| On the housetops and hanging over the railing to get a better view of the crises. The leaders had fled and were apprehended by the enemy and bound with chains and led off to their doom. As for the city of Jerusalem it was a day of trouble, panic and confusion─walls crashing down─the cry of death was deafening. Battering rams had broken through the walls─every attempt was being made to shore up the walls. It was too little too late. The city treasurer was preparing his sepulcher (mausoluem) but the prophet predicts that he will get bounced like a ball to a foreign nation and die in disgrace. Eliakim will be robed with his sash and empowered with civil and sacred authority. He will be like a firm peg hammered into the wall and God will hang upon him the weight of ruling the nation. Insight and inspiration awaits you in the exposition. |
EXPOSITION TO ISAIAH CHAPTER 22
1The burden of the valley of vision. What aileth thee now, that thou art wholly gone up to the housetops?
Isaiah foretells the invasion of Jerusalem by the Assyrians and the Babylonians. Their houses had flat roofs and was used for drying corn, hanging up linen, preparing figs and raisins. The roofs are used as places of recreation in evenings, and often sleeping places on hot nights. From the text it would indicate that the people were swarming to the housetops for a better look at the situation that was developing in the city.
CROSS REFERENCE SCRIPTURES
THAT MAKE THE CASE:
Psa 147:19-20 He sheweth his word unto Jacob, his statutes and his judgments unto Israel. He hath not dealt so with any nation: and as for his judgments, they have not known them. Praise ye the LORD.
2Thou that art full of stirs, a tumultuous city, joyous city: thy slain men are not slain with the sword, nor dead in battle.
From the housetops where this city had been celebrating one could see bodies of the dead lying everywhere but not killed with the sword nor slain in battle. Everywhere the carcuses of young and old were lying from a plague.
CROSS REFERENCE SCRIPTURES
THAT MAKE THE CASE:
Jer 14:18 If I go forth into the field, then behold the slain with the sword! and if I enter into the city, then behold them that are sick with famine! yea, both the prophet and the priest go about into a land that they know not.
3All thy rulers are fled together, they are bound by the archers: all that are found in thee are bound together, which have fled from far.
Their leaders had took to their heals and fled but they are soon captured without resistance and now they are bound together with chains and will soon face doom from their captors.
CROSS REFERENCE SCRIPTURES
THAT INDORSE THE TEXT:
2Ki 25:4-7 And the city was broken up, and all the men of war fled by night by the way of the gate between two walls, which is by the king’s garden: (now the Chaldees were against the city round about:) and the king went the way toward the plain. And the army of the Chaldees pursued after the king, and overtook him in the plains of Jericho: and all his army were scattered from him. So they took the king, and brought him up to the king of Babylon to Riblah; and they gave judgment upon him. And they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him with fetters of brass, and carried him to Babylon. Read Jer 39:4,5
4Therefore said I, Look away from me; I will weep bitterly, labour not to comfort me, because of the spoiling of the daughter of my people.
The prophet wants to be left alone in the midst of his sorrow. His people have been wiped out and no doubt many of them were his friends, neighbors and relatives. No words could comfort him.
CROSS REFERENCE SCRIPTURES
THAT LEND EVIDENCE TO THE TEXT:
Jer 4:19 My bowels, my bowels! I am pained at my very heart; my heart maketh a noise in me; I cannot hold my peace, because thou hast heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war.
5For it is a day of trouble, and of treading down, and of perplexity by the Lord GOD of hosts in the valley of vision, breaking down the walls, and of crying to the mountains.
It was a day of trouble, panic and confusion. The city walls were crashing down and people were fleeing to the mountains for refuge. One could hear the cry of death as they ran from an opposing army.
CROSS REFERENCE SCRIPTURES
THAT DEMONSTRATE THE TEXT:
Amo 5:18-19 Woe unto you that desire the day of the LORD! to what end is it for you? the day of the LORD is darkness, and not light. As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him.
6And Elam bare the quiver with chariots of men and horsemen, and Kir uncovered the shield.
The prophet sees archers from Elam and Syrians driving the chariots and men from Kir carrying the shield and swords.
CROSS REFERENCE SCRIPTURES
THAT AUTHENTICATE THE TEXT:
Jer 49:35-39 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will break the bow of Elam, the chief of their might. And upon Elam will I bring the four winds from the four quarters of heaven, and will scatter them toward all those winds; and there shall be no nation whither the outcasts of Elam shall not come. For I will cause Elam to be dismayed before their enemies, and before them that seek their life: and I will bring evil upon them, even my fierce anger, saith the LORD; and I will send the sword after them, till I have consumed them: And I will set my throne in Elam, and will destroy from thence the king and the princes, saith the LORD. But it shall come to pass in the latter days, that I will bring again the captivity of Elam, saith the LORD.
7And it shall come to pass, that thy choicest valleys shall be full of chariots, and the horsemen shall set themselves in array at the gate.
As one looks from his housetop he can see the army gathering in formation for an assult on the city.
CROSS REFERENCE SCRIPTURES THAT
ESTABLISH THE CERTAINTY OF THE TEXT:
Jer 39:1-3 In the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, came Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon and all his army against Jerusalem, and they besieged it. And in the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, the ninth day of the month, the city was broken up. And all the princes of the king of Babylon came in, and sat in the middle gate, even Nergalsharezer, Samgarnebo, Sarsechim, Rabsaris, Nergalsharezer, Rabmag, with all the residue of the princes of the king of Babylon.
8And he discovered the covering of Judah, and thou didst look in that day to the armour of the house of the forest.
God had removed his protective care ─the valley of vision was filled with chariots and horsemen. All their defenses was laid waste and they are running to the armory for weapons.
CROSS REFERENCE SCRIPTURES THAT
ESTABLISH THE CERTAINTY OF THE TEXT:
1Ki 7:2 He built also the house of the forest of Lebanon; the length thereof was an hundred cubits, and the breadth thereof fifty cubits, and the height thereof thirty cubits, upon four rows of cedar pillars, with cedar beams upon the pillars.
1Ki 10:17 And he made three hundred shields of beaten gold; three pound of gold went to one shield: and the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon.
9Ye have seen also the breaches of the city of David, that they are many: and ye gathered together the waters of the lower pool.
Their battering rams had broken through the walls and now they are defending the water supply of the city.
CROSS REFERENCE SCRIPTURES
THAT PRESENT OVERWHELMING PROOF
OF THE TEXT:
2Ki 20:20 And the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and all his might, and how he made a pool, and a conduit, and brought water into the city, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? Read 2Ch 32:1-6; 2Ch 32:30
10And ye have numbered the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses have ye broken down to fortify the wall.
A number of houses are demolished and the stones and timbers are used to plug the holes in the walls caused by battering rams and shore up the gates.
11Ye made also a ditch between the two walls for the water of the old pool: but ye have not looked unto the maker thereof, neither had respect unto him that fashioned it long ago.
This reservoir was located between the two walls and was the water tower for the city in times of siege. They didn’t look to the maker of atoms and angels nor did they have regard for the city’s founding fathers.
CROSS REFERENCE SCRIPTURES
THAT ATTEST TO THE TEXT:
Neh 3:16 After him repaired Nehemiah the son of Azbuk, the ruler of the half part of Bethzur, unto the place over against the sepulchres of David, and to the pool that was made, and unto the house of the mighty.
12And in that day did the Lord GOD of hosts call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth:
God had called for remorse for their sins and had called for them to lament and weap and shave their heads and wear a garment made of old gunny sacks as a sign of their repentance.
CROSS REFERENCE SCRIPTURES
THAT ARE CONCLUSIVE AND FINAL:
Joe 1:13 Gird yourselves, and lament, ye priests: howl, ye ministers of the altar: come, lie all night in sackcloth, ye ministers of my God: for the meat offering and the drink offering is withholden from the house of your God.
13And behold joy and gladness, slaying oxen, and killing sheep, eating flesh, and drinking wine: let us eat and drink; for to morrow we shall die.
Instead of repentance they were merry-making—buthering oxen, killing sheep and drinking wine and celebrating.
CROSS REFERENCE SCRIPTURES
THAT RATIFY THE TEXT:
Isa 5:12 And the harp, and the viol, the tabret, and pipe, and wine, are in their feasts: but they regard not the work of the LORD, neither consider the operation of his hands. Read: Amo 6:3-7
14And it was revealed in mine ears by the LORD of hosts, Surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you till ye die, saith the Lord GOD of hosts.
God spoke into the ears of the prophet and said that their sins would not be forgiven, now or ever.
CROSS REFERENCE SCRIPTURES
THAT BEAR OUT THE TEXT:
1Sa 3:14 And therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering for ever.
Eze 24:13 In thy filthiness is lewdness: because I have purged thee, and thou wast not purged, thou shalt not be purged from thy filthiness any more, till I have caused my fury to rest upon thee.
15Thus saith the Lord GOD of hosts, Go, get thee unto this treasurer, even unto Shebna, which is over the house, and say,
The prophet is instructed to go over to the governors house and speak to the treasurer Shebna.
CROSS REFERENCE SCRIPTURES THAT
SPEAK VOLUMES ABOUT THE TEXT:
Act 8:27 And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship,
16What hast thou here? and whom hast thou here, that thou hast hewed thee out a sepulchre here, as he that heweth him out a sepulchre on high, and that graveth an habitation for himself in a rock?
Some of the sepulchers that are hewn in the sides of mountians are adorned with carved work in relief, some of the sepulchers were probably used by the whole family for burial with chambers sealed for each burial.
CROSS REFERENCE SCRIPTURES
THAT SHED LIGHT ON THE TEXT:
Isa 52:5 Now therefore, what have I here, saith the LORD, that my people is taken away for nought? they that rule over them make them to howl, saith the LORD; and my name continually every day is blasphemed.
17Behold, the LORD will carry thee away with a mighty captivity, and will surely cover thee.
Shebna will be carried away to a foreign land and will not be buried in his new sepulcher.
CROSS REFERENCE SCRIPTURES
THAT VERIFY THE TEXT:
Jer 14:3 And their nobles have sent their little ones to the waters: they came to the pits, and found no water; they returned with their vessels empty; they were ashamed and confounded, and covered their heads.
18He will surely violently turn and toss thee like a ball into a large country: there shalt thou die, and there the chariots of thy glory shall be the shame of thy lord’s house.
God is going to sieze hold on him and buouce him like a ball to the other end of world─you will die with disgrace and there will be no chariots of glory at your funeral.
CROSS REFERENCE SCRIPTURES
THAT VERIFY THE TEXT:
Isa 17:13 The nations shall rush like the rushing of many waters: but God shall rebuke them, and they shall flee far off, and shall be chased as the chaff of the mountains before the wind, and like a rolling thing before the whirlwind.
Amo 7:17 Therefore thus saith the LORD; Thy wife shall be an harlot in the city, and thy sons and thy daughters shall fall by the sword, and thy land shall be divided by line; and thou shalt die in a polluted land: and Israel shall surely go into captivity forth of his land.
19And I will drive thee from thy station, and from thy state shall he pull thee down.
He is going to be discharged─fired─removed or driven from his office.
CROSS REFERENCE SCRIPTURES THAT GIVE COUNTEREVIDENCE TO THE TEXT:
Psa 75:6-7 For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another.
Luk 1:52 He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.
20And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah:
God is going to call a true servant to replace this corrupt politician.
CROSS REFERENCE SCRIPTURES
THAT CONFIRM THE TEXT:
2Ki 19:2 And he sent Eliakim, which was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz.
21And I will clothe him with thy robe, and strengthen him with thy girdle, and I will commit thy government into his hand: and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah.
Eliakim will be invested with the robe and sash of authority─he will wear the title of treasurer and will prove to be like a father to the citizens under his authority.
CROSS REFERENCE SCRIPTURES THAT
GIVE AUTHORITIVE DATA TO THE TEXT:
Gen 41:42-43 And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph’s hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck; And he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, Bow the knee: and he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt.
22And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.
God is going to lay all the responsibility on his shoulders and he will have the power and authority to get the job done─he will open and shut and none can stop his success. He will have power and authority both civil and sacred.
CROSS REFERENCE SCRIPTURES THAT
CARRY WEIGHT REGARDING THE TEXT:
Rev 1:18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. Read: Mat 16:18-19; Rev 3:7
23And I will fasten him as a nail in a sure place; and he shall be for a glorious throne to his father’s house.
All the royal honor of his fathers house will hang on this peg. God will drive the peg into a firm and fixed wall and hang all of the authority on it.
CROSS REFERENCE SCRIPTURES
THAT MAKE THE CASE:
Ecc 12:11 The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd.
1Sa 2:8 He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the LORD’S, and he hath set the world upon them.
24And they shall hang upon him all the glory of his father’s house, the offspring and the issue, all vessels of small quantity, from the vessels of cups, even to all the vessels of flagons.
Every branch and shoot of his father’s house will hang upon him─the weight of his family, relatives and dependents─or to change the metaphor ─all the vessels, cups and pitchers.
CROSS REFERENCE SCRIPTURES
THAT MAKE THE CASE:
Gen 41:44-45 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and without thee shall no man lift up his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh called Joseph’s name Zaphnathpaaneah; and he gave him to wife Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On. And Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt. Read: Dan 6:1-3; 2Ti 2:20-21
25In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, shall the nail that is fastened in the sure place be removed, and be cut down, and fall; and the burden that was upon it shall be cut off: for the LORD hath spoken it.
God will use his crowbar to remove the peg that was driven into the wall and everything it supports will fall with it.
CROSS REFERENCE SCRIPTURES
THAT INDORSE THE TEXT:
Est 9:24-25 Because Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had devised against the Jews to destroy them, and had cast Pur, that is, the lot, to consume them, and to destroy them; But when Esther came before the king, he commanded by letters that his wicked device, which he devised against the Jews, should return upon his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows. Read: Isa 46:11
