Yes, Isaiah has been preaching against nation after nation. And now, finally, the Word of the Lord turns “homeward,” to the people of Judah and Jerusalem!

For some reason he calls this Sermon “The burden of the valley of vision.” (Isaiah 22:1a) Maybe God gave him this sad Message one day as he meditated in some “valley” near his home. That’s one possibility, anyway.

But there is no doubt the entire Oracle is directed against Judah, Jerusalem. “And he (an enemy attacker) discovered the covering of Judah, and thou didst look in that day to the armour of the house of the forest. 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 22:8-9) No doubt about the addressee now! (The “HOUSE of the forest” is the Temple Solomon built long ago. And the “City of David” is often used as a title/name for Jerusalem.)

Earlier, back in Isaiah 17’s first paragraph, the Ten Tribes (Ephraim/Israel) was included in the Prophet’s list of Denunciations. (But if you recall, the North was always ahead of the South in terms of their rebellion against God.)

I am remembering … the people/Jews of Amos’ day were all right with his preaching against all the heathen nations around them, their enemies! BUT when he started preaching about/against THEM … his “approval rating” plummeted in a hurry!

Also this in our chapter, Isaiah is so grieved as he preaches this Sermon … he weeps uncontrollably. “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. For it is a day of trouble, and of treading down, and of perplexity by the Lord GOD of hosts in the valley of vision, breaking down the walls, and of crying to the mountains.” Isaiah 22:4-5, so burdened for his own loved ones, his nation!

Jerusalem under siege! (This could be referring to the Assyrian episode of Isaiah chapters 36 and 37, or the later Babylonian disaster that led to the seventy years of captivity for Judah.) “And ye have numbered the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses have ye broken down to fortify the wall.” (Isaiah 22:10, tearing down houses/homes … to get enough lumber to strengthen the city walls against the aggressor!)

And Judah’s attitude toward God during this time of “national threat?” Her very existence being called into question! “And in that day did the Lord GOD of hosts call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth: 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.” (When God asked them to weep … they partied! Isaiah 22:12-13)

Wow!

And God is so “upset,” He makes a bold pledge to these backslidden people. Nearly unprecedented! “And it was revealed in mine ears by the LORD of hosts, Surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you till ye (people of Judah) die, saith the Lord GOD of hosts.” (Isaiah was in such close communication or communion with the Lord! Isaiah 22:14 presents an “unpardonable sin!”)

Wow!

The chapter is so long (25 verses) that I cannot complete our analysis of it in a single Lesson. Therefore, the Lord willing, more tomorrow.

Isaiah then will conclude (in verses 15-25) with a discussion of two men, leaders … and these two types of leadership still exist today.

Sounds interesting!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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As Babylon was being attacked by the Persians (Medes, Elamites) … she was apparently having a “wild” party! She as a nation died “sinning egregiously!” My proof? Isaiah 21:4-5, some clauses found there. “The night of my pleasure hath He (God) turned into fear.” Then immediately: “Prepare the (banquet) table, eat and drink ye princes.” (This scene is depicted in much greater detail in Daniel chapter 5 … Belshazzar’s party! The Handwriting on the Wall! The fall of Babylon! Here we have an Isaiah/Daniel nexus!)

Wow!

Next I think we see the role of Isaiah (the Prophet) as a “watchman” to the nations. In Isaiah 21:6 God commands: “Go, set a watchman and let him declare what he seeth.” Then later in verse 11: “Watchman, what of the night?” (Ezekiel also was called “watchman” by the Lord, time and time again! Now we have an Isaiah/Ezekiel nexus!)

Also I have noticed an interesting fact in Isaiah 21:7. “He saw a chariot of asses, and a chariot of camels!” Unusual! Employing assess (donkeys) and camels in warfare? But ancient armies did so … when feasible. Particularly the Persian army, who is here conquering the Babylonians! (One of the thousands of “undesigned coincidences” in the Bible, all of which prove it to be the accurate Word of God!)

Wow!

Thus, God has given another barrage of nations a good “threshing.” Read with me verse 10 of our chapter: “O my threshing, which I have heard of the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel.” Our Lord whipping these enemy nations, mostly due to their many blatant sins … but also due to their hatred for Israel.

Isaiah, a massive Book of Scripture!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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If you recall Isaiah chapters 13-23 essentially contain Messages of Judgment … to one nation after another.

But none (so far) have “hit” three nations at once, not like Isaiah chapter 21 does, today’s Text.

The first of those three countries is really not specifically named, not at first … but obviously is a nation conquered by the Medes (the Elamites). “A grievous vision is declared unto me; the treacherous dealer dealeth treacherously, and the spoiler spoileth. Go up, O Elam: besiege, O Media; all the sighing thereof have I made to cease.” Isaiah 21:2

The later we are told: “And, behold, here cometh a chariot of men, with a couple of horsemen. And he answered and said, Babylon is fallen, is fallen; and all the graven images of her gods he hath broken unto the ground.” Isaiah 21:9

Babylon in Scripture always has been a seat of rebellion against God. (Her final “fall” is recorded in Revelation chapters 17 and 18.)

Next, Isaiah 21:11-12 targets Edom. Read it with me. “The burden of Dumah. He calleth to me out of Seir, Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night? The watchman said, The morning cometh, and also the night: if ye will enquire, enquire ye: return, come.” Both Dumah and Seir are identified with the Edomites. Dumah is a location (city?) in Edom. And Seir is a mountain in Edom’s territory as well. The word “dumah” literally means “silence.” (God often sends silence before the storm, before judgment! As in Revelation 8:1 … “And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.”)

After judgment falls upon Edom … there will be nothing but quiet, total silence! (A civilization gone!) The lastly Isaiah preaches against Arabia. (“The burden upon Arabia.” Isaiah 21:13a) Verse 14 hints at severe thirst and hunger … by-products of war. Then … “they fled from the swords, from the drawn sword, and from the bent bow, and from the grievousness of war. For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Within a year, according to the years of an hireling, and all the glory of Kedar shall fail: and the residue of the number of archers, the mighty men of the children of Kedar, shall be diminished: for the LORD God of Israel hath spoken it.” Isaiah 21:15-17 (Kedar being an area of Arabia, perhaps even a city.) Then Arabians were well known for their sharpshooters, archers. “Dimishment!”

Wow!

As Isaiah wrote/preached these Oracles … the actions described were yet future. Now looking back on this chapter, we now know it’s all history! The Assyrian Empire attacked these little Lands and fulfilled (the Lord merely using Assyria as His “tool” for judgment) God’s Word!

What a great God we serve!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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One of the most unusual behaviors of a man of God, ever!

Isaiah 20 supplies our Text today: “At the same time spake the LORD by Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, Go and loose the sackcloth from off thy loins, and put off thy shoe from thy foot. And he did so, walking naked and barefoot. ” (Isaiah 20:2-3)

If I take my King James Bible literally, Isaiah here removes all his clothes. Not without reason mind you. His object-lesson sermon illustrates “hard times” coming for the Egyptians and Ethiopians!

Watch the Text … God is speaking to people through Isaiah’s unique act! (Micah the Prophet, did this same thing … grieving over coming judgment! “Therefore I will wail and howl, I will go stripped and naked: I will make a wailing like the dragons, and mourning as the owls.” Micah 1:8)

Wow!

But WHY this specific act, this bizarre procedure … “walking naked and barefoot?”

Watch. God is telling some folks (again, the Egyptians and Ethiopians) of coming doom. Of attack from their arch-enemy (the Assyrian army) who will take them captive! And most ancient (aggressive) nations violently mistreated (persecuted, tortured) the people they conquered! (Assyria being among the worst!)

Read now with me verse 4 of our Text: “So shall the king of Assyria lead away the Egyptians prisoners, and the Ethiopians captives, young and old, naked and barefoot, even with their buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt.” (Clearly Isaiah’s inspired prophecy came true, happened, was fulfilled. And literally so.)

Now here (in two ways) we may have some help interpreting Isaiah’s “action sermon.”

First … the Assyrians would have stripped naked (stark naked in many cases, both men and women) the people they had just overcome. And (forcibly) marched them the many hundreds of miles back to the homeland of the attackers! (Hundreds of miles in this case!)

So Isaiah is just forewarning some people God loves (Egypt and Ethiopia) of coming disaster.

Second … verse 4 (above) may be helping us to interpret this whole idea of going “naked.” It seems to equate it with “uncovered buttocks.” (Still an act of great shame and embarrassment in any Ancient Near East culture.)

We should be impressed with the length with which God will go to save a people from judgment! Isaiah being commanded to “dress” (“undress’) this way for quite some time.

Of course, come to think of it, Jesus hung in shame on the Cross six long hours, either naked on close to it! Making possible our redemption through his precious Blood! (Normally the Romans never considered clothing a crucifixion victim! Such mistreatment added to the condemned person’s agony, shame, exposure to the elements.)

And how long did Isaiah pursue this “sermon,” act (dress) in this fashion? Verse 3 … “three years!”

Thus Isiah (along with Ezekiel and Jeremiah) becomes a Prophet known for what he does as well as what he says!

I just though you all would like to know about the depth to which Isaiah would go (the totality of his obedience) … serving the God he loved so dearly.

Wow!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

And our obedience, what can be said about that?

When Isaiah wrote the first verse of what has become his sixth chapter (“In the YEAR that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple”), he gave us an exact date from which to study his prophecies. (We already know that Isaiah’s “whole ministry” generally covered the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, Kings of Judah. Isaiah 1:1 clearly tells us this.) But the “death of Uzziah” can ascertained, 740 BC.

Now again today we shall see Isaiah “pin” a date on an event. Onto one of his Sermons. “In the year that Tartan came unto Ashdod, (when Sargon the king of Assyria sent him,) and fought against Ashdod, and took it; at the same time spake the LORD by Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying …” Isaiah 20:1-2, our Text this morning.

“Tartan” is more of a title than a proper name. It means something like “commander, field marshal, general,” a military term. (For that matter, “Pharaoh” is a title as well.) But we know, from our Text, who this particular “Tartan” is … or at least who dispatched him to fight the Philistines (the inhabitants of “Ashdod”). It was “Sargon,” King of Assyria who did so. (This name means “Prince of the sun,” likely a heathen sun-worshipper.)

“Assyria” was the growing national “bully” in the ancient Near East … growing stronger (and more aggressive) every day … while Isaiah preached the Word. (That is, until she fell to Babylon. Then Babylon fell to the Medes and Persians! Then they fell to the Greeks! And they finally succumbed to the Romans! I am thinking of Daniel chapter 2, aren’t you? Nebuchadnezzar’s dream and Daniel’s accurate interpretation!)

So, just when did this attack, war campaign, occur?

In 711 BC, the historians tell us.

Wow!

(The Bible is not primarily a history textbook, of course. But when it does address historical matters, it is accurate! As it is in all areas, infallible we believe, inerrant.)

Why “Ashdod,” that little place? The word means “powerful,” or “destroyer.” And it was one of the leading five cities of Philistia, down by the coast, the Mediterranean. The Philistines, history again tells us, had recently rebelled against Assyria. Now, it is “pay-back” time!

Also, best I can tell, this is the only time King “Sargon” is mentioned in all the Bible. by name. (He is technically Sargon II of Assyria, who reigned from 721 to 705 BC.)

Today the whole “point” of our Lesson may be rather incidental, but I wanted you all to see the “historical anchoring” Isaiah (often) uses to locate his ministry, his preaching, and even his prophecies.

Now to the “context” … it was the year Ashdod fell that God gave Isaiah the Message (still to Egypt) at hand. The Sermon we shall study tomorrow here on the Website, the Lord willing. Namely, Isaiah 20:2-6.

It will surprise you.

Something about Isaiah going “naked” and “barefoot” for three years!

More tomorrow, the Lord willing, Thursday morning …

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

The Bible is such an “interesting” Book!