Isaiah 22:19 - Printer Friendly

ESV: I will thrust you from your office, and you will be pulled down from your station.

NIV: I will depose you from your office, and you will be ousted from your position.

NASB: I will depose you from your office, And I will pull you down from your position.

CSB: I will remove you from your office; you will be ousted from your position.

NLT: Yes, I will drive you out of office,' says the Lord. 'I will pull you down from your high position.

KJV: And I will drive thee from thy station, and from thy state shall he pull thee down.

NKJV: So I will drive you out of your office, And from your position he will pull you down.

Believing that he will soon die at the hands of the Assyrians who are besieging the city, an elevated official in the royal court has abandoned both prayer and responsibilities to prepare his tomb for his burial (Isaiah 22:15–16). The Lord is not pleased with Shebna's lack of faith in His God to overcome the Assyrians (Isaiah 22:17). Others may be mindlessly partying (Isaiah 22:12–13), but Shebna's choice is just as incorrect.

Through Isaiah, the Lord sentenced Shebna to die far away from his home in a foreign land. This fancy tomb will do him no good (Isaiah 22:18). Before that time Isaiah, on the Lord's behalf, will see that Shebna loses his prestigious position. Shebna will be pulled down from his important place in Jerusalem society. The Lord has someone specific in mind for Shebna's replacement, as the next verse shows. This replacement is Eliakim the son of Hilkiah (Isaiah 22:20).

Chapter 22:15–25 concludes Isaiah's oracle against Jerusalem with a focus on two men. Shebna is the steward of the king's household. The Lord condemns him for carving his elaborate tomb, with the enemy at the gates, instead of seeking the Lord or serving the king. The Lord gives this steward's authority and position to Eliakim. Eliakim serves with such strength, faithfulness, and integrity that he becomes a father figure to the people. However, he also falls away eventually.

Isaiah presents a prophecy against the city of Jerusalem: "the valley of vision." The prophet condemns the people for partying, perhaps following an astonishing deliverance from the Lord. Instead, they should remember all who died. They should be sobered to realize how helpless they had been. When destruction seemed certain, they should have mourned and cried out to the Lord to save them. Instead, they reveled like nothing mattered. The Lord condemns the steward of the king's house for carving out his tomb instead of trusting God. He puts a man named Eliakim in that position. Eliakim serves with great integrity, faithfulness, and excellence. Yet, he, too, falls away.

Isaiah has recorded several prophecies in preceding chapters. These spoke of nations such as Egypt as well as various tribes. Chapter 22 is an oracle against the city of Jerusalem. Isaiah condemns the people for celebrating instead of mourning and seeking the Lord's help. This could be either before or after a great siege of the city. The prophet weeps for the lost and calls the people to repent. The Lord condemns the king's steward for faithlessness. His replacement, Eliakim, serves with strength and integrity. The next oracles concern Tyre and Sydon, before addressing the entire world.

Isaiah is among the most important prophetic books in the entire Bible. The first segment details God's impending judgment against ancient peoples for sin and idolatry (Isaiah 1—35). The second part of Isaiah briefly explains a failed assault on Jerusalem during the rule of Hezekiah (Isaiah 36—39). The final chapters predict Israel's rescue from Babylonian captivity (Isaiah 40—48), the promised Messiah (Isaiah 49—57), and the final glory of Jerusalem and God's people (Isaiah 58—66).

Accessed 11/23/2024 5:23:30 AM