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TH1147: On-Line
Teaching Notes
Please turn in your Bibles to Isaiah chapter 20, as we continue our study through the Word of God. In this portion of Scripture, Isaiah chapters 13-23, God is pronouncing judgment against the gentile nations that surrounded Israel and Judah. Judgments that overwhelm Isaiah from time-to-time, because of the destruction that was going to come upon peoples lives. And here in chapter 20 we see God speak against the Philistines, the Egyptians and the Ethiopians.
ISAIAH 20
VERSE 1
1. Ashdod was one of the five main Philistine cities located by the Mediterranean Sea. In 711 BC Sargon king of Assyria, (who reigned from 722 BC to 705 BC), sent Tartan, which is not his name but his title which means "commander in chief", to the Philistine city and captured it.
VERSES 2-3
1. The prophets were often used as object lessons. Here we see Isaiah take his sackcloth off, which was like burlap of today. Back then they would wear camel hair, which was very course and irritating against their skin. It was a sign of mourning. He took his sandals off and he either walked around naked or just with a loin cloth on for 3 years. Total nakedness was probably not the case, but by what he was wearing the people were going to get the message. You see, when people saw Isaiah, they would be shocked, and that is exactly what God wanted to do to them. To shock them out of their spiritual sleep and open their eyes to their sinful condition.
2. Hosea was another prophet used by God to wake up the Northern Kingdom of Israel from their spiritual sleep by using his life as an object lesson. He was to go and marry a prostitute. And after awhile she leaves him and goes back to her ways of prostitution, but now she is older and no one wants her. And God tells Hosea to go and buy her back and love her again. And God was trying to illustrate to His people that they were committing spiritual fornication, and have turned from Him. But God has not forgotten them, and He has purchased them with His blood. The prophets had a tough ministry!
VERSES 4-6
1. God's judgment was coming upon the Philistines, the Egyptians, the Ethiopians. The Philistines tried to join forces with these other nations, and it would not help. The Assyrians would overtake them. Judah was no different. They tried to join forces with the Assyrians for protection against Syria and the Northern Kingdom of Israel, who had joined forces together. And God is telling us not to trust in the strength of man, for it will fail. There is no place to go, no one to run to except the Lord. As David said in Psalm 61, "HEAR my cry, O God; Attend to my prayer. From the end of the earth I will cry to You, When my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For You have been a shelter for me, A strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings." Psalm 61:1-4.
ISAIAH 21
VERSE 1a
1. This wilderness or desert by the Sea is Babylon, by the Persian Gulf. Now the judgment against this world power is interesting, for it is still some 100 years or so till they will rise up and be a world power, and almost 200 years before their destruction. And yet God speaks with certainty of what is going to happen to them, and history tells us did happen to them.
VERSES 1b-2
1. In the book of Daniel the Babylonian empire is spoken of as the head of gold. It truly was the greatest of the world empires. The gentile world empires that would succeed Babylon were going to be inferior to this mighty empire. And the nation that would rise up against Babylon was Elam or Persia and Media, which was represented as the chest and arms of silver spoken of in Daniel as Daniel interprets for the king his dream of this mulit-metalic image that Daniel told him represented succeeding gentile world empires. Now if I told you that Manitowoc would rise up and become the leader of the world, you would think I was nuts. And yet, when God spoke those words to Isaiah, it was just as far fetched, and yet it all came to pass, Babylon fell to the Medes and the Persians.
VERSES 3-4
1. Isaiah was looking for a good nights sleep, and as he received this vision from God, it was like a nightmare, he couldn't sleep. He saw the destruction that was going to take place.
VERSE 5
1. If you remember when Babylon fell they were having a party. The Medes and the Persians had surrounded the city of Babylon, but they had no fear, they felt very secure within the walls of their city. And in a mocking sort of way, the king threw a party. The city itself was 15 square miles with an outer wall extending the entire city that was 350 feet high. Then, every 100 feet or so they placed watch towers that extended another 100 feet into the air. This outer wall was very impressive, not like a chain-link fence. It was 88 feet thick and they would have chariot races on the top of the wall, 6 abreast. Then there was a moat between the outer wall and the smaller inner wall. And running through the center of the city was the Euphrates River which supplied water which they needed to survive if they were under attack. They were also able to grow their own food within the city itself. So they had no fear of any enemy! But they should have.
Now their confidence peaked as they gathered together the implements from the temple in Jerusalem and began to drink to the gods made of wood, stone and metal. And it was at this point that Belshazzar the king saw the handwriting on the wall, his time was up! And in the middle of this party they arose to try and defend themselves, gathering their wood shields and placing oil on them for battle, but it was to little to late! The Medes and the Persians had already entered the city.
VERSES 6-7
1. As the watchman looked out from the wall he did not recognize any trouble, only animals that would bring messages were coming, not animals of war.
VERSES 8-9
1. The watchman has been watching faithfully, day and night, but now its to late, Babylon is fallen! But how? He didn't see anyone coming over the walls of the city! That is because Cyrus had his troops divert the Euphrates River upstream and they were able to enter on the river bed, under the gates. And the city was so massive that by the time word spread, it was to late!
2. We also see this phrase, that "Babylon is fallen", spoken of in Revelation chapters 17 and 18, where both religious and commercial Babylon will be destroyed suddenly, without warning.
VERSE 10
1. The Amplified Bible makes this text a little clearer. It says, "O you my threshed and winnowed ones [my own people the Jews, who must be trodden down by Babylon], that which I have heard from the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, I have [joyfully] announced to you [Babylon is to fall]!" Now remember, Babylon is not a world power yet, but when it rises up it will oppress God's people for a time, but then they will be destroyed. Isaiah saw the liberation of the Jewish captives under the reign of Cyrus, king of Persia. You see, God called Cyrus by name 150 years before he was even born! And tradition tells us that when they defeated the Babylonians, Daniel went out to meet Cyrus and showed him the scroll of Isaiah which spoke of Cyrus long before he was even born. Cyrus was so impressed with the God of Israel that he signed a decree to let them return home, and under the leadership of Joshua and Zerubbabel just under 50,000 returned home in 536 BC out of the 3 million or so in captivity.
VERSES 11-12
1. This is a judgment against Edom, the descendants of Esau. And the cry is how long will this oppression occur, how long will it remain night? And there is good news and bad news. There will be a break from the oppression but night will come again. And that is what we see as the power of the Assyrians was removed by the Babylonians. And the Edomites had a time of peace, a time of rest, but the Babylonians would then come against them, and it became night again.
2. But it didn't have to be that way. The call of God was to come back to Him, to repent and return so that the darkness of judgment could be lifted by His light. Esau was the son of Isaac and had a brother named Jacob. They were family. And yet they refused to return to God and by 70 AD the Edomites had disappeared.
VERSE 13
1. Now Arabia doesn't have forests but they have bushes, and tumbleweed, places a dog could not even hide from an enemy in, let alone a man. And Sargon the Assyrian king did come and take Arabia.
2. Interestingly enough Dedan and Sheba were the 2 main tribes in Arabia and today they make up the area of Saudi Arabia. Why is that important? Because in Ezekiel chapter 38, as Russia and her Muslim allies come down to destroy Israel, we are told that Saudi Arabia is not part of this force. In that same verse it also speaks of Tarshish, which could be Great Britain. And if that is true, then the "young lions" may be a reference to the United States. But we seem powerless over what Russia and her forces are doing towards Israel. We can't stop them nor do we even try. Why? Either we don't really care, don't want to get involved, or we don't have the military might to do anything about it. But Israel will survive for God is fighting with them, they don't need our help!
VERSES 14-15
1. As the people of Arabia began to flee for their lives, they head to the back roads and small towns, like Tema, for safety. Here we see the people of Tema coming out with food and water to help these refugees.
VERSES 16-17
1. Within 1 year to the day, Kedar, which was a powerful Arabian tribe, will fall to the Assyrians. Judgment has come!
ISAIAH 22
VERSE 1a
1. Right in the middle of God judging these pagan nations, He now is speaking of His judgment being poured out against Judah. Why? Because Judah had degenerated so far from God that they were no different than the pagan nations around them. They had adopted their worship of these false gods. We are told of Manasseh, king of the Southern Kingdom of Judah, that "...he did evil in the sight of the LORD, according to the abominations of the nations whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel. For he rebuilt the high places which Hezekiah his father had broken down; he raised up altars for the Baals, and made wooden images; and he worshiped all the host of heaven and served them. He also built altars in the house of the LORD, of which the LORD had said, 'In Jerusalem shall My name be forever.' And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the LORD. Also he caused his sons to pass through the fire in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom; he practiced soothsaying, used witchcraft and sorcery, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke Him to anger. He even set a carved image, the idol which he had made, in the house of God, of which God had said to David and to Solomon his son, 'In this house and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put My name forever...So Manasseh seduced Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to do more evil than the nations whom the LORD had destroyed before the children of Israel. And the LORD spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they would not listen." II Chronicles 33:2-7, 9-10.
2. Now as your read through this portion of Scripture it is confusing. You see, both the Assyrian and Babylonian invasions, which are separated by some 150 years or so, seem to be lumped together. I will try my best to point out each one, but they do seem to overlap at times.
VERSE 1b
1. They went up to their housetops, which were functional, to see the enemy army gathering.
VERSE 2
1. This seems to be speaking of the Assyrian siege, as they surrounded the city and cut off the food supply to the city. They were a people having a great time, not even recognizing that judgment was coming, and now it was to late. Instead of dying in battle, they were starving to death!
VERSE 3
1. Sennacherib, king of Assyria, wrote that he had captured 46 towns of Judah, outside the walls of Jerusalem, and that some of the leaders tried to escape, but they were caught. And now they have surrounded Jerusalem, ready to take it also.
VERSE 4
1. It was bad enough that the other nations had fallen into judgment, but now these were Isaiah's own people, and he couldn't take it. To see them refuse to repent of their sins and that judgment was going to come upon them was to much for him to handle.
VERSES 5-7
1. The Assyrians had taken Elam or the Persians and could have used them to assist in the taking of Jerusalem.
VERSES 8-11
1. One way to look at this is the Assyrian siege being the focus. We are told that Hezekiah repaired the parts of the walls that were broken down, using some of the parts of homes to fix the walls, and he built the towers. (II Chronicles 32:5). He made a water supply into the city by connecting the Spring of Gihon, which was outside the city, to the Pool of Siloam, which was inside the city walls. This tunnel is some 1,777 feet long, cut through solid rock. Now did Hezekiah turn from God? Yes and no. Initially he caved into their demands and sent tribute money to them. But after a while that was not enough, and the Assyrians wanted more, they wanted the land, and at this point Hezekiah turns to God to deliver them from this situation, and He does!
2. This also could be speaking of the Babylonian invasion, for the leaders did not turn to God but looked to their own strength to stand against them. They did not believe the warnings of the prophets. I do tend to lean to this portion of Scripture fitting the Assyrian siege more so than the Babylonian siege and the destruction of the city.
VERSES 12-13
1. This could not be speaking of the Assyrian attack, for they were starving to death at that time. It most likely is speaking of the Babylonian invasion, when in 586 BC they destroyed the city, the temple and took the people captive. And notice their hearts. When they finally realized what the prophets said was true, and now it is to late, they take a fatalistic approach and are going to die partying instead of repenting!
VERSE 14
1. Can you imagine looking at death in the face and succumbing to the flesh instead of repenting before God? That is what they did and God said that there is nothing they could now do to stop this judgment, death was coming upon them.
VERSES 15-16
1. Shebna was in charge of the treasury under Hezekiah. But Shebna was not a godly man, he was not even a Jew, and he was embezzling money from the treasury. And he took that money and used it to build himself a beautiful sepulcher so that when he dies he will be remembered. He sees the judgment coming, and he wants to go out in glory.
2. When we were in Israel, as we were traveling through the Kidron Valley by the eastern wall of the temple, as you looked eastward you can see the tombs of Absalom and Jehoshaphat and Zechariah. They are very ornate tombs carved out of the rock. That is what Shebna was doing for himself!
VERSES 17-19
1. As beautiful as this tomb might have been, Shebna was not going to be buried in it. He would be taken away captive and die in a foreign land with no glory to be remembered by. It may even be that his dead body was tossed into the streets to be trampled under foot. Not a fitting burial for a person who thought so highly of himself.
VERSES 20-21
1. Taking the place of Shebna will be Eliakim, and God says that this man is "My servant" and He will strengthen him and use him. Shebna was self serving, Eliakim will be God fearing!
VERSE 22
1. These words are echoed by Jesus in Revelation 3:7 as He wrote to the church of Philadelphia. What is the point? Eliakim was the steward over king Hezekiah's household. He was able to open and shut the doors that lead into the treasures of the king. So Jesus Christ, as Eliakim was a type of, is the faithful steward of the kingdom. And Jesus is speaking of allowing those into the kingdom He wants and keeping out those whom He wants. This is opposite of what we read in Revelation 1:18, which says ...I have the keys of Hades and of Death." They holy and true God opens the doors of both the kingdom of God and of Hades. The one who judges the spiritual life of the church also examines our own hearts. If Eliakim is a type of Christ, then Shebna could be a type of the antichrist who is only interested in his own glory and he will be wiped out one day!
VERSE 23
1. This is ultimately speaking of Jesus Christ who is our rock, our place of security and one day His throne will be established.
VERSES 24-25
1. The sins of the world were hung on the cross of Calvary and as Christ paid that penalty for our sins and was cut down, the burden of our sins was lifted from us. Let me close with these words from Paul the apostle in Colossians 2:13-14. We read "And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross."