““Yes, I will drive you out of office,” says the Lord. “I will pull you down from your high position. And then I will call my servant Eliakim son of Hilkiah to replace you. I will dress him in your royal robes and will give him your title and your authority. And he will be a father to the people of Jerusalem and Judah. I will give him the key to the house of David—the highest position in the royal court. When he opens doors, no one will be able to close them; when he closes doors, no one will be able to open them. He will bring honour to his family name, for I will drive him firmly in place like a nail in the wall. They will give him great responsibility, and he will bring honour to even the lowliest members of his family.” But the Lord of Heaven’s Armies also says: “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!””
Isaiah 22:19-25 NLT
Today we are having another look at these verses about Eliakim. Yesterday it was all about the importance of Eliakim having “the key to the house of David—the highest position in the royal court”. But as we read on, we find these words: “He will bring honour to his family name, for I will drive him firmly in place like a nail in the wall”. In ancient homes, a nail or peg in the wall indicated something dependable, and it would support valuable possessions. Eliakim was about to be given great responsibility, appointed to an important position in the Jerusalem royal court, one that would bring great honour to all levels of his family. Previously, we can see how important he would be, because the Lord said that he would be a father to the “people of Jerusalem and Judah”. But Eliakim’s appointment would be more than something symbolic. He would become a rock, a cornerstone even, that the stressed Judeans could depend on. Perhaps some of us, tired of a succession of inadequate politicians, wish that an Eliakim could emerge in our own country, someone with the leadership ability to unite our divided country and make decisions in the people’s best interest. Yesterday, we considered that Eliakim, holding the key to the house of David, was a type, a prophetic picture, of Christ Himself, who held the same key in His message to the Philadelphians in Revelation 3:7. Eliakim’s position in Jerusalem, as the father figure showing strong leadership in a time of crisis, is also an indication of the role Jesus will play when He comes in His Kingdom. But there is one major difference. Jesus is sovereign, and His rule and reign will be perfect and without end.
How do people around us see us pilgrims? Are we to them Eliakim figures, fathers and mothers, dependable, faithful, reliable, and solid? Or are we something else? Psalm 1:1-3 describes what Eliakim would have been like, and how we ourselves should be. “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers”.
There are some Bible characters who were solid and dependable, and we find them in the Book of Daniel. Daniel 1:8, “But Daniel was determined not to defile himself by eating the food and wine given to them by the king. He asked the chief of staff for permission not to eat these unacceptable foods”. There were three more young Jewish men who we can find in Daniel 3:16-18, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up””. Daniel reappears in chapter 6, where we read, “But when Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God” (Daniel 6:10). These were four Jewish men who, even in the face of extreme persecution, were not prepared to compromise their beliefs. They were solid and dependable.
We pilgrims need to ask ourselves how faithful and dependable we are. God desires His people to be spiritually reliable. Can others depend upon us, seeing that we are faithful in prayer, worship, service to God and in difficult times? We need to realise that God is looking for dependable disciples.
But all was not going to end well for Eliakim. In Isaiah 22:24, we read that he was a peg or nail upon which everything would hang. But in the next verse we read, “The time will come when I will pull out the nail that seemed so firm”. It is an indication that no human leader is capable of handling all burdens placed upon them. Even the best leader eventually reaches his or her limits. No pastor, parent, friend, church leader or even government can carry the weight of everyone’s hopes. Only Jesus never fails. Only He can carry our burdens. “Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
So we pilgrims need to be dependable and faithful, never giving up in times of adversity and always there for those weaker brothers and sisters who need encouragement on their journeys through life. And always we need to point to Jesus, the “Author and Perfecter of our faith”. It is only through Him that we will find the Source of the strength that we need ourselves. Our own strength is painfully lacking.
Dear Heavenly Father. You are the only Source in life that fills our every need. It is only in You that we can find the Cornerstone on which we can build our faith. Thank You. Amen.
Being a Pilgrim 