Isaiah 4, though very brief, depicts conditions that were to prevail not only in the days following the threatened Babylonian captivity, but also in the dark days of the great tribulation, for Isaiah looked far beyond his own age to days yet to come. Often in times of prolonged warfare, women far outnumber the men, and Isaiah prophesied that “in that day seven women shall take hold of one man” and seek to claim him as their husband in order to take away their reproach. Such polygamous solutions to the problem of the shortage of men were suggested by some people following both world wars.
Isaiah also foresaw that when times were darkened, deliverance would come through the Branch of the Lord, the promised Messiah of Israel, the loveliest of the sons of men. Those left in Zion and remaining in Jerusalem would be the special objects of His favor and would be set apart to the Lord. He would wash away their filth in His own blood and cleanse their hearts with “the spirit of burning” in accordance with the promises made through many other prophets.
Then mount Zion and Jerusalem would become a center of blessing to the whole earth. The glory of the Lord that once was seen over the sanctuary would be as a cloudy pillar over all the homes of the redeemed city. The pillar would be for defense as well as glory. “And there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the daytime from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a covert from storm and from rain.” Thus like Israel in the wilderness so long ago, the restored nation would be under Jehovah’s gracious care when He had cleansed them from their iniquities and turned their hearts back to Himself.