Thus saith the Lord Jehovah of hosts Go, get thee in unto this steward, unto Shebna, who is over the house, [and say,]
The chapter has just pronounced judgment on a whole city. Now God sends Isaiah to one man — so why does Shebna, the head of the royal household, get a message of his own?
The verse calls Shebna a steward. Older translations use the word "treasurer."
Shebna was a man with much riches passing through his hand, for he was the treasurer. So he had distinction in this life, and by building himself "a sepulchre on high" he wanted to keep his memory alive after his life was over. Self-exaltation was clearly his aim. He was rejected, and God would strip him of his place so completely that the chariots of his glory would become the shame of his master's house.
Shebna had climbed to the second place in the kingdom. What he lived for is the charge against him.
The end of the chapter shows the unworthy Shebna set aside. He had crept into the place of chief minister, next to the throne. He lived only for himself, and even after death he wanted nothing but his own name and glory.
At verse 15 the prophecy turns to named men. What happens to them reaches far past Hezekiah's court.
Along with this, we have a prophecy (v. 15 to the end) which clearly in its immediate reference speaks of people of Hezekiah's time. One is deposed, and another is set up, referring, I think, to the last days — verse 25 clearly points to "that day," the last days.
God did not single out Shebna only to record one man's failure. The warning reaches everyone in a position like his.
While things stood like this, Shebna, one of the chief men of Judah, was over the royal household. He thought only of his own interests, and of his name after he was gone. God pronounces His solemn judgment on Shebna. It is a warning to everyone who does not keep the honour of God's Name before them. They think only of their own prosperity, and of their name with those who come after them.
The rest of Isaiah lets you watch the sentence take effect.
Isaiah 22:15 calls Shebna the man "over the household." But in Isaiah 36:3, 22 and Isaiah 37:2, Eliakim holds that title, and Shebna comes after him as "the scribe." So during Hezekiah's reign Eliakim rose, and Shebna fell from his very high position.
The change of office points beyond Hezekiah's palace. Commentators see a much larger exchange pictured here.
From verse 15 to the end, I have no doubt that we should see in Shebna the Antichrist set aside for the Messiah, pictured by Eliakim. All the glory, great or small, belongs to Jesus on the throne of David, and all the power of Antichrist will be cut off. Until the LORD speaks, Antichrist looks strong and secure and counts on the future; but the moment God speaks, he falls.
One question remains: was the problem the office or the man?
It was not the position, but the person, that made the difference. Shebna had exactly the same place, but he utterly failed and caused ruin. Not so Eliakim, who followed.
- Position. Shebna held the highest post under the king. The wealth of the nation passed through his hands.
- Person. He used the post for himself. He wanted his own name to last, even after death.
- Pronouncement. God sends Isaiah to him by name, with a solemn judgment on his self-seeking.
- Replacement. Later chapters give Eliakim the title Shebna held here. Shebna drops to scribe.
- Picture. Commentators see a preview here: the self-exalting ruler set aside, Christ established. The office never made the man; the man made the office.
What hast thou here? and whom hast thou here, that thou hast hewn thee out a sepulchre here, [as] he that heweth out his sepulchre on high, cutting out in the rock a habitation for himself?
God sends Isaiah to the palace to confront the man who ran the royal household. That man had cut his own grave high in the rock. God's first words are not about the tomb. They ask what right he had to be there at all: what claim, and what family, did he have in Jerusalem?
Shebna held the top administrative post in Judah, and the chapter ends by removing him from it. One writer describes how he reached the post and what he did with it:
The close of the chapter shows us the setting aside of the unworthy Shebna. He had crept into the place of chief minister, next to the throne. He lived only for self, and even after death he sought nothing but his own name and glory.
Cutting out a tomb and carving a dwelling in rock was costly work. His post explains where the money came from, and his aim explains where it went:
Shebna was a man with much riches passing through his hands, for he was the treasurer. So he had distinction in this life, and by building for himself "a tomb on the height" he wanted to keep his memory alive after his life was over. Self-exaltation was clearly his aim.
The tomb on the height and the dwelling in the rock were built to outlast him. One writer names what he was reaching for, and what had no place in him:
Not content with making a name for himself while in this life, he had "cut out a tomb on the height" like one who "carves a dwelling for himself in the rock" (verse 16). Shebna wanted present glory, and a name with those who came after him, for the glory of the God of Israel had no place in his thoughts or his ways.
The earlier part of the chapter describes a city under judgment that answered God with feasting. Shebna stands here as a sample of its leadership:
Shebna appears here to show the character of those in leading positions in Israel who, with no thought of God, care only for themselves. Shebna was one of king Hezekiah's chief ministers. But his conduct offended God. It stood in sharp contrast to what a servant of the Lord should be.
The warning reaches past Shebna to every reader:
God pronounces His solemn judgment on Shebna as a warning. It warns all who do not have the honour of God's Name before them. They think only of their own prosperity, and of their name with those who come after them.
Commentators read this passage on two levels. Beside the history of Hezekiah's court, one writer sees Shebna as a picture of the Antichrist, and Eliakim as a picture of the Messiah:
From verse 15 to the end I have no doubt what we should see. Shebna pictures the Antichrist, set aside for the Messiah, who is pictured by Eliakim (that is, the God of resurrection). All the glory, great or small, belongs to Jesus on the throne of David; and all the power of Antichrist will be cut off. Until the Lord speaks, Antichrist looks strong and secure, and he counts on the future; but from the moment God speaks, he falls.
The threat was not left in the air. A later chapter shows the two men again, with their titles swapped:
Isaiah 22:15 calls Shebna the one "over the household." But Isaiah 36:3, 22 and Isaiah 37:2 give that title to Eliakim, and name Shebna after him as "the secretary." So during the reign of Hezekiah, Eliakim rose, and Shebna was falling from his very high position.
The appetite Shebna fed is not limited to officials with money to spend on stonework:
Many a professing Christian has fallen through being occupied with a name. The effort to keep up a name has destroyed many a useful servant... The enemy will lead me to make my reputation my object instead of Christ. I shall be working to keep up a name instead of the glory of Christ.
- Position. Shebna had crept into the place next to the throne, and he used it living only for self.
- Project. The treasurer spent his standing and wealth carving a tomb on high, so his memory would outlive him.
- Motive. He wanted present glory and a name with later generations; the glory of God had no place in his thoughts.
- Removal. God carried out the threat — by Isaiah 36 Eliakim is "over the household" and Shebna is only the secretary.
- Pattern. One writer sees the usurper set aside for God's chosen servant as a picture of the Antichrist replaced by Christ. The warning stands for anyone who works to keep up a name instead of the glory of Christ.
Behold, Jehovah will hurl thee with the force of a mighty man, and will cover thee entirely.
Isaiah 22 closes with God naming one man: Shebna, the officer in charge of the royal household. Verse 17 opens God's sentence on him, and it raises two questions: what had this man done, and why does a chapter about a besieged city end with the fall of one official?
The verses before this one show a city busy with walls, weapons and water supplies. All the while, God was dealing with that city in judgment. One writer explains what is wrong with human wisdom in God's city, and with outward work that hides a corrupt heart:
In the first place all the wisdom of man is not enough to keep evil away, if the power of God is not with it. When the city of God is at stake, this wisdom forgets the God who built and founded His holy city. That is an unpardonable sin (Isa. 22:11).
This happens often. People do God's work in outward faith, and He blesses the work. Yet the heart is corrupt in that very thing, and God will surely judge it. They forget God Himself, and they forget that they belong to Him. This is what happens when the people of God lean on human means.
The chapter then narrows from the city to one man.
The one God calls "you strong man" held the highest position under the king. His problem was not weak ability. It was what he lived for:
The close of the chapter shows us the unworthy Shebna set aside. He had crept into the place of chief minister, next to the throne. He lived only for himself, and even after death he sought nothing but his own name and glory.
The specific charge in the verses just before is a tomb cut high in the rock. Money and standing had come into his hands, and he spent them on his own memory:
Shebna was a man with much riches passing through his hand, for he was the treasurer. So he had distinction in this life, and by building himself "a tomb on high," he wanted to keep his memory alive after his life was over. He was plainly aiming at his own exaltation. He was rejected. God would strip him of his place so completely that the chariots of his glory would turn out to be the shame of his lord's house. We see that at the end of verse 18.
The grave he built for his name would not hold him. God would fling him far away instead.
Scripture never tells us how the sentence landed. That silence does not weaken it:
God's word to Shebna was a solemn one: "Behold, the Lord will carry you away with a mighty captivity, and will surely cover you. He will surely violently turn and toss you like a ball into a large country; there you shall die" (Isa. 22:17-18). Although there is no record of what happened to Shebna, we can be sure that it was all carried out to the letter.
(This quotation follows an older translation.)
A ball has no say in where it lands. God handles the man who arranged his own monument like an object.
The move from Shebna to Eliakim happened in history. One writer sees a further meaning in it:
Shebna was then rejected, and Eliakim was to take his place. His name appears to mean "God is setting up." This transfer happened during the reign of Hezekiah, just as the prophet said. But we see in it a picture of what will take place at the end of the age. Then the self-exalting "man of sin" will be violently turned and tossed to destruction, and the once rejected Christ will be exalted and established.
The office Shebna held was not the problem. That is the sharpest lesson in the whole passage:
It was not the position, but the person that made the difference. Shebna had exactly the same place, but he utterly failed and brought ruin. Not so Eliakim, who followed. Revelation 3:7 makes it right to apply this to Christ.
- Setting — Jerusalem answered God's judgment with walls, weapons and water. Wisdom that forgets the God who founded the city is an unpardonable sin.
- Self — Shebna reached the top post and used it for himself, wanting a name both in life and after death.
- Sentence — God Himself does the hurling. He tosses the man who carved his own resting place like a ball into a far country to die there.
- Sureness — no record tells us how it happened, yet we can be sure God carried out every word.
- Successor — the office was not at fault; the man was. Shebna's fall makes room for Eliakim, and one writer sees there the man of sin displaced by the once-rejected Christ.
Rolling thee up completely, he will roll thee as a ball into a wide country there shalt thou die, and there shall be the chariots of thy glory, O shame of thy lord's house!
Isaiah 22 ends with a message from God to one man. Shebna ran King Hezekiah's household, and he used the job to build his own name. Verse 18 is the sentence God passes on him. God picks him up, throws him far away, and leaves his fine chariots standing as a public disgrace to the master he served.
The judgment lands on a character, not just a career. One writer describes what made Shebna's conduct offensive to God:
Shebna is introduced here to show the character of those in leading positions in Israel. They care only for themselves, with no thought of God. Shebna was in fact one of King Hezekiah's chief ministers. But his conduct was objectionable to God. It stood in sharp contrast to what a servant of the Lord should be. Instead of caring for the interests of the Lord among His people, he had the glory of his own name in front of him.
William Kelly sees the same ambition reaching beyond the grave:
The close of the chapter shows us the unworthy Shebna set aside. He had crept into the place of chief minister, next to the throne. He lived only for himself, and even after death he sought nothing but his own name and glory.
The picture of a man rolled up and hurled into open country is deliberately violent. Nothing about it suggests a dignified retirement:
Under the figures of Shebna and Eliakim we have the complete rejection of everything that was offensive to God on one side, and the establishment of what would be to God's glory on the other… It would be hard to find a more striking picture of rejection than this.
The chariots were the visible proof of Shebna's rank. God's judgment does not simply take them away; it turns them into evidence against him.
Shebna was a man with great riches passing through his hands, since he was the treasurer. So he had distinction in this life, and by building himself "a tomb on high" he wanted to keep his memory alive after his life was over. Self-exaltation was clearly his aim. He was rejected. God would strip him so completely that the chariots of his glory would turn out to be the shame of his lord's house. We see this at the end of verse 18.
God's word here is more than a threat. One writer takes it as certain, even though the outcome is never reported:
God's word to Shebna was a solemn one. Although there is no record of what happened to Shebna, we can be sure that it was all carried out to the letter.
The same pattern appears elsewhere in the Bible. Writing about Haman, the official in the book of Esther who plotted to destroy the Jews, one commentator points back to this verse:
His fall is prepared, just like that of Shebna.
One writer has no doubt that the passage looks past Hezekiah's day, to the false king still to come:
From verse 15 to the end, I have no doubt that we should see in Shebna the antichrist set aside for the Messiah, pictured by Eliakim. All the glory, great or small, belongs to Jesus on the throne of David, and all the power of antichrist will be cut off. Until the LORD speaks, antichrist looks strong and secure, and he counts on the future. But from the moment God speaks, he falls.
The removal is not the end of the story. One writer names who takes the place:
Who can doubt that Eliakim here is a picture of our Lord Jesus Christ, the One who will be seen exalted, lifted up and very high, after antichrist has been thrown into the lake of fire? The robe and the belt that truly belonged to God's Christ had been taken over by antichrist, the man of sin, the false king. But when he is thrown out and judged, the true King will take up the robe and the belt that are His by right. He will be "over the house," as He is even now.
- Glory sought. Shebna held a trusted office and used it for his own name, right down to carving himself a splendid tomb.
- Glory hurled. God does not simply remove Shebna from office. He rolls him up, throws him like a ball into a wide land, and leaves him to die far from the tomb he built.
- Glory shamed. The chariots that displayed his rank end up as the disgrace of the house he was supposed to serve.
- Glory forecast. Shebna pictures the antichrist. He looks unshakeable until God speaks. Then he falls.
- Glory given. God gives the office to Eliakim, a picture of Christ, who wears the robe by right and is over the house.
And I will drive thee from thine office, and from thy station will I pull thee down.
Isaiah 22 ends with God turning from a doomed city to one man at the top of its government. Shebna ran the royal household. The sentence is personal and total: office and standing both go. Two questions follow, and the chapter answers both. What made this man unfit, and who takes his place?
Why does a prophecy about a city stop to name one court official?
Shebna appears here to show the character of leaders in Israel who give no thought to God and care only for themselves. Shebna was one of king Hezekiah's chief ministers. But his conduct offended God. It was the opposite of what a servant of the Lord should be. Instead of caring for the Lord's interests among His people, he had the glory of his own name in view.
His ambition did not stop at the end of his life.
Shebna was a man with much wealth passing through his hands, for he was the treasurer. So he had distinction in this life. By building himself "a tomb on high", he wanted his memory to last after his life was over. Self-exaltation was clearly his aim. God rejected him, and would dispossess him so completely that the chariots of his glory would turn out to be the shame of his master's house.
Notice who speaks the "I" of the verse. Shebna is not voted out or outmanoeuvred by rivals; the Lord announces that He will thrust him from office.
The close of the chapter sets before us the setting aside of the unworthy Shebna, who had crept into the place of chief minister, next to the throne, living only for self, and even seeking after death nothing but his own name and glory.
Shebna's fall raises a question about the office itself.
It was not the position, but the person, that made the difference. Shebna had exactly the same place, but he utterly failed and brought ruin. Eliakim, who came after him, did not. Revelation 3:7 warrants applying the picture to Christ.
Commentators read this removal as more than court history.
From verse 15 to the end, I have no doubt that we should see the Antichrist in Shebna. He is set aside for the Messiah, who is pictured by Eliakim (that is, the God of resurrection). All the glory, great and small, belongs to Jesus on the throne of David, and all the power of Antichrist will be cut off. Until the Lord speaks, Antichrist looks strong and secure, and he counts on the future. But from the moment God speaks, he falls.
The vacant place did not stay empty.
Shebna then was rejected, and Eliakim — whose name seems to mean "God is setting up" — was to take his place. This transfer happened during the reign of Hezekiah, just as the prophet had said. But we see in it a picture of what will take place at the end of the age. Then the self-exalting "man of sin" will be violently turned and tossed to destruction, and the once-rejected Christ will be exalted and established.
Scripture never reports Shebna's end, yet the silence changes nothing about the sentence.
Although there is no record of what happened to Shebna, we can be sure that it was all carried out to the letter.
The verse is set in a chapter where the whole city was feasting instead of mourning, and it is preserved for readers far outside Jerusalem.
God had called His people to repent of their sins. Instead of mourning before Him and turning back to Him, they recklessly gave themselves over to eating and drinking, with His judgment right ahead. At such a time Shebna, one of the chief men of Judah, was over the royal household. He thought only of his own affairs, and of his name after he was gone. God pronounces His solemn judgment on Shebna as a warning. It is for all who do not keep the honour of God's name before them. They think only of their own prosperity, and of their name with those who come after them.
- Cause. Shebna held high office but used it for his own name and memory instead of God's interests.
- Sentence. God Himself says "I will thrust you" — the removal comes from above, not from politics below.
- Person. The office was not at fault. Eliakim later filled the same place well, so the difference lay in the man.
- Reach. Writers see the fall of a self-exalting official as a picture of the man of sin, who looks secure until God speaks.
- Result. God gives the self-seeker's place to His own servant — a shadow of the rejected Christ exalted and established.