Today I would like to talk about the first half of Isaiah 22. In verse 1 it says, “An oracle concerning the Valley of Vision.” “The valley of vision” (1) is Jerusalem . Jerusalem is called “the Valley of Vision” (1) because the prophet Isaiah talked about many visions in Jerusalem. Jerusalem was surrounded by mountains like a valley and visions were revealed there so it was called “the Valley of Vision”. (1)
The prophecies up to now were concerning the surrounding countries around Israel and Judah. However, here suddenly the prophecy is talking about Jerusalem because Jerusalem has up until now as Isaiah says, has not believed in the real God, and depended on the power of man. In this respect they were no different than the pagan countries. You must not feel secure just because you are the people of God . To show this God is speaking words of warning to Jerusalem. Today let’s learn three things from the words of the oracle concerning Jerusalem .

I. Jerusalem, a city of tumult (vs. 1-4)
Please look at verses 1 to 4. Verse 1 and the first part of verse 2 say, “What troubles you now, that you have all gone up on the roofs, 0 town full of commotion, 0 city of tumult and revelry.”
The roofs of the houses in Jerusalem were flat and you could go up onto the roofs. The people enjoyed the cool evening breeze on the rooftop. Like a beer garden, they drank beer, watched festivals, and entertained people there . They had “all gone up on the roofs.”
(1) The reason they had gone to the roof tops is given as “O town full of commotion, 0 city of tumult and revelry.” (2) “Commotion” (2) means to be noisy, loud, uproarious , hyper, lively, or buzzing. “Tumult” (2) means a confused , noisy, and excited situation . They were enjoying the pleasures of this world and they were having a blowout. However, for the prophet Isaiah, for the people of Jerusalem to go up on the roof tops and have a blowout was a very unthinkable thing. That was because the situation was certainly not one in which they should be partying. God’s judgment was coming upon them because of their sin. They were in the danger of being destroyed by the country of Assyria. They needed to be saddened by their sin, and repent to the Lord, but they did exactly the opposite .
Look at verses 2 and 3.
This was not a special onetime event. It is thought that this is referring to the time they were threatened by Assyria and later when Jerusalem was besieged by Babylonia. ”Your slain were not killed by the sword, nor did they die in battle .” (2) refers to when Judah was destroyed by Babylon, and when the people were exiled they didn’t die by

the enemy killing them by stabbing them with swords, but because of having to share a small amount of food, they killed each other. “All your leaders have fled together; they have been captured” refers to King Zedekiah and his army which looked for a chance and fled, but on the way were captured and taken to Babylon.
The reason this happened was because they didn’t think about God and thought only about themselves. Jerusalem was called “The Valley of vision” (I) so they were supposed to receive the visions of the Lord . However, they didn’t accept the visions, didn’t bow before the Lord, and were pulled by the pleasures of the world. Even if you are the people of God, if you live like the people of the world, God’s judgment will come. That’s because Romans 2:11 says, “For God does not show favoritism.” No matter if you are Jewish or Greek, “there will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil…but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good.” (Romans 2:9, 10) Just because you are the people of God does not mean you are exempt from God’s judgment. Even if you are the people of God, if you live like the world, God’s judgment will come upon you.
Are you accepting the Lord’s visions, accepting the Lord’s will and coming humbly before God or are you making contentment in your life your priority? Israel’s problem was this. They felt secure in the fact that they were the people of God and their faith didn’t actually penetrate into their lives. On the roof tops they led an idle life. They thought only about themselves and didn’t think about God . We who are by the grace of God have been given salvation through our Lord Jesus, so let’s determine what is good, pleasing and God’s will, and walk in the will of God.
Please look at verse 4. There are the words of Isaiah, Isaiah looked at the judgment of God coming upon Jerusalem and he wept bitterly. He was so moved that he refused consolation requesting, “Do not try to console me.” (4) God’s judgment as coming upon those he loved. Just thinking about that, Isaiah was saddened and depressed. Are you like Isaiah weeping bitterly and lamenting over your daughter’s destruction? How saddened are you by the fact that those you love will be judged and go to hell? How do you feel about those in God’s family who because of living by the world, will be judged? Are you like Isaiah saddened, depressed and lamenting? We must pray that they will return to the Lord.

IL What we need is God (vs. 5-11)
Next let’s look at verses 5 to 11. First let’s read verses 5 to 7.
Suddenly danger came upon the people of Jerusalem when they thought everything was o.k. and were living in .a happy-go•lucky fashion as they had always done

up until then. Assyria came and besieged Jerusalem. The valley of Jerusalem was filled with chariots, soldiers, and horsemen. They stood in line in front of the entrance to the city of Jerusalem and they planned to knock down the walls. “Elam” and “Kir” were towns or areas that fought in the Assyrian army in the attack upon Jerusalem.
The way that Israel (Jerusalem) responded to this situation is in verse 8. “The defenses of Judah are stripped away. And you looked in that day to the weapons in the Palace of the Forest.” (8) When they fell into such a situation, they first of all they looked to “weapons”. (8) At such times if they would have returned to the Lord God, it would have been great, but they didn’t look to God, but to weapons. It was a strategy of how was the best way to fight.
That wasn’t all, please look at verse 9. Here it says, “You saw that the City of David had many breaches in its defenses; you stored up water in the Lower Pool.” This was to secure a water source. The king of Judah, Hezekiah thought that when Assyria came to attack, if they cut off the water source, it would be the end for them so Hezekiah built a tunnel from the Gihon spring to a cistern inside the city’s wall. This greatly reduced Jerusalem’s vulnerability to siege by guaranteeing a continuing water supply. This tunnel became famous and was called “Hezekiah’s tunnel”. Hezekiah brought water from Gihon and “built a reservoir between the two walls .” (11) This pool was called the pool of Siloam which later appears in John 9:7 in the New Testament. When Jesus healed a blind man who had been blind since birth, he made mud from spit and put the mud on the blind man’s eyes and told the man, “Go…wash in the Pool of Siloam.” (John 9:7) The man went and washed and he was able to see. That was this pool. It was the pool that was made by Hezekiah to prepare for the attack by Assyria.
That’s not all. Please look at verse 10. It says, “You counted the buildings in Jerusalem and tore down houses to strengthen the wall.” They strengthened the wall .
We are impressed by Hezekiah’s actions at that time. He thought of all kinds of defending strategies. He was prepared for an attack of Assyria. “But…” (11) Starting in the middle of verse 11 it says, “But you did not look to the One who made it, or have regard for the One who planned it long ago.”
The Lord God didn’t appreciate Hezekiah’s actions. That was because he did not do the most important thing of looking to God. He “did not look to the One who made it, or have regard for the One who planned it long ago.” (11) He didn’t look to the Creator, the Lord God: “the One who made” Jerusalem, “the One who made” water, “the One who made” the wall, and who is the source of all things that are made. He did not “have regard for the One who planned it long ago.” (11) He looked to things that he could see like weapons, securing water, and strengthening the wall.

If you look at II Chronicles 32, the background for this passage , you will see that Hezekiah prepared for the attack of the Assyrian king Sennacherib by securing a water source, rebuilding the wall, and making a huge amount of spears, but at the same time he depended upon the Lord. Let’s open our Bible and look at this in II Chronicles 32:7, 8.
II Chronicles 32:7, 8.
Aren’t these great words! These are the words Hezekiah spoke to the “military officers over the people” (II Chronicles 32:7) when the Assyrian King Sennacherib attacked. Here Hezekiah says that even if Assyria attacks, they will not be shaken. He declares “there is a greater power with us than” (II Chronicles 32:7) the army that is with the Assyrian King Sennacherib.
If you look at these words, it certainly looks like Hezekiah was trusting in God. However, he didn’t know what depending on God meant . He certainly realized that God was great and that God was a greater power than the army that was with the enemy. He believed that God would fight for him. However, he didn’t humble himself and pray. He didn’t pour out his heart and pray, “What I really need is you .” With his mouth he was confessing that our Lord is great, but he was caught up in things he could see: weapons , securing a water source, repairing the wall , etc. When Hezekiah really started to look to the Lord was after this when Sennacherib said to the people of Jerusalem , “On what are you basing your confidence …How then can your god deliver you from my hand? Don’t let Hezekiah deceive you and mislead you like this. Do not believe him.” (II Chron. 32:10, 14) At that time “King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz cried out in prayer to heaven about this.” (II Chronicles 32:20)
In the midst of a serious crisis, King Hezekiah, poured out his heart in prayer to heaven before the Lord. Therefore , “the LORD sent an angel, who annihilated all the fighting men and the leaders and officers in the camp of the Assyrian king.” (II Chronicles 32:21) In other words, Judah was saved because Hezekiah poured out his heart and desperately prayed. He didn’t just believe in his head that the Lord was great, but left everything in the hands of God . It is not a bad thing to prepare for an attack of the enemy by preparing weapons, securing a water source, and repairing the wall. It is important to do what you can do. However, that is not everything. On top of doing those things, also we need to leave it in the hands of the Lord. We need to confess that we need God , that God is our help, our rock , our fortress, our refuge and our deliver and humbly pray.
When you have problems in your life, how do you solve the problem? Do you put into action to the best of your ability a strategical solution? Even so, why do you have anxiety in your heart? Why are you fearful? That is because you are not bowing before

God and praying. It is because you aren’t desperately praying, “God, help me! You are salvation.” You are thinking that I will do• this or I will do that. However, what is really necessary is to pray, “In you only there is salvation.” To search for a solution and tackle a problem is not in or itself bad. However, ultimately we must bow before the Lord, humble ourselves and in prayer seek the Lord.

III. The calling of the Lord (Vs. 12-14)
The third point is what we should do. We should repent and seek God. Please look at verses 12 to 14.
“To weep and to wail, to tear out your hair and put on sackcloth” (12) is a call to repent . Even though the Lord is saying to Israel to fast and repent , they took completely the opposite attitude. They thought if they are going to die tomorrow, they might as well stuff themselves with the food they like and do whatever they wanted to. Until the end they sought after pleasures.
This is what people who don’t believe in God are like. For people that don’t believe in God this world is everything. They think that while living in this world they must enjoy everything that they can enjoy.
I. Cor. 15:32
False teachings that there is no resurrection of the dead had entered the Corinthian church. Towards these people Paul is warning that if there is no resurrection of the dead then our life upon this earth will be a life of only searching after pleasure. The hope of the resurrection, eternal life, is not just doctrine. It is an important teaching that markedly determines our daily life.
Paul is confessing that every day is a continuous death. His life as an evangelist was continuous persecutions and hardships. Every day after day he went through the experience of death. He was able to be content with taking that road because those who die for Christ will be raised in the life of Christ. Those who die for Christ have the hope that when they go to heaven they will receive a huge reward. Because he had such a hope he was able to endure the struggles. If he didn’t have that hope, if he didn’t believe in that hope, the things on this earth would be everything. If death is the end, if everything becomes nothing, only ashes, then your life will be spent enjoying the things you like.
Therefore, the Lord says in verse 14, “The LORD Almighty has revealed this in my hearing: ‘Till your dying day this sin will not be atoned for’, says the Lord, the LORD Almighty.”
Saying God “has revealed this in my hearing” is an unique phrase. This shows
that God spoke especially strongly to the prophet. The contents of what he spoke is, “Till

. your dying day this sin will not be atoned for.” (14) This sin is ignoring God’s warning, desiring the pleasures of this world and running around. Man who was made to reflect God’s glory, but didn’t worship God, and lived by his own desires. This sin will “Till your dying day this sin will not be atoned for.” (14) Once they die there is no chance to repent and be forgiven. It also means that until they die too there is no chance that their sin will be atoned for. Their sin was that huge .
The result was until they die they will be in the same condition. That was the Babylon deportation. If we think that because we are the people of God we are o.k., because we are Christians its o.k. and become separated from the will of God, and put our life into our own hands, then we will be the same.
Therefore, repent and return to God. Then God will forgive you. Weep, wail, “tear out your hair and put on sackcloth”. (12) “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart . 0 God, you will not despise.” (Psalm 51:17) We need to humble ourselves before God praying , “all I need is you. Only you are my salvation .” This is what God desires of us.
Applying it to our lives
• Are you listening to God’s Word and accepting it as God’s will, and humbly following it? Or are you giving your own thinking priority?

• When difficulties arise in your life, how are you solving them? Do you plan solutions by your own strength? Let’s humble ourselves before God and pray for God to help us.

• Do you have thoughts of “Let’s drink. Let’s eat for tomorrow we’ll die”? How are you confessing the hope of eternal life in your life?