Chapter 23 - Oracle Against Tyre

Chapter 23 of Isaiah is an oracle against Tyre, a trade center on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea through which much of the trade from Europe found entry into what we now call the mid-east.  As this chapter opens, we see how people of the world treasure the things of this world.

Isaiah 23:1-3 (HCSB) An oracle against Tyre: Wail, ships of Tarshish, for your haven has been destroyed. Word has reached them from the land of Cyprus. Mourn, inhabitants of the coastland, you merchants of Sidon; your agents have crossed the sea on many waters.

I want you to note how the verse numbers were assigned here. Look at where "3" is - smack in the middle of a phrase. These numbers make it easy for us to be at the same place, but they often distract us from reading as intended.

More importantly, take note of how the people wail and mourn because mechanisms of transferring wealth have been destroyed. Ships from Tarshish - a trade center in Spain - unable to dock in Tyre. Side note - Jonah was trying to run from God by booking a trip on ship from Joppa (south of Tyre) to Tarshish - a long route. Jonah didn't get to Tarshish and, in our passage - ships from Tarshish cannot get to Tyre. This bad news reached Cyprus - an island 75 miles off Tyre's coast and the last port before Tyre, described as "the merchant among the nations" (verse 3). When Tyre's harbors were destroyed, people of the world mourned and wept.

Isaiah 23:4 (HCSB) "Be ashamed Sidon, the stronghold of the sea ..." Sidon - another port (north of Tyre) who is brought to shame when her trade is decimated. Verses 5 - 8 describe the anguish in Egypt when they hear the news of Tyre's demise, the wailing of Tarshish - asking with sarcasm, Is this your jubilant city, which has been around since ancient times? And this: Isaiah 23:8 (HCSB) Who planned this against Tyre, the bestower of crowns, whose traders are princes, whose merchants are the honored ones of the earth?

 Verse 8 reveals carnal man's view of disaster - Who did this? regarding the unthinkable. Who destroyed Tyre? She was the one who gave crowns, is higher than others, bestowing prestige on traders and merchants. When man denies God, shaking his fist at the One he refuses to submit to, he cannot fathom why bad things happen.

Isaiah 23:9 & 11 (HCSB) The LORD of Hosts planned it, to desecrate all ⌊its⌋ glorious beauty, to disgrace all the honored ones of the earth. ... He stretched out His hand over the sea; He made kingdoms tremble. The LORD has commanded that the Canaanite fortresses be destroyed.

I remember when Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans and thousands of people fled to Houston. I heard several well-known Baptist preachers assert that God had nothing to do with that, betraying their own temporal view of good and a cotton-candy view of God. In addition to our current passage, there are myriad passages that refute this view. Psalm 135:7, for example: "He causes the clouds to rise from the ends of the earth. He makes lightning for the rain and brings the wind from His storehouses." If your view of God is that He only does what carnal man thinks is good, you have a false view of God. Like the people in our text.

Isaiah 23:12 (HCSB) He said, “You will not rejoice anymore, ravished young woman, daughter of Sidon. Get up and cross over to Cyprus— even there you will have no rest!”

Creator God - the God of the Bible - is not worried that man might think He is unloving. If God didn't judge sin, He would not be God. He loves truth so He must hate sin. He taunts the people who are suffering - and goes on (vs 13) to chide the Chaldeans and Assyrians and people of Tarshish for trusting in their "horses and chariots."

Isaiah 23:15-16 (HCSB) On that day Tyre will be forgotten for 70 years—the life span of one king. At the end of 70 years, what the song ⌊says⌋ about the prostitute will happen to Tyre: Pick up ⌊your⌋ lyre, stroll through the city, prostitute forgotten ⌊by men⌋. Play skillfully, sing many a song, and you will be thought of again.

Here's an instance where the phrase "on that day" does NOT refer to the Day of Judgment. In this case, it refers to a limitation of Tyre's demise, after a perfect, complete time of 70 years. The prostitute's song would be a reminder that the core of Tyre is hedonism.

Isaiah 23:17 (HCSB) And at the end of the 70 years, the LORD will restore Tyre and she will go back into business, prostituting herself with all the kingdoms of the world on the face of the earth.

It was YHWH that humbled Tyre; it was YHWH that restored Tyre. The city would be back in business, serving the traders and merchants in a way normally associating with Babylon.

Isaiah 23:18 (HCSB) But her profits and wages will be dedicated to the LORD. They will not be stored or saved, for her profit will go to those who live in the LORD’s presence, to provide them with ample food and sacred clothing.

Here's the end of it. God restores Tyre, doesn't change her M.O., but He does change who benefits. Rather than saving and storing her profits and wages, Tyre will give to the Levite priests who serve YHWH, providing them food and fine linen for their priestly garments.

Saints - at the end of this age, God will not change the way this world and its corrupt systems work. He will feed us with good food every month and will clothe us with His righteousness. Even while some of us are disappointed with the recent events in the USA, this nation is not our home and her wages are not our wealth. Our God will provide what we need and He tells us not to worry about these things (Matt 5:25-34), and He is our righteousness, having made peace with God for us. Sleep well - Jesus is King! 

Chapter 22 - Oracle Against the Valley of Vision

Isaiah 22 is an oracle against the Valley of Vision (verse 1). There is a Puritan book of prayer titled The Valley of Vision.  The phrase, Valley of Vision, appears only in this passage in all of Scripture; many are convinced it is a reference to Jerusalem, a city in a valley, known to be the city wherein God met with His people.

I found it funny that the next phrase in verse 1 in the HCSB is "What's the matter with you?" as it reminds me of the often cited question from R.C. Sproul: "What's wrong with you people?" The question in our passage is followed by another: "Why have all of you gone up on the rooftops?" What follows in this chapter lends credence to the view that verse 1 relates to people going to the rooftops to get a better view of the Assyrian army's retreat from Jerusalem.

Isaiah 22:2 (HCSB)  The noisy city, the jubilant town, is filled with revelry. Your dead did not die by the sword; they were not killed in battle.

Happy they are that the swords of Assyria have withdrawn, though their kinsmen who died were not killed by those swords - likely hardship and illness from a long seige.

Isaiah 22:3 (HCSB)  All your rulers have fled together, captured without a bow. All your fugitives were captured together; they had fled far away.

This comment is not part of the historical record of the Assyrian siege of 701 B.C., but may be a reference to the capture of some of Hezekiah's people during a battle with Assyria.

Isaiah 22:4-5 (HCSB) Therefore I said, “Look away from me! Let me weep bitterly! Do not try to comfort me about the destruction of my dear people.” For the Lord GOD of Hosts had a day of tumult, trampling, and confusion in the Valley of Vision— people shouting and crying to the mountains.

Isaiah speak in the first person, weeping over the loss of life due to the siege. He recognizes that though Assyria was the agent of wrath, it was YHWH who trampled on the Valley and caused confusion. Note the recurring picture of people crying and calling out to the mountains to hide them. No place in all creation to hide from the wrath of the Lamb!

The next couple of verses note that the best warriors went out to defend the city but God removed the defenses of Judah. When that happened, the leaders of Judah went to the House of the Forrest looking for weapons. This is likely a reference a building Solomon built: 1 Kings 7:1-2 (HCSB) Solomon completed his entire palace complex after 13 years of construction. He built the House of the Forest of Lebanon.

"You" in these verses refers to the leadership of Judah; they looked for weapons, looked at the breaches in the city wall, collected water, calculated how many houses to tear down for materials, and made a reservoir for waters of the ancient pool. This last is a reference to a tunnel built by Hezekiah to bring water into the city. All of these actions taken by the leaders of Judah reveal men who had put their trust in their own wisdom and strength - rather than trusting in the covenant God Who had built them up into a mighty nation; the last bit of verse 11: "you did not look to the One who made it, or consider the One who created it long ago." Self-reliance by those who know God is a wretched position - as the next passage demonstrates.

Isaiah 22:12 (HCSB)  On that day the Lord GOD of Hosts called for weeping, for wailing, for shaven heads, and for the wearing of sackcloth.

Here's that phrase again, denoting the end of the age when judgment comes.

Isaiah 22:13-14 (HCSB) But look: joy and gladness, butchering of cattle, slaughtering of sheep, eating of meat, and drinking of wine— “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!” The LORD of Hosts has directly revealed to me: “This sin of yours will never be wiped out.” The Lord GOD of Hosts has spoken.

Rather than weeping and wearing sackcloth; the people of Judah are joyful and glad, enjoying the high life - just as the people of the world before the first rain came. All in full view of the Creator, who revealed to Isaiah that the sins of Judah mentioned herein will never be wiped out. The Lord GOD of Hosts has spoken! This is one reason it is impossible for there to be a future for Judah as the people of God; their sin will ever be before them.

The last section of this chapter is an oracle against a steward of Jerusalem, a man known as Shebna, identified as a high-ranking official in Hezekiah's court (2 Kings 18:18, 26, 37; Isa 36:3, 11, 22; 37:2). He and another steward, Eliakim, are the focus. Even though Eliakim was praised by Isaiah, the lesson from this oracle is clear and applicable to us, today: Politicians CANNOT solve problems that are God's purview.

Isaiah 22:15-19 (HCSB) The Lord GOD of Hosts said: “Go to Shebna, that steward who is in charge of the palace, ⌊and say to him:⌋ What are you doing here? Who authorized you to carve out a tomb for yourself here, carving your tomb on the height and cutting a crypt for yourself out of rock? Look, you strong man! The LORD is about to shake you violently. He will take hold of you, wind you up into a ball, and sling you into a wide land. There you will die, and there your glorious chariots will be—a disgrace to the house of your lord. I will remove you from your office; you will be ousted from your position.

Note the tone YHWH had in giving this oracle to Isaiah: You, Shebna, think yourself a strong man. YHWH will shake you violently, wind you up into a ball and sling you far where you will die and be disgraced.

After that, Eliakim will take Shebna's place; he will have position and prestige. He will be placed in a solid place - like a peg driven into a firm place, for coats to hang.

Isaiah 22:24-25 (HCSB) They will hang on him the whole burden of his father’s house: the descendants and the offshoots—all the small vessels, from bowls to every kind of jar. On that day”—the declaration of the LORD of Hosts—“the peg that was driven into a firm place will give way, be cut off, and fall, and the load on it will be destroyed.” Indeed, the LORD has spoken.

As the people of Judah are willing to put ALL their problems on Eliakim's shoulders (more trusting in man than in God), the peg will give way, be cut off, and all that was hanging on it destroyed. When the people got to the place where they took no responsibility for themselves, expected their government to handle everything, God removed the government He had established - cut him off - and destroyed those who had forgotten Him in favor of the government.

Indeed - YHWH has spoken.

Brothers and sisters - as we seek an honest and truthful outcome to our national elections, let us not put our hope in this party or that one; let us not get emotionally invested in the kingdom of this world. But let be responsible pilgrims with our eyes fixed on the Lord of Glory. 

Chapter 21 - Oracles against Babylon and Arabia.

In chapter 21 of Isaiah, Babylon falls - AGAIN! This tells me Isaiah is not an historical narrative.

Chapter 21 brings us oracles against Babylon (AGAIN!) and Arabia. We saw in chapter 13 that Babylon represented the world's system of prosperity, enticing men to lust after bigger barns. Arabia makes her first appearance in Isaiah's vision.

Isaiah 21:1-2a (HCSB) An oracle against the desert by the sea: Like storms that pass over the Negev, it comes from the desert, from the land of terror. A troubling vision is declared to me.

We find out in verse 9 that it is Babylon against whom this oracle is spoken. Isaiah reveals a troubling vision that he was given, which corresponds to a storm from the land of terror. Sleep well, Babylon.

The vision has treacherous people who lay siege and destroy what's before them, perplexing and dismaying all who see them (vs 2b-3). Isaiah was filled with anguish, his heart staggered as he was terrified by the sheer horror before him (vs 4).

The next verse stands out because it's a non-sequitur. Isaiah 21:5 (HCSB) Prepare a table, and spread out a carpet! Eat and drink! Rise up, you princes, and oil the shields!

This appears to be a reference to what we find in Daniel 5:1-4, as Belshazzar held a great feast, having prepared a table for 1,000 - at which there was much drinking. They may have been getting ready for battle, as oiling shields would indicate. What awaits them?

In verses 6-8 Isaiah is told to post a lookout, who must pay close attention to the field and report when he see riders coming. The lookout stands day and night, his duties being more detailed in Ezekiel 33 & 34 where the watchman appointed by God had certain responsibilities to warn, guard, and care for the people of God. Being a watchman was post with much responsibility.

Isaiah 21:9-10 (HCSB) Look, riders come— horsemen in pairs.” And he answered, saying, “Babylon has fallen, has fallen. All the images of her gods have been shattered on the ground.” My people who have been crushed on the threshing floor, I have declared to you what I have heard from the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel.

Here we see Babylon as the one spoken against. The watchman sees horsemen coming with the message, "Babylon has fallen, has fallen." Her gods have been smashed; the people of YHWH crushed on the threshing floor. Isaiah declared what he heard from YHWH, God of Israel. There is no escape from this judgment.

Next up is a very short oracle against Dumah - an oasis in Arabia that was a major trade intersection.

Isaiah 21:11-12 (HCSB) An oracle against Dumah: One calls to me from Seir, “Watchman, what is ⌊left⌋ of the night? Watchman, what is ⌊left⌋ of the night?” The watchman said, “Morning has come, and also night. If you want to ask, ask! Come back again.”

The watchman is asked what of the night? He responds, Morning has come as well as the night. The suffering goes on day and night.

Verse 13 begins the oracle against Arabia proper. Isaiah 21:13-15 (HCSB) An oracle against Arabia: In the desert brush you will camp for the night, you caravans of Dedanites. Bring water for the thirsty. The inhabitants of the land of Tema meet the refugees with food. For they have fled from swords, from the drawn sword, from the bow that is strung, and from the stress of battle.

Dedan and Tema were cities or regions in Arabia, representing power aligned with Babylon. Arabia will camp for a short time, with water and food for those who have fled the sword and the bow of judgment.

Isaiah 21:16-17 (HCSB) For the Lord said this to me: “Within one year, as a hired worker counts years, all the glory of Kedar will be gone. The remaining Kedarite archers will be few in number.” For the LORD, the God of Israel, has spoken.

God had spoken: the glory of Kedar, another center of wealth and power in Arabia, would be gone within the year. Reference to the "hired worker" implies precise measurement of time, as those who watch the clock are famous for doing. Only a remnant will be left - for YHWH, the God of Israel, has spoken it.

The apostle to the Gentiles burned with love for his kinsmen of the flesh and he wrote that, as with the people of Arabia in Kedar, only a remnant of the people in national Israel would be saved. Our job is not to try and save everyone. Our job is to be faithful with the gospel message that is the power of life to those being saved. No matter our personal desire for any people group, a remnant will be saved from every people, tongue, and tribe.

Chapter 20 - People of the World put to Shame!

Chapter 20 brings us back to a point in history, reminding us the whole Word of God is anchored in historical fact.

Isaiah 20:1-2 (HCSB) In the year that the chief commander, sent by Sargon king of Assyria, came to Ashdod and attacked and captured it— during that time the LORD had spoken through Isaiah son of Amoz.

The event Isaiah mentioned, Assyria captured Ashdod, took place between 713 -711 B.C. Isaiah is telling us that in 713 B.C. (not that he called it that) YHWH spoke through him. The balance of this short chapter is an oracle against all who put their hope in the arm of man.

Isaiah 20:2-5 (HCSB) “Go, take off your sackcloth and remove the sandals from your feet,” and he did so, going naked and barefoot— the LORD said, “As My servant Isaiah has gone naked and barefoot three years as a sign and omen against Egypt and Cush, so the king of Assyria will lead the captives of Egypt and the exiles of Cush, young and old alike, naked and barefoot, with bared buttocks—to Egypt’s shame. Those who made Cush their hope and Egypt their boast will be dismayed and ashamed.

Foreshadowing Jeremiah, Isaiah is told to go naked and barefoot to confront the king of Assyria, telling him that YHWH's servant, Israel, had been likewise naked and barefoot - humiliated and poor - as a sign and omen against Cush and Egypt. Chapters 18 & 19 were focused on these nations - judgment against them was pronounced. Therefore, Assyria would conquer Cush and Egypt, leading the captives and exiles naked and barefoot, to their shame.

All the wealth of all the nations cannot cover sin, cannot pay for sin. Those who do not humble themselves as the Spirit calls will be put to shame. Those who put their hopes in the riches of the nations will be dismayed and ashamed.

Scripture gives us a different picture for miserable sinners that find refuge in Christ: Romans 10:8b-11a (HCSB) This is the message of faith that we proclaim: If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation. Now the Scripture says, Everyone who believes on Him will not be put to shame.

That last phrase is a quote from Isaiah 28:16. Sinners imputed with the righteousness of Christ will not be put to shame. All who have not found refuge in Him will - just like the captives from Cush and Egypt; just like those who had put their hopes in the big barns of Cush and Egypt.

Isaiah 20:6 (HCSB) And the inhabitants of this coastland will say on that day, ‘Look, this is what has happened to those we relied on and fled to for help to rescue ⌊us⌋ from the king of Assyria! Now, how will we escape?’”

This last verse relates the lament of those in Egypt, people of the coastland, as they realize there is always someone who can take away what you treasure. Moth and rust will take away what the king of Assyria does not. How will we escape? They are left with no hope in this chapter. Recall how the redemption of a remnant from Egypt was revealed in chapter 19. Therein is their hope, which is the Christ. Therein is mankind's only hope.