Last week, we took a one week rabbit trail into the first part of Isaiah 22. Today, we'll begin by finishing off Isaiah 22, reading the second oracle in that chapter. I will then more or less smoothly transition back to Revelation, to the letter addressed to the church in Philadelphia. So this is sort of a two part sermon, of the type that preaching classes tell you is a total mistake.
In the prophetic oracle we read last week, Isaiah 22:1-14, the prophet Isaiah basically tells everyone that it's way too soon to celebrate one single defeat of the nation of Assyria. In a vision, Isaiah sees that what happens next, will be a string of disasters for everyone fighting against Assyria-- Babylon will fall, and its leaders will be scattered. Isaiah also foresees that the leadership of Jerusalem will respond by turning into preppers-- they will try to prepare for the inevitable coming siege of the capital by taking inventory of their weapons, securing their water supply, and strengthening the wall. But in all of this, the one thing they won't do, is look to God. God has a prophet right there, and they won't ask Isaiah what God is doing, and what God wants. But God tells them anyway, and the question the passage leaves us with, is whether or not they will listen.
The oracle we will start with today is almost certainly set against the same historical background. God is coming in judgment against Jerusalem, but we will see today that God is upset with one person in particular-- a guy named Shebna, who is in a key position of influence and power within the royal household. Shebna is the palace administrator. We should think of him as being something like a cabinet member, or trusted advisor to the king. He is someone who has the king's ear, and who is relied on by the king for advice, and carrying out plans (2 Kings 18:17-18).
Let's read Isaiah 22:15-16 to start things off:
(15) Thus has said the Lord Yahweh of Armies:
Go to this administrator-- to Shebna, who is over the house.
(16) "Why are you here,
and who to you [is] here, that you have cut out for yourself here a tomb,
cutting on the height his tomb,
carving in the rock a resting place for him?
God calls Isaiah to go to Shebna, and Shebna is found nowhere near the house of David. He has all these responsibilities. He's like the #2 man in the kingdom. But what Shebna is doing, is supervising a pet project of his-- he's making his tomb. And he's making it, apparently, in some area that's reserved for really important people, who are descendants of really important people. Shebna is determined that he will be buried with the elites.
God asks him two questions:
"Why are you here?"
Who in your family gives you the right to cut yourself a tomb, here? Does Shebna have an uncle who has royal blood? Is there someone notable in his family tree, that gives him the right to make his tomb here?
The answer, seemingly, is no. And in answer to the first question, there is no good reason for Shebna to be here, working on his tomb.
Now, all of this maybe strikes us as confusing. Why would Shebna pick out a burial spot for himself among the elite? And why God care?
This is maybe mostly a guy thing, but my guess is one of the things that men hope to do with their life, is try to leave some legacy behind. They want to be remembered. They want their accomplishments to last well beyond their own time on earth. My neighbor passed away a few years ago, and he left behind this row of pear and apple trees. Every year, the people picking that fruit think of him, and feel gratitude toward him. We want our lives to matter. We want to be remembered.
Shebna wants to remembered, and so he picks out a spot among the ruling elites of Jerusalem to be buried. And Shebna goes to a great deal of effort to build a tomb that's big, and noticeable, on good ground. Shebna's end goal, will be that people think of him forever as being among the elite. It's like when you walk through a cemetery, and you see an enormous headstone. That person was obviously important.
So what bothers God about all of this?
We saw last week that the nation of Israel is doomed. Israel has lost its covering, and Assyria will turn its attention to Israel very shortly. Things are falling apart. I would think in this environment, an administrator would have plenty of responsibilities to help prepare the people for the coming siege. And the king of Israel-- King Hezekiah-- really needs someone to tell him: "Remember to look to God. Seek the counsel of God's prophet Isaiah."
Rather than do his job, Shebna is focused on himself, and his legacy.
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The really interesting thing about all of this, is that archaeologists have very likely found his tomb.
https://biblereadingarcheology.com/2016/12/26/has-the-tomb-of-shebna-been-discovered/
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In verses 17-19, God announces judgment on Shebna:
(17) LOOK! Yahweh is about to hurl you [with] a hurling (=really far), O man,
and He is about to grasp you tightly.
(18) Tightly he will wind you up a winding like a ball to [throw you to] a broad land.
There you will die,
while there, the chariots of your glory/honor [will be], O Disgrace of your master's house, [cf. 2 Samuel 15:1; 1 Kings 1:5; Genesis 41:43; *J.J. M. Roberts for this translation]
(19) and I will drive you from your office,
while from your position he will oust you,
Shebna has gone to a lot of trouble to make himself a tomb where he will be remembered forever. But God says that he will squeeze Shebna up tight like a wadded up ball, and throw him far away. Shebna will die in the middle of nowhere, in some wide open land. Shebna will lose everything-- the chariots of his glory, his position, and his life. And Shebna would like to think of himself as someone important, but how does God see him? God gives him a name: "Disgrace of your master's house" (interesting thinking about that in contrast to Revelation 2:17).
In verse 18, we learn a second thing about Shebna that bothers God. Shebna has several chariots. In ancient Israel, a chariot was like a combo of a tank, and a luxury SUV. It's a status symbol, marking you off as someone with glory. You know someone's a big deal, when they roll up to the red carpet at a big event in a chariot.
So we see that in life and death, Shebna chases his own glory. Objectively speaking, he is a big deal. But it's important to him, that people see him that way. And he chases that recognition in extravagant, wasteful ways, that lead to him neglecting his own responsibilities. And so God promises to kill him far away, so that all of his hard work was for nothing. Imagine being Shebna, and having Isaiah tell you this. You've abused your position. I'm going to kill you. Your body will be buried far from here, in a place no one will ever visit.
In verse 20-24, God tells Shebna about his replacement, and does so in a way that further humbles him.
(20) and then, on that day, I will call to my servant-- to Eliakim son of Hilkiah--
(21) and I will clothe him with your robe,
while your sash I will tie securely around him,
while your authority/rule I will give into his hand,
and he will be like a father for the one dwelling in Jerusalem and to the house of Judah,
(22) and I will set the key of the house of David on his shoulder,
and he will open, and there is no one shutting,
and he will shut, and there is no one opening,
(23) and I will drive him [like] a peg into a secure place,
and he will be like a throne of glory to the house of his father,
(24) and they will hang on him all the glory of the house of his father--
the offspring and the offshoot,
all the small vessels,
from the vessels of bowls, and up to all the vessels of the jars.
In this part of the oracle, God goes through a list of the things that mark Shebna off as being really important, and God takes them away, one item at a time. Shebna has a special robe. Eliakim will get it. Shebna has a sash. God will tie that sash securely to Eliakim. Shebna's authority will be transferred. Eliakim will be like a father-- someone who is trusted, and honored, and listened to for advice. And then, verse 22, we hear this language about a key. Shebna had this great big key that he'd carry around on his shoulder. That key is what controls access to the king. When Shebna shut the door to the royal palace, that door stayed shut. When he opened it, it stayed open. Anyone who wanted to see the king, had to go through Shebna.
God is going to take all of that from Shebna, and give it to Eliakim. Eliakim will be anchored into position, and he will be a superstar that gives his whole family honor and glory. His whole family, will be known as Eliakim's family.
With this, we come to verse 25. This verse is confusing. Probably, this part of the oracle was given later, because as it turns out, Eliakim abused his position as well:
(25) On that day-- utterance of Yahweh of Armies-- the driven peg will depart into a secure place,
and it will be cut down,
and it will fall,
and the load on it will be cut off,
because/surely Yahweh has spoken.
In verse 25, what we are seeing, probably, is that Eliakim ended up abusing this honored position as well. Originally, God planned to make Eliakim so honored, that he brought honor to every single member of his family. The whole family was elevated through their connection to Eliakim-- he was the peg, on which his family's name rested.
But what Eliakim ended up doing, was using his position as palace administrator as a way to give jobs to his entire family. Everyone ended up with a palace job, or a kingdom job. We read this, and it's like reading the news today right? Those who are the children of politicians end up with cushy government jobs paying six figures a year, or they end up on the board of big companies, despite not knowing anything, or being qualified for anything. Success often seems to be more about access to power, than anything else.
But God is not a fan of that type of abuse. And God, at some later point probably, promises that Eliakim will no longer be a driven peg. He will depart as well, and be cut down, and fall. The whole load hanging on that one peg will also be cut off.
And that's the end of our oracle for today. In the end, God brings judgment on two individuals because they misuse their power and authority. Shebna focused on himself, and his own glory, at the expense of neglecting his responsibilities. Eliakim abused his position to promote his own family's well-being.
When we read this oracle, it's a reminder of how the Bible consistently paints a darkly realistic picture of leadership. Anytime people are given positions of power and authority, they find themselves immediately tempted in powerful ways. There's the temptation to lose focus. The temptation to seek personal honor and recognition. The temptation to use power to benefit you, and your family. And the place we need to make sure to apply that today, is in the context of the church. Politicians will always abuse their power. It's inevitable. But that's not how God wants things to work inside his kingdom, in his house. Elders, deacons, pastors, preachers, teachers, people who have lots of influence in the community-- those are the ones who need to be careful in how they use their power and authority. In God's house, leadership is about service (Mark 10:35-45). Act otherwise, and you will fail the people you are leading. God will view you as a disgrace, and God will come in judgment.
If all we focused on was Isaiah 22, that's the takeaway from this morning's passage. But let's turn to Revelation 3:7-8. In these verses, Jesus is speaking.
(7) and to the angel of the church in Philadelphia, write:
"These things are what the Holy One, the True/Reliable One, says--
The One having the key of David,
The one opening, and no one will shut,
The one shutting, and no one opens:
(8) I know your works.
LOOK! I have set before you an opened door,
which no one is able to shut it,
because a little strength you have,
and you have kept my word,
and you didn't deny my name.
In these verses, Jesus is echoing the language of Isaiah 22. Like Eliakim, and Shebna, Jesus has the key to the house of David. When he opens, no one shuts. When he shuts, no one opens. And Jesus says he has set before this suffering, struggling church an open door.
In the introduction to this series, I talked about how Revelation uses the OT in ways that are more complicated than we might expect. It's not about prophecy and fulfillment. Often, it's more like echoes and allusions. This is a good example of that.
What does it mean that Jesus has the key of David?
Jesus is the Davidic, Messianic king. Jesus controls access to David's kingdom, which is God's kingdom. In the first century, things reached a point where Jews would kick you out of their synagogues, and slam the door in your face, because you thought Jesus was the promised Messiah. Jews might exclude you, and say you're not part of the house of David. But Jesus is the one with the key. And Jesus is the one who opens and closes the door that actually matters.
Let's continue. Revelation 3:9:
(9) LOOK! I am making those from the synagogue of Satan-- the ones calling themselves Jews, and they aren't, but they are lying--
LOOK! I will make [=force?] them,
that they will come,
and they will kneel down before your feet,
and they will know/acknowledge
that I have loved you. [Isaiah 45:14; 49:23; 60:14; Psalm 86:9]
Jesus is still the speaker. Jesus will force Jews to come and bow down before this church, and acknowledge that he has loved them.
What we are hearing in verse 9 is an echo of several OT passages. In the book of Isaiah, God promises Israel that the Gentiles will bow down before them at some point in the future. Gentiles will acknowledge that Israel is loved by God. This has been changed-- almost reversed even-- in Revelation in significant ways. Jews will acknowledge that the church is loved by Jesus. But the language and thought are the same.
Let's read a few of these.
Isaiah 45:14 (ESV no reason):
14 Thus says the LORD:
“The wealth of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush,
and the Sabeans, men of stature,
shall come over to you and be yours;
they shall follow you;
they shall come over in chains and bow down to you.
They will plead with you, saying:
‘Surely God is in you, and there is no other,
no god besides him.’ ”
Isaiah 49:22-23 (ESV no reason):
22 Thus says the Lord GOD:
“Behold, I will lift up my hand to the nations,
and raise my signal to the peoples;
and they shall bring your sons in their arms,
and your daughters shall be carried on their shoulders.
23 Kings shall be your foster fathers,
and their queens your nursing mothers.
With their faces to the ground they shall bow down to you,
and lick the dust of your feet.
Then you will know that I am the LORD;
those who wait for me shall not be put to shame.”
Isaiah 60:14-16 (ESV no reason):
14 The sons of those who afflicted you
shall come bending low to you,
and all who despised you
shall bow down at your feet;
they shall call you the City of the LORD,
the Zion of the Holy One of Israel.
15 Whereas you have been forsaken and hated,
with no one passing through,
I will make you majestic forever,
a joy from age to age.
16 You shall suck the milk of nations;
you shall nurse at the breast of kings;
and you shall know that I, the LORD, am your Savior
and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.
I don't know that I want to call Revelation 3 a fulfillment of these scriptures. It's not a literal, straightforward prophecy-fulfillment. What we have instead is more like this: Jesus takes these three scriptures originally meant for the nation of Israel-- for Jews-- and Jesus applies them to the church. We, the church, Jew and Gentile together, are God's people. We are David's kingdom. Jews who reject Jesus as Messiah are outsiders. They call themselves Jews, but they're not. They're lying. And the day will come when those Jews who reject Jesus will come to us, and they will acknowledge that they were wrong about us. They will humble themselves before us. They will acknowledge that Jesus has loved us, all along.
Is this a hard word to hear?
In this world, we will often be hated. People-- and this quite often includes Jews (religious Jews, I mean-- not modern Israelis who are not really of the same category)-- will say terrible things about us for following Jesus. We will be looked down on, and despised. This is our reality. Jesus expects us to respond to this reality by enduring, and staying faithful to Jesus. And part of what gives us the strength to do this, is Jesus' promise that one day, we will be publicly vindicated. Everyone will acknowledge that we are the ones who belong to David's house-- to God's kingdom.
Verse 10-11:
(10) Because you kept the word of my steadfastness, I also protect you through/from the hour of testing about to come upon the whole inhabited world, to test the ones dwelling upon the earth.
(11) I am coming quickly.
Hold fast to what you have,
in order that no one may take away your wreath.
In these verses, Jesus talks about some hour of testing come soon to the world, and to this first century church. Jesus is not talking about his final return. He's not talking about the rapture. He's talking about something different. And what Jesus promises, isn't that he will rapture them out, so that they don't have to undergo this testing. Instead, he promises them that he will protect them in the midst of this testing. No one quite knows what this testing turned out be, literally. But this is a great promise that Jesus makes this church. Because they were steadfast, Jesus will be with them, and he will protect them.
The one thing Jesus commands, is that they hold fast to what they have. Keep doing what you're doing. Stay faithful. Do this, and Jesus says no one may take away your wreath.
We saw this wreath language earlier in Revelation 2:10, where it was specifically called the "wreath of life" (what follows is paraphrasing Craig Koester, Revelation). In the first century, wreaths were given to people who were successful in three different areas: (1) If you won a sporting event, you'd get a wreath. (2) Win a notable battle, you'd win a wreath. (3) Faithfully carry out some civic service, and you'd get a wreath for that as well. People who conquer-- who overcome-- who win-- those are the ones who get the wreath of life.
If you're in line to get a wreath from God or Jesus, who could possibly take that from you? People can't, right? Jews can't. They can tell you you're not part of God's people. They can close doors in your face. But they don't control the only door that matters.
The only one who can take your wreath away, is God, or Jesus. The one who can take your wreath, is the same one who can close the door that matters.
Now, Jesus doesn't say what he says here as a threat, and I don't want to make this really scary. I want to try to sound like Jesus here, and get the tone right. The idea is more like, you're on track. You're running well. You're doing exactly what Jesus wants. So finish strong. Keep doing what you're doing. Cross the finish line, and make sure you receive your wreath of life (echoing 2 Timothy 4:7-8).
Verse 12:
(12) The one conquering/overcoming, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God,
and outside, he will absolutely never go out again, [Psalm 84:10]
and I will write on him the name of my God,
and the name of the city of my God-- the new Jerusalem-- the one descending from heaven from my God,
and my name-- the new one.
Here, we see more language connected with Judaism, and Israel. At the time Revelation was written, God's physical temple on earth in Jerusalem has been destroyed. But his heavenly temple was and is still standing. And Jesus promises that we will be pillars in that temple. Unmovable, permanent, parts of the temple. Normally, a temple was something you'd visit maybe a few times a year during special festivals, but the day will come when you never have to leave. Jesus also says that he we will give us a tattoo of sorts. He will write on us, the name of God, and the name of the heavenly city of Jerusalem, and Jesus' new name. We will be marked off as belonging to God, and Jesus, and God's people.
(13) The one having ears should hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
What is Spirit saying to the churches?
When you live as God's faithful servants, life on earth can be very hard. You can have doors shut on you. You can be criticized, and slandered, and lied about. You can be hated. Jesus expects you to respond to this by steadfastly enduring, and continuing to be faithful. Do this, and the day will come when Jesus publicly vindicates you. You were right all along. You acted rightly, all along. Jesus knows that what people think about you matters. Vindication is important. Jesus will give you that vindication, one day.
On top of that, when you stay faithful, you will get to belong to the Jerusalem that matters-- the one coming down from heaven. You will get to belong to the temple that matters-- the one in heaven. You will be called many names on earth. But it's the names Jesus attaches to you, that matter most.
So be faithful servants, like the ones in the Philadelphia church. Follow their example. Not Shebna's. Not Eliakim's.
Translation:
(7) and to the angel of the church in Philadelphia, write:
"These things are what the Holy One, the True/Reliable One, says--
The One having the key of David,
The one opening, and no one will shut,
The one shutting, and no one opens:
(8) I know your works.
LOOK! I have set before you an opened door,
which no one is able to shut it,
because a little strength you have,
and you have kept my word,
and you didn't deny my name.
(9) LOOK! I am making those from the synagogue of Satan-- the ones calling themselves Jews, and they aren't, but they are lying--
LOOK! I will make [=force?] them,
that they will come,
and they will kneel down before your feet,
and they will know/acknowledge
that I have loved you. [Isaiah 45:14; 49:23; 60:14; Psalm 86:9]
(10) Because you kept the word of my steadfastness, I also protect you through/from the hour of testing about to come upon the whole inhabited world, to test the ones dwelling upon the earth.
(11) I am coming quickly.
Hold fast to what you have,
in order that no one may take away your wreath. [Revelation 2:10]
(12) The one conquering/overcoming, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God,
and outside, he will absolutely never go out again, [Psalm 84:10]
and I will write on him the name of my God,
and the name of the city of my God-- the new Jerusalem-- the one descending from heaven from my God,
and my name-- the new one.
(13) The one having ears should hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
