This is another in a series of excerpts from The Book of Life: What the Bible Says about God’s Registry of the Redeemed from High Street Press and available at Amazon. This except comes from Chapter 8: Whoever Remains in Zion: Isaiah 4:3.

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Whoever remains in Zion and whoever is left in Jerusalem will be called holy ​— ​all in Jerusalem written in the book of life … (Isa. 4:3).

Isaiah prophesies in Judah during the reigns of four kings, a period of sixty to seventy years during which Samaria is captured, the northern kingdom of Israel is carried away (722-721 BC), and Judah is invaded (701 BC). 

Isaiah’s messages harken back to the eternal councils of God and gaze forward to the  creation of new heavens and a new earth (65:17; 66:22). Isaiah’s prophecies have a powerful messianic focus. He foretells Messiah’s birth (7:14; 9:6); reveals his deity (9:6-7); describes his ministry (9:1-2; 42:1-7; 61:1-2); foretells his death (52:1 – 53:12); and celebrates his future reign on earth (chaps. 2; 11; 65). 

A high point in Isaiah’s ministry comes in chapter 6 as he encounters God. The enraptured prophet catches a glimpse of Yahweh’s glory, moving Isaiah to despise his uncleanness and declare his sinfulness. He then confesses the people’s sins and responds to the divine call to take them God’s message: “Here I am. Send me” (see Isa. 6:1-8). 

It’s important to note that Isaiah is sent to bring hardness to the hearts of the people of Judah. The Lord tells him:

Go! Say to these people: Keep listening, but do not understand; keep looking, but do not perceive. Make the minds of these people dull; deafen their ears and blind their eyes; otherwise they might see with their eyes and hear with their ears, understand with their minds, turn back, and be healed (Isa. 6:9-10).

This is a significant passage. All four Gospel writers quote it, as does Paul (Matt. 13:14-15; Mark 4:11-12; Luke 8:10; John 12:40; Acts 28:26-27). In every case, it’s applied in the context of Israel’s unbelief in Jesus as Messiah. In Isaiah’s day, the people’s rejection of God invites his wrath, as the Babylonians become his instrument of judgment. In the days of Jesus’s earthly ministry, the Israelites’ rejection of the incarnate Son of God results in national destruction at the hands of the Romans. 

Indeed, Isaiah declares that the future is dark for God’s people, but there’s hope for those who turn from their sin and embrace God’s grace. They are the redeemed – “whoever remains in Zion” (4:3).

The impact of Isaiah’s ministry is felt far beyond the scope of his lifetime. He’s quoted directly in the New Testament more than sixty-five times, far more than any other Old Testament prophet, and he’s mentioned by name more than twenty times. 

Through a literary device known as prophetic foreshortening, Isaiah predicts future events without laying down exact sequences of the events or the time intervals separating them. For example, nothing in Isaiah reveals the extended period separating the two comings of the Messiah (see Isa. 61:1-2; Luke 4:17-22). 

Tradition has it that Isaiah meets his death under King Manasseh by being ripped in two with a saw (see Heb. 11:37). 

The daughters of Zion

For the purposes of this study, we focus on Isaiah 4:3, which falls just after a section on God’s removal of Judah’s proud women, and is followed immediately by a glimpse of God’s glorious kingdom. Let’s take a closer look.

After a scathing rebuke of Judah’s leaders (Isa. 3:1-15), the prophet turns his attention to the wealthy and self-absorbed women of the land:

The LORD also says: Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, walking with heads held high and seductive eyes, prancing along, jingling their ankle bracelets, the Lord will put scabs on the heads of the daughters of Zion, and the LORD will shave their foreheads bare (Isa. 3:16-17).

Peace and prosperity mark Uzziah’s time as king. Therefore, the wives of many government officials, businessmen, and military leaders have the financial means to pamper themselves and dress lavishly. It’s clear from the context that God condemns the pride of the wealthy women of Jerusalem. He calls them “haughty,” meaning self-engrossed or proud. 

Isaiah notices these arrogant, well-dressed women in the temple area of Jerusalem, where God should be exalted, and humility should be the prevailing attitude of the people. The Lord describes their behavior: they walk pompously, with their noses in the air, giving flirtatious glances, walking provocatively with short hops or steps that cause the jewelry on their ankles to jangle, thus drawing attention to themselves. The same type of behavior in the first-century church grieves Paul and Peter (1 Tim. 2:9-10; 1 Pet. 3:3-4). 

But God is determined to remove everything these women hold so dearly, bringing them to the point of humiliation and shame, and making their appearance repulsive to others. Even though these verses don’t say how God will accomplish this, the description of the women indicates it may be due to the rape and savagery that comes with defeat in warfare. If the haughty females do not repent, their opulent world will come crashing down on them. 

Isaiah 3:24 uses the word “instead” five times to foretell the women’s judgment: 

·    Instead of perfume, there’s a stench, probably from decaying flesh and festering wounds. 

·    Instead of fashionable belts, ropes secure their clothing, or perhaps the women are bound as prisoners. 

·    Instead of beautifully styled hair, there is baldness.

·    Instead of the finest fashions, there is sackcloth, symbolic of grief and mourning. 

·    Instead of beautiful clothes and makeup, there’s a permanent and disfiguring brand the conquering soldiers press into their flesh. 

Added to this is the shame of living without husbands or children, probably because of the death of many men in warfare. The loss of these males takes away the women’s income, security, and social status, to the point where they desperately grab hold of a man, vow to share him with other women, and even take care of their own needs in exchange for the opportunity to bear children (3:25 – 4:1). 

This is a harsh oracle, but a hopeful transition follows:

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 written in the book of life ​— ​ when the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and cleansed the bloodguilt from the heart of Jerusalem by a spirit of judgment and a spirit of burning. Then the LORD will create a cloud of smoke by day and a glowing flame of fire by night over the entire site of Mount Zion and over its assemblies. For there will be a canopy over all the glory, and there will be a shelter for shade from heat by day and a refuge and shelter from storm and rain (Isa. 4:2-6).

Despite an extended warning that runs from Isaiah 2:6 – 4:1, the prophet is clear that God’s glorious kingdom overshadows both the rebellion of his people and the necessary rebuke of divine judgment. This occurs “on that day,” when the Lord gathers his people to Zion. As Gary Smith notes, “God’s judgment has the ultimate purpose of purifying his people, not destroying them.”¹ The prophecy that the entire remnant is now “holy” suggests the future fulfillment of a messianic Zion, not merely a rebuilt and repopulated city after the Babylonian captivity.

Next: Whoever Remains in Zion (Part 2)