Isaiah 22:20 - Printer Friendly

ESV: In that day I will call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah,

NIV: "In that day I will summon my servant, Eliakim son of Hilkiah.

NASB: Then it will come about on that day, That I will summon My servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah,

CSB: "On that day I will call for my servant, Eliakim son of Hilkiah.

NLT: And then I will call my servant Eliakim son of Hilkiah to replace you.

KJV: And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah:

NKJV: ‘Then it shall be in that day, That I will call My servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah;

Through Isaiah, the Lord has soundly rejected a high-ranking official of King Hezekiah. Shebna, the king's steward, responded to the Assyrian siege of the city by simply accepting that he would die. Rather than repenting or praying to the Lord, Shebna is spending time preparing his elaborate tomb. Instead of serving his God or his king, Shebna works to preserve his lofty status beyond his death and into future generations (Isaiah 22:15–19).

The Lord God will dramatically remove Shebna from his prepared resting place in Jerusalem to die without dignity or legacy in a faraway land. Before that happens, the Lord will evict Shebna from his important position and replace him with another.

Now the prophet identifies who will be given Shebna's position of power and authority: Eliakim the son of Hilkiah. Second Kings 18:18 finds Eliakim holding the position of being "over the household" as negotiations are being held with the Assyrian king during the siege. Shebna is listed as "the secretary." This change in position may have been immediate.

The Lord refers to Eliakim as "my servant," indicating that he was a godly man, and more faithful to the Lord than Shebna.

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).