Major Prophets Isaiah

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Discover Jesus as: Immanuel Isaiah 3-4 Read on Bible Gateway (HCSB)

Day 575 of 730
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INTRO

To review from yesterday, the prophet Isaiah had a vision specifically for the Southern Kingdom of Judah and Jerusalem. It came right before their exile to Babylon (chapter 1) and was about the restoration of Judah and Jerusalem (chapter 2), and the judgment and glory of Zion (chapters 3—4). Our word for Isaiah is Immanuel, that God was going to show up in human flesh.

Yesterday, we portrayed Isaiah with three circular rings. The first circle represents Judah’s current situation assessment that came from the Lord and the coming exile with the Assyrians and the Babylonians. The second circle is the first coming of Immanuel by a virgin (Isaiah 7:14). The third circle is the second coming of the Messiah and the millennium.

In chapter 2, Isaiah told the Israelites they were guilty, but the peace of the Lord was coming (vv. 1–4). It was a message of hope. Then Isaiah went back to the coming judgment (v. 5) and that continues until Isaiah 4:2. In chapter 3, the discussion of the judgment continues. Mark Copeland outlines chapter 3 as follows:

  1. The removal of good leadership:
  2. The Lord will deprive the nation not only of supplies, but of good leaders: 3:1–7.
  3. Judah and Jerusalem’s blatant wickedness will cause them to fall: 3:8–9
  4. The righteous will be cared for but not the wicked: 3:10–11.
  5. Poor leaders will be given to the people, and leaders who misused their power will be judged: 3:12–15.

The women and their coming tragedy:

Judgment is to come upon them for their haughtiness and wantonness: 3:16–17.

A detailed description of their loss follows (3:18—4:1):

The Lord will take away their finery.

Their men will fall by the sword and war.

They shall be left desolate and desperate to remove their reproach.1

Because the men will fall by the sword, the ratio of men to women will become unbalanced with more women than men (v. 25), and the women will become desolate in their lives without them (v. 26). This gives us the background for chapter 4.

TEACHING

Isaiah 4:1: Because of all that Isaiah prophesied would happen in chapter 3, the women would not be able to have children and would be shamed by that. Therefore, in verse 1, Isaiah said “on that day,” “the once-proud women of Jerusalem would have to beg a man to father their children and take away their reproach—the fact that they have no children. Most of the men of Jerusalem would have died in the process of defending the city (3:25).”2

Isaiah 4:2–6: In verses 2–6, Isaiah gave the millennial blessing. Verse 2 begins with, “In that day,” which “speaks of the future revelation of the glory of the Lord on the earth (2:2–4).”3Nelson’s Commentary explains, “The prophecy of Zion’s restoration has three parts: (1) the Branch of the Lord will be glorious (v. 2); (2) the remnant will be sanctified (vv. 3, 4); and (3) the Lord will provide a protective covering over Mount Zion (vv. 5, 6).”4 Wiersbe explains, “The Branch of the Lord looks beyond the ‘Day of the Lord’ to that time when the kingdom will be established on earth” and is “a Messianic title for Jesus Christ, who came as a ‘shoot’ from the seeming dead stump of David’s dynasty.”5 “The fruit of the land” refers to the remnant of Israel.

The Branch of the Lord is coming, and He will be beautiful in this process. This is truly a picture of the Messianic kingdom being established (Isaiah 11:1; 53:2; Jeremiah 23:5). The Branch is not going to be what we’re expecting. Jesus is coming to be with us, and those who embrace that message will be the remnant. MacArthur points out, “Holy is another way of describing the remnant who will inherit God’s prosperity in that day”6 (v. 3). John 15:4–5 states we must remain in the Vine as branches in order to produce fruit. Isaiah 4 is a foreshadowing of John 15:4–5. All the Major Prophets pointed to the Branch (Jeremiah 33:15; Zechariah 3:8; 6:12). All of this alludes to the fact that captivity was coming, but there would be a shoot that would come from that captivity that would bring hope—His name is Branch, Yeshua, Jesus, the Messiah.

Then the Branch will wash away the filth of the daughters of Zion and cleanse Jerusalem (v. 4). This will be a period (the Second Coming, Tribulation) of cleansing with the spirit of judgment and the spirit of burning—God’s fiery judgment. Then God “will create a cloud of smoke by day and a glowing flame by night over the entire site of Mount Zion” (v. 5). God’s canopy will cover the glory, a booth will provide shade during the day, and shelter will protect from storm and rain (v. 6).

CLOSING

Every person will experience the presence of God. The question is, which side will you be on? Early in our discussion of Isaiah, we saw God call out the people for the lifestyle they were living—immoral, seductive, sexual, adulterous, idolatrous—and told them that if they would only look to the Branch, He would get them out of the dangerous situation they were in. God keeps promising the judgment and the blessing. Which one do you want to experience? I want to experience God’s blessing. The blessing can only come through Jesus the Messiah, the Immanuel.

  1. Mark A. Copeland, The Book of Isaiah: Student Edition, pp. 12–13; available at executableoutlines.com.

  2. Earl Radmacher, Ronald B. Allen, and H. Wayne House, eds., Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1999), p. 810.

  3. Nelson’s Commentary, p. 810.

  4. Nelson’s Commentary, p. 810.

  5. Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary: Old Testament (Colorado Springs, David C. Cook, 2002), p. 16.

  6. John MacArthur, The MacArthur Bible Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2005), p. 764.

Questions

  1. In Scripture, where do we see the fulfillment of Isaiah 3:4? (2 Kings 21:1; 22:1; 24:8)

Next: the Daily Word →

Daily Word

Laura Martin Isaiah 4:2–3

“On that day the Branch of the LORD will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of Israel’s survivors. Whoever remains in Zion and whoever is left in Jerusalem will be called holy—all in Jerusalem who are destined to live.”

Just as Judah and Jerusalem were in the midst of judgment and wrath when God granted mercy, God willingly grants you mercy. You may feel as though you have messed up with everything and everyone. Perhaps anything or anyone you looked to for security has disappeared. Remember, no matter what, God remains. He offers you grace and mercy. He is the God who forgives. He is the God who loves in the midst of darkness. It’s in this place of mercy and grace that God reveals His glory.

Imagine a dark, dreary day on the beach. Just when you think there’s no hope for the sun to shine, brightness peeks out from behind a cloud! With your head up, you joyfully walk into the sunlight and find hope for a beautiful day ahead. The day feels redeemed. In a simi- lar way, when you think you’ve lost all hope in your life, when you feel your destiny is doomed, remember God shines grace and mercy in the midst of your darkness. God hasn’t given up on you. Open your eyes and receive His redeeming love for your life through His Son Jesus Christ. Jesus will set you free from bondage. He will be your refuge and shelter from the storms of life. You are loved in His eyes. Today, open your eyes and receive His light and glory in your life!

“On that day the Branch of the Lord will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of Israel’s survivors. Whoever remains in Zion and whoever is left in Jerusalem will be called holy—all in Jerusalem who are destined to live.”

— Isaiah 4:2–3

FURTHER SCRIPTURE

  • Psalm 130:3–4 — “Yahweh, if You considered sins, Lord, who could stand? But with You there is forgiveness, so that You may be revered.”
  • Isaiah 3:1a — “Observe this: The Lord God of Hosts is about to remove from Jerusalem and from Judah every kind of security.”