22:1 Here is a message about the Valley of Vision: What is the reason that all of you go up to the rooftops?
Jehovah gave Isaiah another heavy message of judgment. Jerusalem was a city on a mountain. However, it was surrounded by higher mountains, so Jerusalem was called "the Valley of Vision." Isaiah looked into the future and saw the Assyrian invasion of Jerusalem. In this vision, he saw the people in Jerusalem going to their rooftop patios and watching the advances of the Assyrian army.
22:2 The noisy city is full of raucous sounds; the town is filled with revelry. Your slain were not cut down by the sword; they did not die in battle.
King Sennecherib of Assyria wrote that he had captured 46 towns of Judah. Therefore, many of the Jewish citizens of these 46 cities who were not slain by the sword ending up fleeing to Jerusalem. These extra people made the city of Jerusalem very noisy.
22:3 All your leaders ran away together— they fled to a distant place; all your refugees were captured together— they were captured without a single arrow being shot.
The Jewish leaders of these 46 cites ran away from the Assyrian onslaught, but they were easily caught.
22:4 So I say: “Don’t look at me! I am weeping bitterly. Don’t try to console me concerning the destruction of my defenseless people.”
Many of the citizens from these 46 cities of Judah were lamenting the destruction of their villages and the death of their loved ones.
22:5 For the sovereign master, the Lord who commands armies, has planned a day of panic, defeat, and confusion. In the Valley of Vision people shout and cry out to the hill.
The people inside of Jerusalem knew that the Assyrian invasion was a judgment from Jehovah. They should have listened and acted upon the advice of the prophets in which God had sent them.
22:6 The Elamites picked up the quiver, and came with chariots and horsemen; the men of Kir prepared the shield.
The Elamites and Kir were part of the Assyrian tribute cities. They joined the Assyrian attack against Judah.
22:7 Your very best valleys were full of chariots; horsemen confidently took their positions at the gate.
Assyrian chariots were in the valleys which surrounded Jerusalem. The Assyrian calvary confidently took their positions at the Jerusalem gate.
22:8 They removed the defenses of Judah. At that time you looked for the weapons in the House of the Forest.
The "defenses of Judah" were the fortified cities that Assyria had already destroyed. “The House of the Forest” was a weapons armory that King Solomon had built. The armory did not possess enough weapons to defend Jerusalem from the Assyrians.
22:9 You saw the many breaks in the walls of the city of David; you stored up water in the lower pool.
Jerusalem prepared for siege warfare by repairing the breaks in her walls and filling up her water cisterns.
22:10 You counted the houses in Jerusalem, and demolished houses so you could have material to reinforce the wall.
Many of the houses were torn down so that their construction material could be used to repair the walls.
22:11 You made a reservoir between the two walls for the water of the old pool— but you did not trust in the one who made it; you did not depend on the one who formed it long ago!
King Hezekiah anticipated the Assyrian attack, so he constructed a tunnel to bring water into the walled city of Jerusalem. This aqueduct has been excavated by archaeologists in modern times.
Jerusalem did everything that they intended to do for war except for one thing. They did not trust in Jehovah to deliver them from the Assyrians. This lack of trust in Jehovah was the biggest mistake of Judah.
22:12 At that time the sovereign master, the Lord who commands armies, called for weeping and mourning, for shaved heads and sackcloth.
When Jerusalem saw the enemy approaching from their rooftops, then Jerusalem should have turned to Jehovah.
22:13 But look, there is outright celebration! You say, “Kill the ox and slaughter the sheep, eat meat and drink wine. Eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!”
Instead of repenting and turning to Jehovah, Judah partied. The Jewish citizens thought that they would die the next day, so they lived it up.
22:14 The Lord who commands armies told me this: “Certainly this sin will not be forgiven as long as you live,” says the sovereign master, the Lord who commands armies.
Jerusalem did not believe that God was powerful enough to save them from the Assyrians. They did not believe the promises of Jehovah through His prophets. Therefore, the curses of the Mosaic Covenant would fall upon her.
22:15 This is what the sovereign master, the Lord who commands armies, says: “Go visit this administrator, Shebna, who supervises the palace, and tell him:
Shebna was the Jerusalem high court official who supervised the palace. He may have been second-in-command to King Hezekiah.
22:16 ‘What right do you have to be here? What relatives do you have buried here? Why do you chisel out a tomb for yourself here? He chisels out his burial site in an elevated place, he carves out his tomb on a cliff.
Shebna wanted his name to live on into future generations, so he built himself a tomb in the royal graveyard.
22:17 Look, the Lord will throw you far away, you mere man! He will wrap you up tightly.
Isaiah predicted that Shebna would not die inside of Jerusalem. Instead, he would die in a faraway place (perhaps Assyria).
22:18 He will wind you up tightly into a ball and throw you into a wide, open land. There you will die, and there with you will be your impressive chariots, which bring disgrace to the house of your master.
Jehovah would crunch Shebna in a ball and throw him into a land far away outside of Jerusalem. Shebna would die in this foreign land. His chariots would die with him. Chariots would not help Jerusalem escape from King Sennacherib’s attack. Jerusalem will have no chooice but to count only upon Jehovah.
22:19 I will remove you from your office; you will be thrown down from your position.
Shebna will be demoted from his high position.
22:20 “At that time I will summon my servant Eliakim, son of Hilkiah.
Eliakim was the palace administrator and a godly man.
22:21 I will put your robe on him, tie your belt around him, and transfer your authority to him. He will become a protector of the residents of Jerusalem and of the people of Judah.
Eliakim would take over Shebna’s position.
22:22 I will place the key to the house of David on his shoulder. When he opens the door, no one can close it; when he closes the door, no one can open it.
Eliakim would become a respected leader and a faithful administrator who would make divine viewpoint decisions.
22:23 I will fasten him like a peg into a solid place; he will bring honor and respect to his father’s family.
The tent peg was where a person hung his most valuable possessions. Eliakim will become a strong tent peg who would hold Judah in place. He would become such a godly leader that he would bring respect to his father’s family.
22:24 His father’s family will gain increasing prominence because of him, including the offspring and the offshoots. All the small containers, including the bowls and all the jars will hang from this peg.’
Eliakim would cause his family to be well known and respected. The “small containers” were humble people who were not very well known. The “bowls and jars” were the more influential family members. The tent peg was where a person hung his most valuable possessions. All of his family members would hang their most valuable possessions from the tent peg of Eliakim. They would be respected and successful because of his name.
22:25 “At that time,” says the Lord who commands armies, “the peg fastened into a solid place will come loose. It will be cut off and fall, and the load hanging on it will be cut off.” Indeed, the Lord has spoken.
Eventually, Eliakim’s influence will leave Judah and they will fall to the Babylonians.