Being Honoured by God

The Lord God of Hosts said:" Go to Shebna, that steward who is in charge of the palace, and say to Him: "What are you doing here? Who authorised you to carve out a tomb for yourself here, carving your tomb on the height and cutting a crypt for yourself out of rock? Look, you strong man! The Lord is about to shake you violently. He will take hold of you, wind you up into a ball, and sling you into a wide land. There you will die, and there your glorious chariots will be- a disgrace to the house of your lord. I will remove you from your office; you will be ousted from your position.
On that day I will call for my servant Eliakim son of Hilkiah. I will clothe him with your robe and tie your sash around him. I will put your authority into his hand, and he will be like a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. I will place the key of the house of David on his shoulder; what he opens, no one can close; what he closes, no one can open. I will drive him, like a firm peg, into a firm place.  He will be a throne of honour for his father's house. Isaiah 22:15-23

Not good when God demotes. It is better that we humble ourselves than to be humiliated. Shebna was more concerned about his own affairs than caring for the people of Jerusalem, thus God judged him. Shebna was vain and had indulged in 'glorious chariots.' God tells him the end of the chariots.

However, Eliakim was a man God chose because he had a heart for God's people. Whereas Shebna was thrown out, Eliakim was driven in like a peg into place.

Unfortunately, if we read further, we see that Eliakim's family put way too much pressure on him and he collapses and is broken. This is also not good. One man can not be made responsible for the load. He cannot allow others to be lazy and lay all the burden upon him, he also cannot indulge their laziness by himself being a hero, this is also a problem. Good delegation is the key, even for one who has a heart for the people. I had to learn this one.

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