Catholic Commentary on Isaiah 4

“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.” (Isaiah 4:2)

The Cleansed and Glorious Remnant

After the judgment of chapter 3, Isaiah sees the other side: 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 will be called holy, all who are recorded among the living in Jerusalem. The Lord will wash away 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 will create over Mount Zion a cloud of smoke by day and a glow of flaming fire by night; over everything the glory will be a canopy.

The Catechism identifies the Branch of the LORD as one of the Messianic titles: the shoot from the apparently dead stump of Jesse's line, beautiful and glorious (CCC 711).

Living the Word

Brothers and sisters, after the stripping comes the clothing; after the judgment comes the glory. The Spirit of judgment and fire that cleanses is not the end of the story but the beginning of the glory. Let the cleansing come.

Prayer

Lord God, let the Branch of the LORD be beautiful and glorious over us. Wash away the filth and cover us with your canopy of glory. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

4
A Remnant in Zion
1 In that day seven women
will take hold of one man and say,
“We will eat our own bread
and provide our own clothes.
Just let us be called by your name.
Take away our disgrace!”
 
2 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.
3 Whoever remains in Zion
and whoever is left in Jerusalem
will be called holy-
all in Jerusalem who are recorded among the living-
4 when the Lord has washed away
the filth of the daughters of Zion
and cleansed the bloodstains from the heart of Jerusalem
by a spirit of judgment and a spirit of fire.
 
5 Then the LORD will create over all of Mount Zion
and over her assemblies
a cloud of smoke by day
and a glowing flame of fire by night.
For over all the glory
there will be a canopy,
6 a shelter to give shade
from the heat by day,
and a refuge and hiding place
from the storm and the rain.

Public Domain