Welcome to the MHB Podcast. This is Michael Baun. And welcome to my eighty second episode. Tonight we are back into our study of the book of Isaiah. This will be chapter twenty two. This chapter is an oracle concerning Jerusalem. This chapter is clearly divided into two parts – and we’re going to cover both of them. The first part is a survey of the behavior of Jerusalem as the Assyrians begin to surround the city. The second part is an indictment against Jerusalem’s administration – particularly against two men: Shebna and Eliakim.
Let’s set the scene for the first half of this chapter. The year was 701 B.C. Jerusalem had spent years preparing for an invasion. They felt pretty confident in their military power, but then news came that the Assyrian Empire had conquered Babylon. Babylon was not supposed to fall so easily – so this was like a signal to Jerusalem that Assyria was way more powerful than they were prepared for. After taking Babylon, the Assyrians have moved into the area surrounding Jerusalem. This is where we pick up with verses 1-4:
22 The oracle concerning the valley of vision.
What do you mean that you have gone up,
all of you, to the housetops,
2 you who are full of shoutings,
tumultuous city, exultant town?
Your slain are not slain with the sword
or dead in battle.
3 All your leaders have fled together;
without the bow they were captured.
All of you who were found were captured,
though they had fled far away.
4 Therefore I said:
“Look away from me;
let me weep bitter tears;
do not labor to comfort me
concerning the destruction of the daughter of my people.”
Notice in verse one how Jerusalem is referred to as the valley of vision. This is meant to show that Mount Zion has fallen from grace into something like a valley of shame. The appeal to vision suggests that Jerusalem is supposed to be a place that is spiritually insightful – but instead it has become possessed by a blind and reckless drive for present pleasure without regard for God. In these verses we see a marked contrast between the attitude of the people in the city versus Isaiah’s attitude. The people are rejoicing and jubilant. Isaiah is in despair.
The people inside Jerusalem are most likely excited about the military preparations against Assyria finally being complete. They believe they have rescued themselves from the Empire. But Isaiah knows better. Isaiah knows that the Assyrians are on the move outside of Jerusalem and conquering all of Judah’s fortified cities. Notice in verse two how it says, your slain are not slain with the sword or dead in battle. This means that most of Judah’s army outside of Jerusalem are surrendering when they see the Assyrians approach. They are being captured without a fight because they can see for themselves that the cause is hopeless. The partying and the revelry that is occurring inside Jerusalem is quickly going to die away when they, too, realize what’s going on outside of their defenses. Let’s look at verses 5-8:
5 For the Lord God of hosts has a day
of tumult and trampling and confusion
in the valley of vision,
a battering down of walls
and a shouting to the mountains.
6 And Elam bore the quiver
with chariots and horsemen,
and Kir uncovered the shield.
7 Your choicest valleys were full of chariots,
and the horsemen took their stand at the gates.
8 He has taken away the covering of Judah.
This passage reveals to us that the invasion is the work of God and He is using it as a judgment against His people. We see two different nations named here: Elam and Kir. This suggests that Assyria’s invasion force was made up of an international contingent of mercenaries. Archers from Elam and foot-soldiers from Kir. Also notice the dramatic change of attitude. Before the army surrounded the city, the people of Jerusalem were rejoicing because their defenses had finally been completed. Jerusalem had built this ring of armed towns to protect the city. But now they can see that all of their fortified outposts have been destroyed and their Judean soldiers have been captured. The fullness of jubilant shouting has been replaced by the fullness of enemy chariots. This is why verse eight says, He has taken away the covering of Judah. Let’s move on to verses 9-11:
In that day you looked to the weapons of the House of the Forest, 9 and you saw that the breaches of the city of David were many. You collected the waters of the lower pool, 10 and you counted the houses of Jerusalem, and you broke down the houses to fortify the wall. 11 You made a reservoir between the two walls for the water of the old pool. But you did not look to him who did it, or see him who planned it long ago.
The House of the Forest was a storehouse for arms – it was part of the palace complex. Remember: a major part of Jerusalem’s army was positioned outside of the city and these soldiers surrendered to Assyria and deserted the people who were inside the city. So now these citizens are calling for arms from the royal armory to protect themselves against the anticipated invaders. Instead of repenting and calling on God, Jerusalem’s government decides to take frantic action to prepare the city for the incoming siege.
Walled cities usually had two walls with a space in between. This allowed for defenders to have the open space they needed to overcome attackers who had penetrated the outer wall. During peace-time, this space had a tendency to be built up by squatters in temporary shacks that eventually turned into permanent dwellings. The authorities cleared away these houses so they could open up the space again. They used the wood and debris to shore up weak points along the fortified wall. Once they had cleared the space, they diverted the flow of water from the Gihon Spring and from the old pool so that they could flood this space between the walls – creating a moat. Once this was finished, they took a survey of the houses in the city both to arrange housing for villagers who sought safety as well as to meet needs for defense.
Notice how verse eleven is an accusation against the government that they have not looked to God. Judah chose adventurous, nationalistic, and personal ambition over choosing to recognize God’s plan. They failed to see that God had a stake in Jerusalem long before it ever existed. They failed to remember that God has planned a permanent kingdom in Zion. We always need to remember God’s ultimate plan and keep that design worked into all of our considerations as we make our own plans. Let’s look at verses 12-14:
12 In that day the Lord God of hosts
called for weeping and mourning,
for baldness and wearing sackcloth;
13 and behold, joy and gladness,
killing oxen and slaughtering sheep,
eating flesh and drinking wine.
“Let us eat and drink,
for tomorrow we die.”
14 The Lord of hosts has revealed himself in my ears:
“Surely this iniquity will not be atoned for you until you die,”
says the Lord God of hosts.
God is calling for a reversal of policy, abject humiliation before Sennacherib’s authority, penance for their rebellion, promises to rebel no more, payment of tribute due, and penalties for the Assyrian armies’ trouble. Hezekiah did just that a decade earlier during the Ashdod rebellion. The city was spared back then, but it cost virtually everything in the royal treasury. But would they listen? No.
Instead of humbling themselves, the people of Jerusalem escalated into a fever-pitch of nationalistic pride and bravado. They began feasting on animals that were driven into the city, with no thought of needing them to rebuild the country afterward. They began drinking excesses of wine, with no thought of saving strength and wit to defend the city. Jerusalem’s rulers sparked up this nationalistic fever in the populace knowing full well that the city was vulnerable and in the Assyrian’s cross hairs.
This betrayal and manipulation of the people brought on severe words from God. Surely this iniquity will not be atoned for you until you die. These words were aimed in a broader sense at the entire Judean government. But they were especially targeted at the court officials Shebna and Eliakim. That’s because these two were the masterminds behind Judah’s nationalist policy. And that’s where the second half of this chapter picks up in verses 15-19:
15 Thus says the Lord God of hosts, “Come, go to this steward, to Shebna, who is over the household, and say to him: 16 What have you to do here, and whom have you here, that you have cut out here a tomb for yourself, you who cut out a tomb on the height and carve a dwelling for yourself in the rock? 17 Behold, the Lord will hurl you away violently, O you strong man. He will seize firm hold on you 18 and whirl you around and around, and throw you like a ball into a wide land. There you shall die, and there shall be your glorious chariots, you shame of your master’s house. 19 I will thrust you from your office, and you will be pulled down from your station.
Shebna is a bad steward. It was his influence and policy decisions that led to the siege on the city. And now that the people were making ready to fight for their lives, Shebna has disappeared. He’s gone off to the village of Silwan, where he has constructed himself an elaborate mausoleum to die in. It is called The Tomb of the Royal Steward. This behavior is so extraordinarily irreverent that it’s considered equal to the famous statement: Nero fiddled while Rome burned. Shebna has chosen the moment when Jerusalem’s citizens are frantically arming for a last-ditch stand to visit his luxurious final resting place. Such was his character in many things he did. Shebna was preoccupied with his own dignity in death while most people in Jerusalem were still hoping to live.
God’s anger burns against Shebna. Isaiah struggles to find words for it. Finally he concludes that God will throw him out, like a ball, into open country. Here Shebna will die with his chariot – useless, alone, meaningless, and without rank – a disgrace to the royal house he served. What else did Shebna do to bring God’s wrath upon him? Shebna took immense pride in his position as steward. His pretentiousness is obvious from his prominent tomb. But he exploited the poor for his own gain. Maybe his worst mistake was being so arrogant that he refused to admit when he was wrong. He would rather watch the city burn to the ground than repent and turn to God. So God deems him no longer fit to be steward. Let’s pick up with verses 20-25:
20 In that day I will call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, 21 and I will clothe him with your robe, and will bind your sash on him, and will commit your authority to his hand. And he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. 22 And I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David. He shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open. 23 And I will fasten him like a peg in a secure place, and he will become a throne of honor to his father’s house. 24 And they will hang on him the whole honor of his father’s house, the offspring and issue, every small vessel, from the cups to all the flagons. 25 In that day, declares the Lord of hosts, the peg that was fastened in a secure place will give way, and it will be cut down and fall, and the load that was on it will be cut off, for the Lord has spoken.”
Eliakim is chosen and given an opportunity to take Shebna’s office. He’s installed with all the pomp and circumstance of a new prime minister. He’s given a tunic, a sash, and a key to the royal house. Eliakim’s roles include being a father to Jerusalemites and Judeans. This means that he would be available to help in all affairs. He’s given the power to make royal decisions that cannot be appealed. You see the imagery of Eliakim being secured like a tent peg driven into the ground. And also like a fixture strong enough to hold pots and pans to the kitchen wall. Eliakim was supposed to be stable enough to provide support to his broader family. They should be able to count on him for economic support and safety. But at last, it is all a farce.
Shebna is still there. He’s supposedly demoted to a secretary – but his poisonous words are still in Eliakim’s ear. Eliakim fails to fulfil the role God called him to. Eliakim’s policies end up being identical with those of Shebna. So both of them are still staunchly anti-Assyrian. Both of them are unrepentant and proud. They care nothing for God’s design and have cast it out in favor of their own. Outside the city, Assyrian king Sennacherib knows this – and so does his representative, the Rabshakeh. So the siege pressure will be turned up. Judah’s king Hezekiah will not make the right decisions until God strips Eliakim of the stewardship. And so that’s what He does. God speaks and removes the corrupt stewards, reversing the policies of that toxic administration.
We stand to learn something from this chapter. If you are in a position of responsibility and privilege – understand that God is watching you. Exodus chapter 20:7 says:
You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.
A lot of people think that this commandment is specifically talking about using God’s name as a cuss word. But I think there’s more to it than that. It’s not uncommon for religious people to use their image to pursue personal ambition. Often, these people will claim that they are doing God’s will – when in their heart they know that it is their own will. This, to me, is the deepest form of taking the Lord’s name in vain. Using the mantle of God to pursue personal power puts you in the same camp as Shebna and Eliakim. And God’s fury burned against them. Proverbs 21:27 says:
The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination; how much more when he brings it with evil intent.
This was Cain’s problem as well. He was playing at being religious and pretending to desire God – when what he really wanted was power. Unfortunately, this kind of problem is extremely common in the church today. Churches are organized into administrations out of logistical necessity and for reasons of legal liability. But the problem with administrations is that they create positions of power. And positions of power create Shebnas, Eliakims, and Cains. Men and women who use the house of God for their own ends with little regard for God’s design. If you’re listening to this and you think this might be you – check your heart. If you’re rising in the hierarchy of power in your organization – understand that you have a wonderful opportunity to be self-giving and to be a force of stability and peace for many people. But you can be certain – the Deceiver is walking with you into that position of power – and he’s crouching outside the door to your heart. The moment you take your focus off of God – the tempter will gain a foothold inside of you.
So how do you prevent that? You remember that fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. You remember that in all things you do – you are not the only one who has access to the motives of your heart. You go on a journey inside of yourself. You plunge into the depths and even if you look inside your deepest, most secluded being – there you will find God waiting for you.
If you find this content valuable, feel free to share it and to use it in your own studies. If you’d like to support this podcast, you can do so at http://www.patreon.com/michaelhbaun. There is a link in the description. Your generosity goes a long way to promoting the growth of this enterprise and the cause of free speech. Thank you all for joining me this evening, and I will see you in the next episode.
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