusalem. However, the picture of a redeemed and holy people, a remnant who have survived the destruction of Jerusalem is an encouragement that God will always bring new shoots of growth as he fulfils His promises to His people. Judgment will ultimately come at the End of the Age, and the “filth [of] beautiful Zion” will be washed away. In the parable of the Wheat and Tares we read, “Let both grow together until the harvest. Then I will tell the harvesters to sort out the weeds, tie them into bundles, and burn them, and to put the wheat in the barn” (Matthew 13:30). Jesus’ parable describes how good and bad people will co-exist until the “harvest”, which is the End of the Age, the day of Judgment. Isaiah also referred to “the fruit of the land”, perhaps an indication of blessing and peace being restored after devastation and judgment.
Isaiah could see a remnant of God’s people surviving the destruction of Jerusalem. But what about those, the larger group, who will not survive? They are those whom Isaiah spoke out against in the previous chapters. Amongst them were people who “made alliances with pagans”, who practised sorcery, who were involved in idolatry, and who rebelled against God. God views sin very seriously and sooner or later has to deal with it. Judgment is real and will ultimately cleanse His people, but in each generation, a small group of His covenant people remains. Today we are the people, people of the New Covenant, who Peter wrote about in 1 Peter 2:9, “But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light”.
We notice that Isaiah’s vision did not indicate when the judgment would occur. It was a warning to all those who engaged in sinful behaviour, and many, then as now, refuse to believe that God’s judgment would actually take place. People today live their lives without considering that there will come a time when they will be held to account for their sins. That judgment will occur is without any doubt, because, otherwise, why was it necessary for Jesus to come to this world? He came to provide a remedy for sin so that all who believe in Him will not have to face the terror of judgment. I recently met a man who shared a concern that he needed to move out of London for his retirement, but was at a loss about where to move to. I asked him if he had a faith, and he talked about his Roman Catholic upbringing, but admitted that he rarely gave God any thoughts anymore. I gently reminded him of John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”, after which I talked about sin and the need for salvation in Jesus, as otherwise the only alternative was that he would “perish“. He went away thoughtful, and I pray that the Holy Spirit directs his house move to a place where he will find a Christian community.
Do we pilgrims know someone who needs to hear the same message? After all, there are plenty of opportunities because Jesus said, “ ... The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field” (Luke 10:2). So perhaps we need to brush up on our testimonies and have them ready for the next person we happen to meet.
Dear Father God. Please lead us to the people You want us to share Your wonderful message of hope with. We thank You for Jesus and all He did for us in Jerusalem, two thousand years ago. Amen.
Being a Pilgrim 