Isaiah 4:1

Isaiah 4:1 says, And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach.  After so many men fell in battle, the balance between the number of men and women changed.  Women would be desperate to marry and have a man to call their husband.  They would be so desperate to do this that seven women would go to the same man and ask him to marry them while even promising that if he did, they would provide for themselves.  This was definitely not in accordance with God's will, and one man being married to several women isn't today, for whatever reason. 

Verse two adds, In that day shall the branch of the Lord be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel.  Though things looked bleak, there was coming a restoration of the people of God.  This was ultimately fulfilled with the coming of Jesus Christ but was temporarily fulfilled by when Hezikiah became king after Ahaz.  We may have Christian nations today, but the ultimate fulfillment of God’s word will occur when Jesus Christ returns in victory.   

Verse three continues, And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem:  In that day, Isaiah said that all those left in Zion and Jerusalem would be called holy.  Holy means that they would be set apart from the world and set up as a part of God’s kingdom, which will not completely come until Jesus Christ returns.   We as followers of Christ are a part of Gd’s kingdom, but we won’t see His everlasting kingdom until Jesus Christ comes to escort us home.  

Verse four states, When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning.  The people left after God’s judgment would be washed clean of the filth that had invaded His kingdom.  Once more, we need to remember that all of these people had been called God’s people by the world, but they were not called His people by God Himself, and those who were truly God's people would be cleansed of all filth, or unrighteousness.  When Jesus Christ returns, He will purge His church, those who believe in Him as Savior and Lord, of all the unrighteous things that may have invaded worship services.   

Verse five adds, And the Lord will create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night: for upon all the glory shall be a defence.  Just as God did with Israel in the wilderness, He would protect His people then day and night.  Matthew Henry says that the cloud was to protect them from heat during the day and the shining, flaming fire was to keep them warm by night.  I believe that it might be more just a sign of His presence, since He could easily control the temperature if this was the only reason He was doing this.  He also points out that God was not just going to protect one place of worship, but He was going to protect every place that the people worshipped, including their homes.  As followers of Christ, our homes should be places where we worship God, and not just the church building where we gather to worship.   

Verse six adds, And there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the day time from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a covert from storm and from rain.  In this verse, it is stated that the tabernacle will be a place of refuge from the heat of the day and from the storm and the rain.  Even if we were to be physically destroyed by the elements, we are still forever protected spiritually as Christians.