John Calvin Commentary Isaiah 4:3

"And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem;" — Isaiah 4:3 (ASV)

And it shall come to pass that he who is left in Zion. He elaborates on the same statement, that when the pollution of the people has been washed away, what remains will be pure and holy. The explanation given by some, that those who are found written in the book of life will be called holy, seems too limited to me. These two clauses should rather be read separately: that all who will be left in Zion will be holy, and that those who will be left in Jerusalem will be written in the book of life. And this repetition is very frequent and customary among the Hebrews, when the prophets present under various titles the same gift of God. Thus, when it is said,

There shall be salvation in Jerusalem,
and forgiveness of sins in Zion, (Joel 2:32)

both must be viewed as referring to the same subject; but the grace of God is more fully magnified when the cause of salvation is declared to consist of a free pardon.

In this passage, the argument is of the same kind; for he says that, when the filth has been washed away, the Church will be clean, and that all who have a place in her will truly be the elect of God. Now, it is certain that this does not apply universally to the external Church. Many have been admitted into it under the designation of believers who have nothing that corresponds to their profession. Indeed, they even exceed the small number of good people, just as the chaff exceeds the wheat in the barn.

And although the captivity in Babylon was employed by God as a sieve to remove a large portion of chaff, yet we know that the Church was still very far from being as pure as she should have been. But as at that time there was displayed, in some measure, a resemblance of that purity which will be truly and perfectly manifested after that

the lambs shall have been separated from the kids, (Matthew 25:32)

when Isaiah speaks of those beginnings, he includes, as is his custom, a period extending to the end, when God will bring to perfection what He then began.

It is the same thing which we see happening every day; for although chastisements and punishments do not entirely remove all spots from the Church, yet when spots have been washed out, she recovers a part of her purity. Thus she suffers no loss by the strokes inflicted on her; because, while she is diminished, she is at the same time comforted by casting out many hypocrites, just as it is only by casting out the offensive or corrupt matter that a diseased body can be restored to health.

From this we obtain a most useful consolation; for we usually desire a multitude, and estimate by it the prosperity of the Church. On the contrary, we should rather desire to be few in number, so that in all of us the glory of God may shine brightly. But because our own glory leads us in another direction, the consequence is that we value a large number of people more than the excellence of a few.

We should also learn what is the true glory of a Church; for she is truly prosperous when the saints have a place in her; though they are few and despised in the world, yet they make her condition prosperous and desirable. But as it will never happen in the world that the saints alone will hold a place in the Church, we should patiently endure a mixture, and, in the meantime, we should consider it a most valuable blessing when she draws near to the cleanness that should be found in her.

And they shall all be written among the living [or, to life] in Jerusalem. We have already said that by "those who are written in the book of life" is meant the elect of God, as if He had said that the profane multitude, who only have a name on the earth, will be cut off.

The Prophet alludes to a manner of expression that often occurs in the Scriptures. For example, Moses desires that he should be blotted out of the book of life (Exodus 32:32) rather than that the whole nation should be destroyed. Christ also says to the Apostles,

Rejoice because your names are written in heaven, (Luke 10:20)

and Ezekiel says, They shall not be written in the catalogue of my people.

Now, although God has no other book than His eternal counsel, in which He has predestined us to salvation by adopting us as His children, this comparison is extremely suitable for our weakness. This is because in no other way could our minds conceive that God’s flock is known to Him, so that none of the elect can ever be deprived of eternal life.

Therefore, since God has the names of His people written down in some manner, the decree of adoption, by which their eternal blessedness is secured, is called the book of life. The reprobate, though for a time they appear to be on a level with the sons of God, are excluded from this catalogue, as we see that they are cut off when He collects and separates His own people.

This matter will not be fully completed until the last day; but as the children of God, by continually persevering when the reprobate fall away, make their election sure, it is no small consolation in the midst of their afflictions when the temptations that assail them do not cause them to fall from their steadfastness.