Isaiah 22:1-25

Jerusalem has always been a special city in the history of Israel and the history of the world.  There is a sense in the hearts of the people that Jerusalem was too important to fall.  Isaiah is about to make it abundantly clear that this sense is very wrong for Jerusalem will indeed fall.  No person and no place is above the judgment of God and all should be aware of this truth.  A false sense of security is a very dangerous thing and will make us vulnerable to the sin of pride.  Our only source of security is in the Lord and submission to His will.

JERUSALEM WILL BE JUDGED: Isaiah laments the news that he must share concerning the city and the nation that he loves.  He sees a day when the leaders of the nation will be lead away in captivity without so much as a fight.  There will be no power in the people to stand and defend the city.  It is hard to imagine Jerusalem reaching this point but it is the direct result of the nation abandoning the worship of the God who created and called them.  They respond to the threats against them by making futile efforts to fortify the city.  They store water in facilities that leak and they tear down their homes in order to make the walls stronger but they do not turn to the Lord for deliverance.  God is about to take this people down into what is called the valley of vision.  This valley of vision is a place where they can see the invaders coming to destroy their city but also a place where they will come to an end of themselves.  Sometimes we need to go down into the valley in order to have a clear vision of God.  In our minds we have a better view of God from the top of the mountain but the truth is that God will often reveal Himself to us when we are in the deepest of valleys. 

RELIEF WILL BE REMOVED: The people have developed a sense of security and idea that their leaders will somehow find a way to deliver them.  Isaiah makes it clear that the leaders in whom they are trusting will be removed.  There will be no relief from this judgment that is coming.  The highest officials will be brought down and replaced with other men that are not of their choosing.  There is great danger in placing our trust in men instead of in the Lord.  No matter how powerful a man may be; he is still under the authority of God and represents no challenge whatsoever to the Lord for Him to remove.  In times of trials we have a tendency to think that relief will come from the men in who we have placed our trust.  When that happens, God will remove these sources of false hope so that we will learn to look to Him and Him alone for our deliverance.  He must be the only source of our hope.

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