Take your Bibles with me this morning, the book of Isaiah. We are barreling our way through this. I bump into people all the time, they go, hey, what are you preaching on? I'm going, Isaiah. And they look at me like, really? Really, you're going to preach to Isaiah? And we're going like, yeah, we are. We are, and we're learning much. We're learning a great deal through it. We get to catch wonderful glimpses of Jesus, all right? And today, don't be surprised if you see Jesus popping in again. This is so, so good. Look with me, chapter 22, Isaiah chapter 22. If you need a copy of scriptures, just look in the pew in front of you, grab that black book, and you can take that home with you. We'll supply others. But let's listen carefully to the words of Isaiah, the words of God this morning. This is an oracle concerning Jerusalem. So much of the scriptures that we read today, we're preaching to Jerusalem, all right? We're gonna keep preaching to Jerusalem today, all right? The oracle concerning the valley of vision. What do you mean that you have gone up, all of you, to the housetops? You who are full of shoutings and tumultuous city, exultant town, you're slain, are not slain with the sword or dead in battle. All your leaders have fled together without the bow. They were captured. All of you were found, were captured, though they had fled far away. Therefore I said, look away from me. Let me weep bitter tears. Do not labor to comfort me concerning the destruction of the daughter of my people. For the Lord God of hosts has a day. a day of tumult and trampling and confusion in the valley of vision, a battering down of walls and a shouting to the mountains. And Elam bore the quiver whose chariots and horsemen and cur uncovered the shield. Your choice's valleys were full of chariots, and the horsemen took their stand at the gates. He has taken away the covering of Judah. In that day you looked to weapons of the house of the forest, and you saw the breaches of the city of David were many. You collected the waters of the lower pool, and you counted the houses of Jerusalem, and you broke down the houses to fortify the wall. You made a reservoir between the two walls for the water of the old pool, but you did not look to him who did it, or see him who planned it long ago. In that day, the Lord of Hosts called for weeping and mourning, for baldness and for wearing sackcloth, and behold, joy and gladness, killing oxen and slaughtering sheep, eating flesh and drinking wine. Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. The Lord of Hosts has revealed himself in my ears. Surely this iniquity will not be atoned for until you die, says the Lord of Hosts. Thus says the Lord God of hosts, Come, go to this steward, to Shebna, who is over the household, and say to him, What have you to do here? And whom have you here, that you have cut out here a tomb for yourself, you who cut out a tomb on the height and carve a dwelling place for yourself in the rock? Behold, the Lord will hurl you away violently, O you strong man. He will seize firm hold on you and throw you like a ball into a wide land. There you shall die, and there shall be your glorious chariots, your shame of your master's house. I will thrust you from your office and you will be pulled down in your station. In that day I will call my servant Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah, and I will clothe him with your robe and will bind your sash on him. and will commit your authority to his hand. And he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to the house of Judah. And I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David. He shall open and none shall shut. He shall shut and none shall open. And I will fasten him like a peg in a secure place. And he will become a throne of honor to his father's house. and they will hang on him the whole honor of his father's house, the offspring and issue every small vessel from the cups to the flagons. In that day, declares the Lord of Hosts, the peg that was fastened in a secure place will give way, and it will be cut down and fall, and the load that was on it will be cut off, for the Lord of Hosts has spoken. You kind of listen to that and you go like, what on earth is going on? So let's talk about it, all right? If you visit certain sites on YouTube, you can find a collage of funny things that happen at a major league baseball game. It's my understanding that sometime back at a Detroit Tiger game, a squirrel somehow got on the field and was running back and forth, right field to left field, right field to left field. Now understand, there were many people who would have been happy to help that squirrel and set it free. But the problem was, the squirrel would not permit anyone to help it. As a result, the squirrel literally ran itself into a tizzy until it flopped over in utter exhaustion. This, my friend, was the same problem with Israel. She'd been running through this world on her own as if she doesn't need any help, at least not from God. And there's this wonderful God who had promised and covenanted with her that he would help them, he would help her to grow and become the people of God. but she simply will not turn to him for help, but simply trusts in herself. I mean, this matter of self-dependency will be a big reason why she will find herself in trouble. Its cause is a very real blindness of the heart. Isaiah 22 is a warning to Jerusalem. portraying this city and calling it the Valley of Vision, a place supposed to be filled with spiritual insight, but now clouded by blindness, by pride, and self-indulgence. The people, instead of turning to God in repentance in the middle of great crisis, trust in their own defenses and indulge themselves in very fatalistic partying. The chapter points us and points them to humanity's deep need for a righteous, unshakable leader, ultimately, that will be fulfilled only through Christ the Messiah. Isaiah has spent time spelling out the judgment of God upon the Gentile nations all around them. Why? For their refusal to hear God and obey, and now it's Judah's turn. And ultimately, sin is a universal reality. God's judgment is upon all humanity who will simply not see God as the God that he is. They're spiritually blind. Now this is a lesson for all of us here this morning. Our physical eyesight is very important in our world, but spiritual eyesight is an eternal problem. It certainly affects our lives in this world, but oh my, the effects of spiritual blindness in eternity is undeniable. And here's the point of this text. Spiritual blindness leads to national and personal disaster. Spiritual blindness leads to national and personal disaster. This persistent blindness, I think, is a code word for a heart who is closed off to God's will and God's glory, but insists on its own way. We may, today, in this building, have people here who are spiritually blind. They hear, they're around the Word of God, we're just saying the Word of God, and yet in their hearts there's this wall up that does not want God's glory seen in their lives, they want their own way. And the result of such living leads only to eternal death, the judgment of God. So my friend, listen carefully today, will you see God? And will you hear this morning? Notice, first of all, the danger of spiritual blindness. We see this in verses one through four. Now understand what's going on here. So far, Isaiah has pronounced judgments on Babylon twice, Assyria, Assyria, not Syria, Assyria, Moab, Damascus, Cush, Egypt, Philistia, Edom, and Arabia. And much of what he spoke to these other countries was no doubt also intended for the ears of God's people, the people in Judah. Judah was meant to tremble, for she often resembled the heathen more than the covenant people of God. And it's like the word that Jesus speaks to the church in Ephesus in Revelation 2, verse five. Listen carefully. He says, remember the height from which you have fallen. Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place. I think in many ways the church in America, God has removed the lampstand from its effectiveness. Why? I think because much of what we're talking about here, it's a refusal to submit to the godness of God. Remember all that God has accomplished for us through Christ? It's one of the surest ways of gaining a better vision and seeing how God really works his grace in our lives. So Isaiah now turns his attention to Judah, of all people. It's an oracle. It's a burden that Judah was here to see. The title of this oracle is The Message Concerning the Valley of Vision. Now, this is not the book of Puritan prayers. that we're familiar with. I'm not sure why they chose the title for that. I'm not sure why they did that. Because it's not a good title here. So there's probably something that I'm missing as to why they chose that and called the Valley of Vision. This is not that book. But Isaiah's clearly speaking to and speaking of Jerusalem. You say, how do you know that? Look at verse nine quickly. You see the word there? The city of David, that's Jerusalem. Look at verse 10. He says, you collected the waters of the lower pool, and you counted the houses of Jerusalem. This is speaking to Jerusalem. Jerusalem was on a mountain. We've been there, and it does set up. I mean, you kinda, where you are, you just look, and you see Jerusalem sitting up on this mountain. So you would go like, so why call it a valley of vision? Well, unlike the Gentile nations, Jerusalem was where people did have the answers. I mean, they had direct access to God. And this is where they supposedly had a true vision of the future. But where God's people, but, excuse me, were God's people really clear-sighted in their spiritual condition? No, they weren't. Their eyes were on the wrong things. They were looking to their own resourcefulness. They were not looking to their own strategy, or they were giving themselves to their own strategy and scheming. But look at verse 11, and God clarifies this for us in verse 11. He says, you make a reservoir between the two walls for the water of the old pool, but you did not look to him who did it. or see him who planned this long ago. Ironically, that's why Isaiah calls it not the mountain of vision, but the valley of vision. The valley is a dark time in life. Lo, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, Psalm 23, four tells us. The other name of Jerusalem is Mount Zion, but it now has become a valley. Not because of any physical earthly movement, but because of their own spiritual blindness. So verse one sets us, sets the stage very well. And notice if you will see this this morning, Jerusalem celebrates while death looms. You see that in verse one? He says, what do you mean? What have you gone up, all of you, to the housetops? You who are full of shoutings, tumultuous city, exultant town. Isaiah gives us a description that is a bit cryptic, and there are differing viewpoints to exactly what particular time Isaiah's pointing to. And I don't want us to spend time guessing on this, but I want us to stop and pause just a little bit to see the bigger picture. It seems as though there was either a war that just ended, or there's a temporary ceasefire, or they are actually in the middle of a siege. Surrounded, perhaps like when the King Assyrius of Nacharib in 2 Kings 18 had been miraculously turned away from the gates of Jerusalem by God in 701 B.C. His armies had surrounded the city. He retreated after the angel of the Lord literally came in and decimated, knocking out thousands and thousands of them. And so the people of Judah rejoice in this raucous celebration that we see. In verse one, Isaiah exposes them, and the picture is not pretty. The city is filled with tumult and revelry, a city of laughter and lust, of eating and drinking and making merry. What should have been the faithful city that Zechariah 8.3 talks about, Jerusalem, was now the party city. Judah creates their own world by forgetting God. It's almost as if they sit there and all the nations around them are at war and Judah sits there and goes, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la. I'm not hearing a thing, I'm not hearing a thing. I don't see anything, I don't hear anything. And then verses two and three unfold what Isaiah sees now. And it speaks of a coming judgment of God on Jerusalem. Just like the Gentile nations. What they should have learned from the Gentile nations, Judah was having nothing of it. Under the wrath of God, it would become a dead city. And Isaiah sees what they conveniently don't see. And he points this out to them. They are filled with tumult and revelry. a city of laughter, and death awaits for them in the near future because of their unbelief. But instead, what do they do? They party. And so what he sees as a prophet is that in the future, in the streets of the city, there will be the scattered corpses of those who died, not by the sword, but they die, perhaps, of food shortages and famine. because of the coming siege. Not because they courageously fought, but under the wrath of God, God begins to liquefy, as it were, this group of people. And they didn't give their lives as fellow citizens, but they ended up being killed in battle. No, you see, my friend, there's nothing heroic to celebrate about what they do here. It's just a long, slow starvation and humiliation. So why is everyone here so happy? Also, notice that they don't even have true leaders as a nation. Look at verse three. All your leaders have fled together. Without the bow, they were captured. It didn't even take Someone with a bow they were just simply overrun And these leaders don't defend the people that they were in charge to protect but they were cowards Who ran away from the enemies who were besieging the gates of their nation? They didn't stand with their people This was not a time for revelry And yet that's what they were doing My, what a commentary on what churches, even here in the United States, do week after week where they party and revelry. Don't have to face it. Don't talk about sin. Don't talk about spiritual battles. Don't talk about defeat. Let's talk about just having a good time. And what does Isaiah do? Isaiah's response to this is telling. Isaiah mourns. Look at verse four, therefore I said look away from me, let me weep bitter tears. The people are oblivious to what is really going on. They don't see, they don't comprehend. They're completely blind to what God is doing. How should they have responded? Well you can't read this passage without understanding there needs to be weeping and mourning here. Isaiah looked ahead to the coming day of reckoning, a day when God would not spare them. In verse four, therefore I said, look away from me, let me weep bitter tears. Do not labor to comfort me concerning the destruction of the daughter of my people. I mean, these are harsh-toned words. Isaiah was looking ahead to the day when the Babylonians would finish the job. We know in history that that actually does happen. Isaiah refuses to take part in the festivities. He's not lighthearted about this. He's deeply affected by what he sees, and he knows the true spiritual blindness of God's people, and in his distress, he wants to be left alone to grieve. Now, we know what this is like, don't we? Let's be honest. I mean, there are times when we're sad, and we hope someone will perhaps notice and maybe reach out, But there are other times when our sadness is so profound that we don't want anyone to know. We don't want to hear pat answers about why we shouldn't be so gloomy. Let me weep bitter tears. This is how deep his concern is for them. How strong and intense are the affections of his heart for his people and their current and looming crisis. He is not emotionally indifferent or cold. He is burdened for them and weeps for them because they won't weep. But notice secondly, notice secondly, is there something going on? I'm kinda noticing things, all right? I think we're okay. Security's on it. All right? Whatever it is, we're good. All right, good. All right. Thank you. We got a good team of guys that just really help. All right, so. Notice secondly, and I want you to understand this. Notice the danger of misplaced trust. And we see this in verses five through 14. There's a lot in here. We won't be able to get to all of it. But behind the catastrophe that's coming, behind these geopolitical movements was the hand of God. Did you see this in verse five? Look at verse five. For the Lord God of hosts has a day. God has a day of tumult and trampling and confusion. So you got humanity kind of having a day in the first four verses, and then you have God having a day. Look at verse eight. He has taken the covering off of Judah. He has revealed how things are really in Judah. God's people had turned away from him. They had attracted the wrath of God. But at the very heart of humanity is worship. We are people designed by God to worship. And if we refuse to worship the one true God, then we are destined to create our own idols. And here, they worship the God of their own ingenuity, their creativity. It's a thundering warning for each of us today, if we will just hear. Verse five, the Lord of the armies will have a day, and it will be unlike any other day, especially a different day from verse one. The noise will be different, tumult, trampling, and confusion, the battering of walls, and the shouting to the mountains. Why are they shouting to the mountains? Because of the terror of the reign of God's fury. Who else are you going to yell to in such fury? And once again, we're looking, I think, at the final day when Christ returns. But here there will be a day in their very new future where Babylon will come and completely decimate the walls of Jerusalem. And their walls will crumble like powder. But why, you ask? Because of Judah's misplaced trust. and you did not look to him who planned it, verse 11. So let's look at this because God is very clear to take away the cover and we see something about how this played out. Notice the man-made idols of weapons, walls, and water. Do you see this in verse eight through 11? As you read through this, look at verse eight. He has taken away the covering of Judah. In that day, you looked to the weapons of the house of the forest, you saw the breaches in the walls of the city of David, you collected waters. You see this? Let's take this apart, all right? This is Romans 1.25 language. where they exchange the truth about God for a lie, and they worship the created rather than the creator. This is the true test of faith, by the way. In a crisis, where do we go? What do we look at in a crisis? Well, what do they do? Well, the first thing they do in verses eight through 11 is they engage in activism. Come on, let's get busy. We've got to do this work ourselves. So we see, notice the things that kind of seem to get out of hand in verse eight. They go to water, they go to walls, and then they go back to water again. And Isaiah conveys their frantic activity because it's a doing religion. You take God out of the picture, humanity has to do. And so that's what they do. Nothing speaks to where we expect to find our hope when our first impulse is to look at the duty of our own hands. And so what do you see in verses eight through 11? You see action verbs. And they give a picture of constant hustle and bustle of human effort. Notice seven times you see the words you. Do you see this? Listen to this. In that day, you look to the weapons. and you saw the breaches of the city, and you collected the waters of the lower pool, and you counted, and you broke, and you made a reservoir between the two walls of the water and the old pool. Those are the things that you got busy doing. Isaiah says they looked with confidence toward their weapon stockpile. Oddly enough, you could track this all the way back to the days of Solomon, where they took weapons of warfare, built a, it's almost like they built a warehouse, and they filled that warehouse in case there would be time when they would need it. So now in their crisis, they choose that path, not relying upon God, but upon self-reliance. And notice also they saw breaches and gaps in the walls of the city of David, which were many. And so what do they do? They run to those gaps and they begin to fix them. The city walls were their defenses. So they first see all the needs to be done, what their hands can repair and build and make, and they need to get busy doing it. Verse 9, notice this, where he begins to talk to us about, you saw the breaches, you collected waters of the lower pool. What's that talking about? Well, Jerusalem's main source of water was the Gihon Spring outside the city walls. It ran along an above-ground channel, which meant that their water supply was very vulnerable to the enemy. If an army surrounded them, they could cut off that faucet very quickly. So they made this reservoir between two walls for the water of the old pool. They cut out an underground tunnel over a third of a mile long through solid rock. You say, how did they do that? I have no idea. I can't imagine what that took, the work that it took. I mean, this is something you can still see in Jerusalem today. We missed it when we were there. I think it was because they were working on it or something, I can't remember why we missed it. But it was like, we couldn't go to it. I was like, oh, I really wanted to see this. Because it's a massive undertaking. And it's quite an incredible engineering achievement. Because they started from each end, and they perfectly met in the middle. You say, how'd they do that? I have no idea. They didn't have the stuff that we had, you know, probably someone standing over ground going like, oh, I think I hear them, I think I hear them. And they'll go like, no, no, no, that's not them. Surely that is, but they meet in the middle. How does that happen? God did it. But the problem was that all their busyness, all their efforts, listen, they ignore God. Let me read verse 11 to you again. You made a reservoir between the two walls for the water of the old pool, but you did not look to him who did it, or see him who planned it long ago. My friend, how much do we do day after day after day, and we have no idea that God's sovereignty is at work. We don't bring God in on the picture at all. God is never the reason for anything, how it happens. It's always, I did this, I did this, I did this. And this is what he's pointing out to. So not only are they in activism, but we see secondly they engage in escapism. Now I know in this room, nobody does this. Nobody does this, right? None of us seek escapes from the work of God. But verse 13, notice what they say. And behold, joy and gladness, killing oxen, slaughtering sheep, eating flesh and drinking wine, live it up. Why? Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. They knew something was up. But it didn't matter. This is not faith in God. This is idol worship. Idol worship and faith in God do not ever coexist. They're not compatible. It's one or the other. It's all look what we have done. It's all first person theology. But then notice what God says. And this is stunning. Look at verse 14. For the Lord of hosts has revealed himself in my ears. Surely this iniquity will not be atoned for until you die. God declares their sin will not be forgiven. And for God's people, the unpardonable sin is purely unbelief. 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? I mean certainly it is true that no sin is so great that it cannot be covered, giving the infinite value of the shed blood of Jesus. But the real issue has to do with how God works salvation in sinful hearts. God calls on sinners to repent, and he provides the means of grace by which sinners can avail themselves ultimately to the finished work of Christ on the cross. But if instead of repentance and faith, they harden their hearts and they go exactly the opposite direction, Yahweh calls for weeping and mourning, yet they continue partying. And if you'll notice, three times, in verses 12, 13, and 14, three times, it says the Lord God of hosts. This is the highest name for God. This is the name for God that you don't play games with. God is serious about this. How can God, use his wrath to open the eyes of these people so that they will see that only God is God. And this is the important last point that I want you to see, because God actually does this. And he does this through an illustrated contrast between blindness and actually seeing. And we see this in verses 15 through 25. The rest of the chapter shows a shift from the national warning Isaiah gives a century and a half ahead of time. He shifts from that warning, powerful warning, a century and a half ahead of time. Do you think that's long enough? He gives an individual warning given to a man who actually lived in Isaiah's time. Isaiah would have known and Judah would have known this guy named Shebna. God's word covers the entire range of human experience. Understand this. From the global all the way to the individual. Global issues arise from the tendencies of individual human leaders and as leadership goes, so goes followership. And here's a living contrast to all that were alive that day, they would be able to watch as if it was on television and see it. So notice first of all, one man's life of personal gain, Shebna. We don't hear of the guy, we don't really even know who he is, but we learn something very powerful about his life in verses 15 through 19. Notice if you would, thus says the Lord of Hosts, come, go to this steward, to Shebna, who is over the household, and say to him, what have you to do here? Leaders are supposed to be men of vision, who are able to see problems in the nation and then know that these need to be handled to see a path forward. And yet this man only has eyes for his own interests. Listen carefully this morning. He's focused entirely on building a monument for himself, trying to preserve his own lasting reputation for generations to come, all the while neglecting the many important matters of state that he should be focused on. Shebna is the palace steward, and Isaiah must go and confront him directly. This, my friend, is not easy. It's not a comfortable spot to be in. But it's often the job of God's prophets. This man had one of the highest ranking positions in the government of Judah, second only to the king. And he says in verse 16, what in the world are you doing? Building a grand tomb for yourself for your own lasting honor. You see, my friend, his eyes are on the wrong things. He's a self-serving, important person who's looking out for himself. He should be more concerned about fulfilling the responsibilities of his office, acting in the interest of his people that he serves, providing vision for their future. Instead, he's only planning for his own death, his own memory. And notice what God says. He says, you've cut out a tomb here for yourself. You who cut out a tomb on the height and carve a dwelling for yourself in the rock, behold, the Lord will hurl you away violently. Oh, you strong man. The irony. Such a strong man and God will just like, no. He'll hurl him. You see, he does so because he fails to see beyond the short-term, immediate future as it affects his own reputation. He's not living for that day, he's only living for today. And God promises to remove him. You see, leaders are stewards, they're not owners. Prideful self-promotion invites God's reproof So God replaces him. This too is a lesson that God intends for them. As one historian said, when little men seek to cast long shadows, it is a sign that the sun is setting. That's what's happening here. The sun is setting upon Judah. But then, It's almost as if there's this little crack of smile that ends up on Isaiah's face through all this turmoil. And after Shemna gets quite viciously removed, there's this little man called Eliakim. In verses 20 through 25, look if you would. Notice what it says. In that day, it's always in that day, I will call my servant Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah. And right there, you can see there's this turning, as it were. From self-serving to in that day, there's a following of God. And what we learn here is five very quick points of what a true Christ-exalting leader looks like. Are you ready for this? Quickly, just five. One, true leaders are servants of God. Verse 20, in that day I will call my servant Eliakim. There's something in that relationship with Eliakim and God that is he would not be self-serving, not seeking his own honor, not his own will or promoting himself, only to seek the honor of God's name and to do his will. Now you begin to perhaps see a little glimpse of the Messiah. I have come not to do my own will, but to do the will of my Father. Look at verse 21. True leaders are fathers to the people they govern. Do you see that? I will clothe him with your robe, I will bind your sash on him. I'll commit your authority to his hand. I mean, the clothes befit the office, the actual governing power that those symbols indicated, but it says this, and he shall be a father. That is, in the Old Testament, leaders were not mothers. Sorry, mothers on Mother's Day. That's not the analogy that's used here. A leader is called to be a father. And what Shebna failed to be, Eliakim will be. That's why the contrast is here. That's why the promise of the true king, spoken in Isaiah 9, 6, is that this Messiah will be what? An everlasting father. the kind of leader his people need, who will never abandon or forsake them, but will always provide for them, protect them because of his sacrificial love for them. What a stark contrast between Eliakim and Shebna. What a stark contrast between any human being and the Messiah, the God man, Jesus. Thirdly, true leaders act in the interest of the king. They serve the king. Verse 22, I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David. This is a large wooden key that was carried over the shoulder, not a small piece of metal that would fit in your pocket like ours are today. What this conveys, importantly, is a weighty God-given responsibility. In other words, he will carry the responsibility that God has given to him. And the key controlled who would enter the palace to see the king. He says he shall open and none shall shut. He shall shut and none shall open. That, my friend, is the authority that was given to him to give access, to admit them, or to exclude them from the king's presence. Who else has words like that connected to them? Revelation 3, 7, speaking of Jesus, the words of the Holy One, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shut and no one's open. My goodness, we see clearly now. They didn't know that. They didn't have the book of Revelation. So this was very, very important. This is authority that exudes with confidence, that strengthens faith. Why? Because it's in God. Fourthly, true leaders bring security and stability. Look at verse 23. I will fasten him like a peg in a secure place. It's like this wooden peg driven firmly into a wall, immovable, secure, so that it would be able to bear the weight of whatever was hung on it. And this is a beautiful picture of how faithful, strong leaders provide stability to the people. And he will become a throne to honor his father's house. We have in our new shower one of those little suction pegs. Have you ever seen that where you hang washer eggs? You just turn a little screw like this, and it's a suction, and it goes on those tiles and just sucks right there, and it stays right on it until it falls off. So sometimes I go into the shower, and I go like, oh, the thing fell off again, so I have to put it back on. That's not how this is. This is a secure thing. It's secure because this person is reliable. And if you haven't begun to see this yet, who is this guy? He's the picture of what is to come in the Messiah. And finally, true leaders care. Look at verse 24. This is beautiful. He comes down to the very end, what he's saying here is, and they will hang on him the whole honor of his father's house, the offspring and issue every small vessel from the cups to all the flagons. How many of you've got flagons in your house? You do and you don't know you do. They're simply jars of clay. That's what a flagon is. But they could depend on this leader to take good care of even the smallest and most insignificant vessel, even the jars of clay. He doesn't neglect, he doesn't miss anything, he doesn't overlook even the most insignificant items under his care. Who can do that? Jesus, the Messiah. Now look at verse 25. This is what I want you to see. The peg that was fastened in a secure place, guess what? It gives way. They must have looked at that and going like, Every person that was born to the Jewish family, every male that was born to the Jewish family, could this be the Messiah? Could this be the Messiah? And Eliakim comes, demonstrates everything, but he fails at the end. Why? Because he's not the Messiah. But God placed Eliakim there to give these people hope that there can be good, true rulers because there is one coming. The point here is Eliakim could not possibly single-handedly save the nation, because after all, the best of men are men at best, and even he will be cut down and fall. Even the best leaders cannot bear the full weight of the government of God's people and kingdom. God's people need something far greater than Eliakim. If Judah rests their hope on this man believing that he can save them, they will be sorrowfully disappointed. What is their only hope? Isaiah's already told them. The coming king in David's line has already been promised in chapter nine, verse six. The government shall be upon his shoulders. He'll not fall. He'll not fail. He is our only hope of salvation. My friend, rivet your eyes on Christ alone. There's no time for spiritual blindness today. So don't look to human leaders to do what only God can do. Stop looking at our governments. Stop looking at world governments. Stop looking at your own ability to maneuver and manipulate in life. Stop. Trust in God. So the conclusion today, how is your personal eyesight? Who are you looking on? The first stop is to mourn over our sin. And God calls us people to a life of repentance and faith in Christ. How many of you this week stopped Pulled over and just repented from your sin. You saw your sin. Hopefully it bothered you. I responded very poorly to Cindy this week. Very poorly. And I had to say, I'm so sorry. That wasn't a good response. And it wasn't. God calls his people to a life of repentance and faith, not in human strength. Where do we turn when faced with difficulties, with crisis and dangers? The first stop is to mourn and turn our faces towards God, or we're gonna end up like that squirrel. Say, no, no, no, don't bother me, don't bother me. Secondly, God calls his people not to do, do, do, but believe, believe, believe. It's a total reverse. We do, we do, we do, we do, we do, because we don't believe, believe, believe. We feel like we must have some say somehow, somewhere. And God doing flows directly from God's work in us, God's presence in us. Christ is in us, and then Christ works through us. And the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness. Some of you tried to paste fruit to your branches this week. You tried to love perfectly, and you failed miserably. You tried to show peace perfectly. It had bottled neck in your life, and there was confusion all around you. Trust in God. Wait on Him. Thirdly, God calls his people to be aware of spiritual dangers around. Don't be blind. Don't be distracted by comfort and busyness of your life so that your heart is not resting on his perfect work on our behalf. And then finally, God calls his leaders to mimic Christ. Elders, deacons, dads, moms, you're called to mimic Christ. You have Christ in you, live Christ out of you. You have his perfect righteousness, depend on that. You're not going to get it perfectly. Your peg will fall. but there is a Redeemer, Jesus Christ, the perfect righteous, who is able to withstand the whole government of the entire universe on his shoulders because he's God. Rest in him this morning. Trust in him. Believe him. Pray with me this morning. Father in heaven, we need this message just as much as Judah did. We're so busy looking at all we do, all we do, all we do, all we do. Or we're coming up to create art camp. And we're trying to gather people who will do, and we need those doers. But are we going to God in prayer and faith and believing first? Anyone can pray. All of us can pray. All of us should be praying. So Father, be our God today. God, may we weep and mourn. May we own our sin. May we repent and turn from it. May we rush to the perfect one and trust him alone this morning. Thank you, Lord, for this word. Work it into our hearts. May Christ be honored and praised. In Jesus' name, amen.