Isaiah 22:8 - Meaning and Application

What is meant by the covering of Judah, which was said to be uncovered at the start of this section, is not agreed on. The fortified cities of Judah were a kind of protection for the land, but when the Assyrian army captured them, that shelter was gone. Then the weakness of Judah, its shame, and its inability to defend itself became clear. In that way, the covering of Judah was uncovered.

Its storehouses and supplies, which had been shut up, were now opened for public use. Dr. Lightfoot takes this differently. He says that by bringing Judah into distress, God would uncover their covering, that is, expose their hypocrisy and show what was really in their hearts, as was said of Hezekiah on another occasion (2 Chronicles 32:31). In one way or another, the guilt of Ephraim will be uncovered, and the sin of Samaria will be exposed (Hosea 7:1).

They were now in great fear, and in that fear they showed two serious faults. The first was a great lack of respect for God’s goodness and his power to help them. They used every means they could think of to protect themselves, and they are not blamed for that. The problem was that, while doing so, they did not acknowledge God. They were very careful to use every advantage that might help keep them safe. When Sennacherib had taken all the fortified cities of Judah and Jerusalem was left like a hut in a vineyard, they knew it was time to act.

A council was called at once, a war council, and they decided to defend themselves instead of surrendering. So they took every wise step they could for their safety. We test God if, in times of danger, we do not do the best we can for ourselves. They inspected the armory, the place where weapons and supplies were kept, to see whether it was well stocked. This was the armory of the house of the forest, which Solomon had built in Jerusalem as a storehouse for weapons (1 Kings 10:17). It is wise for rulers, in times of peace, to prepare for war, so they are not looking for weapons when they suddenly need them.

They also examined the city walls, walking around the breaches in the city of David, that is, Jerusalem. They saw where the walls had decayed from lack of repair or had been broken by earlier attacks. There were many breaches, which was a shame to the house of David, because they had let the city of David fall into neglect. They had probably seen those cracks before, but now they looked at them with a plan in mind. Public trouble should wake us up to repair what is broken and correct what is wrong.

They also made sure the city had water and tried to keep it from the besiegers. They gathered the water of the lower pool, which was likely not a large supply, so they had to be careful with it. This shows how great a mercy water is, since nothing is more needed for life, and nothing is usually cheaper or more common. But it is a serious hardship when, as here, it becomes scarce.

They counted the houses of Jerusalem, so each house could provide its share of men for public service or contribute money toward it. They raised this by a head tax, or by the house. Since private property should give way to public safety, the houses that stood in the way when the wall was being strengthened were torn down. In such a case of necessity, that is no more an injury to the owner than blowing up houses to stop a fire.

They also dug a ditch between the outer and inner wall to make the city safer, and they arranged for water from the old pool to be brought there. That gave them water and also kept it from the besiegers, for the aim was to stop the Assyrian army from finding plenty of water and so being able to keep up the siege longer (2 Chronicles 32:4). If it is lawful to destroy the forage of a country, it is even more lawful to divert its water supply in order to weaken and starve an enemy.

But in all these preparations they did not look to God. They did not look to the Maker of Jerusalem, the city they were so concerned to defend, or to the One who gave it all its natural advantages, like the mountains around it (Psalm 125:2) and the streams they could direct as they pleased. It is God who made his Jerusalem and planned it long ago in his purpose. Jewish writers even said that God made seven things before the world, meaning things he had in view when he made the world, and Jerusalem was one of them. The gospel church also has God as its Maker.

Whatever we do for God’s Jerusalem, we must do it with our eyes on him as its Maker, and he is offended if we do not. They are charged here with not looking to God. They did not aim at his glory in what they did. They fortified Jerusalem because it was a rich city and because their own houses were in it, not because it was the holy city and God’s house was there. In all our care for the church’s defense, we must care more for God’s interest in it than our own.

They also did not depend on him for blessing on their efforts. They saw no need for that, so they did not seek him for it. They trusted their own strength and planning instead. Hezekiah himself trusted in God (2 Kings 18:5), and especially on this occasion (2 Chronicles 32:8). But it seems there were men around him who were skilled in politics and war, yet had little true religion. They did not thank God for the advantages they had in fortifying the city, such as the waters of the old pool, which had been prepared long ago, like Kishon, called an ancient river (Judges 5:21). Whatever in nature is useful to us, we should recognize in it the goodness of the God of nature. He made it long ago and fitted it for that purpose, and it still continues by his command. Every creature is what God makes it to be. So whatever use it has for us, we should look to the One who made it, bless him for it, and use it for him.

The second fault was a great lack of concern for God’s anger and justice as he dealt with them, in Isaiah 22:12-14. God’s purpose in bringing this disaster on them was to humble them, lead them to repentance, and make them serious.

In that day of trouble, crushing hardship, and confusion, the Lord was calling the people to weeping and mourning, and to every sign of grief, even shaving the head and putting on sackcloth. He wanted them to grieve over their sins, because their sins had brought these judgments on their land. He also wanted them to pray more earnestly, so they might hope to turn away the judgments that were already coming. At the same time, he wanted them to turn their lives around, with a holy seriousness and a tender heart under the word of God.

God made this call through his prophet, who explained what God was doing, and through his actions, which should have awakened the people to listen to the prophets. When God warns us about his judgments, he expects us to humble ourselves under his mighty hand. When the lion roars, we should tremble. In a day of trouble, we should stop and think.

But they did the opposite of what God intended, as Isaiah 22:13 says. Instead of mourning, there was joy and gladness, feasting and drinking, all the cheer and excitement they could gather. They acted as securely and happily as always, as if no enemy were near or no danger threatened them. Once they had taken the precautions they thought were needed, they set death and danger aside and decided they would enjoy themselves no matter what came.

Those who should have been mourning were among the wine-drinkers and the reckless diners. Their saying was, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” This may refer to the danger they were facing right then, and the clear warning the prophet gave them. Or it may refer to the common fact that human life is short and uncertain, and death is always near.

This was the language of ungodly scoffers, who mocked the Lord’s messengers and treated his prophets badly. They made a joke out of dying. “The prophet says we must die soon, maybe tomorrow, so we should mourn and repent today. No, let us eat and drink instead, so we can enjoy ourselves before the end comes. If life is short, let it be a merry one.” They also made light of life after death. If there were no life beyond the grave, the apostle admits there would be some sense in what they said (1 Corinthians 15:32). But if God will bring all things into judgment, then it is dangerous to follow our own hearts and what our eyes want (Ecclesiastes 11:9).

A practical denial of life after this one lies behind the sinful comfort and wild pleasure that ruin so many people. That was true in the old world too, where people were eating and drinking until the flood came.

God was deeply displeased with this. He made his anger known to the prophet, and the prophet was to proclaim it openly: “Surely this iniquity will not be forgiven you until you die” (Isaiah 22:14). It would not be cleared away by sacrifice and offering, just as Eli’s house was not cleansed from its guilt (1 Samuel 3:14). This was sin against the remedy itself, a refusal of the strongest warnings and the clearest calls to change. For that reason, it was unlikely they would truly repent of it or have it pardoned.

The Chaldee reads it this way: It will not be forgiven you until you die the second death. Those who walk against God will find that he deals with them in the same way.