Isaiah 4:4

THE CLEANSING SPIRIT

Isaiah 4:4. By the Spirit of judgment, and by the Spirit of burning.

In Isaiah 2:1, the prophet gives us a vision of the glory which shall distinguish Messianic times. From Isaiah 4:6, however, and through that chapter and the next, he depicts scenes of darkness and distress, that were to come upon the Jewish nation in correction of its haughtiness, arrogance, and rebellion. In ch. 4 the light again breaks through these fearful clouds of judgment, and under the glory of the Messianic period we see the beauty and purity of the chastened people of the Lord. The filth of the daughters of Zion has been washed away, the blood of Jerusalem has been purged from the midst thereof. But how? “By the Spirit of judgment, and by the Spirit of burning.” Here we have the source and cause of the change.—This language is very striking and suggestive, and reveals the Divine procedure in the cleansing of the heart.

I. THE SPIRIT OF JUDGMENT. God’s Spirit effects this reformation by a process of discernment and conviction. We observe—

1. That a real change of heart is usually preceded by a discovery of its sinful condition. The natural tendency of the depraved heart is to ignore and deny its corrupted state. The light must be let in to show that it is depraved [577]

2. That this reformation is preceded by a discovery of the enormity as well as the fact of sin. Even a converted sinner tries to palliate or soften the sins that condemn him. Hence men contrive such flimsy distinctions as “white lies” and “black lies.” But “the Spirit of judgment” goes to the root of the matter, and discovers sin as sin (1 Kings 8:28). So in the text, it is the filth of the daughters of Zion that has had to be washed away; it is the blood of Jerusalem that has had to be purged from its midst [580]

[577] It is with the children of men as with the housewife, that having diligently swept her house, and cast the dust out of doors, can see nothing amiss, not so much as a speck of dust in it; whereas if the sun do but a little shine in, through some cranny in the wall or some broken quarry in the window, she may soon see the whole house swim and swarm with innumerable atoms of dust, floating to and fro in the air, which, for dimness of light or sight, she was not able to discern. Even so is it with many that were careful of their ways, so that little may be seen that is amiss; yet when they shall come to look more attentively into God’s law, a little beam of light, reflecting upon their souls from it, will discover unto them such an innumerable company, as well of corruptions in their heart as of error and oversight in their lives, that it shall make them, as men amazed, cry out, “Lord, what earthly man doth know the errors of his life?”—Spencer, 1658.

[580] As the Lord led Ezekiel from one place to another, and the further he went the greater abominations he discerned (Ezekiel 8), from the door of the court to the door of the gate of the Lord’s house, and from thence to the inner court; so the Spirit of the Lord leads the sinner from one part of his house to another, from one room—one faculty of his soul to another, and still discovers greater, more and more abominations,—leads from the profaneness of his ordinary conversation to the sins of his religious duties, from the sins of his life to the sins of his heart, from the streams of sin in his actions to the spring of sin which bubbles up continually in every part of his soul. He brings to mind the sins that he has forgotten, makes him “possess the sins of his youth;” and now the “bag” (Job 14:17) is opened, and the sinner sees what he is to reckon for, he cries out as the prophet’s servant, “How shall we do?” and as David (Psalms 38:4). He comes not to the assizes as formerly, to see others tried and condemned; he sees himself now at the bar, himself arraigned and indicted; he cannot but plead guilty. He is clearly cast in law, and bears the sentence of condemnation as though the Lord did by name pronounce sentence of condemnation against him.—Clarkson, 1621–1686.

II. THE SPIRIT OF BURNING. From this description of the Holy Ghost, we learn—

1. That the detection of sin is, in the Divine purpose, to be followed by its destruction. There can be no home for sin in a pure heart, nor will God make any concession to it (Habakkuk 1:13; Psalms 5:5).

2. This process is extremely searching and painful. It is one of “burning” (Matthew 3:11). How many have quailed under the testing ordeal!—e.g., loss of wealth! loss of friends! personal affliction, &c.

From the subject three general reflections arise:—

1. God does not chastise arbitrarily or at random. He does it by “the Spirit of judgment.”
2. Neither does He fail in the work by reason of a weak indulgence, which really would be unkindness. He does it by “the Spirit of burning.”
3. The object He has in view is to promote and secure our personal holiness, to make us indeed like Himself (Hebrews 12:10)—the most blessed result to which discipline can lead us.—W. Manning.