In that day the LORD of hosts will be a crown of glory, and a diadem of beauty, to the remnant of his people - Isaiah 28:5
With Isaiah being such a liminal space in the Bible, looking in both the near future and the far, many times I turn to commentaries to get a sense of the history being referred to.
Matthew Henry gives a fittingly beautiful recount of God’s favor and protection to those who are faithful, who have “a steady and singular adherence” to him:
He next turns to the kingdom of Judah, whom he calls the residue of his people, for they were but two tribes to the other ten.
He promises them God's favours, and that they shall be taken under his guidance and protection when the beauty of Ephraim shall be left exposed to be trodden down and eaten up. In that day, when the Assyrian army is laying Israel waste, and Judah might think that their neighbour's house being on fire their own was in danger, in that day of treading down and perplexity, then God will be to the residue of his people all they need and can desire; not only to the kingdom of Judah, but to those of Israel who had kept their integrity, and, as was probably the case with some, betook themselves to the land of Judah, to be sheltered by good king Hezekiah. When the Assyrian, that mighty one, was in Israel as a tempest of hail, noisy and battering, as a destroying storm bearing down all before it, especially at sea, and as a flood of mighty waters overflowing the country, then in that day will the Lord of hosts, of all hosts, distinguish by peculiar favours his people who have distinguished themselves by a steady and singular adherence to him, and that which they most need he will himself be to them.
What a hope that we can cling to even today. In that day - the day where the world seems to be falling apart, danger feels at every door, the world seems to be bent on destruction - in that day, God will be what we most need himself to be to us. A rock, our stronghold, our fortress, our provider, our mother hen, our shepherd, our redemption. We do not need to fear, only trust.
And yes, in this fallen world, sometimes that protection doesn’t look like what we expect. Even so, as we continue our walk in Holy Week to Tuesday, we see that this is a human condition in John 12:20-36 - to have our minds set on one type of salvation when a different, better version is being provided that we do not expect and cannot understand at the time without God’s revelation.
But, even if it doesn’t come in the form expected, there is still beauty to be found in the providence: comfort in times of sorrow, peace in times of danger, joy in the final revelation. May we learn to trust that God provides what we need to sustain us in every moment.