Isaiah 22:16
16 What hast thou here? and whom hast thou here, that thou
hast hewed thee out [chatsab] a sepulchre [qeber] here [poh], as he that
heweth him out [chatsab] a sepulchre [qeber] on high [marowm], and that
graveth [chaqaq] an habitation [mishkan] for himself in a rock [cela`]? KJV-Interlinear
16 What have you to do here, and whom have
you here, that you have cut out here a tomb for yourself, you who cut out a
tomb on the height and carve a dwelling for yourself in the rock? ESV
Thus far, what
we know of Shebna, is that he was in an elevated position in the Palace of the
King. He will be replaced by Eliakim,
who replaces him as governor of the palace of Hezekiah. This last part is still ahead of us in the
passage.
Shebna is not
only a traitor as the meaning of his name implies, but he is a presumptuous one
at that. Betraying a country while at the
same time constructing an ostentatious grave site or sepulcher or tomb, within
that same country, for himself, presuming that he will one day be placed in it
for all time.
It is the quintessence
of contradiction, hypocrisy, self-centeredness, and disloyalty, all wrapped up
into one attitude, that lacks concern for anyone but himself. As well as a total lack of orientation to the
realities that will then be swirling around the entire world.
And such can be
the nature of one who rejects God and doctrine, and thus rely on their own
self-centered priorities, to the total disregard for others.
‘Not me,’ you
say!
But remember
that this is all pointing to the general attitude of people in that last
generation of human history, people who will live in a time even later than the
one that we are in, presumably. What
with the world swirling out of control all around them, at that time, one group
is partying as though it is their last fling, while another is constructing a
fancy grave, of which they will never see its inside. No ceremony, no fanfare, no organized
funeral.
While current
saying can be, ‘Well this is afterall, 2014.’ As though the number of our year
implies some form of advancement in humanity.
But we know that in future years, this saying would seem to mean a
decline in humanity, rather than some advancement. The Tribulation, which is future, will find
the very worst of human nature.
From Revelation
and other passages, we already know how these people are going to end up,
scattered to the wind and unidentified and forgotten on the great battlefield
of the Middle East and the world.
But Shebna is
building a tomb that he believes will bring him remembrance for generations to
come. Which generations will not exist.
At the very
lowest point in all of human history, those folks, instead of investing in
their eternal future, are doing what?
