Isaiah 4

Yes, another one of those scriptoral rants not fully thought through, but just my first impression. I don't want to forget these thoughts, so I have to write them down. Feel free to skip over or read and think I'm a raving lunatic. :)

So I started reading Isaiah in my reading the other day. Today I read Isaiah 4. http://scriptures.lds.org/en/isa/4 There were 2 things that stuck out to me:

1) V 4: "Washed...Purged...Burning" It was talking about the daughters of Zion, the purification of Zion in the last days. I was pleased that I thought that the same is going to happen to the world, prepatory for the Lord to return and reign - and then I read in the footnotes that it was talking about the earth too. I'm glad that I'm starting to catch on to a few things so far through the Spirit and not to absolutely everything spelled out for me. Another thought that I haven't thought fully through, yet I'm writing down, is something that Joel has brought to my attention not too long ago. It refers to birth, both physical and spiritual. They are a 3 part process - water, blood, and spirit. Perhaps this passage could also be refering to the spiritual birth of 'the daughters of Zion'. In the verse it is washing away the filth (ie baptism)...purging the blood of Zion (ie through Christ's blood)...and the spirit of burning (ie Holy Ghost). Just something to think about.

2) Vs 5-6: The more I read and ponder these verses the more beautiful I think they are. The commentary I am using implies that we should not rule out that this is going to be literal (the cloud and flaming fire) just as the days of Moses. And it could be, it just hasn't happened yet that I am aware of. But I love the spiritual application of it too. Think of Zion, and all the meanings of Zion - the pure in heart, geographical locations, temples and church houses - and that the glory of God shall be a defence. Defence from what? Verse 6 explains. A shadow from the heat (again this could very much prove itself to be literal) a place of refuge and cover from the storm and rain. We are going to have to be tried and purged, as in v 4, but as we strive to be Zion and work toward it being built in these latter days, God's glory will protect us. Again, we will have to feel the heat and withstand the rainstorms that will inevitably come, but we don't have to do it alone. We have the Holy Ghost for comfort and protection, we have other kindred spirits striving toward Zion whom God uses to reach His hands out to us. I could go on but not without being overly repetative. They just struck me as I was reading today.

I will definately ponder these verses more.