God’s Word for You
Isaiah 4:5 The canopy
by Pastor Timothy Smith on Thursday, December 26, 2024
5 The LORD will create over all of Mount Zion and over those who assemble there a cloud of smoke by day and a glow of flaming fire by night; so there will be a canopy over all the glory.
Isaiah uses language from Genesis and Exodus to describe what he sees. The Lord creates (Genesis 1:1) a cloud of smoke by day and… fire by night (Exodus 13:21-22). The divine act of creating brings about the same protection that the Lord gave to his people when he brought them out of captivity in Egypt to enter into the Promised Land. The image and its placement in relation to the coming of Christ tells us that God’s plan is to bring us, his people, out of our bondage to the slavery of sin and temptation. He will bring us safely home to live with him forever.
The pillars of cloud and fire that guided and protected Israel in the desert are described once again for us in the same or very nearly the same language. On the road out of Egypt, these pillars (or one pillar that looked different by night and by day) served the purpose of giving God’s light, his protection, and his guidepost for the people. This was a constant reminder that he was with them. When I wrote devotions on Exodus some fifteen year ago, I speculated that the pillar was “big enough to keep the Egyptians from attacking the people while they hiked across the dry path through the Red Sea (Exodus 14:19),” and that “If you’ve ever seen a tornado, or a picture of one, maybe that comes close to the pillar that showed the people that God himself was with them.”
Instead of leading us into the land of Canaan, the image is of God leading us as the people of the true Zion. We are the people of Christ, assembled there within the true Zion, the holy Christian Church. But this time, his protection is not to lead us anywhere on earth, but simply to watch over us forever as we dwell with him in Paradise. Luther identified the pillar with Christ himself: “He means nothing else by the pillar, etc., than the reign of faith, that Christ dwells in us through faith. He is our Mediator, Leader, Teacher, Priest; he himself is the Pillar and the Cloud, that is, the form in which the Glory of the Lord appeared, or that in which God became manifest, as he says in John 14:9: ‘He who has seen me has seen the Father’” (LW 23:53).
His protection will never be removed. He places his canopy over us. When we were young, my sister had a canopy bed. I don’t know whether this is always the case, but I always thought, and happily, that it was a way for our mom and dad to let my sister Nola know that she was a very special girl, and dearly loved. The term “canopy” (huppah) was the bridal tent for the wedding night (Joel 2:16; Psalm 19:5 ) or simply the over-arching roof of a tent or building. Since this is his protection over us in heaven (or a vision of what it will be like), we know that we will be safe from every storm and dearly loved. No temptation, no tragedy, no difficulty, and no grief will assail us. We will not be concerned about anything because God will care for all our needs.
While we imagine ourselves here under the canopy (which the King James Version calls “a defense”), this is a reasonable moment to say a few things about the conditions of our living in heaven. Certain institutions that are necessary for life on earth will no longer be necessary in heaven.
1, There will no longer be marriage (Matthew 22:30) but loving husbands and wives should not fret or worry about this, since the Bible nowhere says that they will no longer know each other or will continue to be anything but the best of friends.
2, There will no longer be a need to distinguish separate families. “Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family” (Hebrews 2:11).
3, There will not be nationalities or races. “They will be his people” (Revelation 21:3).
4, There will no longer be any civil government to punish evildoers (Luke 13:27).
5, There will no longer need to be earthly vocations or jobs that are means to alleviate suffering, such as physicians, dentists, counselors, and so on, for “there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain… He will wipe every tear away from their eyes” (Revelation 21:4).
6, We are also assured: “Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their Shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water” (Revelation 7:16-17).
While there are many other details about Paradise to be asked and answered, this verse especially addresses the question of peace and security. We will live in perfect contentment (Psalm 17:15) and in absolute security, free from sorrow, pain, disease, or sin of any kind. We will never be in danger of falling into sin every again. Jesus Christ spreads his cloak over us, and we will be his flock and his congregation for all eternity.
In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith
Pastor Smith serves St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in New Ulm, Minnesota. To receive God’s Word for You via e-mail, please visit the St. Paul’s Lutheran Church website.