The book Isaiah begins by describing the decline of God’s people, and particularly, the rebellion of the culture in the city of Jerusalem. But, along with the warning of judgment at the beginning of his book Isaiah includes the promising that God will use his judgment and wrath as a refining process to produce deliverance and righteousness.

The faithful people have become prostitutes to other gods and worldly philosophies. The men of justice and the people of righteousness are now murderers.

Things have gone so bad that the refining process has been reversed. The pure silver has taken on dross and impurities have been added. Likewise, the great wine has been diluted with water. The people have become more like pagans and have lost their purpose.

The men who rule the land are rebels. The leaders partnered with criminals to gain bribes. They exchange political favors for gifts.

This generation has taken on the status of a cursed generation by oppressing the needy – the fatherless children and the widowed women.

The Lord says in 1:24 that action will be taken. The Lord tells this people through Isaiah that his wrath will be expressed and he will have vengeance. Those who suffer will be God’s own people who are now known to the Lord as his foes and his enemies.

Although the destruction will be great and the suffering so unbearable that entire generations will be destroyed, the Lord’s wrath will reset the purifying process of refining his people into pure silver again.

• The dross will again be purged from the silver
• The impurities in the people will be removed

After this purification process is complete, and it will take many years, Israel will once again have leaders and rulers who are righteous. The city of Jerusalem will be called:

• City of Righteousness
• Faithful city

This judgment will become the refining process that will manifest deliverance from sin, not merely deliverance from a foreign power. In the end people will actually BE righteous.