Isaiah 22:1-5 – The Valley of Vision
What is the valley of vision? This is speaking of the land of Judah and particularly of Jerusalem. The picture we have here is people rushing out of their houses, going up the stairway, up to the roof to look. It’s not mere curiosity, either. It’s distress. It’s upset. This had been a city that was full of noise, all manner of things going on, busyness and rushing here and there to get business done. But suddenly there is fear and fright. God is talking about slain men. What has killed them? There’s a war going on, but they weren’t killed by other soldiers. They’re dying of hunger or dying of disease. People are walled up in a besieged city. Famine and disease bring death, and the leaders aren’t even leading. Why? As we see here in verse 3, they are frightened, and they escape or try to, but the enemy archers catch them.
Different commentators have different views about what this prophecy refers to. But I think Isaiah is seeing the destruction brought by the Babylonians when the Temple was burned, all the cities were knocked down, Jerusalem included, and the people were taken away. When Nebuchadnezzar came to attack, and the people were besieged and dying, the leaders did flee. They dug a hole in the wall at night, and took off, and were caught.
Isaiah is overwhelmed by this vision. The distress of God’s people is just too much for him to handle. Often believers participate in the same difficult circumstances that unbelievers do. There were believers in Jerusalem in the destruction under Nebuchadnezzar, and they went through the same hard times. Is there any difference then for the people of God and for hypocrites and outright pagans? Well, yes, for those who are not believers or false believers, all that they receive, all the difficulty and hardship and affliction in a situation like this is less, far less than they deserve. And it’s merely a little tiny taste of the wrath of God that they shall must endure forever. It is not so for believers. When you go through affliction, it is discipline to make you more Christ-like. There’s a vast difference in the intent and in the outcome. It feels the same at the time, but it’s very, very different.
Questions
- What is the valley of vision?
- What are the two different purposes in affliction?
Prayer Points
- Pray that affliction in your life would make you more like Christ.
- Use prayer points from your congregation.
- Pray for family matters.