Isaiah 21-23

More Burdens

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Isaiah 21—Burdens against Babylon, Edom and Arabia

A. The burden against Babylon [21:1–10]

1. An army from Persia marches on Babylon (1–2)

a. A burden against the Wilderness of the Sea: Babylon is called the Wilderness of the Sea because the great plain of Babylon was divided with lakes and marshes, so it was referred to as a “sea.”

i. “And the title of the sea might well be given to the waters of Babylon, because of the great plenty and multitude of them … the name of sea being given by the Hebrews to ever great collection of waters.” (Poole)

b. Go up, O Elam! Besiege, O Media: Elam and Media are the ancient names for the peoples of Persia, modern day Iran. The Persian Empire conquered the Babylonian Empire, and Isaiah her prophetically sees their armies marching on Babylon.

i. “God oft maketh use of one tyrant to punish another; as here he stirreth up the Persians to plunder and waste the Babylonians. So the Persians were afterwards in like sort punished by the Macedonians, the Macedonians by the Romans, those Romans by the Huns, Vandals, Lombards, Saracens, Turks; all whom Christ shall destroy at his last coming.” (Trapp)

2. The fall of Babylon (3–10)

a. As the people collapse from fear and pain (Pangs have taken hold of me, like the pangs of a woman in labor), the nation prepares for war (Arise, you princes, anoint the shield!).

i. “Nothing is more hopeless and crestfallen than a wicked man in distress: for why? his life and hopes end together.” (Trapp)

b. The report comes to the watchman: Babylon is fallen, is fallen! This dramatic scene was fulfilled when the Medo-Persian Empire conquered Babylon, but it also has a prophetic application. Revelation 18:2 describes the cry of an angel when God judges the world system, both commercial Babylon and spiritual Babylon: And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird!” The repetition of the phrase is fallen, is fallen connects the two passages.

i. The same panic and terror the people of Babylon felt when that great city was conquered by the Medes and Persians will be seen again. When the LORD strikes the world system, both spiritual Babylon and commercial Babylon, the world will be terrified and mourn the same way (Revelation 18:9–19). But God’s people rejoice over the fall of Babylon (Revelation 18:20).

B. Burdens against Edom and Arabia [21:11–17]

1. The burden against Edom (Dumah) (11–12)

a. Dumah was another ancient name for the kingdom of Edom, in the mountainous region of Seir. The Edomites descended from Esau, the brother of Jacob (Israel). They settled in the land to the south-east of Israel, and were the sometimes enemies of Israel.

b. This is a vague, mysterious burden against Dumah. It may speak to the confusion and darkness striking Edom at the time of their judgment. Bultema wrote of these verses, “This brief burden has always been a great burden to expositors!”

c. Watchman, what of the night? Using a powerful dramatic scene of a cry to a watchman in the night, Isaiah paints the picture of the judgment and terror that will come upon Edom.

i. On the burden against Edom: “What he may be saying is that the long night of Assyrian oppression is almost over, and the night of Babylonian rule would follow a brief ‘morning’ of respite.” (Wolf)

2. The burden against Arabia (13–17)

a. Isaiah pictures the refugees from an attack on Arabia. They are traveling companies of Dedanites; they are thirsty, and they need bread, because they fled from the swords and from the bent bow, and from the distress of war.

b. This attack will come soon: Within a year … the glory of Kedar will fail. Poole on according to the year of a hired man: “An exact year; for hirelings diligently observe and wait for the end of the year, when they are to receive their wages.”

Isaiah 22—Judgment on Jerusalem

A. Isaiah denounces the city of Jerusalem [22:1–14]

1. Isaiah is grieved over a joyous city (1–4)

a. The burden against the Valley of Vision: This is Jerusalem, a city on a hill but surrounded by still higher hill, and in the midst of three valleys. Since Jerusalem was a center for the worship of God and some of the prophets of God (including Isaiah), it is called the Valley of Vision.

i. “It is strange to find a prophecy against Judah and Jerusalem in a section that deals with the nations. But since Judah had chosen to behave like her neighbors and to desert the Lord, she deserved to be judged.” (Wolf)

b. What ails you now, that you have all gone up to the housetops: “As they used to do in times of great confusion and consternation, that they might mourn, and look, and cry to Heaven for help.” (Poole)

c. A tumultuous city, a joyous city? In his prophecy, Isaiah sees the commotion all around Jerusalem, and asks, “Is it the result of an evil tumult, or is it an expression of joy?”

d. Your slain men are not slain with the sword: When Jerusalem was conquered by the Babylonians, the men of Judah did not bravely die in battle. They died either being starved to death in the siege of the city, or as they fled in cowardly retreat.

i. “Either by famine or pestilence in the siege, as many died, Jeremiah 14:18; 38:2, or in their flight, as others were; both which were inglorious kinds of death.” (Poole)

e. I will weep bitterly; do not labor to comfort me: We usually think of Jeremiah as the “weeping prophet.” But Isaiah also said “I will weep bitterly” when he saw God’s judgment coming against God’s people.

2. Isaiah sees a coming army, and the LORD brings no deliverance (5–7)

a. For it is a day of trouble: Isaiah sees an army full of arrows and chariots coming against Jerusalem. The prophesies the attack and overthrow of Jerusalem by the Babylonians.

b. Elam bore the quiver: “Because Elam, Babylon’s neighbor to the east, had strongly supported the Babylonians and the Chaldeans in the struggle against Assyria, the Elamites were probably allies of the Babylonians.” (Wolf)

c. Your choicest valleys shall be full of chariots, and the horsemen shall set themselves in array at the gate: Attacking armies will once again surround Jerusalem, and in that day the LORD will not deliver them.

3. Jerusalem makes all the wrong preparations for a coming battle (8–14)

a. You gathered together the waters of the lower pool … to fortify the wall: When Jerusalem was faced with this subsequent attack, they prepared the city for battle and for siege, strengthening the wall of the city and making sure there was adequate water for a siege.

b. But none of this would matter, because He removed the protection of Judah. The best thing Jerusalem could do for her protection was turn her heart toward the LORD, But you did not look to its Maker, nor did you have respect for Him who fashioned it long ago.

c. In that day the Lord GOD of hosts called for weeping and mourning: Instead of preparing Jerusalem for an attack, they should have turned their hearts in humble repentance to the LORD. Instead of humbly seeking the LORD, the people of Jerusalem had both a confidence in their own preparation (joy and gladness), and a fatalistic outlook toward the future (“Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!”).

d. For this iniquity there will be no atonement for you: What is this sin that can’t be forgiven? The sin of ignoring God, of refusing to humble yourself before the LORD and repent. Jerusalem was doing everything except the essential thing they had to do to prepare for the attack, and because they rejected the LORD, there would be no atonement for them.

i. “Our hearts are top-full of harlotry, ready to shift and shark in every by-corner for comfort; to hang their hopes on every hedge, rather than to roll themselves upon God, ‘the hope of Israel.’ ” (Trapp)

B. Isaiah denounces Shebna, the king’s chief steward [22:15–25]

1. Shebna had a high and honorable office, yet he used it to glorify himself (15–19)

a. Shebna, who is over the house: Shebna was a servant of King Hezekiah, both a steward … over the house and a scribe (1 Kings 18:18, Isaiah 37:2). These were both positions of honor and responsibility. Shebna was one of King Hezekiah’s chief assistants.

i. “The king of Judah at this time was Hezekiah—a good king—so the condemnatory judgment fell on the next person in line. Shebna and the populace in general did not share the godly principles of King Hezekiah.” (Wolf)

b. What have you here, and whom have you here: The LORD speaks to Shebna, this proud man, and says, “Who do you think you are? What do you think you have? You really are nothing and you have nothing.”

c. As he who hews himself a sepulcher on high: What did Shebna do with his position of honor and authority? He made himself a fancy and prestigious tomb! In that day, this was a display of significant power and wealth. In this, Shebna personifies all of Jerusalem with his obsessive self-interest.

i. Isaiah had prophesied that the people of Judah and Jerusalem would be carried away into exile, but Shebna didn’t believe it. He built this elaborate tomb to himself in Jerusalem, as if to say, “I will never be carried away in exile. I am so certain that I will die here that I will build my tomb here.”

d. He will surely turn violently and toss you like a ball into a large country; there you shall die … so I will drive you out of your office: Shebna sought honor and glory, but would never find it. Instead, the LORD would make certain that he was never even buried in his prestigious, expensive tomb, but would die in exile instead.

i. Shebna is the same kind of man Jesus spoke about in Luke 12:16–21, in the parable of the rich fool. The man spent his time planning and his money building great things, but in the end he died without God and it all meant nothing. Now, all of Shebna’s accomplishments—the beautiful tomb, the glorious chariots—mean worse than nothing, they are a shame to him instead.

2. The LORD lifts up Eliakim instead of Shebna (20–24)

a. Eliakim the son of Hilkiah is mentioned in passages like 1 Kings 18:18 and Isaiah 36:3 as another assistant to King Hezekiah. He should be distinguished from Eliakim the son of Josiah, who was a puppet king established by Pharaoh (2 Kings 23:34).

b. My servant: What a glorious title for Eliakim! Both Shebna and Eliakim were servants of Hezekiah, but Shebna’s heart was directed towards selfish ambition and glory, and Eliakim’s heart was turned towards the LORD.

c. The place of Eliakim the son of Hilkiah before Hezekiah is somewhat obscure in the Scriptures; he is only mentioned in six passages, and the only description of him is that he was over the household (1 Kings 18:18, 37 and Isaiah 36:3, 22). But Eliakim was famous in heaven! He shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah.

d. The LORD would take the office and authority of the unfaithful Shebna, and give it to Eliakim instead (I will clothe him with your robe and strengthen him with your belt; I will commit your responsibility into his hand). God will get His work done! If a Shebna is unfaithful, the LORD will remove him from his office, strip him of his authority, and give it to another.

e. Because Eliakim is the LORD’s servant, the LORD will give him great authority: The key of the house of David I will lay on his shoulder. In that day, the chief royal steward would have the large master key of the palace fastened to the shoulder of his tunic. The key was a picture and demonstration of the authority of the chief steward. Here, the LORD gives Eliakim the authority to open and shut as the LORD’s representative, which no man can oppose.

i. In this, Eliakim becomes a prophecy of the Messiah, because Jesus told us this passage spoke of Himself: These things says He who is holy, He who is true, “He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens.” (Revelation 3:7) Jesus is the one with the keys of Hades and of Death (Revelation 1:8), who has all authority both in heaven and on earth. Jesus delegates this authority as it pleases Him (Matthew 16:19).

f. He shall open, and no one shall shut; and he shall shut and no one shall open: Eliakim would have this kind of authority from the LORD. Since he is a picture of Jesus, we know that Jesus has the authority to open and shut doors in our lives as He pleases. We need to accept both the open and the shut doors!

i. “Down a long corridor of closed doors we may sometimes have to pass. It seems heartbreaking to see doors labelled, Friendship, Love, Home shut against us; but beyond them there is the one unclosed door through which we shall enter into our true life. Oh do not lose heart and hope in useless weeping over the closed doors of the past. Follow Him, who has the keys.” (Meyer)

g. Because the LORD established Eliakim’s authority, it was secure: I will fasten him as a peg in a secure place. Shebna sought glory for himself, but would find shame. But Eliakim was the LORD’s servant, and would become a glorious throne to his father’s house.

i. In those days, houses didn’t really have cupboards or storage closets as we think of them. Things were stored on pegs set up all around the room. If something was on its peg, it was safe and secure, stored properly and ready for use at the appropriate time.

h. They will hang on him all the glory of his father’s house, the offspring and the issue: The godly Eliakim was a secure peg, and could spiritually support his father’s house and his offspring. Since Eliakim is a picture of Jesus, we also see in this the believer’s total dependence on Jesus.

i. Clarke on they will hang on him all the glory of his father’s house: This “has been understood as the dependence of all souls, of all capacities, from the lowest in intellect to the most exalted, on the Lord Jesus, as the only Saviour of all lost human spirits.”

ii. There are many different vessels in the Lord’s house, with many different sizes and purposes. But they all must hang on the same peg! All are equally wrecked if they drop from the peg. The safety isn’t in the size or the quality of the vessel, but in its attachment to the peg.

3. The removal of Shebna (25)

a. The peg that is fastened: If Eliakim is yet to be promoted to the place of honor and responsibility pictured by the peg (I will fasten him as a peg, Isaiah 22:23), then Shebna is the peg that is fastened at the moment. Therefore, before Eliakim can be put in his rightful place, Shebna must be removed and be cut down and fall.

i. The LORD gave Shebna a place of honor and authority, but he didn’t hold it as a servant of the LORD. So, the LORD took the place of honor and authority away from Shebna. Even so, the great authority Jesus gave to His disciples was neither unlimited, nor unattached from Jesus’ direction. Even though Jesus gave the promise of the keys to Peter (Matthew 16:19), Peter did not have unlimited authority. Instead, Peter was rightly challenged and rebuked by another apostle, Paul, when he was out of line (Galatians 2:11–21).

b. And the burden that was on it will be cut off: When Shebna was removed, all those who “hung” on him were also cut off. We have to make sure that we are “hung” on the right “peg”!

Isaiah 23—The Burden against Tyre

A. The promise of coming judgment against Tyre [23:1–14]

1. The sailors of Tyre agonize when they hear of the destruction of their home port (1–5)

a. The burden against Tyre: To the north of Israel, Tyre was the leading city of Phoenecia, the great maritime power of the ancient world. Because it was such an important harbor and center for shipping, Tyre was synonymous with commerce and materialism.

i. Tyre was the “Babylon of the Sea.” Because of their excellent harbor and seamanship, they established a commercial empire far greater than one would expect given their size and military power.

ii. Tyre was a city in two parts—an inland city, and an island city. The inland city was conquered by the Assyrians and the Babylonians, just as Isaiah prophesied. The island city was conquered later by Alexander the Great in 332 B.C.

iii. Tyre was a mixed bag for Israel. King Hiram of Tyre supplied David and Solomon great timbers for the building of the temple and other projects. Hiram gave Solomon sailors so Israel could build their commerce by sea. But later, Tyre gave Israel one of the worst rulers Israel ever had: Jezebel, the wife of King Ahab of Israel.

b. There is no house, no harbor: Isaiah pictures sailors from Tyre in the land of Cyprus and in Egypt hearing of the destruction of the harbor of Tyre. When they hear the news, the wail and are in agony at the report of Tyre.

2. The proud city of Tyre is humbled (6–9)

a. Tyre was a city where money ruled. The merchants are princes, and the traders are the honorable of the earth. To be a leader or honorable, one didn’t need to be of royal heritage, a good or a honest man. The only thing needed was success in business!

b. The LORD of hosts has purposed it, to bring dishonor the pride of all glory: Because of its great success, Tyre had become proud and full of self-glory. But the LORD of hosts has purposed to judge and humble Tyre, and Isaiah announces it.

i. “Pride, pride, pride, is that basic sin to which God is ever opposed, and man is ever expressing.” (Jennings)

3. The destruction of the city of Tyre (10–14)

a. The Chaldeans … Assyria: The mainland city of Tyre was defeated by both the Assyrians and the Babylonians. They were used by God to bring the city to ruin.

B. A promise of restoration to the city of Tyre [23:15–18]

1. Seventy years of desolation for the city of Tyre (15–16)

a. Tyre will be forgotten seventy years: God’s judgments are so precise that He decrees the exact number of years Tyre will be forgotten.

b. That you may be remembered: Quoting what may have been a well-known song in his day, Isaiah makes the point that at the end of the seventy years appointed by God, Tyre will be remembered again.

2. God’s purpose in restoring the city of Tyre (17–18)

a. She will return to her hire: God will allow Tyre, symbolized by a prostitute, to continue her gross materialism with all the kingdoms of the world. But Her gain and her pay will be set apart for the LORD; ultimately, the riches Tyre so desperately sought will be given to the LORD anyway.

b. The LORD will visit Tyre: Many commentators think this refers to the presence of Christianity in Tyre in the days of the early church.

i. “Tyre, after its destruction by Nebuchadnezzar, recovered, as it is here foretold, its ancient trade, wealth, and grandeur; as it did likewise after a second destruction by Alexander. It became Christian early with the rest of the neighboring countries. St. Paul himself found many Christian there, Acts 21:4. It suffered much in the Diocletian persecution. It was an archbishopric under the patriarchate of Jerusalem, with fourteen bishoprics under its jurisdiction. It continued Christian till it was taken by the Saracens in 639; was recovered by the Christians in 1124; but in 1280 was conquered by the Mamelukes and afterwards taken from them by the Turks in 1517. Since that time it has sunk into utter decay; is now a mere ruin, a bare rock, ‘a place to spread nets upon,’ as the Prophet Ezekiel foretold it should be, chapter 26:14.” (Clarke)

David Guzik, Isaiah, David Guzik’s Commentaries on the Bible (Santa Barbara, CA: David Guzik, 2000), Is 21–23:18.