It is strange to find a prophecy against Judah and Jerusalem in a section that deals with the nations. But since Judah had chosen to behave like her neighbours and to desert the Lord, she deserved to be judged.

1. The people are having a good time (vs. 1-3)

Jerusalem is called “the valley of vision” in these verses. The people should have been repentant because God was going to send the Assyrians to fight against them. The storm of Assyria will burst over Jerusalem. However, the people are having a good time with earthly joy.

2. Isaiah warns again that trouble was near (vs. 4-7)

Isaiah sees an army full of arrows and chariots coming against Jerusalem. He prophesies the attack and overthrow of Jerusalem by the Babylonians. Attacking armies will once again surround Jerusalem, and in that day the Lord will not deliver them.

3. The people made their own big plans to keep the enemy out (vs. 8-14)

When Jerusalem was faced with this attack, they prepared the city for battle and for siege, strengthening the wall of the city and making sure there was adequate water for a siege. Instead of preparing Jerusalem for an attack, they should have turned their hearts in humble repentance to the Lord. Instead the people of Jerusalem had both a confidence in their own preparation and a fatalistic outlook toward the future.

4. Shebna, the servant will be judged (vs. 15-19)

Shebna was a servant of King Hezekiah, both a steward over the house and a scribe (See 1 Kings 18:18, Isaiah 37:2). These were both positions of honour and responsibility. Shebna was one of King Hezekiah’s chief assistants. Shebna sought honour and glory, but would never find it. Instead, the Lord would make certain that he was never even buried in his prestigious, expensive tomb, but would die in exile instead.

Shebna is the same kind of man Jesus spoke about in Luke 12:16-21, in the parable of the rich fool. The man spent his time planning and his money building great things, but in the end he died without God and it all meant nothing. Now, all of Shebna’s accomplishments – the beautiful tomb, the glorious chariots – mean worse than nothing, they are a shame to him instead.

5. Eliakim will be honoured (vs. 20-25)

Eliakim the son of Hilkiah is mentioned in passages like 1 Kings 18:18 and Isaiah 36:3 as another assistant to King Hezekiah. God will get His work done! If a Shebna is unfaithful, the Lord will remove him from his office, strip him of his authority, and give it to another.

The godly Eliakim was a secure peg, and could spiritually support his father’s house and his offspring. Since Eliakim is a picture of Jesus, we also see in this the believer’s total dependence on Jesus. There are many different vessels in the Lord’s house, with many different sizes and purposes. But they all must hang on the same peg! All are equally wrecked if they drop from the peg. The safety isn’t in the size or the quality of the vessel, but in its attachment to the peg.

Categories: Isaiah