Reading the Old Testament prophets can scare some people. They read the harsh treatment of God upon the rebellion of His people and miss the point that before God’s harshness was displayed the people had plenty of opportunity to repent. They confuse God’s judgment with the consequence of sin. Missing that distinction blurs their understanding.
The prophet Isaiah was quoted by Jesus. The Lord wasn’t afraid of the content of Isaiah’s message or the prophet himself. Reading the prophets has value because it reveals the nature of our humanity and the sad consequences of our rebellion.
Shebna was the prime minister of Israel. He favored a divided alliance with Egypt. Because of his pride and self-assurance, he was rejected from office by the Lord and replaced by a worthy man named Eliakim.
In His confrontation with Shebna and the evil he allowed to transpire under his rule, the Lord said, “I will drive you out of office, says the Lord. I will pull you down from your high position” (Isaiah 22:19).
For Shebna and the leader of any nation, their position can offer false security causing them to feel like they are unassailable. They lead under the delusion that they are nailed into their position secure and safe to do as they please. That nail was put in place by the Lord but can also be removed to make way for a righteous successor.
Addressing that spiritual nail, the Lord referred to Shebna’s rule, “The time will come when I will pull out the nail that seemed so firm. It will come out and fall to the ground. Everything it supports will fall with it. I, the Lord, have spoken” (vs. 25).
Paul spoke of something similar. It is called the Restrainer. Paul told the Thessalonians, “And you know what is holding him back, for he can be revealed only when his time comes. For this lawlessness is already at work secretly, and it will remain secret until the one who is holding it back steps out of the way” (II Thessalonians 2:6-7). The Restrainer has several interpretations, but the bottom line is that God has authority over the nations of the world and the governments that rule those nations. He is the one who places or removes the nail.
God is removing nails of false security from ministries and governments exposing the pride of people’s sin. This is a work of redemption, a redemption not always realized when sin has blinded the eyes of those who are leading us in ways that dishonor God.
Let no one think that they are standing tall and sure in their sins before the Lord. It is written let us take heed in this, before we fall. Thank you Garris, for this solid message.