Judgment on the Mighty Servant

Isaiah 22:15-25 

15 Thus says the Lord GOD of hosts:
"Go, proceed to this steward,
To Shebna, who is over the house, and say:

16 'What have you here, and whom have you here,
That you have hewn a sepulcher here,
As he who hews himself a sepulcher on high,
Who carves a tomb for himself in a rock?

17 Indeed, the LORD will throw you away violently,
O mighty man,
And will surely seize you.

18 He will surely turn violently and toss you like a ball
Into a large country;
There you shall die, and there your glorious chariots
Shall be the shame of your master's house.
19 So I will drive you out of your office,
And from your position he will pull you down.

20 'Then it shall be in that day,
That I will call My servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah;
21 I will clothe him with your robe
And strengthen him with your belt;
I will commit your responsibility into his hand.
He shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem
And to the house of Judah.

22 The key of the house of David
I will lay on his shoulder;
So he shall open, and no one shall shut;
And he shall shut, and no one shall open.

23 I will fasten him as a peg in a secure place,
And he will become a glorious throne to his father's house.

24 'They will hang on him all the glory of his father's house, the offspring and the posterity, all vessels of small quantity, from the cups to all the pitchers. 25 In that day,' says the LORD of hosts, 'the peg that is fastened in the secure place will be removed and be cut down and fall, and the burden that was on it will be cut off; for the LORD has spoken.'"

This prophecy was aimed at Shebna, a person of high position in the court of king Hezekiah of Judah who was his secretary.  Isaiah spoke directly to his high and mighty nature because he had made himself a fancy tomb as if he was so important and needed to be honored and remembered by all.  He was a servant to the king, however, not the king appointed by God or made important by Him.  God promised to grab him and cast down the mighty man, throwing him as a ball far away to die with his games played for his own gain and self-importance.  The king would pull Shebna down from the high position as he drove him out in shame and humility.  God then replaced him by calling one of His choice, Eliakim the son of Hilkiah (Isaiah 36:3), to serve God’s people in Jerusalem and Judah as a father would care for them instead of himself.  Then comes the key given to him which is prophetic of Christ as Revelation 3:7 tells us.  He has the key of life and death, of judgment and forgiveness, as the only wise King and Sovereign (Jude 1:25).  The Messiah will be the ultimate ruler who cares for His people as no man or king ever can.  Why then trust in political leaders who are sinful and fall so short of Him?  They will all have their pegs removed and lose their high places as the Lord takes them down.  Worship God in Christ!  He alone has the glory of His Father’s house and its posterity in His offspring born again to a living hope (1 Peter 1:3, Acts 17:29), a peg or nail which cannot ever be removed, since the nails that held Him to the cross secured our life from His death instead of ours.  That work is as unending as He is because He did it for forever.  There remains only a certain judgment, however, on those setting themselves up as mighty servants like Shebna to rule over others as we see today with our present rulers and government officials.  The mighty will all fall.