seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Isaiah 22:1 A prophecy against the Valley of Vision:
What troubles you now,
that you have all gone up on the roofs,
2 you town so full of commotion,
you city of tumult and revelry?
Your slain were not killed by the sword,
nor did they die in battle.
3 All your leaders have fled together;
they have been captured without using the bow.
All you who were caught were taken prisoner together,
having fled while the enemy was still far away.
4 Therefore I said, “Turn away from me;
let me weep bitterly.
Do not try to console me
over the destruction of my people.”
that you have all gone up on the roofs,
2 you town so full of commotion,
you city of tumult and revelry?
Your slain were not killed by the sword,
nor did they die in battle.
3 All your leaders have fled together;
they have been captured without using the bow.
All you who were caught were taken prisoner together,
having fled while the enemy was still far away.
4 Therefore I said, “Turn away from me;
let me weep bitterly.
Do not try to console me
over the destruction of my people.”
5 The Lord, the Lord Almighty, has a day
of tumult and trampling and terror
in the Valley of Vision,
a day of battering down walls
and of crying out to the mountains.
6 Elam takes up the quiver,
with her charioteers and horses;
Kir uncovers the shield.
7 Your choicest valleys are full of chariots,
and horsemen are posted at the city gates.
of tumult and trampling and terror
in the Valley of Vision,
a day of battering down walls
and of crying out to the mountains.
6 Elam takes up the quiver,
with her charioteers and horses;
Kir uncovers the shield.
7 Your choicest valleys are full of chariots,
and horsemen are posted at the city gates.
8 The Lord stripped away the defenses of Judah,
and you looked in that day
to the weapons in the Palace of the Forest.
9 You saw that the walls of the City of David
were broken through in many places;
you stored up water
in the Lower Pool.
10 You counted the buildings in Jerusalem
and tore down houses to strengthen the wall.
11 You built a reservoir between the two walls
for the water of the Old Pool,
but you did not look to the One who made it,
or have regard for the One who planned it long ago.
and you looked in that day
to the weapons in the Palace of the Forest.
9 You saw that the walls of the City of David
were broken through in many places;
you stored up water
in the Lower Pool.
10 You counted the buildings in Jerusalem
and tore down houses to strengthen the wall.
11 You built a reservoir between the two walls
for the water of the Old Pool,
but you did not look to the One who made it,
or have regard for the One who planned it long ago.
12 The Lord, the Lord Almighty,
called you on that day
to weep and to wail,
to tear out your hair and put on sackcloth.
13 But see, there is joy and revelry,
slaughtering of cattle and killing of sheep,
eating of meat and drinking of wine!
“Let us eat and drink,” you say,
“for tomorrow we die!”
called you on that day
to weep and to wail,
to tear out your hair and put on sackcloth.
13 But see, there is joy and revelry,
slaughtering of cattle and killing of sheep,
eating of meat and drinking of wine!
“Let us eat and drink,” you say,
“for tomorrow we die!”
14 The Lord Almighty has revealed this in my hearing: “Till your dying day this sin will not be atoned for,” says the Lord, the Lord Almighty.
15 This is what the Lord, the Lord Almighty, says:
“Go, say to this steward,
to Shebna the palace administrator:
16 What are you doing here and who gave you permission
to cut out a grave for yourself here,
hewing your grave on the height
and chiseling your resting place in the rock?
to Shebna the palace administrator:
16 What are you doing here and who gave you permission
to cut out a grave for yourself here,
hewing your grave on the height
and chiseling your resting place in the rock?
17 “Beware, the Lord is about to take firm hold of you
and hurl you away, you mighty man.
18 He will roll you up tightly like a ball
and throw you into a large country.
There you will die
and there the chariots you were so proud of
will become a disgrace to your master’s house.
19 I will depose you from your office,
and you will be ousted from your position.
and hurl you away, you mighty man.
18 He will roll you up tightly like a ball
and throw you into a large country.
There you will die
and there the chariots you were so proud of
will become a disgrace to your master’s house.
19 I will depose you from your office,
and you will be ousted from your position.
20 “In that day I will summon my servant, Eliakim son of Hilkiah. 21 I will clothe him with your robe and fasten your sash around him and hand your authority over to him. He will be a father to those who live in Jerusalem and to the people of Judah. 22 I will place on his shoulder the key to the house of David; what he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. 23 I will drive him like a peginto a firm place; he will become a seat[a] of honor for the house of his father. 24 All the glory of his family will hang on him: its offspring and offshoots—all its lesser vessels, from the bowls to all the jars.
25 “In that day,” declares the Lord Almighty, “the peg driven into the firm place will give way; it will be sheared off and will fall, and the load hanging on it will be cut down.” The Lord has spoken.
a. Isaiah 22:23 Or throne
This is from enduringword.com.
The burden against the Valley of Vision: This is Jerusalem, a city on a hill but surrounded by still higher hill, and in the midst of three valleys. Since Jerusalem was a center for the worship of God and some of the prophets of God (including Isaiah), it is called the Valley of Vision.
“It is strange to find a prophecy against Judah and Jerusalem in a section that deals with the nations. But since Judah had chosen to behave like her neighbors and to desert the Lord, she deserved to be judged.” (Wolf)
What ails you now, that you have all gone up to the housetops: “As they used to do in times of great confusion and consternation, that they might mourn, and look, and cry to Heaven for help.” (Poole)
A tumultuous city, a joyous city: In his prophecy, Isaiah sees the commotion all around Jerusalem, and asks, “Is it the result of an evil tumult, or is it an expression of joy?”
Your slain men are not slain with the sword: When Jerusalem was conquered by the Babylonians, the men of Judah did not bravely die in battle. They died either being starved to death in the siege of the city, or as they fled in cowardly retreat.
I will weep bitterly; do not labor to comfort me: We usually think of Jeremiah as the “weeping prophet.” But Isaiah also said “I will weep bitterly” when he saw God’s judgment coming against God’s people.
For it is a day of trouble: Isaiah sees an army full of arrows and chariots coming against Jerusalem. The prophesies the attack and overthrow of Jerusalem by the Babylonians.
Elam bore the quiver: “Because Elam, Babylon’s neighbor to the east, had strongly supported the Babylonians and the Chaldeans in the struggle against Assyria, the Elamites were probably allies of the Babylonians.” (Wolf)
You gathered together the waters of the lower pool… to fortify the wall: When Jerusalem was faced with this subsequent attack, they prepared the city for battle and for siege, strengthening the wall of the city and making sure there was adequate water for a siege.
He removed the protection of Judah: All their care in defending the city would not matter, because God had removed the protection of Judah. Instead of their building projects, the best thing Jerusalem could do for her protection was to turn her heart toward the LORD, but you did not look to its Maker, nor did you have respect for Him who fashioned it long ago.
What have you here, and whom have you here: The LORD speaks to Shebna, this proud man, and says, “Who do you think you are? What do you think you have? You really are nothing and you have nothing.”
As he who hews himself a sepulcher on high: What did Shebna do with his position of honor and authority? He made himself a fancy and prestigious tomb! In that day, this was a display of significant power and wealth. In this, Shebna personifies all of Jerusalem with his obsessive self-interest.
He will surely turn violently and toss you like a ball into a large country; there you shall die… so I will drive you out of your office: Shebna sought honor and glory but would never find it. Instead, the LORD would make certain that he was never even buried in his prestigious, expensive tomb, but would die in exile instead.
I will clothe him with your robe and strengthen him with your belt; I will commit your responsibility into his hand: The LORD would take the office and authority of the unfaithful Shebna and give it to Eliakim instead. God will get His work done! If a Shebna is unfaithful, the LORD will remove him from his office, strip him of his authority, and give it to another.
I will fasten him as a peg in a secure place: Because the LORD established Eliakim’s authority, it was secure. Shebna sought glory for himself but would find shame. But Eliakim was the LORD’s servant and would become a glorious throne to his father’s house.
Well..... I can just see God reaching down.... Grabbing up a human..... rolling him into a ball and throwing him away! Shebna was a bum.... he was robbing the treasury in order to make a big name for himself. He wasn't keeping Jerusalem safe.... which was his human job. When it seemed an invasion was possible... it was Shebna's job to get the people on the jobs of securing water and fortifying the walls. I'm out in Arizona.... we haven't seen rain in Apache Junction [measurable or otherwise] in what seems to be months..... everything is dry. On top of that... the water from the tap is nasty.... it's full of minerals.... so we have to bring in drinking water. There's a law here.... if someone asks for a drink of water.... you have to give them a drink of water.
So Jerusalem is built on a hilly area that is surrounded by high mountains. They could see people coming before they got there.... they had people who did that..... just kept a watch. Apparently.... the politicians of the day were going off on their own.... thinking they know it all.... centuries of "god stories" didn't impress the politicians of the day..... they were the big dogs and the big dogs have their glory.... they had the attitude.... "pull up a chair and eat to your hearts content.... because it is what it is and there's nothing we can do about it but make sure we leave a good looking corpse in a fancy hole in the wall".
Eliakim.... was one of those "pathetic" people who still loved the Lord and put Him above everything else. God took Shebna's position and gave it to Eliakim.
I love that verse 18. We've been watching the world series [kids not adults]. This verse reminds me of God serving up a zinger...... and He reshaped a human to make a softball..... I know... that's not what happened.... but it's a fun thought.... in the middle of such a horrible sight. What was left.... after God threw the idiots out of town [verse 18] were lots of people.... standing in the cool night air on their rooftops.... crying out because there are opposing troops on the hills.... the city will soon be under siege and the humans aren't ready because one guy.... a politician was busy polishing his prestigious coffin.
