Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Isaiah 22:12
And in that day did the Lord GOD of hosts call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth:
12. in that day did the Lord call ] not only by the silent march of events, but also by the voice of His prophet: see ch. Isa 32:11. The call was to seriousness and humiliation, expressed by the customary signs of mourning. (Cf. Joe 2:12; Amo 8:10; Isa 3:24; Isa 20:2, &c.)
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
12 14. The ignoring of Jehovah’s presence in this crisis is an unpardonable sin.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
And in that day – In the invasion of Sennacherib. It might be rendered, And the Lord, Yahweh of hosts, on such a day calls to weeping; intimating that in such a time it was a general truth that God required those who were thus afflicted to weep, and fast, and pray.
Call to weeping – That is, by his providence; or, it was proper that at such a time they should weep. Affliction, oppression, and calamity are indications from God always that we ought to be humbled, and to prostrate ourselves before Him.
And to baldness – To plucking off the hair, or shaving the head – one of the emblems of grief among the ancients Job 1:20; Mic 1:16.
And to girding with sackcloth – (see the note at Isa 3:24).
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Isa 22:12-14
And in that day did the Lord God of hosts call to weeping . . . And behold joy and gladness
A call to repentance
I.
THE CALL TO REPENTANCE (Isa 22:12).
1. The day here referred to was a season of abounding iniquity. A day of sore trouble (Isa 22:4-5).
II. THE RECEPTION IT MET WITH. (Isa 22:13). There is no room to suppose that they had given no attention to the message delivered by the prophet. It would rather appear that they had attended to it with accuracy, nay, studied its meaning on purpose to counteract it; for a contrast so minutely exact, a scheme of contradiction so completely adjusted, could hardly have been stumbled upon by mere accident. And indeed the latter part of the verse puts this beyond all doubt, Let us eat and drink, said they, for tomorrow we shall die. We are not to imagine that these words were spoken seriously, by one of those presumptuous and boasting rebels. The most daring amongst them must have been conscious that the aspect of the king of terrors, at their most sumptuous entertainments, would leave them no appetite either for flesh or wine. They meant it as a scoff, a witty saying, for turning rote ridicule the warning they had received, but which they did not believe. It is common enough to condemn the same faults in others which we easily forgive, nay, cherish in ourselves.
III. THE ALARMING DENUNCIATION OF WRATH against those perverse and obstinate transgressors (Isa 22:14).
IV. IMPROVEMENT. What concern have we in these things? (1Co 10:11). God is always the same. And therefore, in His past acts of government, as they are explained by His Word, we behold a plan of righteous administration, from whence we may learn, with some degree of certainty, what kind of treatment, in similar circumstances, we ourselves have reason to expect. (H. Blair, D. D.)
Gods call to repentance
The awful state of Jerusalem forces this truth upon our minds–that no privileges, civil or religious, can give immunity to a depraved and guilty people, from the threatened judgments of an angry God. In how many instances do the circumstances and the conduct of the ancient Jews strikingly resemble ours!
I. THE DUTY TO WHICH GOD CALLS US. We are called to weeping and to mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth–these expressions being indicative of the ancient forms of mourning. We are called by our calamities to it; we are called by our God.
II. THE CONDUCT WHICH IS DISPLAYED. And behold joy and gladness, slaying oxen and killing sheep, eating flesh and drinking wine: let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die–a sensualist notion, which may be taken here either as the language of despair–Since we must die tomorrow, let us eat and drink today; or, in the way of sneering–They say we shall die; let us eat and drink then, and enjoy as much as we can of the good things of this life.
III. THE THREATENING WHICH IS DENOUNCED (Isa 22:14). Gods threatenings are not idle declamations. (G. B. Macdonald.)
Judahs great folly
They were entering on the terrible issues of the struggle with Assyria with as light a heart as the Parisians did on the Franco-German war. They were spending, as it were, the night before the battle in the revelry of drunken mirth, as the Saxons spent the night before the battle of Hastings. (E. H. Plumptre, D. D.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Call; invite and oblige them by the course of his providence, and require this by the precepts requiring these things in such times and conditions.
To baldness; to make themselves bald, by plucking or shaving off the hair of their heads, as was usual in great sorrows, as Ezr 9:3; Job 1:20; Mic 1:16, although it was forbidden in case of the death of relations, for a special reason; of which see on Lev 19:27,28; 21:5.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
12. did the Lord God callUsuallythe priests gave the summons to national mourning (Joe1:14); now JEHOVAHHimself shall give it; the “call” shall consist in thepresence of a terrible foe. Translate, “shall call.”
baldnessemblem ofgrief (Job 1:20; Mic 1:16).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And in that day did the Lord God of hosts,…. When it was a day of trouble, of treading down, and of perplexity; when Jerusalem was besieged by the Assyrian army; and when the people were so much concerned, and so careful for their defence and preservation; then did the Lord
call to weeping and to mourning; to confess and mourn over their sins, the cause of these calamities; to lament their unhappy case; to humble themselves under the mighty hand of God, and, by prayer and supplication, with tears to implore his help and assistance, and grant them deliverance; this the Lord called them unto by the voice of his Providence, by the afflictive dispensations of it, and also by his prophets, whom he sent unto them, particularly the Prophet Isaiah; so the Targum,
“and the prophet of the Lord God of hosts called in that day,” c.:
and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth which were external signs and tokens of inward sorrow and repentance; the former of which was done by shaving the head, or plucking off the hair, and was forbidden on private occasions, yet might be allowed in a public case; see Mic 1:16.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
And so far as it had proceeded already, it was a call from Jehovah to repentance. “The Lord, Jehovah of hosts, calls in that day to weeping, and to mourning, and to the pulling out of hair, and to girding with sackcloth; and behold joy and gladness, slaughtering of oxen and killing of sheep, eating of flesh and drinking of wine, eating and drinking, for ‘tomorrow we die.’ And Jehovah of hosts hath revealed in mine ears, Surely this iniquity shall not be expiated for you until ye die, saith the Lord, Jehovah of hosts.” The first condition of repentance is a feeling of pain produced by the punishments of God. But upon Jerusalem they produce the opposite effect. The more threatening the future, the more insensibly and madly do they give themselves up to the rude, sensual enjoyment of the present. Shathoth is interchanged with shatho (which is only another form of , as in Isa 6:9; Isa 30:19), to ring with shachot (compare Hos 10:4). There are other passages in which we meet with unusual forms introduced for the sake of the play upon the words (vid., Isa 4:6; Isa 8:6; Isa 16:9, and compare Eze 43:11, and the keri of 2Sa 3:25). The words of the rioters themselves, whose conduct is sketched by the inf. abs., which are all governed by hinneh , are simply “for tomorrow we shall die.” This does not imply that they feel any pleasure in the thought of death, but indicates a love of life which scoffs at death. Then the unalterable will of the all-commanding God is audibly and distinctly revealed to the prophet. Such scoffing as this, which defies the chastisements of God, will not be expiated in any other way than by the death of the scoffer ( c uppar , from c aphar , tegere , means to be covered over, i.e., expiated). This is done in the case of sin either by the justice of God, as in the present instance, or by the mercy of God (Isa 6:7), or by both justice and mercy combined (as in Isa 27:9). In all three cases the expiation is demanded by the divine holiness, which requires a covering between itself and sin, by which sin becomes as though it were not. In this instance the expunging act consists in punishment. The sin of Jerusalem is expiated by the giving up of the sinners themselves to death. The verb temuthun (ye shall die) is written absolutely, and therefore is all the more dreadful. The Targum renders it “till ye die the second (eternal) death” ( m othah thinyanah ). So far as they prophecy threatened the destruction of Jerusalem by Assyria, it was never actually fulfilled; but the very opposite occurred. Asshur itself met with destruction in front of Jerusalem. But this was by no means opposed to the prophecy; and it was with this conviction that Isaiah, nevertheless, included the prophecy in the collection which he made at a time when the non-fulfilment was perfectly apparent. It stands here in a double capacity. In the first place, it is a memorial of the mercy of God, which withdraws, or at all events modifies, the threatened judgment as soon as repentance intervenes. The falling away from Assyria did take place; but on the part of Hezekiah and many others, who had taken to heart the prophet’s announcement, it did so simply as an affair that was surrendered into the hands of the God of Israel, through distrust of either their own strength or Egyptian assistance. Hezekiah carried out the measures of defence described by the prophet; but he did this for the good of Jerusalem, and with totally different feelings from those which the prophet had condemned. These measures of defence probably included the reservoir between the two walls, which the chronicler does not mention till the close of the history of his reign, inasmuch as he follows the thread of the book of Kings, to which his book stands, as it were, in the relation of a commentary, like the midrash , from which extracts are made. The king regulated his actions carefully by the prophecy, inasmuch as after the threats had produced repentance, Isa 22:8-11 still remained as good and wise counsels. In the second place, the oracle stands here as the proclamation of a judgment deferred but not repealed. Even if the danger of destruction which threatened Jerusalem on the part of Assyria had been mercifully caused to pass away, the threatening word of Jehovah had not fallen to the ground. The counsel of God contained in the word of prophecy still remained; and as it was the counsel of the Omniscient, the time would surely come when it would pass out of the sphere of ideality into that of actual fact. It remained hovering over Jerusalem like an eagle, and Jerusalem would eventually become its carrion. We have only to compare the temuthun of this passage with the of Joh 8:21, to see when the eventual fulfilment took place. Thus the “ massa of the valley of vision” became a memorial of mercy to Israel when it looked back to its past history: but when it looked into the future, it was still a mirror of wrath.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
Verse 12-14: FROM GLADNESS TO SADNESS
1. In the day of their extremity the Lord calls the people of Judah to repentance, (Verse 12; comp. Isa 32:11; Joe 1:13-14; Joe 2:17; Mic 1:16).
2. Instead of repenting, they spread a joyous feast, saying: “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we shall die!” like Epicureans (Verse 13; Isa 5:11; Isa 5:22; Isa 28:7-8; Isa 56:12).
3. Thus, the Lord reveals to the prophet that nothing short of death will atone for their iniquity, (Verse 14; cf. 13:11; 26:21; 30:13-14; 65:7).
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
12. And the Lord of hosts called. The wicked obstinacy of the people is exhibited by the Prophet with additional aggravations. What left them altogether without excuse was the fact, that while they were exposed to so great dangers, they despised the godly remonstrances of the prophets, and rejected the grace of God, when he wished to heal and restore them. It is a proof of consummate depravity, when men have so completely laid aside all feeling that they fearlessly despise both instruction and chastisements, and obstinately “kick against the pricks,” (Act 9:5,) and this makes it evident that they have been “given over to a reprobate mind.” (Rom 1:28.)
When he says, that “the Lord called” them, this may be explained in two ways; for although the Lord does not speak, still he calls loudly enough by stripes and chastisements. Let it be supposed that we are destitute of all Scripture, of prophets, teachers, and advisers, still he instructs us by distresses and afflictions, so that we may state, in a few words, that every chastisement is a call to repentance. But, unquestionably, the Prophet intended to express something more, namely, that in despising godly warnings, they did not scruple to treat with scorn God’s fatherly invitation.
In that day. There is great weight also in mentioning the day of affliction, when danger threatened them, for they were admonished at the same time by the word and by strokes. The signs of God’s anger were visible, the prophets uttered incessant cries, and still they became no better.
To baldness and girding with sackcloth. When he mentions sackcloth and baldness, (86) he employs the signs themselves to describe repentance; for repentance does not consist in sackcloth or haircloth, (87) or anything outward, but has its place in the heart. Those who sincerely repent are displeased with themselves, hate sin, and are affected with such a deep feeling of grief, that they abhor themselves and their past life; but as this cannot be done without, at the same time, making itself known by confession before men, on this account he describes the outward signs by which we give evidence of our conversion. Now, these things were at that time cast away among the Jews, when they made public declarations of repentance. The Prophet therefore means that they were called to repentance, to humble themselves before God, and to exhibit the evidences of repentance before men. Of themselves, indeed, the signs would not be sufficient, for repentance begins at the heart; and Joel gives warning to that effect,
“
Rend your hearts, and not your garments.” (Joe 2:13.)
Not that he wished signs to be laid aside, but he shewed that they are not sufficient, and that of themselves they are not acceptable to God.
Hence infer what is our duty, when the tokens of God’s anger are visible to us. We ought to declare publicly our repentance, not only before God, but also before men. The outward ceremonies, indeed, are of little consequence, and we are not commanded to wear sackcloth or to pull out our hair; but we must practice honestly and sincerely what is actually meant by these signs, disapprobation and confession of our guilt, humility of the heart, and reformation of the life. If we do not confess that we are guilty, and that we deserve punishment, we shall not return to a state of favor with God. In short, as culprits allow their beards to grow, and wear tattered clothes, in order to affect the hearts of the judges, so we ought to betake ourselves as suppliants to the mercy of God, and make a public declaration of our repentance.
But here we ought also to observe the usefulness of outward signs of repentance; for they serve as spurs to prompt us more to know and abhor sin. In this way, so far as they are spurs, they may be called causes of repentance; and so far as they are evidences, they may be called effects. They are causes, because the marks of our guilt, which we carry about us, excite us the more to acknowledge ourselves to be sinners and guilty; and they are effects, because, if they were not preceded by repentance, we would never be induced to perform them sincerely.
(86) Bogus footnote
(87) Bogus footnote
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(12) To weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness . . .National danger, Isaiah adds, should call to a national repentance in its outward manifestations, like the fast described in Joel 2 Baldness, produced by the tearing of the hair in extreme grief, took its place naturally, with weeping and sackcloth, in those manifestations.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
12-14. And now God calls to repentance, to weeping to mourning to baldness, etc. Signs, all of them, of bitter repentance. But the people have gone too far into error of life to obey. The prophecy seems to touch on the last days of the kingdom; for though repentance is commanded, no promise, no consolation is offered, and the people seem incredulous; certainly they show no desire to obey, for the prophet sees them either confident still of security, or else thinking their situation a lost one, and so they rollic in heathenish revelry, and say, “Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we die.” This piece of prophecy seems thus far really generic, embracing points applicable to all the sieges the Jews endured. Yet the 14th verse can scarcely apply to any other than the last one suffered by that people as a kingdom.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘And in that day the Lord, Yahweh of hosts, called to weeping and to mourning, and to baldness and to girding with sackcloth.’
For there was One Who had offered another way. That One was the sovereign Lord, Yahweh the great ‘He is’, the Deliverer from Egypt, the One Who was over all the hosts of heaven and earth. And this way was Yahweh’s way of victory. Let them but come to Him in repentance, in mourning over sin, in weeping over their idolatry and the way that they had neglected Him and His Law (compare here Joe 2:12-17). Let them genuinely repent and demonstrate it by the outward signs of weeping and mourning by shaving their hair (Jer 47:5; Amo 8:10) and wearing sackcloth to prove their genuineness, and then God would hear them and they would be delivered. But it had to be genuine. (Contrast here Isa 58:2-14 which describes the kind of fasting that would not have been pleasing to Him).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Isa 22:12-14. And in that day did, &c. Or, And in that day will, &c. Another fault which the prophet imputes to the carnal Jews, is manifest and hardened epicurism, or carnal security, founded in impious and profane principles, by which, giving up the hopes of a better life, they indulged themselves in the voluptuous use of present good things; a wickedness which, as most offensive to him, God here denounces by his prophet that he will punish to the last degree. See ch. Isa 3:14 where the iniquity of the princes is spoken of, among whom it is likely from what follows that Shebna was remarkable.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
DISCOURSE: 888
THE UNCONCERN OF MEN AMIDST GODS CALLS TO REPENTANCE
Isa 22:12-14. In that day did the Lord God of hosts call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth: and behold, joy and gladness, slaying oxen and killing sheep, eating flesh, and drinking wine: let us eat and drink; for to-morrow we shall die. 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.
TRUE religion is equally abhorrent from an atheistical contempt of Gods providence, and a presumptuous reliance on it. It teaches us neither to trust in lying words, saying, The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord are we [Note: Jer 7:4.]; nor, on the other hand, to trust in human devices, to the neglect of him, who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will.
It was for the latter of these sins, that the Jews were reproved in the words before us. The Assyrians had invaded their country, and were coming against Jerusalem itself: and the Jews, instead of crying to God for help, contented themselves with fortifying their city; and lived as securely as if no danger were at hand. This greatly incensed God, and caused him to denounce against them his heaviest judgments.
The words before us will lead us to consider,
I.
The duty to which God calls us
The terms used in the text were intended to express repentance
[The shaving of the head, and cutting of the beard, and putting on of sackcloth, were used among the Jews as indications of sorrow [Note: Eze 27:30-31.]. Of themselves indeed, neither those nor any other actions, however significant, had any value before God: they were even hateful to him, if used without correspondent dispositions of heart [Note: Isa 1:13-14; Isa 66:3.]: but, when accompanied with inward contrition, they were pleasing and acceptable in his sight [Note: 1Ki 21:27-29.].]
This is the duty to which God calls us at this time
[He spake to the Jewish nation by the dispensations of his providence [Note: Mic 6:9. Awful visitations were always considered in that view, Jdg 20:25-26.], and the voice of his prophets [Note: Joel, Isaiah, &c.]. And is he not calling us to repentance at this time, by the calamities of the nation, by the command of our rulers, and by the voice of all his faithful ministers [Note: The particular circumstances of the nation should be here stated.]? Yes; he says aloud, Turn ye to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning [Note: Joe 2:12.].]
But how little attention we pay to him will appear, if we consider,
II.
The state in which we continue
The evils of which the prophet complained, are, alas! too descriptive of our state:
1.
We confide in our own preparations without looking to God
[So often has God prospered our naval exertions, that we almost universally overlook his providence, and ascribe our success to our own superior skill and valour. Our hopes also of future conquests are founded wholly on our own prowess. We are active enough in making preparations; but are as unmindful of God, as if we needed not his aid, nor were at all dependent on his will. For the truth of this assertion we appeal to the public prints, and to the expressions of all with whom we converse [Note: This statement must of course be adjusted to the existing circumstances, but with a clear reference to the preceding context, ver. 711.].]
2.
We still live in our wonted habits of conviviality and dissipation
[It is not intemperance and excess that is the object of the prophets reprehension, but an unsuitable gaiety of mind, at a time when it became them to be humbling themselves in dust and ashes. And is not this the case with us amongst all ranks and orders of the community? Doubtless the pressure of the public burthens must impose restraints on many: but still the change in them is not the effect of a voluntary humiliation, but the reluctant fruit of irresistible necessity.]
3.
We, in too many instances, turn the very warnings of Jehovah into contempt and ridicule
[The Jews were warned of the near approach of their destruction: and they, to ridicule the idea, said, Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we shall die. We indeed, having no information from God respecting the issue of public affairs, cannot imitate, with respect to them, the impiety of the Jews. But, in relation to infinitely more important matters, there is as much profane scoffing amongst us, as amongst them: the declarations of Gods word are set at nought; and they, who most faithfully denounce Gods judgments against sin and sinners, are, for the most part, regarded either as hypocrites or fanatics.]
Let us then, as it becomes us, proceed with all fidelity to shew,
III.
The evil and danger of such a state
What can be more unsuitable to our condition?
[What should we think of a child or servant that should manifest such a spirit under our rebukes? Does such conduct then become us towards God, when he is contending with us, and chastising us for our sins? Yea, are we not as devoid of humanity as of piety, while we feel no sympathy with the thousands of our suffering fellow-creatures? Well says the prophet on a similar occasion, Should we then make mirth [Note: Eze 21:9-10; Eze 21:12.]? Surely it becomes us rather to cry and howl for the miseries that are come upon us, or at least impending over us.]
What can be more offensive to God?
[The word surely is equivalent to an oath [Note: Heb 6:13-14.]: and is it a light thing which causes Jehovah to swear by his own life and immortal perfections? Is it a small matter that causes the Lord God of hosts [Note: This title, being thrice repeated, is very emphatical.] to shut up his tender mercies, and to swear that the guilt of such or such an action shall never be purged away? Must not that be beyond measure offensive to him, that can fill his breast with such fiery indignation? The sins that have brought down his chastisements are doubtless great; but an obstinacy under those chastisements which are intended to reform us, is but too probably a forerunner of our utter excision [Note: Jer 7:12-16. Such also is the import of that threatening, Amo 4:12. the ground of which five times repeated from ver. 6. to 11.],]
What can be more destructive in its consequences?
[The nation cannot be delivered but by means of a national repentance: nor can any individual escape the eternal wrath of God, but by means of his own personal repentance [Note: Luk 13:3.]. If there be only one impenitent transgressor in the whole kingdom, God will search him out with candles, in order to punish him [Note: Zep 1:12.]. Even in his present dispensations God will put a difference between those who mourn for sin, and those who are at ease in Zion [Note: Amo 6:1; Amo 6:3-7. Eze 9:4-5.]; but much more in his decisions at the day of judgment [Note: Isa 5:11-12; Isa 65:12-14.]. Whether therefore we consider our national or our personal danger, it becomes us instantly to put away our unbelief and impenitence, and to turn to God with the deepest contrition.]
Address
[It may be thought that the injunctions given to the Jews, had respect to them rather than to ourselves. Let an apostle then be heard in confirmation of the prophet; and let us depart with a determination through grace to obey his voice; Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy into heaviness: humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God; and he shall lift you up [Note: Jam 4:9-10.]. The very Gospel itself, with all that Christ has done and suffered for us, will do us no good, if we remain impenitent. The command is, Repent, and believe the gospel. We must sow in tears, if ever we would reap in joy.]
Fuente: Charles Simeon’s Horae Homileticae (Old and New Testaments)
Reader! do not fail to remark, how the Lord, by the same process of grace, carries on his merciful designs towards his people, in all ages. He visits their offences with the rod, and their sin with scourges. He sends trouble among them, and calls to weeping and prayer. But if, instead of spiritual humblings, they seek to deaden sorrow by carnal enjoyments, and bid defiance as it were to the rod; the affliction is but the more increased. The Prophet interpreted the incurable wickedness of such, to be beyond the reach of all the sacrifices of the law. Reader! what a sweet testimony by the way do we discover here, of the vast and infinite importance of the blood and sacrifice of Christ! If the Reader wishes to enlarge his meditations on this subject, I would refer him to Lev 26:14 , to the end. See, also Hos 2:6 to the end.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Isa 22:12 And in that day did the Lord GOD of hosts call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth:
Ver. 12. And in that day did the Lord God of hosts call to weeping. ] Ponit arma quibus civitates ab hostibus defenduntur, nempe arma poenitentiae. These are the best defensive weapons, which therefore God of his goodness calleth people to, or ere he punisheth them. He calleth them, I say, by his word and by his works, both ordinary and extraordinary, that his justice may be magnified, and every foul mouth stopped.
To weeping and mourning.
And to baldness.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Isa 22:12-14
12Therefore in that day the Lord GOD of hosts called you to weeping, to wailing,
To shaving the head and to wearing sackcloth.
13Instead, there is gaiety and gladness,
Killing of cattle and slaughtering of sheep,
Eating of meat and drinking of wine:
Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we may die.
14But the LORD of hosts revealed Himself to me,
Surely this iniquity shall not be forgiven you
Until you die, says the Lord GOD of hosts.
Isa 22:12-14 This is another strophe which starts with in that day.
Isa 22:12 lists the mourning rites (see Special Topic at Isa 15:2-3) that would characterize Jerusalem.
1. weeping, BDB 113 (no VERB)
2. wailing, BDB 704 (no VERB)
3. shaving the head, BDB 901 (no VERB, the baldness could be by shaving or plucking, cf. Ezr 9:3; Job 1:20; Jer 7:29; Jer 16:6; Jer 41:5; Jer 48:37; Mic 1:16)
4. wearing sackcloth, BDB 291, KB 291, Qal INFINITIVE CONSTRUCT
Isa 22:13 describes what Jerusalem was doing instead. They should have been seeking YHWH in repentance and prayer, but no, they were caught up in
1. gaiety, BDB 965
2. gladness, BDB 970
3. sacrificing as normal, two Qal INFINITIVE ABSOLUTES (BDB 246, BDB 133)
4. eating fellowship sacrifices, BDB 37, Qal INFINITIVE ABSOLUTE
5. drinking, BDB 1059 I, Qal INFINITIVE ABSOLUTE
Isa 22:13 d Their attitude toward life is expressed in this line of poetry. It is similar to Belshazzar’s party in Daniel 5.
This attitude reflects their lack of understanding about the plans (BDB 427, KB 428, Qal PARTICIPLE, cf. Isaiah 11 d) of YHWH for Jerusalem and His people (cf. Isa 5:11-12). Instead of a sense of corporate purpose and hope, they sought immediate individual gratification! This is surely a word the church needs also!!!
Isa 22:14 Judah’s lack of faith will result in their deaths. Judgment has come to Judah. Jerusalem itself will be spared, but Judah will be devastated.
Judah has missed the time of YHWH’s visitation (for deliverance), so now they will experience His visitation for destruction!
Surely this iniquity shall not be forgiven you What sin? I think the sin of lack of trust and reliance on God mentioned in Isa 22:11 c,d.
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
Isa 22:12-14
Isa 22:12-14
“And in that day did the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, call to weeping and to mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth: 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. And Jehovah of hosts revealed himself in mine ears, Surely this iniquity shall not be forgiven you till ye die, saith the Lord, Jehovah of hosts.”
These verses announce the “death sentence” for Jerusalem; and, oddly enough, it came on the occasion of one of God’s most remarkable interventions on behalf of the chosen people, namely the miraculous lifting of Sennacherib’s siege of Jerusalem by the sudden overnight destruction of 185,000 soldiers of the invader’s army. This was poetically memorialized in the words of Lord Byron’s poem:
“The widows of Ashur are loud in their wail,
And broke are the idols in the Temple of Baal.
For the angel of death spread his wings on the blast
And breathed in the face of the foe as he passed;
And the might of the Gentile unsmote by the sword
Was melted like snow in the glance of the Lord.”
Significantly, these verses (Isa 22:11 b-14), were cited by Kidner as foreshadowings of Isaiah 40-66, the same being a strong indication of the unity and “single authorship” of Isaiah.
The first part of this chapter does not apply exclusively either to the siege by Sennacherib or to the final overthrow of Judah by Babylon, although there are portions of it which most certainly apply to both. Perhaps, as Hailey stated it, “The prophet is describing … the general condition of the heart of the people. There remained no longer in Judah any true spirit of humility and devotion. The drunken orgy that greeted the death of Sennacherib’s army demonstrated graphically their carnal nature. It seems never to have entered the mind of the Jews of that era that their status in the eyes of God was contingent upon their love and obedience of God’s word.
From this it is plain that not even God could spare the arrogant and conceited people from that impending and certain death which their shameful behavior so fully deserved.
“With a hedonism rivaling that of their pagan neighbors they had cast aside all restraint, shouting, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” The Lord’s message to Isaiah was that they should indeed die, and that their iniquity would never be forgiven.
Concerning the revelry and hedonistic feasting which marked the conduct of Judah during this period, Barnes noted that, “Few sins can be more aggravated than revelry and riot, thoughtlessness, and mirth over the grave.” Adam’s sinful race is on a collision course with disaster that must at last culminate in the destruction of the whole sinful race, as God promised in Zephaniah. Nothing can be more sad and deplorable than the spectacle of a doomed race rushing headlong toward their destructive final judgment, and at the same time mocking all reality by hilarious merriment and revelry. Nothing could possibly show any greater disregard for God or a more wicked attitude toward our Creator.
Isa 22:12-14 FATALISM: A second look at their situation caused them some soberness. But the tragedy is it did not lead them to repent-they responded with a foolhardy fatalism. Their reaction was to engage in hedonism. God was calling to repentance. Their reaction was reasonable enough. If one does not believe in One God, The God of Truth and Justice, a sort of epicurean fatalism is all that is left. Let us eat and drink for tomorrow we die. When men deny the historical realities of Gods redemptive work in Jesus Christ today the only alternative is epicurean fatalism.; The apostle Paul told the Corinthians (1Co 15:30-34) that he would not be playing Christian martyr if there was no resurrection. To the contrary, the only sensible alternative to life hereafter is hedonism in the here and now! Liberal theologians who deny the authenticity and credibility of the New Testament and who refuse to accept the deity of Jesus Christ and the historicity of His resurrection, are schizophrenic ostriches with their heads in the sand. They are living in a world of make believe when they pretend there is something to Christianity. Those who deny the existence of God, the authority of His Word, and still try to play at the game of Churchianity are obscurantists par excellence! The mixture of liberal theology and existential philosophy has produced a generation of hedonistic fatalists, Their shibboleth is Meaning is found only in meaninglessness. This brand of fatalism has been preached by Sarte, Camus, Hemingway, Scheslinger and a host of others. It has fathered a generation of do-your-own-thing hedonists, since, tomorrow we die and life is never more absurd than at the grave. So, you see, modern existential-fatalism is not new! There is nothing new under the sun! Unbelief will produce the same moral anarchy in one generation after another.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
call: 2Ch 35:25, Neh 8:9-12, Neh 9:9, Ecc 3:4, Ecc 3:11, Joe 1:13, Joe 2:17, Jam 4:8-10, Jam 5:1
to baldness: Isa 15:2, Ezr 9:3, Job 1:20, Amo 8:10, Jon 3:6, Mic 1:16
Reciprocal: Gen 37:34 – General Exo 33:5 – put off Lev 21:5 – not make baldness Lev 23:29 – that shall Num 25:6 – weeping Num 29:7 – afflict Jdg 9:27 – did eat 2Sa 11:11 – shall I then 2Sa 12:16 – fasted 1Ki 20:31 – put sackcloth 1Ki 21:27 – lay in sackcloth 1Ch 12:32 – understanding of the times 2Ch 18:2 – Ahab Ezr 10:6 – he mourned Neh 9:1 – children Est 4:3 – great mourning Est 4:16 – fast Job 16:15 – sewed Job 30:31 – General Psa 69:11 – I made Psa 137:4 – How shall Pro 19:10 – Delight Ecc 2:2 – It is Ecc 7:2 – better Ecc 7:14 – but Ecc 8:6 – therefore Isa 3:24 – baldness Isa 22:2 – that art Isa 29:9 – General Isa 32:13 – in the Isa 47:8 – given Jer 4:8 – gird Jer 6:26 – make thee Jer 16:6 – nor cut Jer 16:8 – General Jer 51:39 – their heat Eze 21:10 – should Eze 27:31 – they shall make Dan 5:1 – made Dan 9:3 – with Hos 9:1 – Rejoice Joe 1:8 – Lament Joe 2:12 – with fasting Amo 5:16 – Wailing Zec 7:3 – Should Mat 9:15 – and then Mat 24:38 – they Luk 5:35 – and Luk 17:27 – General Rom 13:13 – rioting Jam 4:9 – afflicted Rev 11:3 – clothed Rev 18:7 – much she
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Isa 22:12-14. And in that day did, or will, the Lord call, &c. Another fault, which the prophet imputes to the carnal Jews, is impenitence, or carnal security. He foretels that God would call them to weeping and mourning, and other instances and evidences of humiliation and godly sorrow; but that, instead thereof, he should find them given up to joy and gladness, slaying oxen, &c., that is, to levity and luxury, mirth and feasting: saying, Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we die The prophet tells us, that we shall certainly and suddenly be destroyed; it concerns us, therefore, to make our best of the present time, and to be merry while we have opportunity: a most perverse and desperate conclusion, proceeding from obstinate profaneness and contempt of Gods judgments. It was revealed in mine ears God himself hath said to me; Surely this iniquity shall not be purged till you die This, your hardening your hearts, under and against Gods judgments, and defeating and rendering ineffectual the means provided for bringing you to repentance, shall never be forgiven you, but you shall feel the effects of such conduct, and of Gods displeasure against you for it, as long as you live.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Rather, in that day, the people should turn to the Lord in repentance, and reaffirm their trust in Him for their security. He is the sovereign, almighty God who can save.