Isaiah is often hard to understand because he will switch time periods without notifying the reader. Without the benefit of hindsight, we would not be able to determine which of his prophecies had reference to Christ’s first coming and which had reference to his second. Verses 3-5 speak of both time periods simultaneously. They speak of the release of spiritual oppression (yoke of Israel’s burden) that the mission and atonement of the Messiah will bring to Israel. They also speak of the release from political oppression that the Second Coming of the Messiah will bring to Israel.
When Isaiah speaks of the ’yoke of his burden,’ he is also referring to a destruction which is to come upon the nation of Israel in the last days (See verse 1 of Isaiah chapters 15, 17, 19, 21, 23). “In biblical times, the staff and rod were used by taskmasters on slaves. A yoke was a wooden frame designed to harness together beasts of burden. These three items—the yoke, staff, and rod—signify oppression, or the burdens placed on Israel by its neighbors” (Donald Parry, Visualizing Isaiah, 79) Just when the weight of this heavy yoke is about to break the neck of Israel, the Lord will come to destroy Israel’s enemies, and ’this shall be with burning and fuel of fire.’ In the great battle the Lord will confuse the enemies of Israel and come with red apparel, or ’garments rolled in blood.’ As Isaiah had prophesied elsewhere, ’their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment. For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come’ (Isa. 63:3-4).