When God Calls You to Mourn for Sin, Don’t Party Instead

Isaiah 22:8b-11,13

Instead of deep, heartfelt repentance, instead of sackcloth and mourning, instead of looking to the Lord in faith to meet the coming threat, Jerusalem made faithless military preparations and feasted. When they should have been mourning, they celebrated. When they should have been trusting in God, they trusted in themselves. The military planners prepared for battle, trusting in the weapons in their arsenal (called “the House of the Forest”); they shored up their defenses and stored up their water. But they did not look to (trust in) the God who created the water pool long ago (v. 11). A city or nation can make all the preparations it wants; if God is against them, it doesn’t matter what they do, for disaster is imminent.

As the Babylonians approached, the citizens of Judah and Jerusalem should have been asking themselves and the Lord why this Gentile power was even coming their way to begin with. They should have understood that God had promised to bring Gentile armies to discipline his people for their idolatries if they failed to keep his laws (Deut 32:21-25). They should have mourned for their sins. But instead they faithlessly prepared for battle. And then, when all their preparations were complete, they filled their bellies with meat and wine and celebrated. They said, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!” (v. 13). Paul quoted this exact expression in 1 Corinthians 15:32 as he was working through the implications of life if there is no resurrection from the dead. If this life truly is all there is, then mindless hedonism, grabbing as much pleasure as possible while living in the moment, is the only reasonable course.

Isaiah 22:14

The response from the Lord is solemn and terrifying: “This iniquity will not be wiped out for you people as long as you live” (v. 14). It’s as though God says this is an unforgivable sin. The wrath of God will be poured out, and there will be no atonement. But why such a terrifying response from our loving and forgiving God? Certainly it is true that no sin is so great that it cannot be covered, given the infinite value of the shed blood of Jesus Christ. But the real issue has to do with how God works salvation in sinful hearts. God calls on sinners to repent and provides the means of grace by which sinners can avail themselves ultimately of the finished work of Christ on the cross. But if instead of repentance and faith the sinners harden their hearts and go exactly the opposite direction, if they party instead of mourning, there is no other way of salvation available.

Isaiah 22:15-25

The rest of the chapter shows a shift from the national warning he gives a century and a half ahead of time to an individual warning given to a man who lived in Isaiah’s time. God’s Word covers the entire range of human experience, from the global to the individual. Global issues arise from the tendencies of individual human hearts. The universe is made up of atoms. So human history is made up of individuals.

In verses 15-25 God addresses the sinful selfishness of a specific man, Shebna, the palace steward, who had arrogantly misused the prerogatives of his office to carve out a privileged place for himself, including a luxurious crypt where he would ultimately (so he supposed) be buried with full honors. Instead, Isaiah prophesies that he would lose his position of power and be hurled to die in a foreign land. In his place God would raise up a faithful and godly official, Eliakim son of Hilkiah (v. 20). God would clothe Eliakim with Shebna’s robe and sash and install him in power to serve God’s people in Jerusalem and Judah (v. 21). But then this prophecy soars above Eliakim, for God promises to place on his shoulder the key to the house of David: “What he opens, no one can close; what he closes, no one can open.” God will establish this man as a firm peg for his father’s house, and everything will hang on him—all the descendants of his father’s house (vv. 23-24). But even he will be sheared away (v. 25) when he also dies.

These verses show the relationship between actual leaders in Judah’s history and the ultimate fulfillment in Christ. Judahite history was made up of godless leaders, like those in verses 1-14 and Shebna, as well as of godly, capable leaders, like Eliakim. But ultimately, good and bad will all be sheared away, and all that will be left is Jesus Christ, the King of kings and Lord of lords. The words of verse 22 are ascribed to the resurrected and glorified Christ in Revelation 3:7. He is the one who holds the key; what he opens, no one can close; and what he closes, no one can open. Unlike any human leader (good or bad), now that Christ has risen from the dead, he cannot die again. He is an infinitely strong peg that can never be sheared away. Everything hanging on Christ will be held securely for all eternity.

The strongest application of this chapter is for the people of God to learn how to mourn for sin and how to trust fully in Christ. Mourning for sin is never easy, but it is truly part of the Holy Spirit’s work in us as we continue to struggle with sin. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to be happy, to celebrate, to eat and drink and be merry. But when God calls on us to mourn, we must not party instead. Many Christians, under conviction of sin, try to take a shortcut back to God: a quick prayer, a brief bowing of the head, a shallow promise never to do it again. But in many cases God is calling us to a far deeper work of mourning and trusting. James 4:9 was written to Christian people to “be miserable and mourn and weep.” Sometimes that is the healthiest thing a person can do. Ask God to search you and know you and show you if there is any deep-seated sin pattern that is destroying your life. When the Spirit reveals it to you, do not go too quickly on to happy feelings. Ultimately, trust in Jesus, the firm foundation for your life. Hang everything on him, and he will never let you go.