Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Isaiah 22:19

Copyright Ó 2014 J. Neely
Isaiah 22:19ues

19 And I will drive [Hadaph] thee from thy station [matstsab], and from thy state [ma`amad] shall he pull thee down [harac].  KJV-Interlinear

19 I will thrust you from your office, and you will be pulled down from your station.   ESV

The change to the third person indicates that even though Isaiah is speaking of himself, he is in fact speaking of the actions that God will take.  Shebna is then a symbol of evil, as well as an actual person.  He moved into Jerusalem, with evil intentions, thinking that he could take over the truth of God and make it a home of his own choosing and design.

He is the example of any and all who pursue their own understanding and thus replace and betray truth and God.

But evil cannot accomplish its own purpose.  And so here evil is fired from its place in this universe.  Prophesied from long ago, and when the end of the Tribulation is completed, the command will be fulfilled.  And at the end of the Millennium, it will be sealed permanently and forever.

This also indicates that throughout history, no matter what evil lurks in the nations or empires or even individuals, its designs will never succeed.

Evil will rise and fall as humanity turns away from, or turns toward, Christ.  But its life cycle will always be short.  And eventually in the end, it will cease altogether.

Siding with evil, compromising, flirting with sin, trying to keep both sides appeased, are always a bad choices.