Where is our security found today? Maybe we don’t feel the direct threat of a physical invasion, but a good place to start is where is our comfort found? What do we do to protect that comfort? What is our heart condition as we try to protect or maintain our comforts?
Today, we will see how God is sovereign and is our greatest security. In Christ, God redeems us from our own efforts to secure eternal security. We only need to repent and trust in his salvation. Apart from God, only death ensues.
(A) Judah Uncovered: A Day of Deep Sorrow and Destruction (Isa 22:1-8a)
Today, we read of the oracle that concerns the “valley of vision” (Isa 22:1a) and later in the chapter, we read and see that this concerns the “city of David” (Isa 22:9), Jerusalem (Isa 22:10).
The phrase “valley of vision” might be strange, and we might wonder why the vision is situated in the valley, for we usually associate seeing from the mountaintop. Earlier in the book, we’ve seen how Jerusalem was the place where divine revelation shone forth (Isa 2:2-3). God’s dwelling place was to be established “as the highest of the mountains” (Isa 2:2), “for out of Zion shall go forth the law” (Isa 2:3). It was to be a place where God’s people are meant to meet with and worship God at his temple, to discern his ways. The irony here is that Mount Zion (Jerusalem) has become a valley, and vision has become blindness as we shall see.
In Isaiah 22:1b-4, we read of the current situation in Jerusalem. They were characterised by a mood of celebration and joy (Isa 22:1b). It wasn’t just a quiet party but a loud one: going to the roof tops, full of shoutings with commotion and joy. It was a wild and loud roof top party.
Throughout Isaiah, we’ve been reading of the threat of the Assyrian empire, and it was a real threat that Judah faced. Some commentators point to the 2 Kings 18:13-16 where the people of Judah might be rejoicing in the temporal peace they had when Sennacherib accepted Hezekiah’s offering (although the details do not fit well). The oracles are fulfilled partially in different times of history.
From Isaiah 22:2b-4, we can sense that this was not to be the desired response. Earlier, Isaiah begins his oracle with the words: “What do you mean that…” (Isa 22:1). His response is one of rebuke, disbelief or incredulity. Isaiah is questioning their rejoicing, why should they be doing so? Isaiah responds to the “destruction of the daughter of my people” with deep grief and sorrow. He saw Jerusalem as the “daughter of my people” and he cares for this city as a beloved daughter of his people. He says to “look away from me” and refused to be comforted from his sorrow.It pained Isaiah to see God’s people destroyed.
We may be lost in the history and may worry about making sense of everything. What we are to see is that many elements of this oracle takes place in Judah’s fall, as detailed in 2 Kings 25:1-6. Isaiah sees that the people of Jerusalem will be dead but without the sword and battle. They won’t die from a war but war conditions will persist, as we read of a famine in 2 Kings 25:3. Jerusalem’s leaders will flee and be captured without the bow (without fighting) as the leaders will abandon their city. We get a sense of the kind of leaders and kings Jerusalem had. Even those who have fled far away were captured.
The reason for the destruction of Jerusalem is also given to us. Isaiah 22:5 starts with a “For”, giving us the reason for what came before. We go on to read that this is part of the day of judgment of the Lord. God is described as, “The Lord GOD of Hosts”, which points to the God of heaven’s armies and the power that He wields. It is the will or purpose of “the LORD Almighty” (as translated in the NIV) that Jerusalem falls. As we have read earlier, God acts sovereignly for his purposes, and none can stop him (c.f. Isa 14:24). God can use even the Assyrian empire to fulfil His plans and purposes.
We also read of a “day of tumult and trampling and confusion” (Isa 22:5). These aren’t happy, party sounds. The noisy party of joyous shoutings in Isa 22:1b-2 is now replaced by loud noises of trampling, brought about by violence, crushing or being stepped on. There will be confusion and terror (Isa 22:5b); their walls will be torn down, and their suffering cries for help will be heard to the mountains (Isa 22:5c).
On that day, Jerusalem’s enemies (Elam and Kir) also mobilised their weapons of attack in the form of quivers and defence, in the form of a shield (Isa 22:6). Jerusalem’s valleys are full of chariots and horsemen at the gates. They are completely surrounded by enemies, by their troops and there is no escape (Isa 22:7). God has also taken away the covering of Judah (Isa 22:8). He has uncovered Judah, stripping away any defences it had, leaving Judah naked and exposed.
What does this mean for us? For a start, how many of us are rejoicing in the wrong things and need a rebuke from Isaiah? Isaiah started out passage today with a “what do you mean that…”. What have our hearts taken comfort and joy in lately? What have we been celebrating about? Would Isaiah ask you and me the same thing? What do you mean that you have taken joy in ________?
And as we examine our joys, we need to ask ourselves if our joys last? Do we need a rebuke from Isaiah in what we have rejoiced in? Would he come to us and say: “What do you mean that…”
“… you have spent your time doing ______.”
“… you have spent your money on ______.”
“… you have stopped your daily Bible reading and prayer.”
“______ is your comfort and joy.”
“… you don’t attend church anymore or church is not fun.”
“… you have hoped in ______.”
Isaiah is clear that the Lord GOD of hosts has a day, and it will not be a pretty day. God will strip bare our “coverings”, all our fake worldly joys, comforts and securities, all our defences.
What will we do then?
(B) Looking to the LORD GOD of Hosts: Repentance is Key (Isa 22:8b-14)
In that day, we read that the people of Jerusalem looked to the weapons of the House of the Forest (Isa 22:8b). They looked to the armoury for more weapons, more firepower (c.f. 1 Kings 7:2, 10:17). They also observed the many breaches of the city of David, Jerusalem (Isa 22:9a). They also collected the waters of the lower pool to secure their water supply (Isa 22:9b). They made a reservoir between the two walls for the water of the old pool (Isa 22:11a). They were intentionally securing their water supplies because the king knew something practical and logical: you cannot win a war if you run out of water or if your enemies cut off your water supply (c.f. 2 Chron 32:2-4, 30).
The people broke down houses to fortify the wall (Isa 22:10b), and this was an urgent task, so much so that they broke down existing houses to plug the gap first. Clearly the repair the breaches is an urgent task in a period when they did not have enough resources. This was not a random breaking down of houses, it was planned and considered given that they “counted the houses” (c.f. 2 Chron 32:5). Ironically, they were tearing down the things they sought to protect.
Note the pattern in these verses: weapons, collect water, fortify the wall, back to collecting water
The people of Jerusalem were determined, busy and focused on their military readiness. They wanted to be prepared for their enemies and we see that this is not a half-hearted effort on their part to be ready. They were trying everything they can to be ready.
But what did they not do? Isaiah had only one word for them. The people did not look to Him who did it, or see him who planned it long ago (Isa 22:11b). They did not look to God who is the one acting in the affairs of the world, the one who planned it long ago. They did not care about God in all their preparations: preparations were just preparations. God is not involved here. In fact, they thought to themselves “if my preparations work, there is no need for God”. They did not see that God is sovereignly ruling and acting even when it doesn’t seem like so. God is in full control here and his people have completely missed it in their busy preparations
How do we deal with our problems or with calamities, disasters and catastrophes? Are we lost in our preparations (just as Judah was) and fail to see God who is acting and who is in control? What do you and I do in our moment of anxiety and trouble? Do we pray, seek and consider God? Do we think of solutions? What if our solutions work? Where then is God?
What then is your security today? What is in your “armoury today”? For many of us, it could be our abilities and strengths, our intelligence and talent, our dilligence, our good grace or the perfect CV, our good looks or our good planning.
What is in your “waters of the lower pool”? We could count on our resources, which could take the form of our bank account balance or investment portfolio. Or for some of us, it could be our stable job with good benefits or our wide network of relationships.
What, then, is your “wall”? Our protection that we fall back on could be our family and friendships. It could also be our healthy diet and lifestyle, our insurance policies, or in this pandemic season, the wearing of masks or disinfection of hands. Or, could you be counting on your high-quality locks at your front door?
Whatever your abilities, strength, resources or protection, know that they are not enough and will never be enough apart from God. God is our true security here, for what are water and walls compared to God? Does the striving of Jerusalem to be prepared and ready resonate with you?
God’s people could have been pleased that their strategies were successful, but if we continue reading, we are to see that the success is only temporary! Isaiah 22:12-13 presents a contrast. “In that day” the Lord God of Hosts called for weeping and mourning and baldness and wearing sackcloth (Isa 22:12). Why is God calling them to be sad? Is it for no reason? God is calling them to repentance (cf. Joel 2:12-13). They are to be sorrowful over their sins, and most importantly they are to “rend your hearts and not your garments”. They are to turn away from their trust in their military readiness and to turn back to God “with all your heart”. The priority in every crisis is to run to God in repentance and to ask for his mercy. It is not enough to be prepared by ourselves and ignore God. We are do all things in faith.
Instead, what does Isaiah find? He finds joy and gladness, killing oxen and slaughtering sheep, eating flesh and drinking wine and people who say “Let us eat and drink for tomorrow we die” (Isa 22:13). Isaiah finds lavish partying by the people of Jerusalem. They are nowhere near the sorrow and repentance that God has called for. God called for mourning but the people were celebrating
Isaiah 22:14 emphasises how The LORD of hosts has revealed this and has said this. This is an important point and warning; it couldn’t be any clearer. Their iniquity of turning to themselves and to human works to rescue themselves instead of repenting and turning to God/looking to Him “in that day” will not be atoned for. And this results in death.
“Let us eat and drink for tomorrow we die”— this sums up the attitude of the people of Jerusalem. They subscribed to YOLO: let us enjoy ourselves to the greatest extent here and now. There is nothing after and there are no consequences. They were trying to drown their sorrows. They had no deeper and lasting realities to look forward to or to hope in. They need to enjoy everything now because death will be the end of everything.
In the New Testament, Paul in writing to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 15:32 cites this verse in his argument for the resurrection, to say that death is not the end because of what Christ has done. Paul denounces this way of thinking because the resurrection through Christ is real and can be trusted upon. God saved us through Christ, and atoned for our iniquity. Christ died for our sins; our natural inclination to look to our own works for salvation. More than that, Christ defeated death as he was raisedLater Paul would tell us that Jesus Christ gives us victory over death (1 Cor 15:54b-57). He swallowed death up. Jesus died on the cross and was raised that we might have eternal and everlasting hope and life through him.
Was there a time in your life that you were so prepared for, and so confident in, but nothing worked out? There is no security and comfort apart from God. Any preparation/security/comfort that we achieve on our own is only temporary and insufficient.
Death is the result for the people of Jerusalem who did not regard God or look to him. If we try to save ourselves by our works, it will only end in death. Self-sufficiency is an unforgivable sin. What might we need to repent of/turn from today? What are our hearts truly finding security and comfort in? If we have found ourselves looking to our own “armouries”, “water supply” and “walls” we need to repent and look to God who did and planned it long ago. Might it be that God has allowed some crises and suffering in our lives today to show us/teach us that our self-sufficiency doesn’t work?
Will we not look to him today? Or will we be like Jerusalem who depended on self-sufficiency apart from God; who was blind to God and paid him no attention. The warning in these verses is clear: there is no security apart from God