Isaiah 22:23 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. The promise concerning Eliakim amounts to this: "I will so build him up into My spiritual temple (so the Almighty may be supposed to say), that he himself may be securely fixed in it, and that others also may safely depend on him for help and counsel." As Eliakim was a type of Christ, we have in this similitude an instructive lesson, both of our duty and our happiness. On Him we must hang our hopes and interests, both with respect to our own salvation, and to the peace and prosperity of the Church. I. Eliakim was a type of Christ IN BEING THE SUCCESSOR OF ONE WHO HAD PROVED HIMSELF UNWORTHY OF HIS OFFICE. As the haughty and unprincipled Shebna gave place to a man whom no selfish interests could possibly influence, so were the corrupt and evil-minded rulers of the Jewish nation to be set aside at the appearance of the Messiah who was to govern the world in righteousness. II. Again, Eliakim was a type of Christ, IN THE AUTHORITY ENTRUSTED TO HIM. As the successor of the faithless Shebna was honoured by having "the key of the house of David laid upon his shoulder," in token of the unlimited authority which he was thenceforth to exercise, so was the Lord Jesus to be entrusted with "all power in heaven and earth;" and we find Him adopting the same lofty terms to describe His own regal attributes (Revelation 3:7). III. A third particular in which Eliakim may be considered as a type of Christ, is IN THE BENEFITS AND BLESSINGS SECURED BY HIS RIGHTEOUS RULE. Eliakim, we are told, was "a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah," but the benefits of the wisest administration of man are few and insignificant, when compared with those which are secured to the world by the glorious reign of the Prince of Peace. (J. N. Norton.) Parallel Verses KJV: 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. |
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