The Glory of Jesus Covers Our Sin

1 In that day so few men will be left that seven women will fight for each man, saying, “Let us all marry you! We will provide our own food and clothing. Only let us take your name so we won’t be mocked as old maids.”

A Promise of Restoration
2 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.
3 All who remain in Zion
will be a holy people—
those who survive the destruction of Jerusalem
and are recorded among the living.
4 The Lord will wash the filth from beautiful Zion
and cleanse Jerusalem of its bloodstains
with the hot breath of fiery judgment.
5 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.
6 It will be a shelter from daytime heat
and a hiding place from storms and rain.

Isaiah 4 brings the description of God’s coming judgment to a climax. As the Lord ceases to protect the people, they experience devastating defeats at the hands of their enemies. With so many of their men killed, normal society crumbles. The social consequences are frightening. “In that day seven women will 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!’”

But God’s love and mercy for his people endure forever. God’s plan of salvation will not fail. “The Branch of the LORD” reverses the ugliness of the situation, because he “will be beautiful and glorious.” Isaiah 11:1-2 provides some additional helpful details about this promised one:?“A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.”

Can a mere “branch,” a “shoot,” be “beautiful and glorious”? Empowered with the Spirit of wisdom, understanding, and fear of the Lord, this unassuming remnant of David’s line has all the spiritual qualities needed to turn the world right-side up. His righteousness covers our sin, replacing its ugliness with his glorious beauty.

Father, thank you for preserving the remnant of Judah. Help us so that more of the beauty of Jesus’ righteousness covers over the ugliness of our sin. In his name, Amen.