The Divine Lamp

All quotes are from the WEB Bible. All links to Scripture passages are to the RSV

4:2 In that day, Yahweh’s branch will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land will be the beauty and glory of the survivors of Israel. cb(4,3); 4:3 It will happen, that he who is left in Zion, and he who remains in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even everyone who is written among the living in Jerusalem; cb(4,4); 4:4 when the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from its midst, by the spirit of justice, and by the spirit of burning. cb(4,5); 4:5 Yahweh will create over the whole habitation of Mount Zion, and over her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night; for over all the glory will be a canopy. cb(4,6); 4:6 There will be a pavilion for a shade in the daytime from the heat, and for a refuge and for a shelter from storm and from rain. (WEB Bible)

In that day: A reference to the day [time] of redemption after the day [time] of punishment (2:11). God’s punishment is meant to bring people to repentance (1:26-27). The Kingdom of Judah and its capitol, Jerusalem, had already suffered greatly (Ch 1:2-31), but a remnant had survived (1:9). As a consequence of God’s punishment the people were told:

1:7 Your country (land) is desolate.

Your cities are burned with fire.

Strangers devour your land in your presence,

and it is desolate,

as overthrown by strangers.

cb(1,8); 1:8 The daughter of Zion is left like a shelter in a vineyard,

like a hut in a field of melons,

like a besieged city. (WEB Bible. See the NAB)

They were also told: “For you shall be as an oak tree whose leaves fade, and as a garden that has no water” (1:30).

The people in other words will be like barren trees, and the land desolate, without life or growth. In contrast, the time of redemption is described as “Yahweh’s branch will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land will be the beauty and glory of the survivors of Israel (4:2).“

4:3 It will happen, that he who is left in Zion, and he who remains in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even everyone who is written among the living in Jerusalem… This is an obvious reference to those who survive the judgment through repentance, by the grace of God (see 1:18-20). They have had their names written into the book of life (see Mal 3:13-21; or, in some Bibles, 3:13-4:3 Note that the wicked mock penance and will become like trees without root or branch)

4:4 when the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from its midst, by the spirit of justice, and by the spirit of burning. In 1:15-16, God, through the prophet, told the people that their hands were full of blood and they needed to wash themselves clean. If they did so, they would eat the good things of the land (1:19). To motivate them to this repentance God decreed: “And I will turn my hand upon you, thoroughly purge away your dross, and take away all your tin” (1:25). God’s punishment is meant to be medicinal and cleansing.

Vss 5-6 Yahweh will create over the whole habitation of Mount Zion, and over her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night; for over all the glory will be a canopy. cb(4,6); There will be a pavilion for a shade in the daytime from the heat, and for a refuge and for a shelter from storm and from rain. Verse 5 is an allusion to Ex 13:21-22. God will be present and protective of his people. Verse 6 calls to mind the common practice of ancient Israel. People lived in cities and villages and had to travel to their farmland in order to work it. At harvest time they would build huts in the fields to house themselves. This was done for several reasons, 1) it cut down on travel time and thus allowed more work time for the actual harvest; 2) they could protect what they had harvested from thieves; 3) if the weather turned bad they could quickly find protection. This verse calls to mind the description of Jerusalem in chapter 1:8, where it had been described as a hut in a desolate field which had been “harvested,” as it were, by her enemies. In spite of the dire straits in which the city found itself, it had been protected, even though it had been unable to protect itself or the land surrounding it. Yet its near fall was meant to serve as a warning, moving the people to repent and embrace righteousness. Sinners have no business presuming God’s protection.

 

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