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  2. Sun: Genesis 34-37
  3. Mon: Matthew 20-21
Tuesday · Week 8
The Early Prophets

Isaiah 20-22

Week 8 · about 9 min
  1. Wed: Judges 9-11
  2. Thu: 1 Corinthians 5-7
  3. Fri: Ezekiel 17-18

Isaiah acts out a warning about Egypt, announces Babylon’s fall, and rebukes Jerusalem for how it handles a crisis.

A Party When They Should Have Prayed

And behold joy and gladness, slaying oxen, and killing sheep, eating flesh, and drinking wine: let us eat and drink; for to morrow we shall die.

Isaiah 22:13 (KJV)

Isaiah walks around barefoot and stripped for three years to warn Judah not to trust Egypt. In chapter 21 someone calls out, “Watchman, what of the night?” Then in chapter 22 Jerusalem faces an attack. The people count houses, tear some down to patch the walls, and build a reservoir, “but ye have not looked unto the maker thereof.” God calls them to weep, and they throw a party instead. A royal official named Shebna is busy carving a fancy tomb for himself, and God replaces him with Eliakim, who receives “the key of the house of David.” Revelation 3 picks up that image of the key.

Reflect: When trouble comes, do you check the walls before you call on God?

Isaiah 20

1In the year that Tartan came to Ashdod, when Sargon the king of Assyria sent him, (and he fought against Ashdod and took it,)

2at that time spoke Jehovah by Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, Go and loose the sackcloth from off thy loins, and put off thy sandal from thy foot. And he did so, walking naked and barefoot.

3And Jehovah said, Like as my servant Isaiah hath walked naked and barefoot three years, a sign and a wonder concerning Egypt and concerning Ethiopia,

4so shall the king of Assyria lead away the captives of Egypt and the exiles of Ethiopia, young and old, naked and barefoot, and with buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt.

5And they shall be terrified and ashamed of Ethiopia their confidence, and of Egypt their boast.

6And the inhabitants of this coast shall say in that day, Behold, such is our confidence, whither we fled for help to be delivered from the king of Assyria; and how shall we escape?

Isaiah 21

1The burden of the desert of the sea. As whirlwinds in the south pass through, so it cometh from the desert, from a terrible land.

2A grievous vision is declared unto me: the treacherous dealeth treacherously, and the spoiler spoileth. Go up, Elam! besiege, Media! All the sighing thereof have I made to cease.

3Therefore are my loins filled with pain; anguish hath taken hold upon me, as the anguish of a woman in travail: I am bowed down so as not to hear, I am dismayed so as not to see.

4My heart panteth, horror affrighteth me: the night of my pleasure hath he turned into trembling unto me.

5Prepare the table, appoint the watch; eat, drink: arise, ye princes, anoint the shield.

6For thus hath the Lord said unto me: Go, set a watchman, let him declare what he seeth.

7And he saw chariots, horsemen by pairs, a chariot with asses, a chariot with camels; and he hearkened diligently with much heed.

8And he cried as a lion, Lord, I stand continually upon the watchtower in the daytime, and I am set in my ward whole nights.

9-- And behold, there cometh a chariot of men; horsemen by pairs. And he answered and said, Babylon is fallen, is fallen; and all the graven images of her gods he hath broken unto the ground.

10O my threshing, and the corn of my floor! What I have heard of Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, have I declared unto you.

11The burden of Dumah. He calleth to me out of Seir, Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night?

12The watchman said, The morning cometh, and also the night: if ye will inquire, inquire; return, come.

13The burden against Arabia. In the forest of Arabia shall ye lodge, ye caravans of Dedanites.

14Bring ye water to meet the thirsty! The inhabitants of the land of Tema come forth with their bread for him that fleeth.

15For they flee from the swords, from the drawn sword, and from the bent bow, and from the grievousness of war.

16For thus hath the Lord said unto me: Within a year, according to the years of a hired servant, and all the glory of Kedar shall fail;

17and the residue of the number of the archers, the mighty men of the sons of Kedar, shall be diminished: for Jehovah, the God of Israel, hath spoken.

Isaiah 22

1The burden of the valley of vision. What aileth thee now, that thou art wholly gone up to the housetops?

2Thou that wast full of stir, a town of tumult, a joyous city: thy slain men are not slain with the sword, nor dead in battle.

3All thy rulers have fled together, they are taken prisoners without the bow: all that are found of thee are made prisoners together; they were fleeing far off.

4Therefore said I, Look away from me; let me weep bitterly: labour not to comfort me, because of the spoiling of the daughter of my people.

5For it is a day of trouble, and of treading down, and of perplexity, from the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, in the valley of vision; a day of breaking down the wall, and of crying to the mountain:

6-- Elam beareth the quiver with chariots of men and horsemen; and Kir uncovereth the shield.

7And it shall come to pass that thy choicest valleys shall be full of chariots, and the horsemen shall set themselves in array at the gate.

8And he uncovereth the covering of Judah: and thou didst look in that day to the armour in the house of the forest;

9and ye have seen the breaches of the city of David, that they are many; and ye have gathered together the waters of the lower pool;

10and ye have numbered the houses of Jerusalem, and have broken down the houses to fortify the wall;

11and ye have made a reservoir between the two walls for the water of the old pool: but ye have not had regard unto the maker thereof, neither have ye looked unto him that fashioned it long ago.

12And in that day did the Lord Jehovah of hosts call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth;

13and behold joy and rejoicing, slaying oxen, and killing sheep, eating flesh, and drinking wine: -- Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we die.

14And it was revealed in mine ears by Jehovah of hosts: Assuredly this iniquity shall not be purged from you till ye die, saith the Lord, Jehovah of hosts.

15Thus saith the Lord Jehovah of hosts: Go, get thee in unto this steward, unto Shebna, who is over the house, and say,

16What hast thou here? and whom hast thou here, that thou hast hewn thee out a sepulchre here, as he that heweth out his sepulchre on high, cutting out in the rock a habitation for himself?

17Behold, Jehovah will hurl thee with the force of a mighty man, and will cover thee entirely.

18Rolling thee up completely, he will roll thee as a ball into a wide country: there shalt thou die, and there shall be the chariots of thy glory, O shame of thy lord's house!

19And I will drive thee from thine office, and from thy station will I pull thee down.

20And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkijah;

21and I will clothe him with thy robe, and strengthen him with thy girdle, and I will commit thy government into his hand; and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah.

22And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; and he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.

23And I will fasten him as a nail in a sure place; and he shall be for a throne of glory to his father's house:

24and they shall hang upon him all the glory of his father's house, the offspring and the issue, all the small vessels, as well the vessels of cups as all the vessels of flagons.

25In that day, saith Jehovah of hosts, shall the nail that is fastened in a sure place be removed, and be cut down, and fall; and the burden that was upon it shall be cut off: for Jehovah hath spoken.

Darby Translation (Darby). Public domain.