Isaiah 22:12 - Printer Friendly

ESV: In that day the Lord GOD of hosts called for weeping and mourning, for baldness and wearing sackcloth;

NIV: The Lord, the LORD Almighty, called you on that day to weep and to wail, to tear out your hair and put on sackcloth.

NASB: Therefore on that day the Lord God of armies called you to weeping, to wailing, To shaving the head, and to wearing sackcloth.

CSB: On that day the Lord God of Armies called for weeping, for wailing, for shaven heads, and for the wearing of sackcloth.

NLT: At that time the Lord, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, called you to weep and mourn. He told you to shave your heads in sorrow for your sins and to wear clothes of burlap to show your remorse.

KJV: And in that day did the Lord GOD of hosts call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth:

NKJV: And in that day the Lord God of hosts Called for weeping and for mourning, For baldness and for girding with sackcloth.

What do you do when the enemy horde is at your doorstep? Isaiah has described the arrival of the Assyrians or Babylonians coming to destroy Jerusalem (Isaiah 22:5). The valleys are full of their chariots. The enemy horsemen are right outside the gates (Isaiah 22:6–7). By every human measure, the people inside the gates would assume that the situation was dire. They could not defeat the overwhelming force just on the other side of the wall.

The Lord God of hosts knew what His people should do in that moment: They should repent and ask Him for help. His people should express their fear to Him in sorrow and trembling. They should demonstrate their mourning and sadness to each other by shaving their heads, or tearing their hair out, and by wearing sackcloth. This was an understood cultural display of extreme grief at this point in history.

In short, the Lord wanted His people to take advantage of this moment when all other hope was lost to put their full hope in Him. He wanted His people to finally rely on Him. Instead, they relied on themselves by shoring up the city's defenses as best they could and then partied like there would be no tomorrow (Isaiah 22:13).

Chapter 22:1–14 describes how the people of Jerusalem partied and feasted in the face of certain destruction during a siege. Isaiah condemns them, especially for failing to mourn and cry out to the Lord for help when all seemed lost. He weeps for those who have died. The prophet calls the people to soberly understand what has happened to them instead of partying on their rooftops. The Lord says that the sins of the people in this moment will not be atoned for until they die.

Isaiah presents a prophecy against the city of Jerusalem: "the valley of vision." The prophet condemns the people for partying, perhaps following an astonishing deliverance from the Lord. Instead, they should remember all who died. They should be sobered to realize how helpless they had been. When destruction seemed certain, they should have mourned and cried out to the Lord to save them. Instead, they reveled like nothing mattered. The Lord condemns the steward of the king's house for carving out his tomb instead of trusting God. He puts a man named Eliakim in that position. Eliakim serves with great integrity, faithfulness, and excellence. Yet, he, too, falls away.

Isaiah has recorded several prophecies in preceding chapters. These spoke of nations such as Egypt as well as various tribes. Chapter 22 is an oracle against the city of Jerusalem. Isaiah condemns the people for celebrating instead of mourning and seeking the Lord's help. This could be either before or after a great siege of the city. The prophet weeps for the lost and calls the people to repent. The Lord condemns the king's steward for faithlessness. His replacement, Eliakim, serves with strength and integrity. The next oracles concern Tyre and Sydon, before addressing the entire world.

Isaiah is among the most important prophetic books in the entire Bible. The first segment details God's impending judgment against ancient peoples for sin and idolatry (Isaiah 1—35). The second part of Isaiah briefly explains a failed assault on Jerusalem during the rule of Hezekiah (Isaiah 36—39). The final chapters predict Israel's rescue from Babylonian captivity (Isaiah 40—48), the promised Messiah (Isaiah 49—57), and the final glory of Jerusalem and God's people (Isaiah 58—66).