“Thus saith the Lord GOD of hosts, Go, get thee unto this treasurer, even unto Shebna, which is over the house, and say, What hast thou here? and whom hast thou here, that thou hast hewed thee out a sepulchre here, as he that heweth him out a sepulchre on high, and that graveth an habitation for himself in a rock?”
Isaiah 22:15-16 KJV
The Lord Yahweh directed Isaiah, “This is what the Lord Yahweh, the Commander of Angel Armies, has to say: “Go to Shebna, the treasurer of the palace, and say to him, ‘What right do you have to be here, and who gave you permission? And why do you chisel out a tomb for yourself here, carving out your royal burial place, a dwelling place in the rock?” Shebna was King Hezekiah’s scribe, a high government official who because of his self-importance and corrupt ways, was removed and replaced by Eliakim, the son of the high priest and a man of integrity. Shebna is a picture of the self-centred Adam-life which is the spirit of anti-Christ that seeks self-promotion. But God removes our Shebna and replaces it with Eliakim (the Christ-life within us) for those who believe in what the Lord Jesus did for us personally, on the Cross. This principle of replacement is found throughout the Scriptures - Isaac for Ishmael, David for Saul, Esther for Vashti, Samuel for Eli, Matthias for Judas etc.). Many rock-cut tombs have been discovered on an elevated cliff on the other side of Kidron Valley in the village of Silwan. It seems that Shebna was hewing out his tomb on a cliff, meant for royalty, which was a gross display of self-promotion. Paul’s attitude towards this was that those who preach Christ with ambition and competition are insincere. However, whatever be the reason, preaching Christ with mixed motives or with genuine love, the message of Christ is still being preached and that’s a cause for rejoicing. Amen!
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