Hezekiah's Tunnel: Feat or Fear?
.jpg) Hello Dear Friends and Readers, so good to be with you! I have been making steady progress through the prophets this year, and today's thoughts come from my study of Isaiah 22. If you have read this particular chapter, I bet you have noticed some interesting language surrounding Eliakim, son on Hilkiah. If you haven't read it...go ahead and give it a read now. I will be waiting right here 😃 |
It would appear that Eliakim is a "type" of Messiah-figure and some pretty nice things are said about him. We are told that the very key of David will be set upon his shoulder...that what he opens, no one can shut and vice versa. Sound familiar? (I see you shaking your head 😉).
We see more language about keys and doors opening/shutting in Revelation 3:7, and from the context, we can know with 100% certainty that the Revelation text speaks of Messiah Yeshua. This is why we can look back at this passage about Eliakim as a "type" of Messiah. We are supposed to see some similarities and connect some dots. Got your pencil out? Let's go!
We begin by flipping back to 2 Kings 18. Here we find King Hezekiah on the throne of Judah. The text tells us that King Hezekiah was a godly king...restoring proper worship of YHVH in Jerusalem.
Back in Isaiah 22, we learn that King Hezekiah's right hand man was Shebna. By his name, we can understand that Shebna was a strong man, a man of vigor. (Anybody ever watch Magnum PI? I think of Shebna's role in Hezekiah's kingdom like that of Jonathan Quayle Higgins to the estate of Robin Masters. Shebna filled the role of Major Domo). But Shebna had a problem...
It took me a while to see Shebna's problem, because historians and even scholars praise King Hezekiah for the very thing that led to Shebna's downfall. It's not spelled out explicitly, but if you look carefully at Isaiah 22:7-19, and connect some dots together, a faint picture begins to come into view.
You see, during this time, King Hezekiah had seen his neighbors to the north invaded and captured by the Assyrians. He knew that the kingdom of Judah would be next. His Major Domo, Shebna knew, too. I am sure that Hezekiah trusted his strong steward to come up with military tactics and plans to thwart an invasion. One of those tactics, Hezekiah's Tunnel, was built, likley by Shebna, to ensure that water would be available in Jerusalem during any future Assyrian attacks. Hezekiah is praised by history for this feat of engineering. It stands today...full of water. I have waded through it.
But YHVH had this to say about it:
"You even made a reservoir between the two walls for the water of the old pool--but you did not look to the Maker, or consider the One who planned it long before." Isaiah 22:11
Ouch!
A few verses later, Shebna is chastised for putting his trust in human strength instead of YHVH. It would appear that the feat of building the tunnel was not done in faith, but in fear. (Hold your tomatoes, please 🍅🍅🍅!!!)
"What are you doing here, and who are you to be here, that you cut out a grave for yourself, carving out a tomb on the height, chiseling a crypt for yourself in the rock? Behold, strong man, Adonai is about to hurl you headlong, and seize you firmly. He will roll you up tightly and toss you like a ball into a large country. There you will die...." Isaiah 22:16-18
And what was Shebna's sin?
Trusting in human strength and strategies...while not looking to YHVH.
The text tells us that Shebna was literally "pulled down," which is what makes the name of his replacement so interesting.
Eliakim means "God Raises," or "God Sets Up" in Hebrew.
So YHVH pulled down a man who led by human plans and strength and raised/set up a man who would represent Hezekiah in a godly manner.
To Shebna YHVH says, "I will clothe him [Eliakim] in your robe and fasten your sash on him. I will give your authority into his hands, so he will be a father to the inhabitants of Jereusalem and to the house of Judah. I will set the key of David upon his shoulder -- what he opens no one can shut; what he shuts, and no one can open. I will fasten him as a peg in firm place, and he will be a throne of honor to his father's house...." Isaiah 22:21-23
I think it's important to note that the struggle between Shebna and Eliakim was an internal struggle.
Neither of these men were Hezekiah's enemy.
The enemy was Assyria.
Shebna and Eliakim were both on the home team.
Now...let's go back and think about that "type" of Messiah again.
If Eliakim is a "type" of Messiah...and he was set up as the leader of the Kingdom of Hezekiah, then who did Messiah Yeshua replace when He was set up as the leader of the Kingdom of God?
According to this type, it wasn't the enemy.
It was an internal change.
So who can we look upon as the "type" of Shebna?
When we find out, how can we be sure not to follow in Shebna's sins?
May we never trust in our own strength, using YHVH as an insurance plan or last resort. May we always seek FIRST The Kingdom of YHVH and bring our worries and petitions FIRST to Him.
I hope you will forgive me for posing the Shebna question today and leaving with it unanswered. I will be rolling it around for a bit, and I hope you will be too.
Enjoy your thoughts and please come again soon to...
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