#984 Isaiah 22 Should Have Been Mourning

 

The oracle concerning the valley of vision.

What do you mean that you have gone up,

all of you, to the housetops,

2 you who are full of shoutings,

tumultuous city, exultant town?

Your slain are not slain with the sword

or dead in battle.

3 All your leaders have fled together;

without the bow they were captured.

All of you who were found were captured,

though they had fled far away.

4 Therefore I said:

“Look away from me;

let me weep bitter tears;

do not labor to comfort me

concerning the destruction of the daughter of my people.”

5 For the Lord God of hosts has a day

of tumult and trampling and confusion

in the valley of vision,

a battering down of walls

and a shouting to the mountains.

6 And Elam bore the quiver

with chariots and horsemen,

and Kir uncovered the shield.

7 Your choicest valleys were full of chariots,

and the horsemen took their stand at the gates.

8 He has taken away the covering of Judah.

In that day you looked to the weapons of the House of the Forest, 9 and you saw that the breaches of the city of David were many. You collected the waters of the lower pool, 10 and you counted the houses of Jerusalem, and you broke down the houses to fortify the wall. 11 You made a reservoir between the two walls for the water of the old pool. But you did not look to him who did it, or see him who planned it long ago.

12 In that day the Lord God of hosts

called for weeping and mourning,

for baldness and wearing sackcloth;

13 and behold, joy and gladness,

killing oxen and slaughtering sheep,

eating flesh and drinking wine.

“Let us eat and drink,

for tomorrow we die.”

14 The Lord of hosts has revealed himself in my ears:

“Surely this iniquity will not be atoned for you until you die,”

says the Lord God of hosts.

15 Thus says the Lord God of hosts, “Come, go to this steward, to Shebna, who is over the household, and say to him: 16 What have you to do here, and whom have you here, that you have cut out here a tomb for yourself, you who cut out a tomb on the height and carve a dwelling for yourself in the rock? 17 Behold, the Lord will hurl you away violently, O you strong man. He will seize firm hold on you 18 and whirl you around and around, and throw you like a ball into a wide land. There you shall die, and there shall be your glorious chariots, you shame of your master's house. 19 I will thrust you from your office, and you will be pulled down from your station. 20 In that day I will call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, 21 and I will clothe him with your robe, and will bind your sash on him, and will commit your authority to his hand. And he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. 22 And I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David. He shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open. 23 And I will fasten him like a peg in a secure place, and he will become a throne of honor to his father's house. 24 And they will hang on him the whole honor of his father's house, the offspring and issue, every small vessel, from the cups to all the flagons. 25 In that day, declares the Lord of hosts, the peg that was fastened in a secure place will give way, and it will be cut down and fall, and the load that was on it will be cut off, for the Lord has spoken.” Isaiah 22 ESV

Isaiah 22 Burden of Jerusalem

1-4. The valley of vision - In the midst of the judgments of all the other nations lies Jerusalem. This is rightly so, for God is always against sin no matter where it is found. His people have seen the taking away of the northern tribes by Assyria, God has delivered Jerusalem from Assyria, but Jerusalem had become like their neighbors. They looked to the surrounding kingdoms in hope for deliverance before, and emulated the things in them that God hates. 

What do you mean that you have gone up - Some say, "what ails you now?" When I was young my grandmother took me to a house that had a porch deck on top, and she referred to it as a "widow's watch", because before they were in fashion for architectural design and landscape view only, it is where wives of sailors went to look for a ship's return. It is a place of mourning, of prayer, and a hopeful place, all in one. 

Tumultuous city, exultant town - In his vision, he asks, is this confusion or joy? 

Your slain are not slain with the sword - The men of Jerusalem did not die fighting. 

“Either by famine or pestilence in the siege, as many died, Jeremiah 14:18; 38:2, or in their flight, as others were; both which were inglorious kinds of death.” (Poole)

Look away from me - The vision of a future generation of his people being brought into such horrific judgment caused the prophet to weep. There was no consoling, let me have my moment, my heart is poured out in grief.

5-11. For the Lord of Hosts has a day - This is of the Lord, and their mourning has come too late, and it is for the wrong reasons.

He has taken away the covering of Judah - Chariots fill the valleys, and they are under siege, but unlike the threat of the Assyrians, this time God has removed His hand of protection, He will not rescue them.

The house of the forest - This was an armory, a false sense of hope. Some trust in chariots and horses, but the city of David was supposed to remember the name of the Lord.

Breaches and lower pool - They made certain of their supply of water, and fixed the breaches in the wall by using materials from houses they tore down. 

But you did not look to Him who did it - 

But they were regardless of God in all these preparations. They did not care for his glory in what they did. They did not depend upon him for a blessing on their endeavours. For every creature is to us what God makes it to be; and we must bless him for it, and use it for him. There was great contempt of God's wrath and justice, in contending with them. God's design was to humble them, and bring them to repentance. They walked contrary to this. Actual disbelief of another life after this, is at the bottom of the carnal security and brutish sensuality, which are the sin, the shame, and ruin of so great a part of mankind. God was displeased at this. It is a sin against the remedy, and it is not likely they should ever repent of it. Whether this unbelief works by presumption or despair, it produces the same contempt of God, and is a token that a man will perish wilfully. - Matthew Henry

12-14. Called for weeping and mourning - The gospel message has never changed; it was the same back then, and the call is to acknowledge sin, the breach, and blessed are they that mourn over such, for they shall be comforted. 

And behold joy and gladness - Instead of repentance they celebrated.

…16For You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; You take no pleasure in burnt offerings. 17The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.18In Your good pleasure, cause Zion to prosper; build up the walls of Jerusalem.… Psalm 51: 16-18

Killing oxen and slaughtering sheep - They did not mind ritual, outer religion, but their hearts were far from God. They only wanted God to be their deliverer, their help in time of trouble, but when He called for humility, for them to realize the reason of their torment, they turned to what they truly loved, not Him. 

Let us eat and drink for tomorrow we die - They were no better than atheist, not believing God, not trusting God, no thought as to eternity, for this they would have to trust Him beyond what they could see. 

…18Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and will build bigger ones, and there I will store up all my grain and my goods. 19Then I will say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take it easy. Eat, drink, and be merry! 20But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be required of you. Then who will own what you have accumulated?’…Luke 12: 18-20

…35For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and for the gospel will save it. 36 What does it profit a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? 37Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?… Mark 8: 35-37

“Our hearts are top-full of harlotry, ready to shift and shark in every by-corner for comfort; to hang their hopes on every hedge, rather than to roll themselves upon God, ‘the hope of Israel.’” (Trapp)

15-25. To this steward, to Shebna - Shebna is mentioned as a scribe in 2 Kings 18, and though Hezekiah was a good king he had a bad steward in his inner circle. Sometimes we overlook certain things, our discernment is not always best, men can be deceived, but God was not impressed with Shebna.

“The king of Judah at this time was Hezekiah – a good king – so the condemnatory judgment fell on the next person in line. Shebna and the populace in general did not share the godly principles of King Hezekiah.” (Wolf)

Behold, the Lord will hurl you away violently - God had rescued a people worthy of judgment, but instead of mourning over the sin that brought them so close to death by Assyrians, Shebna showed indifference. He was bound to worldly things, exalting himself, and making a monument of a tomb to show just how important he was. What a waste of time spent on something with no eternal glory. Sometimes I think men look at the age of rocks, and think that the tomb is a place of rest that carries them on. They make much of how people will remember them, but they have no fear or hope in God. The earth may die slowly compared to a man, but it is still dying none the less.

O, you strong man - Sarcasm, Shebna thought much of himself.

I will thrust you from your office - He is a shame to his master's house, and has not been a good overseer.

Call My servant, Eliakim - Here is the grandest title a man can have, Isaiah is called the same. 

And I will clothe him with your robe - The proud is brought low, and the humble is esteemed.

…25But Jesus called them aside and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their superiors exercise authority over them. 26 It shall not be this way among you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave—… Matthew 20: 25-27

The key of the house of David - 

In this, Eliakim becomes a prophecy of the Messiah, because Jesus told us this passage spoke of Himself: These things says He who is holy, He who is true, “He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens.” (Revelation 3:7) Jesus is the one with the keys of Hades and of Death (Revelation 1:8), who has all authority both in heaven and on earth. Jesus delegates this authority as it pleases Him (Matthew 16:19). - Enduring Word

“Down a long corridor of closed doors we may sometimes have to pass. It seems heartbreaking to see doors labelled, Friendship, Love, Home shut against us; but beyond them there is the one unclosed door through which we shall enter into our true life. Oh do not lose heart and hope in useless weeping over the closed doors of the past. Follow Him, who has the keys.” (Meyer)

I will fasten him as a peg - Eliakim was yet to be promoted and fastened as a peg. In that day and even still now, they used pegs to hang pots, tools on the wall, everything having a place and ready in it's time for it's purpose. I remember the kitchen of a girlfriend's mother, she was an executive chef, and there was a place above the center island from which her many pots and pans hung. Most people hide them away in drawers and cabinets, but everything she needed was easily seen and accounted for. 

Clarke on they will hang on him all the glory of his father’s house: This “has been understood as the dependence of all souls, of all capacities, from the lowest in intellect to the most exalted, on the Lord Jesus, as the only Saviour of all lost human spirits.”

ii. There are many different vessels in the LORD’s house, with many different sizes and purposes. But they all must hang on the same peg! All are equally wrecked if they drop from the peg. The safety isn’t in the size or the quality of the vessel, but in its attachment to the peg. - Enduring Word

The peg that was fastened in a secure place - Many commentators believe this to be Shebna, who was in the position that Eliakim would be taken. Shebna, like Lucifer, was found to have iniquity in him. He was unfit to represent and hold up the house.

The LORD gave Shebna a place of honor and authority, but he didn’t hold it as a servant of the LORD. So, the LORD took the place of honor and authority away from Shebna. Even so, the great authority Jesus gave to His disciples was neither unlimited, nor unattached from Jesus’ direction. Even though Jesus gave the promise of the keys to Peter (Matthew 16:19), Peter did not have unlimited authority. Instead, Peter was rightly challenged and rebuked by another apostle, Paul, when he was out of line (Galatians 2:11-21). - Enduring Word

Others see this as Eliakim serving God well for a time, but then failing at some point. It is possible just as David was a man after God's own heart, yet he fell and repented. He was a king, but we know him only to be a shadow of the King of kings. All these shadows must decrease, so that He may increase.

…29The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom stands and listens for him, and is overjoyed to hear the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. 30He must increase; I must decrease. 31The One who comes from above is above all. The one who is from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks as one from the earth. The One who comes from heaven is above all.… John 3: 29-31