The Valley of Vision
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Isaiah
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| The Western Wall in the valley of vision |
Please let me remind you to have your Bible open, so
that you can follow this study verse-by-verse. Thank you and may you be
blessed, as you contemplate this chapter.
21.
An expository study of Isaiah, chapter 22
The
valley of vision
“(I) will bring them to the place where
I have chosen to cause My name to dwell” (Neh.1:9). This is one example of the multiplied times,
in which God tells of His selection of Jerusalem, as His special possession,
over all the cities of the world. We have already learned of His descriptive
language, in speaking of cities and lands. A few chapters back, He called
Ethiopia, “the land of whirring wings” and just in the last chapter, He labeled
Babylon, “the wilderness of the sea”. However, no other place on earth, besides
Jerusalem, could be called “the valley of vision”. It is His own poetic title
for this city of prophets. It holds a bittersweet
charm, because it introduces a portion, which is anything but charming.
“The valley of vision” brings to mind Psalm 125:2, “As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so
the LORD surrounds his people, from this time forth and forevermore.” (We
have a Jewish boys’ choir singing this verse on our Spanish blog… http://alaentrega.blogspot.com.es/search/label/el%20v%C3%ADdeo#.V0Cap_mLSUl)
Because it is surrounded by mountains, Jerusalem
appears to be a valley.
From here, Isaiah himself had seen so much from the
mind of the Lord, concerning so many cities and countries, but now the vision
turns to the choice city itself. I say it is choice, because God has chosen it
for Himself and it is choice, because of its many desirable traits, useful to
God and His people. It is the only place in which sacrifices could or can be
offered to Him. It is the Holy City, the beloved city.
In Jerusalem, prophets lived and declared the word of
the Lord, and in Jerusalem, prophets died. Jesus said, “I must go on my way today and tomorrow and the day following, for it
cannot be that a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem” (Luke 13:33). The
statement was one of sad irony, because, not only Jesus, but many of the
prophets, were rejected by their own people and in their own beloved capital, were
put to death. His heart broke and He sobbed with anguish over its plight: “When he drew near and saw the city, he
wept over it, saying, "Would that you, even you, had known on this day the
things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.”
The time has come for the “valley of vision” to drink
the bitter cup of judgment. They become the theme of the oracle. Isaiah is
deeply involved and weeps, not for himself, but for the Jews. His grief is deep
and he looks for solitude, in order to express it freely (v.4). He will live to
see this prophecy fulfilled and once again, like a true prophet, he lives his
burden. It is more acute now, because it concerns the daughter of his people
and not a foreign power.
Fear
The population had gone to the flat housetops, where
they habitually went for their devotions, and from which they could look into
the distance to see if friend or enemy was approaching. It was a place to give
vent to their emotions and their fears… a very useful part of the house (v.1).
They were typically a boisterous, exultant people and
perhaps they had celebrated far too close to the time of their judgment.
Instead of repentance and turning to God, they took lightly the signs of
danger. There are multiple occasions, to which this burden refers, beginning
with the soon-coming Assyrian invasion. Next, the Babylonians would come, then
the successor of Alexander the Great, followed by Rome and finally the Antichrist.
However, this portion particularly relates to Assyria.
William Shakespeare said in Julius Caesar, “Cowards
die a thousand deaths, but the brave only once.” That remark seems to fit the
state of the leaders, who were contemporary with Isaiah. Sennacherib seized the
cities of Judah (Is.36:1), abandoned by their leaders, who fled, instead of
launching a defensive battle. Some were captured (v.3) and some were put to
death. The defenders of Jerusalem are in a similar state. The mood is panic,
subjugation and confusion.
There was tremendous damage done throughout Judah by
the Assyrians, and Jerusalem did not come out totally unscathed. There was
immense fear within Jerusalem with cries that reached to the mountains (v.5).
Elam (future Persia) was subject to Assyria and was aligned with them in
battle. They were particularly skilled with the bow (Jer.49:35) and Kir, from
Media, fought with them (v.6).
The most fertile lands around Jerusalem were occupied
by Assyrian chariots. Their general, Rabshakeh, was close enough to speak to
the people on the walls. Horseman stood at the gates guarding, so that nothing
could enter or leave (v.7). The defenses of Judah and Jerusalem were broken
down and the city was dependent on its arsenal in the House of the Forest of
Lebanon, built by Solomon (1 Kgs.10:16,17).
The Assyrians had managed to make breaks in the city
walls, which Hezekiah had repaired and with his army officers, they cut off all
the water supply outside the city (v.9, see 2 Chron.32:5). In this way, they
also built up the water supply inside the city, in preparation for the siege.
He also built a conduit between the walls (2 Kgs.20:20). In order to repair the
wall, they calculated how many houses could be expendable inside the city and used
for material (v.10).
What
is God doing?
The problem behind all these preparations was that
they did not denote faith in the God, who had chosen Jerusalem. The ancient
Jebusites had confidence in the natural defenses of the city and thought it
impossible for David’s army to take it. God chose it and turned it over to
David and all future kings of Judah for that reason; besides it had a wonderful
supply of water. Add to this, Jerusalem’s spiritual significance and history
since the time of Melchizadek and Abraham in Genesis.
Taken up with all the use of the resources available,
Judah had forgotten the purposes of God. This was His city, designed for His
will, throughout the Old Testament, for the final fulfillment of the Passover
and Firstfruits in the death and resurrection of His Christ, on to Pentecost,
and right through the Thousand-year Reign upon the earth.
Friends, we get so taken up with our situation and our
immediate problems, that we forget to pray, “Hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom
come.” Unbelief steals our thoughts away from the fact that He sovereignly
planned every detail, in which we become involved, for His own causes (v.11).
Had Judah remembered His will, they would have been assured of His protection. “God causes all things to work together for
good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Ro.8:28). He never fails to take care of His own
purposes and see to it that they come to pass.
The proper preparation, then, is serious, desperate
prayer in keeping with the will of God. The prophets knew that something more
was at stake than simply self-preservation. The greatest level of human concern
is reached in our total devotion to bring Him glory. Weeping, wailing, shaving
the head and the wearing of sackcloth… deep remorse… has everything to do with
the challenge against God’s glory (v.12).
For His creation to take it lightly is an insult to
His worthiness. The Jews are on red alert for their own survival and, more
importantly, the God of Israel, disdained by the nations, is also despised by
His own people. Hear the foolish cry of the human heart: “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we may die” (v.13). Such a testimony to the callousness
of fallen man bears quoting in the New Testament, and the apostle does so in 1
Corinthians 15:32. Man’s mind is only set on the things of earth. So it was in
Noah’s day, and so it was in Lot’s… they were eating, drinking, marrying and
giving in marriage… right up to the end!
It is an unforgivable sin unto death… “Surely this iniquity shall not be forgiven
you until you die”! (v.14). It is impenetrable hardness of heart that finds
no place for repentance. It is “gaiety
and gladness, killing of cattle and slaughtering of sheep, eating of meat and
drinking of wine” in the face of death and eternity to follow. How then can
there be forgiveness?
Shebna
and Eliakim
I feel the anger of God, as He sends a personal
message to Shebna, the steward in charge of the king’s household. Who would not
tremble upon receiving such a word from the “Lord God of Hosts”, the Commander-in-chief of heaven’s armies and
earth’s (v.15)? The appointments of men are worthless, if they are not also
appointed by God. “What right do you
have here…?” He demands to know. Shebna is caught in the act of building
his own tomb, promoting his own honor, respect and remembrance after death,
because of his man-given position (v.16). The Lord determines him unworthy of
such a burying place.
“Behold the Lord is about to hurl you
headlong, O man, and He is about to grasp you firmly and roll you tightly like
a ball, to be cast into a vast country; there you will die and there your
splendid chariots will be, you shame of your master’s house” (v.17,18). The pride of man provides for
his own future and does not take into account the overruling will that comes
from the Almighty. The one who lives shamefully, cannot expect to die with
honors. God says, “I will pull you
down…” (v.19).
“The wise will inherit glory: but fools
get disgrace” (Pro.3:35). Is
there anyone, who cares to contradict the man, to whom God gave the gift of
wisdom? Here is the observation of a Psalmist: “For not from the east or from the west and not from the wilderness
comes lifting up, but it is God who executes judgment, putting down one and
lifting up another” (Ps.75:6,7). Let people say whatever they want about
you and me. Grant them this privilege, since all their expectations come from
this earthly life. Dear Lord of all, teach us to keep our eyes on you and look only
for the glory that comes from You. This is a fitting introduction to the next
portion.
God is now going to make His appointment; He has His
servant in waiting, who can tell for how long, while Shebna reveled in a
man-ordained position. The Lord knows Eliakim’s heart and can trust one that He
has prepared in a humble place and by now has learned to patiently wait upon
God (v.20). Notice, this is the position of a man, to whom God gives honor: 1)
He will be properly attired. 2) He will be safe and secure. 3) He will be
entrusted with spiritual authority (he will not be an authoritarian or a
tyrant). 4) He will be considered a father. That will be the character of his
position… a loving, compassionate elder… after the nature of God (v.21).
One of the two churches in Revelation, who went
unrebuked by the Lord Jesus was Philadelphia. Here is what He said: “He who is holy, who is true, who has the
key of David, who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens…” (Rev.3:7).
It would be almost impossible to miss His reference to our next verse in
Isaiah. “I will set the key of the house
of David on his shoulder, when he opens no one will shut, when he shuts no one
will open” (v.22). Once again after His ascension and glorification, Jesus
proves His doctrine is not His own, but the Father’s. The church with “a little power” and which has kept His
word is granted “an open door”. What
a rich example Isaiah brings to us here! Eliakim was a fore-type of Christ;
Philadelphia followed in Christ’s footsteps.
Whether it involves an individual or a church, may the
Lord grant to us the privilege of faithfully representing Him. Father, may
Christ live within us with His attributes. Give us holiness, that is, set us
totally apart for Yourself and cause us to walk in purity. Make us true, that
is, faithful and genuine, without a hypocritical bone in our body. May we walk
into doors that you open that we might thereby be involved in eternal things
(v.22).
There is no let-down in verse 23… it only gets better.
“I will drive him like a peg in a firm
place, and he will become a throne of glory to his father’s house.” The
almighty hand of God will drive the peg in! You can be sure that this peg will
stay in place, because it hangs on the power of the Omnipotent. The writer of
Hebrews writes of a “great salvation”.
Don’t cheapen it or weaken it by putting it into the hands of men. Peter infers
that the peg is fastened to an “inheritance
that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, reserved in heaven for you, who
by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be
revealed in the last time” (1 Pt.1:4,5).
Verse 24 continues to define this God-given,
Philadelphia position. You can hang any amount of weight on this peg; it will
stay firmly in its place. The weight is what Paul called “a weight of glory” (2 Co.4:17) in the Father’s house in the land
beyond compare. The Father hangs all the riches of His house upon it, "from the bowls to all the jars". There is only glory bye and bye, for the God-called
Eliakims in the timelessness of eternity. His Father has placed him there, in the city that Abraham envisioned, the New Jerusalem, the city that God built.
At the end of the chapter, verse 25, the Lord refers
again to Shebna. The man-appointed position is unstable and weak and, although
it is driven in a firm place, it was not done by the hand of the Almighty. It
will give way, it will break and fall. Whatever depends upon it will be
disappointed. This is the word of the Lord, conveying to us the future of that which
is placed by men and that which is God’s appointment.
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