Isaiah 4:3,4 - Those who are left

4:3

The remnant will be called holy. We need to appreciate that it is the Lord’s purpose to create a holy people, “be holy as I am holy” (Lev 11:44,45; 1 Pet 1:16). It is certainly not about affirming people in unholy lifestyles or practices. Nor is it about just increasing numbers, it is about making disciples. In our own lives we need to appreciate the fact that God’s primary concern is to make us holy, to make us ever more Christlike. If we do not appreciate these things we will misunderstand God’s working in our own lives, and His purpose for the church in the world.

4:4

How will the Lord do this? By a spirit of judgement and a spirit of fire. John the Baptist said that the Messiah would baptise with spirit and fire. The filth of the women and the bloodstains will be cleansed from Jerusalem. This does not mean God has anything against women! It is the sinful women of earlier chapters that He is speaking of, and the “bloodstains” represent the violence of the men. Note that the removal of this defilement is not a simple matter, it is not a matter of God simply overlooking the past sins. Judgement and fire are needed. If we are to understand the cross aright we must understand that it is a judgement upon our sin. You and I deserved to be there. And sometimes the Spirit will burn fiercely within us to cleanse us of our unholiness.