Free Grace Women

Isaiah 22:14

By Micaela Manley

Intro

In Isaiah 22:14, the prophet records these strange words from the Lord: 

Then it was revealed in my hearing by the Lord of hosts, “Surely for this iniquity, there will be no atonement for you, even to your death,” says the Lord God of hosts. (NKJV)

What does it mean when the Lord says that there will be no atonement for the sin of Jerusalem? 

The majority of Christendom would say that the Lord is talking about salvation from the Lake of Fire. That the atonement of Christ would no longer cover the inhabitants of Jerusalem due to their great sin. The popular conclusion is that verse 14 of Isaiah chapter 22 must deal with the eternal state of the Jews and that they’d be forever separated from the Lord. 

This is very concerning as this interpretation would contradict the entirety of what the Bible teaches: that we are saved by grace through faith alone. The sacrifice of our Lord has made it possible for us to be saved. He removed the sin barrier so that no sin, no matter how big or small remains an obstacle to receive eternal life. 

The simple milk of the word verifies these truths in numerous passages, such as John 3:16, Ephesians 2:8-9, John 11:25-27.

Context

The content of this passage takes place prior to the siege of Jerusalem. The prophet Isaiah has been relaying God’s message to the nation, warning of the destruction that would soon come upon them if they refused to humble themselves before the Lord and repent. Yet, despite numerous admonitions, Judea chose not to heed the words of the Lord. Instead, they dug their feet in the ground of their sin, throwing a party in the face of God rather than showing remorse over their iniquity. Instead of seeking the Lord’s protective hand they relied on self-preservation yet took on a fatalistic attitude. This is seen in the verse leading up to v14, where the people are quoted saying:

“Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!” v13b

Their words revealed the callousness of their hearts. This also marks a shift in the Lord’s response. Since the people rejected His offer, there was no more opportunity for repentance, and Israel would have to learn the hard way. They would suffer the judgment of their sin, and the city would be sieged. 

Verse 14

Then it was revealed in my hearing by the Lord of hosts, “Surely for this iniquity there will be no atonement for you, even to your death,” says the Lord God of hosts. v14 

When taking a closer look at verse 14 it’s important we make some distinctions.

First, the word “death” in this verse is referring to literal physical death, not eternal damnation.

The city was about to be sieged and was in physical danger of being killed by the attacking nation. Second, the salvation here would then be the national deliverance of Israel from their enemies not individual deliverance from the Lake of Fire. Lastly, the atonement in view was specifically referring to animal sacrifices and had nothing to do with the sacrifice of Christ. The Lord was explaining that Israel would no longer have the opportunity to atone for their sin and restore fellowship using the sacrificial system of the Old Testament. Their fellowship and closeness with the Lord is what was at stake, not the offer of eternal life.

Conclusion/Application

When it comes to  Isaiah 22:14 we can learn a key truth about our sanctification.   Believers today can also reject the Lord’s grace and continue in open rebellion and sin. The Lord is merciful and gives us multiple chances to walk with Him.  However, if we harden our hearts towards him, He will eventually hand us over to our own destruction, and we can lose eternal rewards.

A New Testament example can be found in the book of Hebrews, where the author of Hebrews refers to Esau in chapter 12:16-17 saying: 

16 lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. 17 For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears. (NKJV)

Like in Isaiah 22:14, the context of this passage in Hebrews is describing the temporal consequences of disobedience, not eternal salvation. Esau is an example of someone who lived for the immediate gratification of a bowl of stew and thus lost his birthright. One can almost hear him cry out with the Israelites of Isaiah’s day, to “eat and drink.” Although he repented, the consequences of his actions were permanent. Not only are we running the risk of facing such consequences in this life, but we are running the risk of facing them in the next. The Lord promises to reward faithful believers at the time of His return. If we choose to turn our backs on Him now, we may lose the reward of ruling and reigning with Christ in the world to come. However, if we choose to follow the Lord in obedience and learn from the warnings given to us in Scripture, we can avoid having to learn the hard way and instead flourish in our Christian lives.