Isaiah 4:1-6
Isa 4:1
And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man,
saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be
called by thy name, to take away our reproach.
In that day there shall be such a great slaughter that
there will be a literal shortage of men owing to them being killed in battle
against the Babylonians. In Hebrew
culture is was a shame for a woman to be unmarried and childless and that is why
many women will be willing to marry one man.
In that time a man was the one who went to work or had a business and
supported his wife and family but here the women will be so desperate that they
are willing to support themselves by supplying their own bread and wear their
own apparel not supplied by their husband.
They were willing to do all of this if they would be called by his name.
If the single man accepted their offer, then they too would be in
violation of the law.
Neither shall he multiply wives to
himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to
himself silver and gold. (Deuteronomy 17:17)
The reproach was that the women were childless and not married which they
thought meant they were cursed of the LORD and were contemptible to men.
There is another meaning to this verse.
In Scripture the woman is also symbolic of the kingdom of Satan.
And I saw the woman drunken with
the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I
saw her, I wondered with great admiration. (Revelation 17:6)
So here we have seven women going after one man and that one man is the
Lord Jesus Christ as they wish to be attached to his name yet they still want to
do their own religion their way.
The Mormons claim Christ yet have their own religion.
The Roman Catholics claim Christ but have their own religion.
Even Islam claims he is a prophet but they have their own religion.
Seventh Day Adventists claim Jesus but have their own religion.
Apostate Protestants claim Jesus yet have their own religion.
There are probably others who claim association with Jesus and yet have
their own religion, their religious clothing, their own teachings, etc.
Not every one that saith unto me,
Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will
of my Father which is in heaven. (Matthew 7:21)
Matthew 7:21-23 is the only thing these false religions have as a result
of their spiritual prostitution.
Isa 4:2
In that day shall the branch of the LORD be beautiful and
glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for
them that are escaped of Israel.
Here Isaiah jumps to the future when the Lord Jesus
Christ will come on the scene. He
is called the branch.
And there shall come forth a rod out of
the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: (Isaiah 11:1)
The beautiful and glorious will be the time when the Lord Jesus Christ
effects salvation for all his Elect because they will have the righteousness of
Christ imputed to them in salvation.
That he might present it to himself a glorious church,
not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and
without blemish. (Ephesians 5:27)
Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy
beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no
more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean. (Isaiah 52:1)
Then the branch will bear fruit from all over the world.
The fruit will be the body of believers
and those who have escaped of Israel will be those who have become saved by
grace from the keeping of the law.
Those who insist on keeping the law for salvation will experience only
damnation.
Isa 4:3
And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in
Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even
every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem:
Then here is mentioned the remnant who are left in Zion
which is another name for the body of believers.
1 Great is the LORD, and greatly to be
praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness. 2
Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on
the sides of the north, the city of the great King. (Psalm 48:1-2)
Let Israel rejoice in him that made him: let the children
of Zion be joyful in their King. (Psalm 149:2)
Those who are in Jerusalem shall be called holy and the
ones who are called holy are the true body of believers.
Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly
calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;
(Hebrews 3:1)
But ye are a chosen generation, a royal
priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the
praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: (1
Peter 2:9)
The living is referring to those who are spiritually
alive which is the body of believers who dwell in the city which Abraham
searched for which is the New Jerusalem.
Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of
my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my
God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which
cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new
name. (Revelation 3:12)
And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down
from God out of heaven,
prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. (Revelation
21:2)
All the true believers were written in the Lamb’s Book of
Life from the foundation of the world.
And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that
defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie:
but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life. (Revelation 21:27)
Isa 4:4
When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the
daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst
thereof by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning.
Then Isaiah reverts back to the time at hand where the
Lord himself will wash away the filth of the daughters of Zion who had attempted
to marry in a polygamous manner.
This is one of those dual meaning verses Isaiah is famous for.
The only way the filth can be washed away is by the gospel of Christ.
Not by works of righteousness
which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of
regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; (Titus 3:5)
The LORD will also purge the blood of Jerusalem from the sin of murder to
the worship of idols. It will done
by the spirit of Judgment that the LORD will judge each of these sins
individually and corporately on the whole nation.
The spirit of burning will be a complete consummation of those sins from
off the land. The Lord will do it
himself.
I indeed baptize you with water unto
repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not
worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and
with fire: (Matthew 3:11)
Fire is always present when there is judgment whether it be literal or
figurative.
Isa 4:5
And the LORD will create upon every dwelling place of
mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining
of a flaming fire by night: for upon all the glory shall be a defence.
During the time of the Exodus the LORD protected Israel
when he created a pillar of fire by night and the pillar of cloud by day.
This verse is teaching that God will protect his people from every enemy
and he is speaking about those who have become saved.
Satan will have no authority over them nor can he cause them to lose
salvation and come back into his kingdom.
His power is limited when it comes to the believer.
Then upon all the glory shall be a
defence. The word “defence” carries
with it the meaning of a “chamber or canopy” which would limit the vision of it.
The glory of God will be evident throughout the earth but only limited to
the true believer. This means that only those who are saved will be able to see
the glory of God and those who are not saved will only see the judgment of God.
Jesus answered and said unto him,
Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the
kingdom of God. (John 3:3)
Isa 4:6
And there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the
daytime from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a covert from storm
and from rain.