Isaiah 22: 22-25

²² “Then I will set the key of the house of David on his shoulder,
When he opens no one will shut,
When he shuts no one will open.
²³ “I will drive him like a peg in a firm place,
And he will become a throne of glory to his father’s house.

²⁴ So they will hang on him all the glory of his father’s house, 

offspring and issue, all the least of vessels, from bowls to all the jars.

²⁵ In that day,” declares the Lord of hosts, 

“the peg driven in a firm place will give way; 

it will even break off and fall, 

and the load hanging on it will be cut off, for the Lord has spoken.” 

We finish Isaiah Chapter 22 today, as well as the story of Eliakim--the man who takes over as "prime minister," as God changes up the leadership in the ruling government of Judah. The former head of the household, Shebna, received a demotion from God, and we marked his transition to scribe last time with an exchange of earthly wardrobe.

Our last passage of the chapter opens with Eliakim receiving a "key of the house of David." (vs. 22) While not a literal key, Eliakim did earn the privileges that went with all aspects of maintaining Jerusalem, shy of being the king himself. His garments suited his position, so he would be recognized as the man with that authority. But, more importantly, here, is the greater significance of his being chosen by God to fulfill this position. The phrasing used here in verse 22 is found in another location in the Bible:

"He who is holy, who is true, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens, says this...."

--Revelation 3:7

John captures the words of Jesus in Revelation, as He speaks to the church at Philadelphia. The weightiness of the responsibility says a lot about holding this particular key. God did not hand off His city, His people, to the next one in line. This was a sovereign choice.

In verse 23, we also see the security that Eliakim will enjoy in this position. Placed as a "peg in a firm place." This would not be a tent peg hammered into sand or soft ground that could be lifted up in a short time and moved to a new place. The simile is one of stability. Verse 24 follows this up saying "they will hang on him all the glory of his father’s house...." Eliakim would be responsible for the weightiest needs, the lightest needs, and all needs in between ("bowls and jars"). Shebna had the title and the robes, but he did little to show for having authority save to flaunt it. Eliakim would "become a throne of glory to his father’s house."

"He raises the poor from the dust,

He lifts the needy from the ash heap

To make them sit with nobles,
And inherit a seat of honor;

For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s,
And He set the world on them."

--I Samuel 2:8

"Note, Rulers should be fathers to those that are under their government, to teach them with wisdom, rule them with love, and correct what is amiss with tenderness, to protect them and provide for them, and be solicitous about them as a man is for his own children and family. It is happy with a people when the court, the city, and the country, have no separate interests, but all centre in the same...."

--Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible

As God would raise up Samuel, so he would call forth Eliakim and lead him as the head of King Hezekiah's house, and that of all Judah. And, for a time, there would be a shoring up of the leadership with its focus, again, placed on following the word of the Lord. But, Isaiah finishes the chapter on a downer, because the punishment due Judah is something that is still being hung on its neck, even if not on the peg of Eliakim. There is a time, says the Lord, when even the firmest pegs will be removed--"break off and fall." (vs. 25)

It was quite interesting to see Esther 9: 24 and 25 listed as the cross-reference verses for verse 25. This is a passage referring to the fall and death sentence of Haman, Persian King Ahasuerus' (Xerxes', in the Greek) right-hand man. Just this week, I had a conversation with my daughter over God's revenge or judgment upon a situation--how often does it happen that one sees His justice carried out on those who seemingly get away with murder. Haman was one of those guys who seemed to have figured out his king's system so well that he might have gotten away with wiping out the Jews. God's elaborate and incredibly unpredictable plan not only allowed His people to survive but also pulled the peg on any future exploits by Haman. God only knows what leaving Shebna in power might have meant for Judah.

But God's plans are always for the benefit of His people! This is a fact lost on all of us from time to time. His ways are unexplainable, unattainable, unbelievable--yet, "If God is for us, who is against us?...." (Romans 8:31)

"Our Lord Jesus, having the key of the house of David, is as a nail in a sure place, and all the glory of his father’s house hangs upon him, is derived from him, and depends upon him; even the meanest that belong to his church are welcome to him, and he is able to bear the stress of them all. That soul cannot perish, nor that concern fall to the ground, though ever so weighty, that is by faith hung upon Christ."

--Matthew Henry

Chapter 23: The Fall of Tyre. ....'Til next time!

Photo: ontheroad.biketravellers.com

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Next time:  Isaiah 23: 1-5
 
Note: I read from the New American Standard Bible translation,
specifically, The MacArthur Study Bible (NASB).
I will quote other sources if used in a post.
I also use Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible
(with notes from the King James Version).

Isaiah 22: 19-21

¹⁹ “I will depose you from your office,
And I will pull you down from your station.
²⁰ “Then it will come about in that day,
That I will summon My servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah,
²¹ And I will clothe him with your tunic
And tie your sash securely about him.
I will entrust him with your authority,
And he will become a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah.

Last week, we were introduced to Shebna, who was a steward and head of the royal household to King Hezekiah in Judah. God called Isaiah to prophesy against him, as the steward had let his position get the best of his head and his service. This week, we start reading about the process of Shebna's outplacement.

In verse 19, we read that Shebna will be deposed from his office. Original word meanings for 'depose' include to put away, to put down, to put aside; a laying down, disposal, or burying. (Online Etymology Dictionary) When you expand 'depose,' you get 'deposition,' which also gives us the idea of a testimony--a putting down or laying down of your word. Isaiah brought Shebna the news that he would be deposed. He would lose his place of position within Hezekiah's administration. If we agree with the historical data that suggest Shebna had a correspondence (with evil intent) relationship with Assyria's Sennacherib, then we might also say that Isaiah was calling him to dispose of his deposition: "Your testimony is no longer desired here."

"High places are slippery places; and those are justly deprived of their honour that are proud of it and puffed up with it, and deprived of their power that do hurt with it. God will do it, who shows himself to be God by looking upon proud men and abasing them, Job 40:11, 12."

--Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible

This was said last week, but is important to reiterate: The 'I' in the "pulling down" of Shebna is not Isaiah, not even really Hezekiah, but God. Scripture doesn't tell us how Shebna rose to his office nor--outside of building a royal tomb for himself--what other things he might have done to earn a call from the nation's prophet with his demotion papers. But, Scripture does tell us that God is not too far away to act in circumstances that grieve Him, and pride is one of those sins that He speaks of and deals with swiftly in His people.

"All the trees of the field will know that I am the Lord; I bring down the high tree, exalt the low tree, dry up the green tree and make the dry tree flourish. I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will perform it."

--Ezekiel 17:24

Then, verse 20, there is a new calling announced: Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah, will be summoned to step forward and take Shebna's place. Note the use of "My servant" in the passage. Again, this is not Hezekiah making an appointment, but God saying that, "in that day," "My servant" will be called. A man of God's own choosing.

As we move into verse 21, you might imagine a look of anguish on Shebna's face--his hands over his ears, as he cannot believe what he is hearing. Isaiah is not finished speaking, as he not only deposes but disrobes Shebna in a physical representation of his slippery slope down and out of office. First, he takes his tunic, which was the basic garment for all men--though likely of finer quality given Shebna's position. Eliakim gets that. Then, Shebna's sash--a symbol of high position--was to be tied firmly around Eliakim. Finally, the words: "I entrust him with your authority," which can be more literally translated as "rule," and "he will become a father" to the nation.

Can you see Shebna, perhaps standing before his in-construction lofty final resting place, hearing that it was all going to be taken from him? No position. No authority. Certainly, no side benefits. No legacy outside of what Isaiah would capture in Scripture. Recall that Shebna is not fired, but demoted. He would be a scribe, part of Eliakim's supporting staff. But, that was a long way to fall in the scheme of things back in the day.

"When they called to the king, Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebnah the scribe and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder, came out to them."

--II Kings 18:18 (meeting Sennacherib's representatives at the gates of Jerusalem)

It's not an "official" cross-reference passage, but in all this talk about clothing, I couldn't help but recall Jesus' appearance before Pilate. Jesus did not don a fancy tunic, nor the sash of an official to the king. In mocking Him, the soldiers placed on Jesus a purple robe and a crown of thorns. The King of the Jews certainly didn't dress like one. Nor did He lord His authority over them. This is a concept Shebna did not understand. Not only did clothes not make the man, but authority is not self-made.

"So Pilate said to Him, 'You do not speak to me? Do You not know that I have authority to release You, and I have authority to crucify You?'  

Jesus answered, 'You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above....'"

--John 19: 10 and 11a

What was Shebna's downfall would be a quality seen in Eliakim that would redeem the integrity of the office, as well as signify him as a type of Christ (more on that next time). The more Shebna tried to mold himself into an authority figure, using all the external, worldly items at his disposal (!), the closer he found himself to earning God's displeasure and, ultimately, permanent displacement. God spoke the word Himself to His people: "You shall have no other gods before me." (Exodus 20:3). Jesus would echo the same principle: "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth." (Matthew 28: 18, emphasis mine) Jesus didn't have all authority until His Father gave it to Him.

Do we see in Whom lies control of our lives?! 

"God undertakes the doing of it, not only because he would put it into the heart of Hezekiah to do it, and his hand must be acknowledged guiding the hearts of princes in placing and displacing men (Proverbs 21:1--"The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it wherever He wishes."), but because the powers that are, subordinate as well as supreme, are ordained of God."

--Matthew Henry

 

Official Study Break! Then, we close out Chapter 22. ....'Til next time!

Photo: www.forbes.com

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Next time:  Isaiah 22: 22-25
 
Note: I read from the New American Standard Bible translation,
specifically, The MacArthur Study Bible (NASB).
I will quote other sources if used in a post.
I also use Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible
(with notes from the King James Version).

Isaiah 19: 23-25

²³ In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, 
and the Assyrians will come into Egypt and the Egyptians into Assyria, 
and the Egyptians will worship with the Assyrians.
²⁴ In that day Israel will be the third party with Egypt and Assyria, 
a blessing in the midst of the earth,  
²⁵ whom the Lord of hosts has blessed, saying, 
“Blessed is Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, 
and Israel My inheritance.”

Hello! Happy New Year!

I think I have finally come to the full understanding that scheduling this blog to run through the Advent season is CRAZY! The opportunities I have for worship, service and fellowship are so numerous in December, because of the uniqueness of the season (and me, being a seasonal musician). It leaves very little time for quality study or writing. If you catch me scheduling blog posts for mid- to late-December in 2014, call me on it. It's not going to happen! Celebrating Jesus' coming (again and again) is always going to take precedence. Thanks for your patience as I get back to it....

It is too bad that I didn't finish off Isaiah Chapter 19 before Christmas, though. It would have made starting Chapter 20 in the New Year more appropriate. Alas to that, yet this is a wonderfully hope-filled passage with which to ring in 2014.

Take a look back on the posts from Chapter 19. Recall that we are talking about Egypt. God has outlined a period of great difficulty in His discipline of the nation. As we reach these last verses, we see the tremendously encouraging news that there is a new hope promised for Egypt--"in that day." (vs. 1) When Christ comes to reign, the world is going to be a very different place--the hope to carry all of us through this year ahead.

Isaiah 11:16 carries a similar promise for Egypt as Isaiah 19:23 carries for Assyria:

"And there will be a highway from Assyria
For the remnant of His people who will be left,
Just as there was for Israel
In the day that they came up out of the land of Egypt."

--Isaiah 11:16 

That highway from Assyria is going to provide passage all the way to Egypt, with Israel in the middle as "rest stop" of sorts, to play out the metaphor. Back in the day when Isaiah shared this, I'm sure the response would have been something like "Blasphemy!" Two powerhouse nations--nations, at various points in history, aligned with Israel--will now be joined together with Israel as "the third party." (vs. 24) Surely, that seemed a ludicrous proposition. It's times like this when you get a glimpse at the burden these prophets had to bear--both in the news itself and in being the messenger. "Don't be a hater," Isaiah might have said. (Though Isaiah had too much compassion in his heart to have given that a thought much less an utterance.)

In his commentary for this passage, Matthew Henry mentions one of my oft-quoted verses of Scripture: Ecclesiastes 4:13--"A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart." Thus will be the case in seeing these three nations standing together as one. The verse before this one is equally significant in looking at the history of these parties: "And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him." (Ecclesiastes 4:12) We have seen the wisdom of Israel's kings (not so much) in the alliances formed between the country and each of these nations. The alliances did not always last. They were alliances of convenience, formed out of a lack of complete trust in God. The wisdom of Solomon makes sense, but the choice of an unbelieving nation for an ally rather than God the Father Almighty suggests that the kings didn't really get what their predecessor was trying to say.

But all of history will truly be bygone in the time of the ultimate fulfillment of this prophecy. Israel will finally be the "blessing in the midst of the earth" (vs. 24) that God intended her to be:

"And I will bless those who bless you,
And the one who curses you I will curse.
And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”

--Genesis 12:3

In verse 25, Isaiah uses some incredible phrases to describe Egypt and Assyria-- "My people" and "the work of My hands." Phrases reserved for His "inheritance"--Israel--are now being applied to the enemies of Israel. Remember, too, that these were Pagan, Gentile nations. But what seems an impossibility is, of course, not such a thing in the face of Jesus. That's why He came! And we cannot look at those who are not yet Christians as those who will never be Christians. Christ was the promised Messiah--for the Jews and the Gentiles. All who believe in Him become part of His inheritance. When He comes to reign, Israel becomes the nation that draws all others to Him--even Egypt. Even Assyria. Even....

"I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd."

--John 10: 14-16 (Jesus speaking; emphasis mine)

"For nothing will be impossible with God." (Luke 1:37) As Israel has received opportunities for forgiveness in not following her God, out of that same grace, Egypt will also receive. The status quo is not the status quo forever, as God's plans are not our own.

As we enter a new year, do we wish the status quo to still be the status quo? Even if we do, do we consider that some of the things that we haven't been able to change in the past could be changed? Do we believe that God's impact in and through our lives could be, indeed, life-changing for us or others? If Egypt and Assyria will know these things, how much more might we, today, trust in the Lord to provide His grace in our relationships and in our doings?

"It becomes those who have communion with the same God, through the same Mediator, to keep up an amicable correspondence with one another. The consideration of our meeting at the same throne of grace, and our serving with each other in the same business of religion, should put an end to all heats and animosities, and knit our hearts to each other in holy love."

--Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible

 

 

Words for Egypt and Ethiopia, as we open (and close!) the short Chapter 20.  ...'Til next Wednesday!

Photo: frjamescoles.wordpress.com

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Next week:  Isaiah 20
 
Note: I read from the New American Standard Bible translation,
specifically, The MacArthur Study Bible (NASB).
I will quote other sources if used in a post.
I also use Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible
(with notes from the King James Version).

Isaiah 11: 1-5

Righteous Reign of the Branch

 ¹ Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse,
And a branch from his roots will bear fruit.
² The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him,
The spirit of wisdom and understanding,
The spirit of counsel and strength,
The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
³ And He will delight in the fear of the Lord,
And He will not judge by what His eyes see,
Nor make a decision by what His ears hear;
⁴ But with righteousness He will judge the poor,
And decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth;
And He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth,
And with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked.
⁵ Also righteousness will be the belt about His loins,
And faithfulness the belt about His waist.

"It is a very good transition in prophecy (whether it be so in rhetoric or no), and a very common one, to pass from the prediction of the temporal deliverances of the church to that of the great salvation, which in the fulness of time should be wrought out by Jesus Christ...."

--Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Bible

With a new chapter in Isaiah comes a point of transition, and Matthew Henry describes this perfectly. Again, we enter another Chapter 11 far from bankruptcy in terms of its spiritual depth. This is a chapter of hope and peace and restoration!

For Judah, knowing that the Assyrian king Sennacherib would not take Jerusalem must have brought great relief, even as he would conquer quite a bit of territory. But, not only this, God's plan for a peace in this time included the leadership of the nation under King Hezekiah, who understood who was in charge: "'Now, O Lord our God, I pray, deliver us from his [Sennacherib's] hand that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You alone, O Lord, are God.'" (II Kings 19:19) Though this time of peace would be temporary, Isaiah writes of a time in which the Prince of Peace will come.

"...a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse...."

--vs 1

Isaiah has spoken of Christ's coming before this. 4:2 "...the Branch of the Lord will be beautiful and glorious...," he writes in 4:2, and, in 7:14, "a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel." Now we read more about His beginnings. He will come from Jesse's family line, referring to the father of King David.

 

"After He had removed him [Saul], He raised up David to be their king, concerning whom He also testified and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My heart, who will do all My will.’ From the descendants of this man, according to promise, God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, after John had proclaimed before His coming a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel."

--Acts 13:22-24

How incredible it is that we can look at Jesse and know that Christ is to come. With the Northern and Southern Kingdoms divided after Solomon's reign, this line to the Messiah could have been lost. But God intended the promise to be carried out through the kings of Judah, though this nation, too, would be lost for a time to exile. Yet, "the stem of Jesse" continued to carry forth life in the Messianic line, and "a branch from his roots will bear fruit." (vs. 1) A remnant will be saved and the line to a Savior will remain.

"'I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.'"

--Revelation 22:16

As Samuel anointed David with oil at the time of God's choosing him as Israel's king, "...the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward." (I Samuel 16: 13) Likewise, the Holy Spirit--"of wisdom and understanding...of counsel and strength...of knowledge and the fear of the Lord" (Isaiah 11:2)--fell upon Christ at the time of His baptism.

"After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him, and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, 'This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.'"

--Matthew 3: 16 and 17

 

The Holy Spirit did not formally come as a counselor and helper until after Jesus' ascension. Those who received "the Spirit of the Lord" were specially marked. For one to come after David and receive this same Spirit, that was significant!

 

Verse 3 says, "...He will delight in the fear of the Lord." Awe and reverence for God and His Word will predominate over his judgment. Judah had quite a string of kings who did not find favor with God, nor did they seek God in their ruling or in their life. Hezekiah's reign brought a time of renewal and re-commitment of the nation to their Lord and to carrying out justice per His means. Christ's righteous reign will be like nothing the world has seen. Righteousness and faithfulness will be worn as belts (vs. 5), not unlike our calling to "put on the full armor of God." (Ephesians 6:10) Justice will be carried out under the Spirit's direction beyond any sense of human fairness, with extreme compassion and with Christ's intimate knowledge of people.

 

"Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name, observing His signs which He was doing. But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men, and because He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man."

--John 2: 23-25 

Lest we think this picture of the righteous one to come lacks power, do not miss the end of verse 4. He will have the power to "strike the earth" and "slay the wicked" with his "breath." As threatening as the kings of Assyria appeared to Judah, those kings had nothing on the coming Christ. When I first read this, I thought of a passage in Revelation depicting Christ's mouth with a sword coming out. (Revelation 19:15) Matthew Henry brought up an example from Christ's earthly ministry. John 18 tells the story of Jesus' arrest, when Judas and the throng of those seeking to kill Him came upon Him. Jesus asks, "Whom do you seek?" They say, "Jesus the Nazarene." And Jesus speaks right to them, "I am He."

"...They drew back and fell to the ground."

--John 18:6

That's one powerful shoot!

 
A picture of perfect peace.... 'Til next Wednesday!

Photo: doorcountyinpictures.com

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Next week: Isaiah 11: 6-10

Note: I read from the New American Standard Bible translation,
specifically, The MacArthur Study Bible (NASB).
I will quote other sources if used in a post.
I also use Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible
(with notes from the King James Version).