Isaiah 22:6 says, And Elam bare the quiver with chariots of men and horsemen, and Kir uncovered the shield. Isaiah then begins to speak about the strength of the enemies that were to come against Judah. Elam, or the Persians, and Kir, or the Medes, were to come with great military might against them. We may face strong forces in our stand for God today, but He will always be more powerful than them.
Verse seven adds, And 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. Isaiah said that the choicest valleys of Judah were going to be full of enemy chariots. They had lost the protection of God when they rebelled against Him. Things may be going along very well in our life, but if we have not put our faith in Jesus Christ, one day all that we have accumulated will all be destroyed.
Verse eight continues, And he discovered the covering of Judah, and thou didst look in that day to the armour of the house of the forest. Matthew Henry says exactly what it meant that the covering of Judah was discovered isn’t totally clear. We can say that without God’s protection that our weakness is discovered, so if we turn away from Him as the people of Judah had, it will soon be discovered how weak we are by our own strength. The people of Judah found themselves to be very afraid, and unfortunately, instead of turning to God for help, they turned to other countries. They did at least begin to arm themselves ready to do all they could to stand against the enemy. We are never going to find spiritual strength and everlasting security anywhere other than in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and we need to always put on God’s armor every day.
Verse nine adds, Ye have seen also the breaches of the city of David, that they are many: and ye gathered together the waters of the lower pool. Isaiah said that they also had many breaches in city of David, which I believe would have referred to the wall around the city. They had likely seen these breaches in the wall many times but were not concerned enough to repair them. If we see breaches in our faith, we may become so accustomed to them that we ignore them until a time of trouble comes.
Verse ten continues, And ye have numbered the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses have ye broken down to fortify the wall. Isaiah said that at least now they were working to fortify the wall, even tearing down houses to do so, putting public good ahead of personal possessions. He said they had also counted the people who could fight against the enemy. We as Christians should always put the good of the church, God’s chosen people today, ahead of our own material wealth and always stand ready to fight for God’s truth.
Verse eleven says, Ye made also a ditch between the two walls for the water of the old pool: but ye have not looked unto the maker thereof, neither had respect unto him that fashioned it long ago. Isaiah said the people of Jerusalem had made a canal to bring water into the inner city, which would also deprive the Assyrians of the water. Yet, they hadn’t looked to the Maker of the rain, Who supplied the water to begin with. When trouble comes in our life, we may look everywhere to find a solution on our own without ever looking to the Maker of it all. God never expects us to attempt to keep the Living Water from others, even our enemies. We are to invite them to come and drink as well.
Verse twelve adds, And in that day did the Lord God of hosts call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth: In that day, when His people were in danger due to their disobedience to Him, God called them to true repentance. They needed to be in mourning for their lack of faith, and anytime we are disobedient to God’s will as followers of Christ, we need to be greatly saddened and come to Him in humble repentance.
Verse thirteen continues, 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. Instead of coming to God in humility, the people of Jerusalem were feasting, while saying they might as well enjoy themselves, because tomorrow they might die. Lost people today continue to put their faith in their own strength and abilities and look to pleasure in life with the attitude that they need to enjoy life as long as they are living, never thinking about their everlasting destination. We as Christians should never have this attitude.
Verse fourteen concludes, And it was revealed in mine ears by the Lord of hosts, Surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you till ye die, saith the Lord God of hosts. God was aware of what they were doing, even if they weren’t aware of what He was doing. People may never acknowledge God and what He has done for them, but He will always be aware of what they are doing. Isaiah said that God had determined that they would never change, so death was coming for them. If we refuse to acknowledge Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, spiritual death, everlasting separation from God doomed to everlasting punishment, is coming for us one day.
No comments:
Post a Comment