Today in God's Word—September 2023
East Tallassee Church of Christ
September 11, Isaiah 4
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. And he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy, everyone who has been recorded for life in Jerusalem..."
- Isaiah 4:2-3
This little chapter is filled to overflowing with some of the biggest ideas in God's word. In a few words, Isaiah touches on at least five major doctrines of the Bible.
The first verse of Chapter 4 seems to go with the previous chapter that described the ruin of Jerusalem and Judah that was coming as judgment against their disobedience. The devastating death toll among Judah's men would be so high that women would beg surviving males to marry them and perhaps father a child for them without taking on the obligation of providing for them. The wars and captivities that were coming for Israel and Judah would disrupt everyday life to a drastic degree.
Then, like the sun returning after a storm, Isaiah saw a time when the Branch of Jehovah would be beautiful and glorious. Isaiah used the title "the branch" in the same way Jeremiah and Zechariah would use it, to refer to Messiah as the new life and fulfillment of God's promises to Abraham and David. Israel would be reduced to a vassal state for the rest of its existence in Bible times. But out of Israel and the house of David, just as God had promised, Messiah would come and bring beauty and glory to God's true people.
Another big concept taught in both Old and New Testaments is the idea that God's true people would be not all the descendants of Abraham, but only the faithful remnant who worshiped the Lord and did not turn to idolatry or forsake God's commands. Those people were the "survivors" and "he who is left" in this chapter. The New Testament Israel of God in Christ
would include those Jews who accepted him as the Messiah, and also Gentiles. But the picture here is focused on the remnant of the Jews who would emerge after the nation was purged from its wickedness by the fire of God's wrath.
That remnant was foreknown by God. Moses knew that God had a book inscribed with the names of God's faithful ones. David prayed that his enemies' names would be blotted out of God's book. Jesus taught the disciples to rejoice that their names were written in heaven. The writer of Hebrews told Christians that they had come to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven. Of course God does not need a literal book or list to know and remember his people. But such descriptions help us remember that God who knows the end from the beginning knew that the redeemed in Christ would be composed of a faithful remnant from Israel and the Gentiles who would come to Christ. This redeemed remnant would represent the purged and cleansed people of God in Israel and Judah after the devastating ruin of the people. God's judgment against Israel's wickedness was certain, and people not stained by the gross sins would emerge from the time of judgment to live holy, God-honoring lives. The redeemed would not live like the people had lived before God judged and punished the nation.
The abiding promise of God's presence among his people is also in this little chapter. Isaiah’s imagery reminded them of God's presence among the Israelites during their long journey from Egypt to Canaan. The cloud and fire symbolized God's presence with their distant forefathers. Isaiah assured them that God would be with them and among them, and as the New Testament writer quoted the Lord, "I will never leave you or forsake you." God would provide for them and protect them, just as he took care of Israel in the wilderness.
Can you see how this dense paragraph of prose contains all these Bible-wide concepts? There is amazing continuity across the centuries of time,
as well as the recurring themes the human writers of the Bible addressed in their time and place. The Bible is a collection of stories and different kinds of literature that tell one big story. And our Savior Jesus (here the Branch of Jehovah) is the victorious hero of that grand story. You and I are blessed to know it and have the opportunity to surrender our lives to him.
Copyright © 2023 by Michael B. McElroy. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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