Isaiah 22:15-25

b. INSOLENT AGENT

TEXT: Isaiah 22:15-25

15

Thus saith the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, Go, get thee unto this treasurer, even unto Shebna, who is over the house, and say,

16

What doest thou here? and whom hast thou here, that thou hast hewed thee out here a sepulchre? hewing him out a sepulchre on high, graving a habitation for himself in the rock!

17

Behold, Jehovah, like a strong man, will hurl thee away violently; yea, he will wrap thee up closely.

18

He will surely wind thee round and round, and toss thee like a ball into a large country; there shalt thou die, and there shall be the chariots of thy glory, thou shame of thy lord's house.

19

And I will thrust thee from thine office; and from thy station shalt thou be pulled down.

20

And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah:

21

and I will clothe him with thy robe, and strengthen him with thy girdle, and I will commit thy government into his hand; and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah.

22

And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; and he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.

23

And I will fasten him as a nail in a sure place; and he shall be for a throne of glory to his father's house.

24

And they shall hang upon him all the glory of his father's house, the offspring and the issue, every small vessel, from the cups even to all the flagons.

25

In that day, saith Jehovah of hosts, shall the nail that was fastened in a sure place give way; and it shall be hewn down, and fall; and the burden that was upon it shall be cut off; for Jehovah hath spoken it.

QUERIES

a.

Who is Shebna?

b.

Whose house was he over?

c.

Who is Eliakim?

PARAPHRASE

The Lord, Jehovah of Heaven's armies, said to me, Go, find this insolent Shebna, the king's chief administrator, and say to him, Who do you think you are and what do you think you are doing by building this magnificent monument to remembrance? Who told you to perpetuate your memory in such a high-handed fashion as to have a burying place hewn out for yourself up among the kings? Look! Jehovah, the Strong One, will hurl you away with great force. Indeed, Jehovah will wind you up like threads are wound into a ball and throw you into a country of vast proportions. In this far off place you will die, you who have brought shame to your king, and all the power you gloried in shall become shame. Jehovah says, I will thrust you out of your office and pull you down from your high position. And then I will call My servant Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah, to replace you. I will give him your robes and I will turn over to him your office. He will humble himself before Me and be a real benefactor to the people of Jerusalem and Judah. I will give him authority in the king's government. Whatever he says will be done. He shall be second to none save the king himself. He will become a strong and steady support upon which much of the responsibility of government shall hang. There will be this danger for him. Many, especially all his family and relatives, will seek patronage, position and power from him. If he uses his office for nepotism or other forms of partiality, his office will crash down upon his head to the ruin of all those that sought to attach themselves to him, as well as to his own ruin. Jehovah has spoken!

COMMENTS

Isaiah 22:15-19 REJECTION: This treasurer or steward, which is a more literal rendering of the original language, one Shebna by name, was an outstanding example of the irreverence and insolence of many of the people. Over the house is an indication that Shebna was probably the king's chief of staff. He was the chief administrator of the king's governmental policies. Edward J. Young points out that this office was never legislated by God when the kingdom was begun under Saul and David. (Solomon seems to have had a chief steward (1 Kings 4:6). Why Isaiah was commanded to denounce him, publicly, by name, is not clear at first. Some commentators suggest he may have been leading the look-to-Egypt party which was such an abomination to Jehovah. Others suggest that he may have been an Aramaean (as the name Shebna hints) usurper who had worked his way into the government of the covenant people. However, God's main indictment appears to be that Shebna is exploiting his position and office for his own selfish aggrandizement and not to serve and be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem as Eliakim will (Isaiah 22:21). Shebna is oblivious to the needs of the people. He thinks his position is to be served rather than to serve. So he is having an expensive and prestigious burial vault hewn out for himself. He is even having it hewn out on high which probably means up where the kings are buried. This would be an especial irreverence toward God. The whole tenor of this chapter is to point out the almost complete disregard both the people and the leaders of Judah have for directing the kingdom in Jehovah's paths. Judah is almost totally immersed in its own plans and pleasures. Shebna is concerned only with perpetuating his own name and glorifying himself. These people are very little different from all those pagan nations which have come under the judgment of God in this section of Isaiah (Chapter s 13-23).

By way of later history we find Shebna appearing again (Isaiah 36:3; Isaiah 37:2). He is still holding office in the government but not nearly so high as over the house. Leupold points out that it is possible Shebna took this rebuke of Isaiah's to heart, was demoted, but still was found worthy to occupy a lower post of honor at court. Whatever the case, God brought him down.

Isaiah 22:20-25 REPLACEMENT: We also learn from Isaiah 36:3; Isaiah 36:22, etc. that Eliakim, son of Hilkiah, had become over the household. Eliakim was chosen by God to replace Shebna as chief of staff-' to the king. Eliakim was God's servant and a father to the people. He evidently fulfilled in a humble manner what the office was intended to fulfill. He was given an authority so graphically described as could be second only to that of the king himself. He was apparently a good administrator and a peg upon which much weight and responsibility of government was fastened. He was evidently trustworthy and stable.

Isaiah 22:24-25 appear to indicate that within a very short time Eliakim, the peg was hewn down. It is not necessary, however, to read these verses as having already happened. They may be read as conditional clauses (a construction that the Hebrew syntax very definitely allows) and then they become warnings for Eliakim concerning a danger that he will soon face in his new office. His relatives and friends shall swarm in upon him seeking special favors and patronage. If he yields to nepotism and partiality, his office will crash down upon his head to the ruin of all those that sought to attach themselves to him, as well as to his own ruin.

So, in spite of the fact that most of the people of Jerusalem and Judah were irreverently and insolently plunging headstrong in their own directions and violently using the kingdom of God to serve their own selfish ends, there were a few, like Eliakim, Hezekiah, Isaiah, and others, who hearkened to the call of Jehovah. While the majority demanded to be served, a faithful remnant surrendered to serve. None of them were perfect and sinless (e.g. Hezekiah, Isaiah). They were faithful. There is more joy in heaven over one sinner like Hezekiah and Isaiah who repents, than over ninety-nine who need no repentance.

QUIZ

1.

How important a figure was Shebna?

2.

Why was Isaiah told to pronounce God's judgment on Shebna?

3.

Where do we learn of Shebna other than this passage?

4.

Why was Eliakim called to replace Shebna?

5.

How great would Eliakim's power and influence be?

6.

What is the prophet's warning to Eliakim?