Isaiah 22 - When a Nation Looks Everywhere But to God

 I want to begin with a question. What does a nation do when it is in trouble? When pressure builds…When enemies rise…When uncertainty fills the air…Where does that nation turn? And I want to narrow that question even further tonight:

 What happens when God’s people are in trouble, but they refuse to look to God? Isaiah 22 is not written to a pagan nation.

It is written to Jerusalem. God’s city. God’s people. People who knew the truth, but were not living it.

Let me give you the key verse that will guide everything we say tonight.

Look at Isaiah 22:11: “But ye have not looked unto the maker thereof, neither had respect unto him that fashioned it long ago.”

They had a problem…They had a crisis…They had real danger…But they did not look to God. And tonight, I want us to see how dangerously relevant that is to our nation and to our lives today.

Before we walk verse by verse, let’s understand what’s happening.

Isaiah is prophesying during a time when Jerusalem is under threat. The great Assyrian Empire is rising, and historically, this connects to what we know as the Siege of Jerusalem under Sennacherib.

This was not a theoretical danger. This was real: Armies, Siege Warfare, and Destruction.

So here is the setting: A nation under pressure. A city facing a crisis. A people who should know God, but instead of turning to Him. They respond the wrong way. And what we’re about to see is not just ancient history.  It is a mirror.

I. A CITY IN PANIC WITHOUT REPENTANCE (Isaiah 22:1–4)

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 men are 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, which have fled from far.

4 Therefore said I, Look away from me; I will weep bitterly, labor not to comfort me, because of the spoiling of the daughter of my people.

(v.1) “What aileth thee now, that thou art wholly gone up to the housetops?”

Now notice this: The city is described as the “valley of vision. “That’s Jerusalem. A place that had revelation, Truth, Prophets, and yet they are spiritually blind.

Isaiah looks at them and says, "What are you doing?" Why are you on the rooftops? Now, in that culture, rooftops were places where people gathered to observe or celebrate. And here’s the problem: They are acting like everything is normal when everything is not normal.

Look at verse 2: “Thou art full of stirs, a tumultuous city, a joyous city.” Do you see it? Noise, Activity, and Celebration.

But verse 3 tells us the reality: “All thy rulers are fled together.” Leadership is failing. Security is collapsing.

And Isaiah’s response in verse 4: “Look away from me; I will weep bitterly.” The prophet is weeping, while the people are celebrating. Does that sound familiar? We are living in a time when there is moral confusion, spiritual decline, and increasing instability, and yet much of our culture is still on the rooftop. Distracted. Entertained. Unconcerned. Instead of repentance, we have amusement. Instead of seeking God,  we increase the noise. A nation can be in serious trouble and still think everything is fine.

It is my feeling that we, as a country, are also facing an assault. Never in my memory have I seen such anti-Semitic rhetoric coming from both Washington, D.C., and from supposed Christians in the Media.

We are facing a crucial time in our country, where the direction of the next 250 years will be decided at the Ballot Box come November. Socialism and Communism in the very halls of Congress are alive and well.

As we celebrate our nation's birthday, I hope we do so knowing that the Day of the Lord could come at any minute and that not everything is fine in our own Nation. I say so not to put a damper on our celebration, but to warn ourselves that a calamity could strike at any moment in our lives, or the life of our country, and ask ourselves the question our study presents tonight. Who and where will we turn to when trouble comes?

II. TRUSTING HUMAN SOLUTIONS INSTEAD OF GOD (Isaiah 22:5–11)

5 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.

6 And Elam bare the quiver with chariots of men and horsemen, and Kir uncovered the shield.

7 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.

8 And he discovered the covering of Judah, and thou didst look in that day to the armor 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.

Now look at verse 8: “And he discovered the covering of Judah, and thou didst look in that day to the armor of the house of the forest.”

Now watch what they start doing: they inspect their weapons, fortify their defenses, and prepare for battle. Verse 10: “Ye have numbered the houses of Jerusalem…”

Verse 11: “Ye made also a ditch between the two walls for the water…”

Now don’t miss this… None of these things are wrong. Preparation is not sin. Planning is not a sin. But here is the issue: “But ye have not looked unto the maker thereof…”

That word “but” is everything. They did everything right…except the most important thing. They prepared physically but ignored God spiritually.

America is very good at preparation.

We trust: Systems, Technology, Military strength, Economic structures. But let us ask plainly: Where is our dependence on God?

We have plans, but do we have prayer? We have a strategy, but do we have a surrender? Preparation without God becomes pride.

III.  A CULTURE OF DENIAL (Isaiah 22:12–14)

12 And in that day did the Lord God 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 tomorrow we shall die.

14 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.

Now look at verse 12: “And in that day did the Lord GOD of hosts call to weeping…” God is calling for:  Mourning, Repentance, Humility.

But verse 13 shows their response: “Let us eat and drink; for tomorrow we shall die.”

Do you hear that? “Let’s just enjoy life.” “Nothing really matters. “Live for the moment. “This is not joy… This is despair.  This is what happens when people lose hope in God: they try to drown reality in pleasure.

That mindset is everywhere today: “You only live once “Do what makes you happy “There is no accountability”.

And God responds in verse 14: “Surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you till ye die.”That is one of the most sobering verses in Scripture.  There comes a point when rejection of God leads to irreversible consequences.

IV. THE FALL OF A PRIDEFUL LEADER (Isaiah 22:15–19)

15 Thus saith the Lord God of hosts, Go, get thee unto this treasurer, even unto Shebna, which is over the house, and say,

16 What hast thou here? And whom hast thou here, that thou hast hewed thee out a sepulcher here, as he that heweth him out a sepulcher on high, and that graveth an habitation for himself in a rock?

17 Behold, the Lord will carry thee away with a mighty captivity, and will surely cover thee.

18 He will surely violently turn and toss thee like a ball into a large country: there shalt thou die, and there the chariots of thy glory shall be 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.

Now Isaiah shifts to a man named Shebna. Verse 16: What hast thou here,  that thou hast hewed thee out a sepulcher?”

Shebna is building himself a monument. While the nation is in crisis, he is focused on his legacy: his image, his name, and his future reputation.

And God says in verse 17: “Behold, the LORD will carry thee away…”

He will be removed. You see, Leadership matters. And when leaders become self-focused, image-driven, and prideful, God will deal with them. This is not just political: This is spiritual. It applies to: Pastors, Teachers, Church leaders, and Individuals, for God resists the proud.

V. THE RISE OF A RIGHTEOUS STEWARD (Isaiah 22:20–23)

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 as a nail in a sure place; and he shall be for a glorious throne to his father's house.

Now we see a contrast. Verse 20: “I will call my servant Eliakim.” God raises up a different kind of leader. Eliakim means "God raises" or "God sets up." Verse 21: “He shall be a father to the inhabitants, not self-serving, but shepherding.

Let's read verse 22 carefully: “And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder.”  This is powerful. Because this doesn’t just point to Eliakim, it points forward to Jesus Christ. In Revelation 3:7, Jesus says:“…he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth…”

Here’s the truth: Earthly leaders come and go, but Christ holds ultimate authority. He opens doors no man can shut. He shuts doors no man can open. Our hope is not in leadership; it is in the Lord.

VI. EVEN GOOD SYSTEMS CAN FAIL (Isaiah 22:24–25)

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 Lord of hosts, shall the nail that is fastened in the sure place be removed, and be cut down, and fall; and the burden that was upon it shall be cut off: for the Lord hath spoken it.

Now here is a surprising ending. Even Eliakim’s system eventually collapses under the weight. Verse 25: “The nail that is fastened shall be removed, ”Meaning: No human structure is permanent. Not governments, not economies, and not institutions.

If your hope is in politics, systems, and stability, you will eventually be shaken. But there is one foundation that never moves.

Let me ask us three questions tonight.

1. Where are we looking in times of trouble? Be honest. Is it God? Or everything else?

2. Are we responding to conviction or ignoring it? God called them to weep. They chose to party. What are we choosing?

3. What are we trusting for security? Systems? Or the Savior?

Psalm 46:1 “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” —  America does not primarily need: Better policies, More resources, Stronger systems. America needs repentance.

And that does not start in Washington…It starts right here. With God’s people. Because when a nation looks everywhere but to God, judgment is not just possible. It is inevitable.

But revival is still possible if we look back to Him.