Dr Paul Allen

“And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open. And I will fasten him as a nail in a sure place; and he shall be for a glorious throne to his father’s house.” ( Isaiah 22:22-23 ) This prophecy was originally applied to Eliakim, the keeper of the treasuries in the reign of King Hezekiah. The wearing of the key to the treasuries on his shoulder was symbolic of authority. Isaiah, in fact, had used this same symbol in his great prophecy of the coming Messiah, saying that “unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder” ( Isaiah 9:6 ). Eliakim thus became a type of Christ in his capacity to open and shut doors with his special key. The Lord Jesus quoted from this passage in His promise to the church at Philadelphia: “These things saith . . . he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth; I know thy works: behold, I

Hezekiah with the prophet Isaiah. The Imperial Crown Western Germany 2nd half of the 10th century The cross is an addition from the early 11th century; the arch dates from the reign of Emperor Conrad II (ruled 1024-1039); the red velvet cap is from the 18th century. Gold, cloisonné enamel, precious stones, pearls Brow plate: H 14.9 cm, W 11.2 cm; cross: H 9.9 cm SK Inv. No. XIII 1 (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “Indeed, the LORD will throw you away violently, O mighty man, and will surely seize you” (Isa. 22:17). We have before us a prophecy concerning two individuals, which is a rare subject in Isaiah , for he dealt mainly with nations as a whole. But in his case, God chose to bring to light broader principles by singling out a man who represented evil within the Jewish nation. The prophecy is against Shebna , an officer in the court of Hezekiah , a good and noble king. Shebna was a wicked, deceitful, and proud man who, as some Jewish historians maintain, conspired with Assyria in