22:2-4
The Assyrian leader Sargon died in 705 BC and at the time many of the vassal states rebelled, including Hezekiah if Judah. Neither the people nor the leaders understood the times. The leaders neglected their duty to lead the people in God’s ways. In our day we see our leaders are pretty useless, not having a clue about what is going on. Only Isaiah understood what was happening, and saw clearly into the future. He saw the destruction that was coming. The people would have said to him “things won’t be that bad”, but Isaiah knew just how bad things would become. So he refused any consolation.
22:5-7
This verse is in stark contrast to the common view that relief was now in sight. Isaiah tells them that the “Lord has a day of tumult and trampling and terror”, this is Isaiah looking ahead to the Babylonian conquest, which brought a terrible time upon Jerusalem. The description given by Isaiah matches what actually happened. At this time Elam, which lay to the east of Babylon, was allied with Babylon. The location of Kir is not known. Jerusalem was to suffer two major attacks, the one by Assyria that failed because of divine intervention, and which we will read about in chapters 36-39, and the Babylonian attack which was devastating. The valleys are the Kidron and Hinnom valleys. It is at times difficult to be sure which attack Isaiah is looking at. Maybe the Assyrian one was a warning, a severe warning, but one which Judah failed to heed (see chapter 39).
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