"The Lord, the Lord Almighty, has a day of tumult and trampling and terror in the Valley of Vision, a day of battering down walls and of crying out to the mountains." (Isaiah 22:5) Isaiah's words demonstrate that this calamity is from the Lord. We know from history that it was the Neo-Babylonian Empire which conquered Jerusalem and the kingdom of Judah but this could never have happened if the Lord had not allowed it. We will delve further into this subject as we move on through the books of the prophets, for the prophets will make it clear to us that it was for the sins of the people (idolatry and the corresponding descent into lawlessness) that the Lord allowed the nation to fall.
"Elam takes up the quiver, with her charioteers and horses; Kir uncovers the shield. Your choicest valleys are full of chariots, and horsemen are posted at the city gates." (Isaiah 22:6-7) Elam, a neighbor of the nation of Babylon, allied itself with Babylon according to historical sources. Kir is believed to have lain within that general area as well; it was either located within the borders of Babylon or was a neighboring city. Isaiah appears to foresee the soldiers of Elam and Kir taking up their bows and arrows and shields to advance toward Judah with the army of Babylon.
"The Lord stripped away the defenses of Judah, and you looked in that day to the weapons in the Palace of the Forest." (Isaiah 22:8) As the Babylonian army conquers more and more territories on its way toward Jerusalem, the people feel more and more vulnerable. The "Palace of the Forest" is likely the palace Solomon built with the fine cedars of Lebanon. An arsenal of weapons must have been stored there and the people evidently take an inventory of what is available to them for defense of the city.
They take steps to protect their water sources in case of siege and they take steps to strengthen the walls and to repair any breaks in the walls. "You saw that the walls of the City of David were broken through in many places; you stored up water in the Lower Pool. You counted the buildings in Jerusalem and tore down houses to strengthen the wall. You built a reservoir between the two walls for the water of the Old Pool, but you did not look to the One who made it, or have regard for the One who planned it long ago." (Isaiah 22:9-11)
Isaiah speaks of these events in the past tense, as if they have already happened, because he knows they will happen. The Lord has revealed His plans to Isaiah and Isaiah watches these events unfolding in the vision the Lord gave him, so to Isaiah it is as if the events have already taken place.
He states that the people do everything within human power to protect themselves, including protecting a vital source of water, but they do not do everything within their spiritual power: they do not call upon the One who created the water. They do not call upon the One who made them into a nation in the first place. They do not forsake idolatry and sinful living. They do not turn back to the living God in repentance.
The Lord promised the descendants of Jacob, before He ever brought them into the promised land, that no nation could ever stand before them if they would remain faithful to Him. He also said that they would not be able to stand before their enemies if they forsook Him for idols. Isaiah foresees them looking to idols and looking to the works of human hands to protect themselves from the invader---and all their precautions will be of no use. They have failed to make God the Lord of their lives. As King Solomon said: "Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain." (Psalm 127:1)
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