Isaiah 22:1-25

Isaiah: God controls the nations

God controls the future

Isaiah Chapter s 21 to 30

Norman Hillyer

Chapter 22

God warns *Jerusalem

v1 (A special message that God gave to Isaiah about *Jerusalem’s future.) You people should not be standing on the flat roof of your houses. v2 You ought not to be making such a cheerful noise. You have not won a war. The soldiers who died did not die in battle. That supposes that your soldiers were brave. But they were afraid. They did not fight. They ran away from the enemy. But in vain. The enemy seized them. v3 And all your rulers are cowards. They too will try to run away. But the enemy will seize them without the necessity to fire one arrow.

v4 Therefore, says Isaiah, I want you people to leave me alone to weep bitterly. I know what will soon happen. All those people of mine will die! Do not try to comfort me. v5 This will be such a terrible time of noise. And a time of defeat. And a time of confusion. Enemies will completely knock down *Jerusalem’s walls. There will be noisy shouts. Your desperate cries for help will be so loud that they will reach the mountains. v6 Soldiers are arriving from the country called Elam. Horsemen are driving *chariots. They have prepared their bows and arrows. Soldiers from the country called Kir have their arms ready. v7 Your beautiful valleys are full of the enemy’s *chariots. Horsemen are taking up their positions near the gates of the city.

v8 But the *Lord has removed his protection from *Jerusalem. At that time, you will run to get military arms from the store called ‘House of the Forest’. v9 You saw that there were gaps in the walls of *Jerusalem, the City of David. You stored the water of the Lower Pool. v10 You surveyed the houses in *Jerusalem. Then you broke up some of the houses and you used the stones to make the city walls stronger. v11 You made a large ditch between the two walls of the city to hold water from the Old Pool. You did all these things. But you did not think to ask the *Lord for his help. He was the one who arranged these events long ago. And now he is causing them to happen.