Isaiah Lesson 7 - Chapters 20-22 Our study of Isaiah - Chapters 20 through 22. Tips to understanding our scriptures. Our study of Isaiah - Chapter 20 Tips to understanding the chapter. Chapter 20 is both the record of what the LORD said to Judah, and a record of the historical background. It includes the usage of Isaiah as a "type" of the fate of the Egyptian power. Certainly, the hearers of Isaiah's message from the LORD would be persuaded of his conviction of its truth, and his commitment to obey the LORD when he went around "stripped and barefoot for three years" (verse 3). His clothing was that of laborer. It wasn't as if he was going around naked. The gist of the message was, "Do not trust in Egypt for your safety!" Isaiah Chapter 20 Isaiah 20:1 In the year that the supreme commander, [a] sent by Sargon king of Assyria, [b] came to Ashdod and attacked and captured it-- 20:2 at that time the LORD spoke through Isaiah son of Amoz. He had 1 / 16
[c] said to him, "Take off the sackcloth from your body and the sandals from your feet." And he did so, going around stripped and barefoot. [d] 20:3 Then the LORD said, "Just as my servant Isaiah has gone stripped and barefoot for three years, as a sign and portent against Egypt and Cush, 20:4 so the king of Assyria will lead away stripped and barefoot the Egyptian captives and Cushite exiles, young and old, with buttocks bared [e] --to Egypt's shame. 20:5 Those who trusted in Cush and boasted in Egypt will be afraid and put to shame. 20:6 In that day the people who live on this coast will say, See what has happened to those we relied on, those we fled to for help and deliverance from the king of Assyria! How then can we escape?'" Our study of Isaiah - Chapter 21 Tips to understanding the chapter. Chapter 21:1-12 is a completely new prophecy. It probably originally existed on a completely different scroll written down by Isaiah after he preached it to the people. This prophecy almost certainly deals with the destruction of Babylon. In verse 9, the news is given, "Babylon has fallen." In verse 2, the agents of its destruction are named, Media and Elam (Persia). This would not have meant anything to the people of Isaiah's time as all three countries were vassal states of Assyria at that time. However, this prophecy was meant first, for the Jews of 150 to 200 years later, when they were dealing with the destruction and exile of their nation by the Babylonians. Then, for later generations, including our own, it is a testimony that God controls history and sees the beginning from the end. 2 / 16
Isaiah Chapter 21 Isaiah 21:1 An oracle concerning the Desert by the Sea: [f] Like whirlwinds sweeping through the southland, an invader comes from the desert, from a land of terror. 21:2 A dire vision has been shown to me: The traitor betrays, the looter takes loot. Elam, [g] attack! Media, lay siege! [h] I will bring to an end all the groaning she caused. 21:3 At this my body is racked with pain, pangs seize me, like those of a woman in labor; I am staggered by what I hear, I am bewildered by what I see. 21:4 My heart falters, fear makes me tremble; the twilight I longed for has become a horror to me. 21:5 They set the tables, they spread the rugs, they eat, they drink! Get up, you officers, oil the shields! 21:6 This is what the Lord says to me: "Go, post a lookout and have him report what he sees. 21:7 When he sees chariots with teams of horses, riders on donkeys or riders on camels, let him be alert, fully alert." 21:8 And the lookout shouted, "Day after day, my lord, I stand on the watchtower; every night I stay at my post. 21:9 Look, here comes a man in a chariot with a team of horses. And he gives back the answer: Babylon has fallen, has fallen! All the images of its gods lie shattered on the ground!'" [i] 21:10 O my people, crushed on the threshing floor, I tell you what I have heard from the LORD Almighty, from the God of Israel. 21:11 An oracle concerning Dumah: [j] Someone calls to me from Seir, [k] "Watchman, what is left of the night? Watchman, what is left of the night?" 21:12 The watchman replies, "Morning is coming, but also the night. If you would ask, then ask; and come back yet again." 3 / 16
Isaiah 21:13-17 also seems to be a completely different prophecy. The time frame of the prophecy is almost certainly contemporary to Isaiah, as it says, "within a year." It is probably speaking about the tribulations the Arabs went through at the time of the Assyrian incursions. It is significant in that the LORD is speaking to and warning Gentile peoples. Isaiah 21:13 An oracle concerning Arabia: You caravans of Dedanites, who camp in the thickets of Arabia, 21:14 bring water for the thirsty; you who live in Tema, [l] bring food for the fugitives. 21:15 They flee from the sword, from the drawn sword, from the bent bow and from the heat of battle. 21:16 This is what the Lord says to me: "Within one year, as a servant bound by contract would count it, [m] all the pomp of Kedar [n] will come to an end. 21:17 The survivors of the bowmen, the warriors of Kedar, [o] will be few." The LORD, the God of Israel, has spoken. Our study of Isaiah - Chapter 22 Tips to understanding the chapter. Chapter 22 is another completely different scroll of prophecy. It is addressed to the people of Isaiah's day who were facing the invasion of the 4 / 16
Assyrians during the reign of Hezekiah. This chapter almost certainly refers to the invasion of the Assyrians under Sennacherib in 701 B.C. as described in 1 Kings and 2 Chronicles: 2 Kings 18:13 In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah's reign, Sennacherib [p] king of Assyria attacked all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them. 18:14 So Hezekiah king of Judah sent this message to the king of Assyria at Lachish: "I have done wrong. Withdraw from me, and I will pay whatever you demand of me." The king of Assyria exacted from Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold. 18:15 So Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the temple of the LORD and in the treasuries of the royal palace. 18:16 At this time Hezekiah king of Judah stripped off the gold with which he had covered the doors and doorposts of the temple of the LORD, and gave it to the king of Assyria. 18:17 The king of Assyria sent his supreme commander, his chief officer and his field commander with a large army, from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. They came up to Jerusalem and stopped at the aqueduct of the Upper Pool, on the road to the Washerman's Field. [q] 18:18 They called for the king; and Eliakim son of Hilkiah the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary, and Joah son of Asaph the recorder went out to them. 18:19 The field commander said to them, "Tell Hezekiah: " This is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: On what are you basing this confidence of yours? 18:20 You say you have strategy and military strength--but you speak only empty words. On whom are you depending, that you rebel against me? 18:21 Look now, you are depending on Egypt, that splintered reed of a staff, which pierces a man's hand and wounds him if he leans on it! Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who depend on him. 18:22 And if you say to me, "We are depending on the LORD our God"--isn't he the one whose high places and altars Hezekiah removed, [r] saying to Judah and Jerusalem, "You must worship before this altar in Jerusalem"? 5 / 16
2 Chronicles 32:1 After all that Hezekiah had so faithfully done, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and invaded Judah. He laid siege to the fortified cities, thinking to conquer them for himself. 32:2 When Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come and that he intended to make war on Jerusalem, 32:3 he consulted with his officials and military staff about blocking off the water from the springs outside the city, and they helped him. 32:4 A large force of men assembled, and they blocked all the springs and the stream that flowed through the land. "Why should the kings of Assyria come and find plenty of water?" they said. 32:5 Then he worked hard repairing all the broken sections of the wall and building towers on it. He built another wall outside that one and reinforced the supporting terraces of the City of David. He also made large numbers of weapons and shields. 32:6 He appointed military officers over the people and assembled them before him in the square at the city gate and encouraged them with these words: 32:7 "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him. 32:8 With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the LORD our God to help us and to fight our battles." And the people gained confidence from what Hezekiah the king of Judah said. 32:9 Later, when Sennacherib king of Assyria and all his forces were laying siege to Lachish, he sent his officers to Jerusalem with this message for Hezekiah king of Judah and for all the people of Judah [s] who were there: 32:10 "This is what Sennacherib king of Assyria says: On what are you basing your confidence, that you remain in Jerusalem under siege? 32:11 When Hezekiah says, The LORD our God will save us from the hand of the king of Assyria,' he is misleading you, to let you die of hunger and thirst. 32:12 Did not Hezekiah himself remove this god's high places and altars, saying to Judah and Jerusalem, You must worship before one altar and burn sacrifices on it'? 6 / 16
The first part of the chapter (verses 1-14) is historical and describes how at first, the leadership and the people focused on improving their armaments, fortifications, and ability to withstand a siege. Their problem was not in doing those things (which were prudent), but in making them their first priority. [t] Isaiah Chapter 22 Isaiah 22:1 An oracle concerning the Valley of Vision: [u] What troubles you now, that you have all gone up on the roofs, 22:2 O town full of commotion, O city of tumult and revelry? Your slain were not killed by the sword, nor did they die in battle. 22: 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. 22:4 Therefore I said, "Turn away from me; let me weep bitterly. Do not try to console me over the destruction of my people." 22:5 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. 22:6 Elam [v] takes up the quiver, with her charioteers and horses; Kir [w] uncovers the shield. 22:7 Your choicest valleys are full of chariots, and horsemen are posted at the city gates; 22:8 the defenses of Judah are stripped away. And you looked in that day to the weapons in the 7 / 16
Palace of the Forest; [x] 22:9 you saw that the City of David had many breaches in its defenses; [y] you stored up water in the Lower Pool. [z] 22:10 You counted the buildings in Jerusalem and tore down houses to strengthen the wall. 22:11 You built a reservoir between the two walls for the water of the Old Pool, [aa] but you did not look to the One who made it, or have regard for the One who planned it long ago. 22:12 The Lord, the LORD Almighty, called you on that day to weep and to wail, to tear out your hair and put on sackcloth. 22:13 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!" [bb] 22:14 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. The second part of Isaiah 22 is one of the most powerful and instructive passages in the Book of Isaiah. It is a passage that was clearly only meant for the Church to understand. [cc] The passage is a prophecy concerning two of Hezikiah's chief officials, Shebna and Eliakim, who advised him during the Assyrian crisis (2 Kings 18:13-19:37). Outside of this passage, nothing is known of them except for that bare fact. This passage makes it clear that they represented two polar opposites. Shebna was evidently originally the palace administrator who counseled trusting in improved walls and defenses, while Eliakim (who became Palace administrator per 2 Kings 19:2) evidently was the one who counseled trusting in the LORD. Nothing is ever mentioned in the Bible about the actual fates of these officials. At this point in the interpretation it is important to understand the Old Testament's practice of using the names of nations and men to represent the inspirations behind them. We have already seen in Isaiah 14 a passage ostensibly about the King of Babylon, yet which is clearly about Satan. [dd] Reading the passage in Isaiah 22, it is clear to me, that, just as the stripped and barefoot Isaiah 8 / 16
was a "type" of the destiny of Egypt and Cush, so too, Shebna and Eliakim are types of Satan, and Christ. The characteristics given to each are unmistakable. Shebna, whose name means "vigor," is clearly a "type" of Satan. According to the passage, he ascended to the heights, he was in charge of the throne room, [ ee] and then he was cast out. [ff] All these are characteristic of Satan. Shebna was supplanted by Eliakim. Eliakim, whose name means "who God will raise up," is clearly a "type" of Jesus Christ. Eliakim holds the Key of David (verse 22). So does Jesus Christ. In Revelation 3:7: "To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open." See also Matthew 16:19 (Jesus speaking) "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." On Eliakim hangs all the glory of his family (verse 23-24). It is on Jesus Christ that all of the glory of His family hangs (Israel and the Church). Colossians 1:15-20 "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and all things commend him. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross." 9 / 16
Understanding that the passage is speaking of the two adversaries in the great conflict of time and human history, makes this passage pregnant with significance. The verses are a rebuke of Satan and a prediction of his defeat by the one whom God would raise up. It must also be understood that in verses 23 to 25 there are two pegs in view. Eliakim (Christ) and Shebna (Satan). The first will remain and the second will be sheared off along with all which hung on it. Isaiah 22:15 This is what the Lord, the LORD Almighty, says: "Go, say to this steward, to Shebna, who is in charge of the palace: 22:16 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? 22:17 "Beware, the LORD is about to take firm hold of you and hurl you away, O you mighty man. 22:18 He will roll you up tightly like a ball and throw you into a large country. There you will die and there your splendid chariots will remain-- you disgrace to your master's house! 22:19 I will depose you from your office, and you will be ousted from your position. 22:20 "In that day I will summon my servant, Eliakim son of Hilkiah. 22:21 I will clothe him with your robe and fasten your sash around him [gg] and hand your authority over to him. He will be a father to those who live in Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. 22:22 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. 22:23 I will drive him like a peg into a firm place; he will be a seat of honor for the house of his father. 22:24 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. 22:25 10 / 16
"In that day," declares the LORD Almighty, "the peg driven into the firm place will give way; [hh] it will be sheared off and will fall, and the load hanging on it will be cut down." The LORD has spoken. Questions 1. In Isaiah 20, what do you suppose was the effect of Isaiah going around is something like boxer shorts for three year on his hearers? On Isaiah? 2. In Isaiah 21, how do you suppose the people of Israel felt in 539 BC when it was the Medes and the Persians who conquered Babylon. Do you suppose it encouraged them in regards to the prophecy that they would return to Jerusalem after 70 years of Babylonian power. 3. Does Isaiah 22 criticize the repairing of the walls and the strengthening of the army? What does it criticize? 4. According to Isaiah 22:24, on whom does all the glory of the family of Eliakim ("whom God will raise up" - Christ) depend. 5. According to Isaiah 22:25, what is the fate of Satan and all his works. 11 / 16
[a] Literally the Hebrew says "In the year Tartan." We know from history that Tartan was the supreme commander of Sargon. [b] Sargon II (721-705 BC) was the successor to Shalmaneser V (726-722 BC). He followed up on Shalmaneser's conquest of the Northern Kingdom (2 Kings 17:1-8) by defeating the Philistines (Ashdod). [c] This is a difficult passage as evidenced by many different translations by Hebrew scholars. Taking into account the uncertainty of tense in the Hebrew, I have to believe that "had said" is what is meant here. Isaiah had gotten this command three years before to make this point more graphically when the LORD spoke through him at the time of the attack. [d] Evidently the action recorded in this verse was separated by three years from the LORD's pronouncement through Isaiah in the next verses. [e] What Isaiah and the captives were wearing were loin cloths. This was comparable to modern boxer shorts. Prisoners were thus dressed so they could be easily identified. Armies did not carry uniforms for prisoners. If they escaped they could not blend in with the civilian population, so they were stripped. Prisoners were also deprived of footwear so they would have a hard time outrunning their captors. [f] The term "The Desert by the Sea" is not clear. It is not a term that is clear in our day. However, considering that the passage is obviously talking about the conquest of Babylon (verse 9) by the Medes (verse 2) and the Persians (Elam - verse 2), it would seem to 12 / 16
be referring to Babylon. Since the territory of Babylon includes the desert area north of the Persian Gulf, this could be the meaning of the term. [g] Persia [h] Obviously refers to Media-Persia. [i] This seems to be a prophecy of the destruction of Babylon by the Medio-Persians under Cyrus in 539 BC. [j] Dumah was a city of the Ishmaelites. Some think it is Dumat-al-Jandal (Dumah of the Stone) the ruins of which still remain in North Central Arabia. [k] Another name for Edom (Genesis 32:3) which was in the south in the direction of Arabia and Dumah. [l] A town in North Central Arabia. The place is the same as the modern Teima (Tayma) in N Arabia, a large oasis about halfway between Damascus and Mecca, and between Babylonia and Egypt. It is on the ancient caravan road connecting the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Aqaba. It is one of the most attractive oases in Arabia and is still one of the most important trade centers in the land. [m] In other words, to the very day. [n] Kedar also refers to the Ishmaelites and Arabia. [o] Remember that Ishmael was to be renowned as an archer (Genesis 21:20). 13 / 16
[p] Sennacherib reigned from 705 to 681 BC. He succeed Sargon (721 to 705 BC) who had succeeded Shalmaneser. [q] It is no coincidence that the place where the Assyrians utter this threat was at the same place (Isaiah 7:3) where the Lord, through the prophet Isaiah had made His great promise that "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel." [r] 2 Kings 18:3-4 "He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father David had done. He removed the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles." [s] Evidently many had fled to Jerusalem for security. [t] Reminiscent of Matthew 23:23 "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices-mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law-justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former." [u] The Valley of Vision is clearly in Jerusalem (verses 10-11 which mention Jerusalem and the City of David). One of the valleys is the valley between Mt. Moriah (where the Temple was located) and Mt. Zion (where the Lord Jesus Christ was crucified). [v] Elam is Persia which was part of the Assyrian army which attacked Judah. [w] Kir (which means fortress) was a place within the Assyrian Empire to which the people of Damascus were exiled (Amos 1:5, 2 Kings 16:9). 14 / 16
[x] The main palace built by King Solomon. [y] In other words, they surveyed the walls to look for repairs to make. [z] In other words, they started storing water to prepare for a long siege. [aa] Part of this activity are recorded in 2 Kings 20:20 "As for the other events of Hezekiah's reign, all his achievements and how he made the pool and the tunnel by which he brought water into the city, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah?" [bb] In other words, they screwed up their human courage. [cc] 1 Peter 1:10-12 "Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things." [dd] Isaiah 14:12-14 "How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said in your heart, I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.'" [ee] Ezekiel 28:14 "You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones." 15 / 16
[ff] Ezekiel 28:16-17 "Through your widespread trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you, O guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones. Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings. [gg] See Revelation 1:13. [hh] It must be understood, that there are two pegs in view here. On a day to come, the peg that is driven in by God, Jesus Christ, will be established in Jerusalem forever, and "in that day (the same day)," the peg that is Satan, which has been driven in by his works, will be sheared off and all his works will fall forever. 16 / 16