“Is Your Focus on the Temporal or the Eternal?”
Isaiah 22: 1-25
Today’s Scripture in Isaiah 22, appears to be the fourth, in a sequence of oracles that we have been reading, regarding Babylon. Judah has been seeking Babylon for help in fighting against Assyria, only to have Isaiah, the prophet weep because he sees that not only will Babylon not be able to help Judah, but because Judah has put its trust in Babylon, instead of God, Judah is doomed to destruction.
This oracle begins with another strange title, “The Valley of Vision.” Again, a set of words that holds contradictory meanings. One does not go to a valley in order to get a long view of things. In fact, it is the exact opposite, the valley is the very place you cannot see, for there are hills or mountains in the way. Could it be that the prophet is trying to make a point that the Judeans have lost their vision?
They make claims to know God, yet their actions demonstrate something totally different. Instead of going to the mountaintop and getting a clear perspective, the Judeans have chosen to stay at the bottom of the valley and have resorted to making the same choices the pagan nations around them are making, and ending up with similar consequences.
The passage begins in verses 1-2 with the inhabitants of the “Valley of the Vision”focussing on short term relief. The people rejoice over their short-term lifting of the Assyrian threat, but they do not listen to the prophet, who weeps bitterly in verse four, because he can see, what they cannot, that all will be lost in the next 125 years. Isaiah’s vision extends in verses 5-7, when besieging armies will be camped around the city, and the defenses of Judah will be stripped away.
The prophet goes on to tell us, in verses 8-14, that the people chose to focus on temporal things, “breaches in the city’s defense,” “storing water in the Lower Pool,” “tearing down houses to strengthen the wall,” “building a reservoir for the water of the Old Pool,” rather than continuing to rely on the eternal blessings. The reality was that Israel had not taken possession of the city of Jerusalem or the land in their own strength. The land was a covenant gift from the LORD. It was foolish for them to think they would be able to keep the city and land with their own strength. The most prudent thing to have done would have been to make sure they were acting accordingly in regards to the covenant they made with God when they received the city and land in the first place. Had they focused on maintaining the covenantal relationship they could have counted on the covenantal blessings.
Yet, they were not focusing on the eternal, they were caught up in the temporal, the things they could see directly in front of them, the things they could do, they thought they had control. In their arrogance they saw themselves as less corrupt than Israel the Northern Kingdom and believed they had survived because of their merits. Isaiah and the other prophets saw otherwise. They saw that Judah was as corrupt, if not more so, than Israel. You can read in Ezekiel 23 how he called Judah and Israel two prostitute sisters. And because of their actions, verse 12 has Isaiah calling for weeping and wailing. It’s at this verse the prophet becomes a killjoy. The prophet calls for the people to stop partying and turn to bitter repentance, and to plead to God for mercy. The prophet was calling out the people to
take careful reflection and
change their ways,
if they were to do so,
then there was hope.
As we continue to read on, we realize the people had no intention of changing their ways, and learning their lessons. In order for their sins to be atoned for, there needed to be repentance. Mercy was available when confession and repentance had been experienced. The book of Jonah demonstrates this principle quite well.
Unless there is a humble turning to God and repentance, you will perish, Luke 13.
The chapter continues with one of Isaiah’s features of a graphic illustration. The prophet reinforces his point with a concrete picture, containing two men, the first illustration is negative, verses 15-19 and the second illustration is positive, verses 20-25.
Shebna was the first man, who was in charge of the palace. His role was to take care of both the physical and spiritual well-being of the country.
Yet, his priorities were misplaced. Instead of taking care of others, he concentrated on building himself a fine rock tomb. Instead of making sure he brought life to his country, he focused on being remembered in his death. Shebna wanted to make sure that he was not forgotten, that there would be something splendid and adorned for future generations to see and know just how important a figure he had been. But alas, Isaiah has quite the opposite to share. Instead of being memorialized, he was to be wadded up and thrown away like an old rag. In fact, Shebna was to experience humiliation by having his robe and sash taken from him and given to another man, Eliakim.
It reminds me of the two men in the story of Esther, Haman and Mordecai, where Haman tried to get rid of the Jewish people, and the king ended up using the very gallos Haman had created to do so, to hang Haman and Mordecai was given Haman’s position in the palace.
The world today calls it “Karma.” That when you do something bad, it will come back to you.
Back to Isaiah, we read that the second man, Eliakim, was concerned for the people under his charge and acted like a good father would, where he was more concerned with the welfare of others before his own and worked for them, not himself. Isaiah goes on to reveal that although this may be good, there was a danger when someone was truly responsible and reliable. The danger occurs when the people around them begin to rely too much on them. And like a strong peg in the wall, everything imaginable and some things unimaginable will get placed on it. Think about it, a weak peg isn’t used much, but a strong peg gets everything hung on it. In verses, 23-24 there is a suggestion that Eliakim’s family will become a special burden to him. This fits the Near Eastern culture, where if one person “makes good” they are expected to care for and make sure everyone in their family is taken care of, regardless if they deserve it or not.
Like all humans, Eliakim was not meant to take on so much, eventually he would crack under the strain. One didn’t necessarily have to be a prophet to predict this situation. The Judeans have kept their focus on the temporal, on humans, not on God. No human can bear what was meant to be placed on the Lord.
This passage in Isaiah focuses on plans and priorities. The Bible is clear about the need for us to make preparations for certain things that are bound to happen and to take care of ourselves. The book of Proverbs makes it quite clear that those who are lazy and careless are considered to be fools. So what makes plans and priorities a problem in Isaiah? Well, it was all about timing. The Judeans were choosing to make their plans and preparations without seeking God’s guidance and blessing. Looking in the book of Proverbs again we read that the outcome of our plans is ultimately in the hands of God.
Proverbs 16:9
We plan the way we want to live,
but only God makes us able to live it.
Proverbs 21:31
Do your best, prepare for the worst—
then trust God to bring victory.
Let’s be honest.
How often do we seek God’s plans before we make our plans?
Do we easily work out everything our way and then afterwards ask God to bless it?
Even more importantly, do we pay more attention to our plans than we do our relationship with God.
This was the problem in Isaiah’s day, and not much has changed today.
The plans we make, may be fine and dandy, but how do we expect God to bless them when the person making them is self-serving and a covenant breaker?
Jesus saw this occuring in his day as well, and told this parable, found in Luke 12:16-21
Luke 12:16-21 The Message (MSG) 16-19 Then he told them this story: “The farm of a certain rich man produced a terrific crop. He talked to himself: ‘What can I do? My barn isn’t big enough for this harvest.’ Then he said, ‘Here’s what I’ll do: I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll gather in all my grain and goods, and I’ll say to myself, Self, you’ve done well! You’ve got it made and can now retire. Take it easy and have the time of your life!’
20 “Just then God showed up and said, ‘Fool! Tonight you die. And your barnful of goods—who gets it?’
21 “That’s what happens when you fill your barn with Self and not with God.”
In Isaiah’s day it was a problem with the leadership. They were more concerned with water supplies and walls then they were with sin.
How often do we find our leaders doing the same today?
It is so much easier to plan for increased facilities in the church than it is to deal with spiritual deadness in the congregation. We can focus on the physical plant while the members are drifting further and further from God.
How does Isaiah’s graphic illustration of two different men fit into our lives today?
What does it mean to be an Eliakim rather than a Shebna?
We could look at some other examples as well, such as being a David rather than a Saul, or a Jesus rather than a Judas.
In each case, the last man mentioned in these pairs, focused on the temporal, and thought more about his image and about what other people thought of him. He was centered on meeting his own needs and not on the needs of others. However, the first man in these pairs was the exact opposite.
This may have been what Jesus had in mind when He said we must become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven. Let’s face it, there are quite a few things about young children that are not heavenly: they quickly learn the word “NO” and can often be quite selfish and if you are a parent you know quite well they are not innocent. But, by and large, the younger they are the more they lack self-consciousness. They rarely think of how they appear to others.
A tantrum in the grocery store is a prime example. Status means nothing to them. But the older they become, the more they learn to be concerned with their image.
Unfortunately, we become consumed with a need for approval and position and far too often it is the need from the wrong people and from positions that are eternally worthless.
That was Shebna, he had achieved the highest position in the land, second only to the king and he was using that position to secure a memorial for himself, only to have it be a memorial of disgrace in the end.
C.S. Lewis wrote in his sermon, “The Weight of Glory,” that it matters little what we think of God, but it matters to all eternity what God thinks of us.”
This was Eliakim. He, like Christ, received his greatest joy by seeking the welfare of others. He was concerned for the needs of others to the extent that he carried burdens that were much too heavy for him. Not because he wanted to prove himself indispensable, but because he didn’t want others to have to bear the load. We need to understand, unlike Eliakim, such burdens do not need to break us if we have learned to carry the load to the cross and leave them there. This is what grace is all about. Christ gives us freedom from the burdens and freedom from ourselves.
It all depends on where we choose to focus. We may choose to be Eliakim or Shebna. We have a choice to focus on the temporal or on the eternal.
Here is what happens depending on which one we choose to focus.
Should we choose to focus on the temporal, we and our works will perish. Should we choose to focus on the eternal, than none of our temporal works will ever be lost. Romans 8:13 Romans 8:13 New International Version (NIV) 13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.
Matthew 16:25-26
For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. 26 What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?
The Judeans didn’t learn this lesson. They were warned and didn’t listen, and were captured. They lost everything.
Today, you have been warned. May you choose wisely.
Let’s pray.
