mh_parser/vol_split/23 - Isaiah/Chapter 22.xml

<div2 id="Is.xxiii" n="xxiii" next="Is.xxiv" prev="Is.xxii" progress="8.15%" title="Chapter XXII">
<h2 id="Is.xxiii-p0.1">I S A I A H.</h2>
<h3 id="Is.xxiii-p0.2">CHAP. XXII.</h3>
<p class="intro" id="Is.xxiii-p1" shownumber="no">We have now come nearer home, for this chapter is
"the burden of the valley of vision," Jerusalem; other places had
their burden for the sake of their being concerned in some way or
other with Jerusalem, and were reckoned with either as spiteful
enemies or deceitful friends to the people of God; but now let
Jerusalem hear her own doom. This chapter concerns, I. The city of
Jerusalem itself and the neighbourhood depending upon it. Here is,
1. A prophecy of the grievous distress they should shortly be
brought into by Sennacherib's invasion of the country and laying
siege to the city, <scripRef id="Is.xxiii-p1.1" osisRef="Bible:Isa.22.1-Isa.22.7" parsed="|Isa|22|1|22|7" passage="Isa 22:1-7">ver.
1-7</scripRef>. 2. A reproof given them for their misconduct in
that distress, in two things:—(1.) Not having an eye to God in
the use of the means of their preservation, <scripRef id="Is.xxiii-p1.2" osisRef="Bible:Isa.22.8-Isa.22.11" parsed="|Isa|22|8|22|11" passage="Isa 22:8-11">ver. 8-11</scripRef>. (2.) Not humbling themselves
under his mighty hand, <scripRef id="Is.xxiii-p1.3" osisRef="Bible:Isa.22.12-Isa.22.14" parsed="|Isa|22|12|22|14" passage="Isa 22:12-14">ver.
12-14</scripRef>. II. The court of Hezekiah, and the officers of
that court. 1. The displacing of Shebna, a bad man, and turning him
out of the treasury, <scripRef id="Is.xxiii-p1.4" osisRef="Bible:Isa.22.15-Isa.22.19 Bible:Isa.22.25" parsed="|Isa|22|15|22|19;|Isa|22|25|0|0" passage="Isa 22:15-19,25">ver.
15-19, 25</scripRef>. 2. The preferring of Eliakim, who should do
his country better service, to his place, <scripRef id="Is.xxiii-p1.5" osisRef="Bible:Isa.22.20-Isa.22.24" parsed="|Isa|22|20|22|24" passage="Isa 22:20-24">ver. 20-24</scripRef>.</p>
<scripCom id="Is.xxiii-p1.6" osisRef="Bible:Isa.22" parsed="|Isa|22|0|0|0" passage="Isa 22" type="Commentary"/>
<scripCom id="Is.xxiii-p1.7" osisRef="Bible:Isa.22.1-Isa.22.7" parsed="|Isa|22|1|22|7" passage="Isa 22:1-7" type="Commentary"/><div class="Commentary" id="Is.xxiii-p1.8">
<h4 id="Is.xxiii-p1.9">The Consternation of
Jerusalem. (<span class="smallcaps" id="Is.xxiii-p1.10">b. c.</span> 718.)</h4>
<p class="passage" id="Is.xxiii-p2" shownumber="no">1 The burden of the valley of vision. What
aileth thee now, that thou art wholly gone up to the housetops?
  2 Thou that art full of stirs, a tumultuous city, a joyous
city: thy slain <i>men are</i> not slain with the sword, nor dead
in battle.   3 All thy rulers are fled together, they are
bound by the archers: all that are found in thee are bound
together, <i>which</i> have fled from far.   4 Therefore said
I, Look away from me; I will weep bitterly, labour not to comfort
me, because of the spoiling of the daughter of my people.   5
For <i>it is</i> a day of trouble, and of treading down, and of
perplexity by the Lord <span class="smallcaps" id="Is.xxiii-p2.1">God</span> of hosts
in the valley of vision, breaking down the walls, and of crying to
the mountains.   6 And Elam bare the quiver with chariots of
men <i>and</i> horsemen, and Kir uncovered the shield.   7 And
it shall come to pass, <i>that</i> thy choicest valleys shall be
full of chariots, and the horsemen shall set themselves in array at
the gate.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Is.xxiii-p3" shownumber="no">The title of this prophecy is very
observable. It is <i>the burden of the valley of vision,</i> of
Judah and Jerusalem; so all agree. Fitly enough is Jerusalem called
a valley, for the mountains were round about it, and the land of
Judah abounded with fruitful valleys; and by the judgments of God,
though they had been as a towering mountain, they should be brought
low, sunk and depressed, and become dark and dirty, as a valley.
But most emphatically is it called a <i>valley of vision</i>
because there God was known and his name was great, there the
prophets were made acquainted with his mind by visions, and there
the people saw the goings of their God and King in his sanctuary.
Babylon, being a stranger to God, though rich and great, was called
<i>the desert of the sea;</i> but Jerusalem, being entrusted with
his oracles, is <i>a valley of vision. Blessed are their eyes, for
they see,</i> and they have seers by office among them. Where
Bibles and ministers are there is a valley of vision, from which is
expected fruit accordingly; but here is a <i>burden of the valley
of vision,</i> and a heavy burden it is. Note, Church privileges,
if they be not improved, will not secure men from the judgments of
God. <i>You only have I known of all the families of the earth;
therefore will I punish you.</i> The valley of vision has a
particular burden. <i>Thou Capernaum,</i> <scripRef id="Is.xxiii-p3.1" osisRef="Bible:Matt.11.23" parsed="|Matt|11|23|0|0" passage="Mt 11:23">Matt. xi. 23</scripRef>. The higher any are lifted up in
means and mercies the heavier will their doom be if they abuse
them.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Is.xxiii-p4" shownumber="no">Now the <i>burden of the valley of
vision</i> here is that which will not quite ruin it, but only
frighten it; for it refers not to the destruction of Jerusalem by
Nebuchadnezzar, but to the attempt made upon it by Sennacherib,
which we had the prophecy of, <scripRef id="Is.xxiii-p4.1" osisRef="Bible:Isa.10.1-Isa.10.34" parsed="|Isa|10|1|10|34" passage="Isa 10:1-34"><i>ch.</i> x.</scripRef>, and shall meet with the
history of, <scripRef id="Is.xxiii-p4.2" osisRef="Bible:Isa.36.1-Isa.36.22" parsed="|Isa|36|1|36|22" passage="Isa 36:1-22"><i>ch.</i>
xxxvi.</scripRef>. It is here again prophesied of, because the
desolations of many of the neighbouring countries, which were
foretold in the foregoing chapters, were to be brought to pass by
the Assyrian army. Now let Jerusalem know that when the cup is
going round it will be put into her hand; and, although it will not
be to her a fatal cup, yet it will be a cup of trembling. Here is
foretold,</p>
<p class="indent" id="Is.xxiii-p5" shownumber="no">I. The consternation that the city should
be in upon the approach of Sennacherib's army. It used to be full
of stirs, a city of great trade, people hurrying to and fro about
their business, a tumultuous city, populous and noisy. Where there
is great trade there is great tumult. It used to be a joyous
revelling city. What with the busy part and what with the merry
part of mankind, places of concourse are places of noise. "But what
ails thee now, that the shops are quitted, and there is no more
walking in the streets and exchange, <i>but thou hast wholly gone
up to the house-tops</i> (<scripRef id="Is.xxiii-p5.1" osisRef="Bible:Isa.22.1" parsed="|Isa|22|1|0|0" passage="Isa 22:1"><i>v.</i>
1</scripRef>), to bemoan thyself in silence and solitude, or to
secure thyself from the enemy, or to look abroad and see if any
succours come to thy relief, or which way the enemies' motions
are." Let both men of business and sportsmen <i>rejoice as though
they rejoiced not,</i> for something may happen quickly, which they
little think of, that will be a damp to their mirth and a stop to
their business, and send them to <i>watch as a sparrow alone upon
the house-top,</i> <scripRef id="Is.xxiii-p5.2" osisRef="Bible:Ps.102.7" parsed="|Ps|102|7|0|0" passage="Ps 102:7">Ps. cii.
7</scripRef>. But why is Jerusalem in such a fright? <i>Her slain
men are not slain with the sword</i> (<scripRef id="Is.xxiii-p5.3" osisRef="Bible:Isa.22.2" parsed="|Isa|22|2|0|0" passage="Isa 22:2"><i>v.</i> 2</scripRef>), but, 1. Slain with famine (so
some); for Sennacherib's army having laid the country waste, and
destroyed the fruits of the earth, provisions must needs be very
scarce and dear in the city, which would be the death of many of
the poorer sort of people, who would be constrained to feed on that
which was unwholesome. 2. Slain with fear. They were put into this
fright though they had not a man killed, but so disheartened
themselves that they seemed as effectually stabbed with fear as if
they had been run through with a sword.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Is.xxiii-p6" shownumber="no">II. The inglorious flight of the rulers of
Judah, who fled from far, from all parts of the country, to
Jerusalem (<scripRef id="Is.xxiii-p6.1" osisRef="Bible:Isa.22.3" parsed="|Isa|22|3|0|0" passage="Isa 22:3"><i>v.</i> 3</scripRef>),
fled together, as it were by consent, and were found in Jerusalem,
having left their respective cities, which they should have taken
care of, to be a prey to the Assyrian army, which, meeting with no
opposition, when it <i>came up against all the defenced cities of
Judah</i> easily <i>took them,</i> <scripRef id="Is.xxiii-p6.2" osisRef="Bible:Isa.36.1" parsed="|Isa|36|1|0|0" passage="Isa 36:1"><i>ch.</i> xxxvi. 1</scripRef>. These rulers <i>were
bound from the bow</i> (so the word is); they not only quitted
their own cities like cowards, but, when they came to Jerusalem,
were of no service there, but were as if their hands were tied from
the use of the bow, by the extreme distraction and confusion they
were in; they trembled, so that they could not draw a bow. See how
easily God can dispirit men, and how certainly fear will dispirit
them, when the tyranny of it is yielded to.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Is.xxiii-p7" shownumber="no">III. The great grief which this should
occasion to all serious sensible people among them, which is
represented by the prophet's laying the thing to heart himself; he
lived to see it, and was resolved to share with the children of his
people in their sorrows, <scripRef id="Is.xxiii-p7.1" osisRef="Bible:Isa.22.4-Isa.22.5" parsed="|Isa|22|4|22|5" passage="Isa 22:4,5"><i>v.</i>
4, 5</scripRef>. He is not willing to proclaim his sorrow, and
therefore bids those about him to look away from him; he will
abandon himself to grief, and indulge himself in it, will weep
secretly, but weep bitterly, and will have none go about to comfort
him, for his grief is obstinate and he is pleased with his pain.
But what is the occasion of his grief? A poor prophet had little to
lose, and had been inured to hardship, when he walked naked and
barefoot; but it is for <i>the spoiling of the daughter of his
people.</i> It is <i>a day of trouble, and of treading down, and of
perplexity.</i> Our enemies trouble us and tread us down, and our
friends are perplexed and know not what course to take to do us a
kindness. The Lord God of hosts is now contending with the valley
of vision; the enemies with their battering rams are breaking down
the walls, and we are in vain crying to the mountains (to keep off
the enemy, or to fall on us and cover us) or looking for help to
come to us over the mountains, or appealing, as God does, to the
mountains, to hear our controversy (<scripRef id="Is.xxiii-p7.2" osisRef="Bible:Mic.6.1" parsed="|Mic|6|1|0|0" passage="Mic 6:1">Mic. vi. 1</scripRef>) and to judge between us and our
injurious neighbours.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Is.xxiii-p8" shownumber="no">IV. The great numbers and strength of the
enemy, that should invade their country and besiege their city,
<scripRef id="Is.xxiii-p8.1" osisRef="Bible:Isa.22.6-Isa.22.7" parsed="|Isa|22|6|22|7" passage="Isa 22:6,7"><i>v.</i> 6, 7</scripRef>. Elam
(that is, the Persians) come with their quiver full of arrows, and
with chariots of fighting men, and horsemen. Kir (that is, the
Medes) muster up their arms, unsheath the sword, and uncover the
shield, and get every thing ready for battle, every thing ready for
the besieging of Jerusalem. Then the choice valleys about
Jerusalem, that used to be clothed with flocks and covered over
with corn, shall be full of chariots of war, and at the gate of the
city <i>the horsemen shall set themselves in array,</i> to cut off
all provisions from going in, and to force their way in. What a
condition must the city be in that was beset on all sides with such
an army!</p>
</div><scripCom id="Is.xxiii-p8.2" osisRef="Bible:Isa.22.8-Isa.22.14" parsed="|Isa|22|8|22|14" passage="Isa 22:8-14" type="Commentary"/><div class="Commentary" id="Is.xxiii-p8.3">
<h4 id="Is.xxiii-p8.4">Contempt of Divine Goodness; Contempt of
Divine Judgments. (<span class="smallcaps" id="Is.xxiii-p8.5">b. c.</span> 718.)</h4>
<p class="passage" id="Is.xxiii-p9" shownumber="no">8 And he discovered the covering of Judah, and
thou didst look in that day to the armour of the house of the
forest.   9 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.   10 And ye have numbered the houses of
Jerusalem, and the houses have ye broken down to fortify the wall.
  11 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.   12
And in that day did the Lord <span class="smallcaps" id="Is.xxiii-p9.1">God</span> of
hosts call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to
girding with sackcloth:   13 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.   14 And it
was revealed in mine ears by the <span class="smallcaps" id="Is.xxiii-p9.2">Lord</span> of hosts, Surely this iniquity shall not be
purged from you till ye die, saith the Lord <span class="smallcaps" id="Is.xxiii-p9.3">God</span> of hosts.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Is.xxiii-p10" shownumber="no">What is meant by <i>the covering of
Judah,</i> which in the beginning of this paragraph is said to be
<i>discovered,</i> is not agreed. The fenced cities of Judah were a
covering to the country; but these, being taken by the army of the
Assyrians, ceased to be a shelter, so that the whole country lay
exposed to be plundered. The weakness of Judah, its nakedness, and
inability to keep itself, now appeared more than ever; and thus the
covering of Judah was discovered. Its magazines and stores, which
had been locked up, were now laid open for the public use. Dr.
Lightfoot gives another sense of it, that by this distress into
which Judah should be brought God would discover their covering
(that is, uncloak their hypocrisy), would show all that was in
their heart, as is said of Hezekiah upon another occasion,
<scripRef id="Is.xxiii-p10.1" osisRef="Bible:2Chr.32.31" parsed="|2Chr|32|31|0|0" passage="2Ch 32:31">2 Chron. xxxii. 31</scripRef>. Thus,
by one means or other, <i>the iniquity of Ephraim will be
discovered and the sin of Samaria,</i> <scripRef id="Is.xxiii-p10.2" osisRef="Bible:Hos.7.1" parsed="|Hos|7|1|0|0" passage="Ho 7:1">Hos. vii. 1</scripRef>.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Is.xxiii-p11" shownumber="no">They were now in a great fright, and in
this fright they manifested two things much amiss:—</p>
<p class="indent" id="Is.xxiii-p12" shownumber="no">I. A great contempt of God's goodness, and
his power to help them. They made use of all the means they could
think of for their own preservation; and it is not for doing this
that they are blamed, but, in doing this, they did not acknowledge
God. Observe,</p>
<p class="indent" id="Is.xxiii-p13" shownumber="no">1. How careful they were to improve all
advantages that might contribute to their safety. When Sennacherib
had made himself master of all the defenced cities of Judah, and
Jerusalem was left as a cottage in a vineyard, they thought it was
time to look about them. A council was immediately called, a
council of war; and it was resolved to stand upon their defence,
and not tamely to surrender. Pursuant to this resolve, they took
all the prudent measures they could for their own security. We
tempt God if, in times of danger, we do not the best we can for
ourselves. (1.) They inspected the magazines and stores, to see if
they were well stocked with arms and ammunition: <i>They looked to
the armour of the house of the forest,</i> which Solomon built in
Jerusalem for an armoury (<scripRef id="Is.xxiii-p13.1" osisRef="Bible:1Kgs.10.17" parsed="|1Kgs|10|17|0|0" passage="1Ki 10:17">1 Kings x.
17</scripRef>), and thence they delivered out what they had
occasion for. It is the wisdom of princes, in time of peace, to
provide for war, that they may not have arms to seek when they
should use them, and perhaps upon a sudden emergency. (2.) They
viewed the fortifications, the <i>breaches of the city of
David;</i> they walked round the walls, and observed where they had
gone to decay for want of seasonable repairs, or were broken by
some former attempts made upon them. These breaches were many; the
more shame for the house of David that they suffered the city of
David to lie neglected. They had probably often seen those
breaches; but now they saw them to consider what course to take
about them. This good we should get by public distresses, we should
be awakened by them to <i>repair our breaches,</i> and amend what
is amiss. (3.) They made sure of water for the city, and did what
they could to deprive the besiegers of it: <i>You gathered together
the water of the lower pool,</i> of which there was probably no
great store, and of which therefore they were the more concerned to
be good husbands. See what a mercy it is that, as nothing is more
necessary to the support of human life than water, so nothing is
more cheap and common; but it is bad indeed when that, as here, is
a scarce commodity. (4.) They <i>numbered the houses of
Jerusalem,</i> that every house might send in its quota of men for
the public service, or contribute in money to it, which they raised
by a poll, so much a head or so much a house. (5.) Because private
property ought to give way to the public safety, those houses that
stood in their way, when the wall was to be fortified, were broken
down, which, in such a case of necessity, is no more an injury to
the owner than blowing up houses in case of fire. (6.) They made a
ditch between the outer and inner wall, for the greater security of
the city; and they contrived to draw the water of the old pool to
it, that they might have plenty of water themselves and might
deprive the besiegers of it; for it seems that was the project,
lest the Assyrian army <i>should come and find much water</i>
(<scripRef id="Is.xxiii-p13.2" osisRef="Bible:2Chr.32.4" parsed="|2Chr|32|4|0|0" passage="2Ch 32:4">2 Chron. xxxii. 4</scripRef>) and so
should be the better able to prolong the siege. If it be lawful to
destroy the forage of a country, much more to divert the streams of
its waters, for the straitening and starving of an enemy.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Is.xxiii-p14" shownumber="no">2. How regardless they were of God in all
these preparations: <i>But you have not looked unto the Maker
thereof</i> (that is, of Jerusalem, the city you are so solicitous
for the defence of) and of all the advantages which nature has
furnished it with for its defence—the <i>mountains round about
it</i> (<scripRef id="Is.xxiii-p14.1" osisRef="Bible:Ps.125.2" parsed="|Ps|125|2|0|0" passage="Ps 125:2">Ps. cxxv. 2</scripRef>), and
the rivers, which were such as the inhabitants might turn which way
soever they pleased for their convenience. Note, (1.) It is God
that made his Jerusalem, and fashioned it long ago, in his
counsels. The Jewish writers, upon this place, say, There were
seven things which God made before the world (meaning which he had
in his eye when he made the world): <i>the garden of Eden, the law,
the just ones, Israel, the throne of glory, Jerusalem, and Messiah
the Prince.</i> The gospel church has God for its Maker. (2.)
Whatever service we do, or endeavour to do, at any time to God's
Jerusalem, must be done with an eye to him as the Maker of it; and
he takes it ill if it be done otherwise. It is here charged upon
them that they did not look to God. [1.] They did not design his
glory in what they did. They fortified Jerusalem because it was a
rich city and their own houses were in it, not because it was the
holy city and God's house was in it. In all our cares for the
defence of the church we must look more at God's interest in it
than at our own. [2.] They did not depend upon him for a blessing
upon their endeavours, saw no need of it, and therefore sought not
to him for it, but thought their own powers and policies sufficient
for them. Of Hezekiah himself it is said that <i>he trusted in
God</i> (<scripRef id="Is.xxiii-p14.2" osisRef="Bible:2Kgs.18.5" parsed="|2Kgs|18|5|0|0" passage="2Ki 18:5">2 Kings xviii. 5</scripRef>),
and particularly upon this occasion (<scripRef id="Is.xxiii-p14.3" osisRef="Bible:2Chr.32.8" parsed="|2Chr|32|8|0|0" passage="2Ch 32:8">2
Chron. xxxii. 8</scripRef>); but there were those about him, it
seems, who were great statesmen and soldiers, but had little
religion in them. [3.] They did not give him thanks for the
advantages they had, in fortifying their city, from <i>the waters
of the old pool,</i> which were fashioned long ago, as Kishon is
called <i>an ancient river,</i> <scripRef id="Is.xxiii-p14.4" osisRef="Bible:Judg.5.21" parsed="|Judg|5|21|0|0" passage="Jdg 5:21">Judg.
v. 21</scripRef>. Whatever in nature is at any time serviceable to
us, we must therein acknowledge the goodness of the God of nature,
who, when he fashioned it long ago, fitted it to be so, and
<i>according to whose ordinance it continues to this day.</i> Every
creature is that to us which God makes it to be; and therefore,
whatever use it is of to us, we must <i>look at him that fashioned
it,</i> bless him for it, and use it for him.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Is.xxiii-p15" shownumber="no">II. A great contempt of God's wrath and
justice in contending with them, <scripRef id="Is.xxiii-p15.1" osisRef="Bible:Isa.22.12-Isa.22.14" parsed="|Isa|22|12|22|14" passage="Isa 22:12-14"><i>v.</i> 12-14</scripRef>. Here observe,</p>
<p class="indent" id="Is.xxiii-p16" shownumber="no">1. What was God's design in bringing this
calamity upon them: it was to humble them, bring them to
repentance, and make them serious. In that day of trouble, and
treading down, and perplexity, the Lord did thereby <i>call to
weeping and mourning,</i> and all the expressions of sorrow, even
<i>to baldness and girding with sackcloth;</i> and all this to
lament their sins (by which they had brought those judgments upon
their land), to enforce their prayers (by which they might hope to
avert the judgments that were breaking in), and to dispose
themselves to a reformation of their lives by a holy seriousness
and a tenderness of heart under the word of God. To this God called
them by his prophet's explaining his providences, and by his
providences awakening them to regard what his prophets said. Note,
When God threatens us with his judgments he expects and requires
that we humble ourselves under his mighty hand, that we tremble
when the lion roars, and in a day of adversity consider.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Is.xxiii-p17" shownumber="no">2. How contrary they walked to this design
of God (<scripRef id="Is.xxiii-p17.1" osisRef="Bible:Isa.22.13" parsed="|Isa|22|13|0|0" passage="Isa 22:13"><i>v.</i> 13</scripRef>):
<i>Behold, joy and gladness,</i> mirth and feasting, all the gaiety
and all the jollity imaginable. They were as secure and cheerful as
they used to be, as if they had had no enemy in their borders or
were in no danger of falling into his hands. When they had taken
the necessary precautions for their security, then they set all
deaths and dangers at defiance, and resolved to be merry, let come
on them what would. Those that should have been among the mourners
were among the <i>wine-bibbers, the riotous eaters of flesh;</i>
and observe what they said, <i>Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow
we shall die.</i> This may refer either to the particular danger
they were now in, and the fair warning which the prophet gave them
of it, or to the general shortness and uncertainty of human life,
and the nearness of death at all times. This was the language of
the profane scoffers who <i>mocked the messengers of the Lord and
misused his prophets.</i> (1.) They made a jest of dying. "The
prophet tells us we must die shortly, perhaps to-morrow, and
therefore we should mourn and repent to-day; no, rather <i>let us
eat and drink,</i> that we may be fattened for the slaughter, and
may be in good heart to meet our doom; if we must have a short
life, let it be a merry one." (2.) They ridiculed the doctrine of a
future state on the other side death; for, if there were no such
state, the apostle grants there would be something of reason in
what they said, <scripRef id="Is.xxiii-p17.2" osisRef="Bible:1Cor.15.32" parsed="|1Cor|15|32|0|0" passage="1Co 15:32">1 Cor. xv.
32</scripRef>. If, when we die, there were an end of us, it were
good to make ourselves as easy and merry as we could while we live;
but, if <i>for all these things God shall bring us into
judgment,</i> it is at our peril if we walk <i>in the way of our
heart and the sight of our eyes,</i> <scripRef id="Is.xxiii-p17.3" osisRef="Bible:Eccl.11.9" parsed="|Eccl|11|9|0|0" passage="Ec 11:9">Eccl. xi. 9</scripRef>. Note, A practical disbelief of
another life after this is at the bottom of the carnal security and
brutish sensuality which are the sin, and shame, and ruin of so
great a part of mankind, as of the old world, who were <i>eating
and drinking till the flood came.</i></p>
<p class="indent" id="Is.xxiii-p18" shownumber="no">3. How much God was displeased at it. He
signified his resentment of it to the prophet, <i>revealed it in
his ears,</i> to be by him proclaimed upon the house-top: <i>Surely
this iniquity shall not be purged from you till you die,</i>
<scripRef id="Is.xxiii-p18.1" osisRef="Bible:Isa.22.14" parsed="|Isa|22|14|0|0" passage="Isa 22:14"><i>v.</i> 14</scripRef>. It shall
never be expiated with sacrifice and offering, any more than the
iniquity of the house of Eli, <scripRef id="Is.xxiii-p18.2" osisRef="Bible:1Sam.3.14" parsed="|1Sam|3|14|0|0" passage="1Sa 3:14">1 Sam.
iii. 14</scripRef>. It is a sin against the remedy, a baffling of
the utmost means of conviction and rendering them ineffectual; and
therefore it is not likely they should ever repent of it or have it
pardoned. The Chaldee reads it, <i>It shall not be forgiven you
till you die the second death.</i> Those that walk contrary to
them; with the froward he will show himself froward.</p>
</div><scripCom id="Is.xxiii-p18.3" osisRef="Bible:Isa.22.15-Isa.22.25" parsed="|Isa|22|15|22|25" passage="Isa 22:15-25" type="Commentary"/><div class="Commentary" id="Is.xxiii-p18.4">
<h4 id="Is.xxiii-p18.5">The Downfall of Shebna; The Advancement of
Eliakim. (<span class="smallcaps" id="Is.xxiii-p18.6">b. c.</span> 714.)</h4>
<p class="passage" id="Is.xxiii-p19" shownumber="no">15 Thus saith the Lord <span class="smallcaps" id="Is.xxiii-p19.1">God</span> of hosts, Go, get thee unto this treasurer,
<i>even</i> unto Shebna, which <i>is</i> over the house, <i>and
say,</i>   16 What hast thou here? and whom hast thou here,
that thou hast hewed thee out a sepulchre here, <i>as</i> he that
heweth him out a sepulchre on high, <i>and</i> that graveth a
habitation for himself in a rock?   17 Behold, the <span class="smallcaps" id="Is.xxiii-p19.2">Lord</span> will carry thee away with a mighty
captivity, and will surely cover thee.   18 He will surely
violently turn and toss thee <i>like</i> a ball into a large
country: there shalt thou die, and there the chariots of thy glory
<i>shall be</i> the shame of thy lord's house.   19 And I will
drive thee from thy station, and from thy state shall he pull thee
down.   20 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will
call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah:   21 And 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.  
22 And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder;
so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none
shall open.   23 And I will fasten him <i>as</i> a nail in a
sure place; and he shall be for a glorious throne to his father's
house.   24 And they shall hang upon him all the glory of his
father's house, the offspring and the issue, all vessels of small
quantity, from the vessels of cups, even to all the vessels of
flagons.   25 In that day, saith the <span class="smallcaps" id="Is.xxiii-p19.3">Lord</span> of hosts, shall the nail that is fastened
in the sure place be removed, and be cut down, and fall; and the
burden that <i>was</i> upon it shall be cut off: for the <span class="smallcaps" id="Is.xxiii-p19.4">Lord</span> hath spoken <i>it.</i></p>
<p class="indent" id="Is.xxiii-p20" shownumber="no">We have here a prophecy concerning the
displacing of Shebna, a great officer at court, and the preferring
of Eliakim to the post of honour and trust that he was in. Such
changes are common in the courts of princes; it is therefore
strange that so much notice should be taken of it by the prophet
here; but by the accomplishment of what was foretold concerning
these particular persons God designed to confirm his word in the
mouth of Isaiah concerning other and greater events; and it is
likewise to show that, as God has burdens in store for those
nations and kingdoms abroad that are open enemies to his church and
people, so he has for those particular persons at home that are
false friends to them and betray them. It is likewise a
confirmation in general of the hand of divine Providence in all
events of this kind, which to us seem contingent and to depend upon
the wills and fancies of princes. <i>Promotion comes not from the
east, nor from the west, nor from the south; but God is the
Judge,</i> <scripRef id="Is.xxiii-p20.1" osisRef="Bible:Ps.25.6-Ps.25.7" parsed="|Ps|25|6|25|7" passage="Ps 25:6,7">Ps. xxv. 6, 7</scripRef>.
It is probable that this prophecy was delivered at the same time
with that in the former part of the chapter, and began to be
fulfilled before Sennacherib's invasion; for now Shebna was <i>over
the house,</i> but then Eliakim was (<scripRef id="Is.xxiii-p20.2" osisRef="Bible:Isa.36.3" parsed="|Isa|36|3|0|0" passage="Isa 36:3"><i>ch.</i> xxxvi. 3</scripRef>); and Shebna, coming down
gradually, was only scribe. Here is,</p>
<p class="indent" id="Is.xxiii-p21" shownumber="no">I. The prophecy of Shebna's disgrace. He is
called <i>this treasurer,</i> being entrusted with the management
of the revenue; and he is likewise said to be <i>over the
house,</i> for such was his boundless ambition and covetousness
that less than two places, and those two of the greatest importance
at court, would not satisfy him. It is common for self-seeking men
thus to grasp at more than they can manage, and so the business of
their places is neglected, while the pomp and profit of them wholly
engage the mind. It does not appear what were the particular
instances of Shebna's mal-administration, for which Isaiah is here
sent to prophesy against him; but the Jews say, "He kept up a
traitorous correspondence with the king of Assyria, and was in
treaty with him to deliver the city into his hands." However this
was, it should seem that he was a foreigner (for we never read of
the name of his father) and that he was an enemy to the true
interests of Judah and Jerusalem: it is probable that he was first
preferred by Ahaz. Hezekiah was himself an excellent prince; but
the best masters cannot always be sure of good servants. We have
need to pray for princes, that they may be wise and happy in the
choice of those they trust. These were times of reformation, yet
Shebna, a bad man, complied so far as to keep his places at court;
and it is probable that many others did like him, for which reason
Sennacherib is said to have been <i>sent against a hypocritical
nation,</i> <scripRef id="Is.xxiii-p21.1" osisRef="Bible:Isa.10.6" parsed="|Isa|10|6|0|0" passage="Isa 10:6"><i>ch.</i> x.
6</scripRef>. In this message to Shebna we have,</p>
<p class="indent" id="Is.xxiii-p22" shownumber="no">1. A reproof of his pride, vanity, and
security (<scripRef id="Is.xxiii-p22.1" osisRef="Bible:Isa.22.16" parsed="|Isa|22|16|0|0" passage="Isa 22:16"><i>v.</i> 16</scripRef>):
"<i>What hast thou here, and whom hast thou here?</i> What a mighty
noise and bustle dost thou make! What estate has thou here, that
thou was born to? <i>Whom hast thou here,</i> what relations, that
thou art allied to? Art thou not of mean and obscure original,
<i>filius populi—a mere plebeian,</i> that comest we know not
whence? What is the meaning of this then, that thou hast built
thyself a fine house, <i>hast graved thyself a habitation?</i>" So
very nice and curious was it that it seemed rather to be the work
of an engraver than of a mason or carpenter; and it seemed engraven
in a rock, so firmly was it founded and so impregnable was it.
"Nay, <i>thou hast hewed thee out a sepulchre,</i>" as if he
designed that his pomp should survive his funeral. Though Jerusalem
was not <i>the place of his father's sepulchres</i> (as Nehemiah
called it with a great deal of tenderness, <scripRef id="Is.xxiii-p22.2" osisRef="Bible:Neh.2.3" parsed="|Neh|2|3|0|0" passage="Ne 2:3">Neh. ii. 3</scripRef>), he designed it should be the place
of his own, and therefore set up a monument for himself in his
life-time, set it up on high. Those that make stately monuments for
their pride forget that, how beautiful soever they appear
outwardly, within <i>they are full of dead men's bones.</i> But it
is a pity that the grave-stone should forget the grave.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Is.xxiii-p23" shownumber="no">2. A prophecy of his fall and the sullying
of his glory. (1.) That he should not quickly be displaced and
degraded (<scripRef id="Is.xxiii-p23.1" osisRef="Bible:Isa.22.19" parsed="|Isa|22|19|0|0" passage="Isa 22:19"><i>v.</i> 19</scripRef>):
<i>I will drive thee from thy station.</i> High places are slippery
places; and those are justly deprived of their honour that are
proud of it and puffed up with it, and deprived of their power that
do hurt with it. God will do it, who shows himself to be God by
<i>looking upon proud men and abasing them,</i> <scripRef id="Is.xxiii-p23.2" osisRef="Bible:Job.40.11-Job.40.12" parsed="|Job|40|11|40|12" passage="Job 40:11,12">Job xl. 11, 12</scripRef>. To this <scripRef id="Is.xxiii-p23.3" osisRef="Bible:Isa.22.25" parsed="|Isa|22|25|0|0" passage="Isa 22:25"><i>v.</i> 25</scripRef> refers. "The nail that
is <i>now fastened in the sure place</i> (that is, Shebna, who
thinks himself immovably fixed in his office) <i>shall be removed,
and cut down, and fall.</i>" Those are mistaken who think any place
in this world a sure place, or themselves as nails fastened in it;
for there is nothing here but uncertainty. When the nail falls the
burden that was upon it is cut off; when Shebna was disgraced all
that had a dependence upon him fell into contempt too. Those that
are in high places will have many hanging upon them as favourites
whom they are proud of and trust to; but they are burdens upon
them, and perhaps with their weight break the nail, and both fall
together, and by deceiving ruin one another—the common fate of
great men and their flatterers, who expect more from each other
than either performs. (2.) That after a while he should not only be
driven from his station, but driven from his country: <i>The Lord
will carry thee away with the captivity of a mighty man,</i>
<scripRef id="Is.xxiii-p23.4" osisRef="Bible:Isa.22.17-Isa.22.18" parsed="|Isa|22|17|22|18" passage="Isa 22:17,18"><i>v.</i> 17, 18</scripRef>. Some
think the Assyrians seized him, and took him away, because he had
promised to assist them and did not, but appeared against them: or
perhaps Hezekiah, finding out his treachery, banished him, and
forbade him ever to return; or he himself, finding that he had
become obnoxious to the people, withdrew into some other country,
and there spent the rest of his days in meanness and obscurity.
Grotius thinks he was stricken with a leprosy, which was a disease
commonly supposed to come from the immediate hand of God's
displeasure, particularly for the punishment of the proud, as in
the case of Miriam and Uzziah; and by reason of this disease he was
<i>tossed like a ball</i> out of Jerusalem. Those who, when they
are in power, turn and toss others, will be justly turned and
tossed themselves when their day shall come to fall. Many who have
thought themselves fastened like a nail may come to be tossed like
a ball; for here have we <i>no continuing city.</i> Shebna thought
his place too strait for him, he had no room to thrive; God will
therefore send him <i>into a large country,</i> where he shall have
room to wander, but never find the way back again; for <i>there he
shall die,</i> and lay his bones there, and not in the sepulchre he
had hewn out for himself. And <i>there the chariots</i> which had
been the chariots of his glory, in which he had rattled about the
streets of Jerusalem, and which he took into banishment with him,
should but serve to upbraid him with his former grandeur, <i>to the
shame of his lord's house,</i> of the court of Ahaz, who had
advanced him.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Is.xxiii-p24" shownumber="no">II. The prophecy of Eliakim's advancement,
<scripRef id="Is.xxiii-p24.1" osisRef="Bible:Isa.22.20" parsed="|Isa|22|20|0|0" passage="Isa 22:20"><i>v.</i> 20</scripRef>, &amp;c. He
is God's servant, has approved himself faithfully so in other
employments, and therefore God will call him to this high station.
Those that are diligent in doing the duty of a low sphere stand
fairest for preferment in God's books. Eliakim does not undermine
Shebna, nor make an interest against him, nor does he intrude into
his office; but God calls him to it: and what God calls us to we
may expect he will own us in. It is here foretold, 1. That Eliakim
should be put into Shebna's place of lord-chamberlain of the
household, lord-treasurer, and prime-minister of state. The prophet
must tell Shebna this, <scripRef id="Is.xxiii-p24.2" osisRef="Bible:Isa.22.21" parsed="|Isa|22|21|0|0" passage="Isa 22:21"><i>v.</i>
21</scripRef>. "He shall have <i>thy robe,</i> the badge of honour,
and <i>thy girdle,</i> the badge of power; for he shall have <i>thy
government.</i>" To hear of it would be a great mortification to
Shebna, much more to see it. Great men, especially if proud men,
cannot endure their successors. God undertakes the doing of it, not
only because he would put it into the heart of Hezekiah to do it,
and his hand must be acknowledged guiding the hearts of princes in
placing and displacing men (<scripRef id="Is.xxiii-p24.3" osisRef="Bible:Prov.21.1" parsed="|Prov|21|1|0|0" passage="Pr 21:1">Prov. xxi.
1</scripRef>), but because the powers that are, subordinate as well
as supreme, are ordained of God. It is God that clothes princes
with their robes, and therefore we must submit ourselves to them
for the Lord's sake and with an eye to him, <scripRef id="Is.xxiii-p24.4" osisRef="Bible:1Pet.2.13" parsed="|1Pet|2|13|0|0" passage="1Pe 2:13">1 Pet. ii. 13</scripRef>. And, since it is he that
<i>commits the government into their hand,</i> they must administer
it according to his will, for his glory; they must judge for him by
whom they judge and <i>decree justice,</i> <scripRef id="Is.xxiii-p24.5" osisRef="Bible:Prov.8.15" parsed="|Prov|8|15|0|0" passage="Pr 8:15">Prov. viii. 15</scripRef>. And they may depend upon him
to furnish them for what he calls them to, according to this
promise: <i>I will clothe him;</i> and then it follows, <i>I will
strengthen him.</i> Those that are called to places of trust and
power should seek unto God for grace to enable them to do the duty
of their places; for that ought to be their chief care. Eliakim's
advancement is further described by the laying of the <i>key of the
house of David upon his shoulders,</i> <scripRef id="Is.xxiii-p24.6" osisRef="Bible:Isa.22.22" parsed="|Isa|22|22|0|0" passage="Isa 22:22"><i>v.</i> 22</scripRef>. Probably he carried a golden
key upon his shoulder as a badge of his office, or had one
embroidered upon his cloak or robe, to which this alludes. Being
over the house, and having the key delivered to him, as the seals
are to the lord-keeper, <i>he shall open and none shall shut, shut
and none shall open.</i> He had access to <i>the house of the
precious things, the silver, and the gold, and the spices;</i> and
to the <i>house of the armour</i> and the <i>treasures</i>
(<scripRef id="Is.xxiii-p24.7" osisRef="Bible:Isa.39.2" parsed="|Isa|39|2|0|0" passage="Isa 39:2"><i>ch.</i> xxxix. 2</scripRef>), and
disposed of the stores there as he thought fit for the public
service. He put whom he pleased into the inferior offices and
turned out whom he pleased. Our Lord Jesus describes his own power
as Mediator by an allusion to this (<scripRef id="Is.xxiii-p24.8" osisRef="Bible:Rev.3.7" parsed="|Rev|3|7|0|0" passage="Re 3:7">Rev.
iii. 7</scripRef>), that <i>he has the key of David,</i> wherewith
he <i>opens and no man shuts,</i> he <i>shuts and no man opens.</i>
His power in the kingdom of heaven, and in the ordering of all the
affairs of that kingdom, is absolute, irresistible, and
uncontrollable. 2. That he should be fixed and confirmed in that
office. He shall have it for life, and not <i>durante bene
placito—during pleasure</i> (<scripRef id="Is.xxiii-p24.9" osisRef="Bible:Isa.22.23" parsed="|Isa|22|23|0|0" passage="Isa 22:23"><i>v.</i> 23</scripRef>): <i>I will fasten him as a
nail in a sure place,</i> not to be removed or cut down. Thus
lasting shall the honour be that comes from God to all those who
use it for him. Our Lord Jesus is <i>as a nail in a sure place:</i>
his kingdom cannot be shaken, and he himself is still the same. 3.
That he should be a great blessing in his office; and it is this
that crowns the favours here conferred upon him. God <i>makes his
name great,</i> for he shall be a blessing, <scripRef id="Is.xxiii-p24.10" osisRef="Bible:Gen.12.2" parsed="|Gen|12|2|0|0" passage="Ge 12:2">Gen. xii. 2</scripRef>. (1.) He shall be a blessing to
his country (<scripRef id="Is.xxiii-p24.11" osisRef="Bible:Isa.22.21" parsed="|Isa|22|21|0|0" passage="Isa 22:21"><i>v.</i>
21</scripRef>): <i>He shall be a father to the inhabitants of
Jerusalem and to the house of Judah.</i> he shall take care not
only of the affairs of the king's household, but of all the public
interests in Jerusalem and Judah. Note, Rulers should be fathers to
those that are under their government, to teach them with wisdom,
rule them with love, and correct what is amiss with tenderness, to
protect them and provide for them, and be solicitous about them as
a man is for his own children and family. It is happy with a people
when the court, the city, and the country, have no separate
interests, but all centre in the same, so that the courtiers are
true patriots, and whom the court blesses the country has reason to
bless too; and when those who are fathers to Jerusalem, the royal
city, are no less so to the house of Judah. (2.) He shall be a
blessing to his family (<scripRef id="Is.xxiii-p24.12" osisRef="Bible:Isa.22.23-Isa.22.24" parsed="|Isa|22|23|22|24" passage="Isa 22:23,24"><i>v.</i>
23, 24</scripRef>): <i>He shall be for a glorious throne to his
father's house.</i> The consummate wisdom and virtue which
recommended him to this great trust made him the honour of his
family, which probably was very considerable before, but now became
much more so. Children should aim to be a credit to their parents
and relations. The honour men reflect upon their families by their
piety and usefulness is more to be valued than that which they
derive from their families by their names and titles. Eliakim being
preferred, <i>all the glory of his father's house</i> was hung upon
him; they all made their court to him, and his brethren's sheaves
bowed to his. Observe, The glory of this world gives a man no
intrinsic worth or excellency; it is but hung upon him as an
appurtenance, and it will soon drop from him. Eliakim was compared
to <i>a nail in a sure place,</i> in pursuance of which comparison
all the relations of his family (which, it is likely, were
numerous, and that was the glory of it) are said to have a
dependence upon him, as in a house the vessels that have handles to
them are hung up upon nails and pins. It intimates likewise that he
shall generously take care of them all, and bear the weight of that
care: <i>All the vessels,</i> not only <i>the flagons,</i> but
<i>the cups, the vessels of small quantity,</i> the meanest that
belong to his family, shall be provided for by him. See what a
burden those bring upon themselves that undertake great trusts;
they little think how many and how much will hand upon them if they
resolve to be faithful in the discharge of their trust. Our Lord
Jesus, having the key of the house of David, is as a <i>nail in a
sure place,</i> and all <i>the glory of his father's house
hangs</i> upon him, is derived from him, and depends upon him; even
the meanest that belong to his church are welcome to him, and he is
able to bear the stress of them all. That soul cannot perish, nor
that concern fall to the ground, though ever so weighty, that is by
faith hung upon Christ.</p>
</div></div2>