Today I was reading and meditating on Isaiah chapter 4. It is really short, so I'll type it all out here.
"In that day seven women will all take hold of one man and say, 'We will eat our own food and provide our own clothes; only let us be called by your name. Take away our disgrace!' in 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 the survivors in Israel. Those who are left in Zion, who remain in Jerusalem, will be called holy, all who are recorded among the living in Jerusalem. The Lord will wash aweay the filth of the women of Zion; he will cleanse the bloodstains from Jerusalem by a spirit of judgment and a spirit of fire. Then the Lord with create over all of Mount Zion and over those who assemble there a cloud of smoke by day and a glow of flaming fire by night; over everything the glory will be a canopy. It will be a shelter and shade from the heat of the day, and a refuge and hiding place from the storm and rain."
So, to give a little context, this passage follows a chapter in which God talks about how far Jerusalem falls short when being judged. There is even a specific section at the end of chapter 3 that describes how detestable the women of Zion are, and how God is going to punish them for their sins. (in case you haven't read it, there are sores and baldness involved... so not pleasant for a pretty lady). There were a few things about chapter 4 though that stood out to me today.
1. God is the one that redeems. The people of Israel are being judged by God, and they do not measure up, and so in response to this God redeems them. In verse one the women are begging for someone to take away their disgrace, and in verse 4 God says, "The Lord will wash away the filth of the women of Zion; he will cleanse the bloodstains from Jerusalem." I need to be reminded so many times that I cannot redeem myself. I cannot ever measure up to God's perfect righteousness and how much more blessed would my life be if I lived like that 24/7!
2. The redemption that God brings is painful and hard. The second half of verse 4 says, "he will cleanse the bloodstains from Jerusalem by a spirit of judgment and a spirit of fire." The tools that God uses to cleanse us when we are dirty and filthy with sin is judgement and fire. How accurate that is of life! It hurts to be made aware that you don't measure up, at least that is true for me. It hurts me to be a failure. But like 1 Peter 1:7 talks about, Gold and other precious metals are refined and perfected through fire. The heat burns away the impurities and makes the metal perfect which is what makes it precious. Fire, heat, discomfort are all necessary in making us turn from our sins and back to the goodness of God.
3. The third thing that strikes me about this passage is God's consistancy. Here God is rescuing and redeeming the women of Zion from sin (again), and the sign of his presence is the same here as when he rescues the Israelites from Egypt. Exodus 13:21-22 says, " By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on theri way and by night in a pilar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by nihgt left its place in front of the people." Coincidence? I think not. The consistancy of God blows me away. Here God gives the people the exact same sign both times he rescues them. There can be no doubt that God is the one doing the redemption, because here is God revealing himself hundreds of years apart, but in the exact same way.
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