Isaiah 22:15-25 – Under New Management
When we look at the power and the might of these different nations whom God has said He would destroy – to many people this would seem to be unbelievable. The first part of chapter 22 speaks of something happening 150 years in the future. It would be tempting not to trust that God would do such a thing. Well, in these verses God is providing a prophecy of something that would happen immediately. It would be something very obvious to all people of God living in the land of God. And it has to do with this man Shebna.
Shebna is a foreigner. How do we know that? Because this is not a Hebrew name. He’s a rather high government official. Shebna is over all the house of Hezekiah, a heathen man, an ungodly man, managing everything for a godly king. This should not be. He’s ambitious. God sends Isaiah right to him while he is building his tomb in amongst the tombs of the kings. Isaiah says to him, what do you think you’re doing? What right do you have to be here? He was presumptuous and proud. He was where he didn’t belong.
Shebna is completely deposed from office. He’s cast forth from the land in banishment, back to wherever his homeland is. He’s getting literally thrown away. Why did this happen? Well, because first, he’s not truly part of the people of God. He’s a proud heathen. We see as well in verse 18 of our text that he badly administered things. He was looking out for himself, looking out for his own name, looking out for his own power, looking to line his own pockets. The picture here in the last verse is of a peg in the wall that holds things up, failing – and everything crashes to the ground. That is exactly what happened with Shebna.
In contrast to him, we have Eliakim. He truly is of the covenant people of God. He is called by God ‘my servant’. Being raised to power, he receives great authority. He shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah, a magistrate, a political leader, a civil ruler who cares for the people and looks after their needs, and does not think about how he will become grand, how he will become powerful, how he will become rich. He will be fastened as a peg in a secure place, no longer a place that can fall. This change of course is brought about by the Lord Jesus Christ, and it is a change brought in grace.
Question
- What was Shebna like?
- What was Eliakim like?
Prayer Points
- Pray for the preaching and hearing of God’s Word tomorrow.
- Use prayer points from your congregation.
- Pray for family matters.