Isaiah 22:10-11,14

Isaiah 22 has two parts. The first is about the coming siege of Jerusalem, by Elam and Kir. Elam refers to the Persians and I'm not sure where Kir was. Apparently they both had representatives in the Assyrian army. Elam must have sent a company of archers, and Kir some footsoldiers or armour-bearers.

The second part is a judgment on a man called Shebna, who was sort of like the prime minister of Judah, second only to the king. He was proud and misused his time, neglecting his duties. Therefore God pulled him out of office and replaced him with 'My servant' Eliakim (yes, he's on that list).

Going back to the first section, let's look at why Jerusalem had sinned in the eyes of the LORD.

'You [Jews] numbered the houses of Jerusalem,
And the houses you broke down
To fortify the wall.
You also made a reservoir between the two walls
For the water of the old pool.
But you did not look to its Maker,
Nor did you have respect for Him who fashioned it long ago.' (Isaiah 22:10-11)

It seems stupid that the Jews forgot about God, to us. It seems so obvious that they are in the wrong. And they are. But of course to them it wouldn't have been so obvious. Just as nowadays for us, it is not so obvious. Most of the time when we are in trouble, 'besieged' by the enemy, what do we look to first? We look to earthly things. Usually. Not much of the time do we get armies besieging us, but often we are besieged by worries, doubts, sadness, temptation or any other thing. Usually first of all we see it as an earthly problem, and try to deal with it accordingly. If you're sad, then you try to make yourself happy by doing something that you love perhaps. But God calls us to look to Him for our answers. I am NOT saying that we are to neglect earthly ways of dealing with things (in fact that concept is sort of dealt with in the second section of the chapter). I am saying that first and foremost we must look to God as our help. For without Him, the earthly things which He created will have no effect! Being able to do this comes down to having a God-centred outlook on life. Seeing things through Gods eyes. Which in itself comes down to studying the Word and prayer.

In verse 14 it says:

'Then it was revealed in my hearing by the LORD of hosts,
"Surely for this iniquity there will be no atonement for you,
Even to your death," says the Lord GOD of hosts.' (Isaiah 22:14)

This is a big sin (there is another sin committed in verses 12 and 13, which is much related to verse 10 and 11). This indeed is not purely just a sin. This is sinfulness as a way of life. Not looking to God at crucial points shows a distinct lack of trust in Him. And it is by trust in Him that we are saved. Let's not live like we did as non-Christians. Let us always look to God.