Isaiah 22

Isaiah 22 is a prophecy against Jerusalem, often called "The Valley of Vision." It describes a time of crisis when the city faced imminent danger from foreign enemies, possibly the Assyrians. The people's response to the threat was more focused on revelry and preparing for death than on turning to God for deliverance. The chapter also contains a specific rebuke against Shebna, a high official, and ends with the promise of Eliakim's rise to a position of authority.

Isaiah 22:1-5 (NKJV)
1 The burden against the Valley of Vision. What ails you now, that you have all gone up to the housetops,
2 You who are full of noise, a tumultuous city, a joyous city? Your slain men are not slain with the sword, nor dead in battle.
3 All your rulers have fled together; they are captured by the archers. All who are found in you are bound together; they have fled from afar.
4 Therefore I said, "Look away from me, I will weep bitterly; Do not labor to comfort me because of the plundering of the daughter of my people."
5 For it is a day of trouble and treading down and perplexity by the Lord God of hosts in the Valley of Vision—breaking down the walls and of crying to the mountain.

Isaiah addresses the "Valley of Vision," referring to Jerusalem. Despite the impending disaster, the people were celebrating on their rooftops instead of seeking God's help. The city was filled with joy and noise, but the danger was real, as many would die, not in direct battle but from the consequences of the siege. Isaiah mourned over the city, overwhelmed by the suffering his people were about to face, as the day of reckoning had arrived, marked by confusion, destruction, and cries for help.

Isaiah 22:6-8 (NKJV)
6 Elam bore the quiver with chariots of men and horsemen, and Kir uncovered the shield.
7 It shall come to pass that your choicest valleys shall be full of chariots, and the horsemen shall set themselves in array at the gate.
8 He removed the protection of Judah. You looked in that day to the armor of the House of the Forest.

The attackers, identified as Elam and Kir, prepared for battle, fully equipped with weapons and horses. The valleys of Jerusalem were soon to be filled with their chariots, and they would surround the gates of the city. God had removed His protection from Judah, allowing the enemy to advance. Instead of turning to God, the people looked to their weapons and defenses in the "House of the Forest," a storeroom for military supplies, hoping their strength could save them.

Isaiah 22:9-11 (NKJV)
9 You also saw the damage to the city of David, that it was great; and you gathered together the waters of the lower pool.
10 You numbered the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses you broke down to fortify the wall.
11 You also made a reservoir between the two walls for the water of the old pool. But you did not look to its Maker, nor did you have respect for Him who fashioned it long ago.

In the face of impending destruction, the people of Jerusalem took practical measures to defend the city. They repaired the walls, broke down houses to use as fortifications, and stored water in case of a siege. However, their trust was misplaced. Despite their preparations, they did not seek God, the true source of protection and the One who had shaped their history. Their focus was on physical solutions rather than a spiritual return to their Maker.

Isaiah 22:12-14 (NKJV)
12 And in that day the Lord God of hosts called for weeping and for mourning, for baldness and for girding with sackcloth.
13 But instead, joy and gladness, slaying oxen and killing sheep, eating meat and drinking wine: "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!"
14 Then it was revealed in my hearing by the Lord of hosts, "Surely for this iniquity there will be no atonement for you, even to your death," says the Lord God of hosts.

God had called the people to mourn and repent in response to the crisis, but instead, they chose to party and indulge themselves in feasting. Their attitude was fatalistic—living for the moment with the mindset that death was inevitable. Because they ignored the opportunity to repent and continued in their sin, God declared that their actions would not be forgiven. Their refusal to humble themselves before God sealed their fate, and no sacrifice or offering could atone for their rebellion.

Isaiah 22:15-19 (NKJV)
15 Thus says the Lord God of hosts: "Go, proceed to this steward, to Shebna, who is over the house, and say:
16 'What have you here, and whom have you here, that you have hewn a sepulcher here, as he who hews himself a sepulcher on high, who carves a tomb for himself in a rock?
17 Indeed, the Lord will throw you away violently, O mighty man, and will surely seize you.
18 He will surely turn violently and toss you like a ball into a large country; there you shall die, and there your glorious chariots shall be the shame of your master's house.
19 So I will drive you out of your office, and from your position he will pull you down.'"

Shebna, an official in charge of the palace, was reprimanded for his pride and self-serving actions. He had built an elaborate tomb for himself, symbolizing his arrogance and concern for his legacy. God’s judgment was pronounced: Shebna would be violently removed from his position and exiled to a distant land where he would die. His prestige and power would become a source of shame for the house he served. His downfall was imminent, and nothing could stop it.

Isaiah 22:20-24 (NKJV)
20 "Then it shall be in that day, that I will call My servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah;
21 I will clothe him with your robe and strengthen him with your belt; I will commit your responsibility into his hand. He shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah.
22 The key of the house of David I will lay on his shoulder; so he shall open, and no one shall shut; and he shall shut, and no one shall open.
23 I will fasten him as a peg in a secure place, and he will become a glorious throne to his father’s house.
24 They will hang on him all the glory of his father’s house, the offspring and the posterity, all vessels of small quantity, from the cups to all the pitchers."

In contrast to Shebna, God would raise up Eliakim, who would take over Shebna’s responsibilities and be a righteous leader. Eliakim would serve as a father to Jerusalem and Judah, guiding them with integrity. God would give him the authority, symbolized by the key of David, to open and shut doors as no one else could. Eliakim’s leadership would be stable, like a peg firmly fixed in place, bringing honor to his family and carrying the burdens of leadership.

Isaiah 22:25 (NKJV)
25 "In that day," says the Lord of hosts, "the peg that is fastened in the secure place will be removed and be cut down and fall, and the burden that was on it will be cut off; for the Lord has spoken."

Despite the promise of Eliakim’s righteous leadership, the final verse seems to point to the eventual collapse of any human structure. Even the secure peg will be removed, emphasizing that ultimate security can only be found in God. Human leaders, no matter how good or stable, cannot provide eternal protection.