15 Thus says the Lord GOD of hosts , "Come , go to this steward , To Shebna , who is in charge of the royal household , 16 'What right do you have here , And whom do you have here , That you have hewn a tomb for yourself here , You who hew a tomb on the height , You who carve a resting place for yourself in the rock ? 17 'Behold , the Lord is about to hurl you headlong , O man . And He is about to grasp you firmly 18 And roll you tightly like a ball , To be cast into a vast country ; There you will die And there your splendid chariots will be, You shame of your master's house .' 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 e him with your authority , And he will become a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah . 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 e 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 ."
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Isaiah 22:15-25
Commentary on Isaiah 22:15-25
(Read Isaiah 22:15-25)
This message to Shebna is a reproof of his pride, vanity, and security; what vanity is all earthly grandeur, which death will so soon end! What will it avail, whether we are laid in a magnificent tomb, or covered with the green sod? Those who, when in power, turn and toss others, will be justly turned and tossed themselves. Eliakim should be put into Shebna's place. Those called to places of trust and power, should seek to God for grace to enable them to do their duty. Eliakim's advancement is described. Our Lord Jesus describes his own power as Mediator, Revelation 3:7, that he has the key of David. His power in the kingdom of heaven, and in ordering all the affairs of that kingdom, is absolute. Rulers should be fathers to those under their government; and the honour men bring unto their families, by their piety and usefulness, is more to be valued than what they derive from them by their names and titles. The glory of this world gives a man no real worth or excellence; it is but hung upon him, and it will soon drop from him. Eliakim was compared to a nail in a sure place; all his family are said to depend upon him. In eastern houses, rows of large spikes were built up in the walls. Upon these the moveables and utensils were hung. Our Lord Jesus is as a nail in a sure place. That soul cannot perish, nor that concern fall to the ground, which is by faith hung upon Christ. He will set before the believer an open door, which no man can shut, and bring both body and soul to eternal glory. But those who neglect so great salvation will find, that when he shutteth none can open, whether it be shutting out from heaven, or shutting up in hell for ever.