One Lively Foundation Stone

     Many believe the Old Testament to be a great history book, and indeed it is! The prophets had visions of coming attractions important to the world. The Old Testament is a trailer for The Greatest Story Ever Told. For those unfamiliar with it, that was a 1965 movie about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It was essentially Hollywood's version of the gospels. (Yes, Hollywood, at one time, did have some element of morality which has since faded.)

     Isaiah was a prophet whose name means "Yah is salvation". Yah is short for Yahweh or God. Prophets were given visions by God to see into the future, both the immediate and long-range future. Oftentimes, because of symbolism, prophets saw both the soon to come and the things further away in the stream of time. Thus, when Isaiah had visions of Babylon and the Persian Empire, that is symbolic of the end-of-time world and the millennial reign of Jesus. Furthermore, as Darius of Persia came to save the Jews from destruction by Babylon, Isaiah's visions seem to apply to Jesus who came to heal the nation of Judea, even the world!

     With that preview, read the Word of God as spoken by Isaiah below.  Look for Jesus when it is read. Jesus is always there in scripture, but sometimes he is hard to see! Scripture can't just be read; it must be considered. Every Word of God has profound meaning. One must only look for Jesus in the stories. 

Isa 22:12 And in that day did the Lord God of hosts call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth: 13 And behold joy and gladness, slaying oxen, and killing sheep, eating flesh, and drinking wine: let us eat and drink; for to morrow we shall die. 14 And it was revealed in mine ears by the Lord of hosts, Surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you till ye die, saith the Lord God of hosts. 15 Thus saith the Lord God of hosts, Go, get thee unto this treasurer, even unto Shebna, which is over the house, and say, 16 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? 17 Behold, the Lord will carry thee away with a mighty captivity, and will surely cover thee. 18 He will surely violently turn and toss thee like a ball into a large country: there shalt thou die, and there the chariots of thy glory shall be the shame of thy lord's house. 19 And I will drive thee from thy station, and from thy state shall he pull thee down. 20 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah: 21 And I will clothe him with thy robe, and strengthen him with thy girdle, and I will commit thy government into his hand: and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah. 22 And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open. 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. 24 And they shall hang upon him all the glory of his father's house, the offspring and the issue, all vessels of small quantity, from the vessels of cups, even to all the vessels of flagons. 25 In that day, saith the Lord of hosts, shall the nail that is fastened in the sure place be removed, and be cut down, and fall; and the burden that was upon it shall be cut off: for the Lord hath spoken it.

     Verse 12 represents the spoils of life. People live for themselves as if there is no tomorrow! That was the same then and now. People are generally short-range in thinking and planning. All that eating and drinking was self-satisfaction without regard to satisfying God. People still have that same problem which they can't perceive as a problem. One of my pet peeves is people turning Christ's-day (Christmas) into "their-day". It may indeed peeve God as well! Likewise, not only is Christ's-day all about them but so is everyday. Sure, they make a pretense of honoring God, but it is themselves which seek appeasement! With the sacrament of Holy Communion, Paul even warned about turning it into gluttony, and that people should eat at home because the elements (bread and wine)were for the Lord (1 Cor 11:34).
     The Lord God of Hosts (Jesus) said, "his iniquity shall not be purged from you till ye die" (verse 14). Appeasing ourselves will only subside with death. Mankind has a problem with self-amplification, and that malady will last until they die. An acquaintance of mine once said, "I will never quit smoking!" I corrected her, "Yes you will." Death terminates sin. 
     Shebna, meaning "a tender youth" was an officer in the court as treasurer in the court of Hezekiah. As such, Shebna was a type of Judas, and both were antichrists. As Judas after him, Shebna was prophesied to be cut-down which indeed Judas was.
     In his place, Isaiah envisioned Eliakim, his servant, the son of Hilkiah. Their names mean "whom God will raise up" and "portion of Jehovah", both fitting names for father and son whose names represent the Father and the Son! We can see, then, that Eliakim is representative of the Son of God. Isaiah saw him replacing Shebna, very much as Jesus Christ was the propitiation for Judas.
     Like Judas, Shebna was all about money since he was the treasurer for the king. On the other hand, Jesus was payment for sin. Shebna was an anti-type of Jesus just as Judas was. The root of all evil is the "love of money" (1 Tim 6:10) which people tend to covet! Silver and gold is mankind's most sought after lover:

Deut 7:25 The graven images of their gods shall ye burn with fire: thou shalt not desire the silver or gold that is on them, nor take it unto thee, lest thou be snared therin: for it is an abomination to the Lord thy God.

     Paul himself pointed out that he had no problem loving silver nor gold but his love was the grace of God (Acts 20:32-33). God's treasure house is full of grace. It provides what money can't buy! God committed his government to Eliakim just as God did to Jesus by making him King of the Jews. Just like Jesus, God trusted Eliakim with his government because to Eliakim, riches did not tempt him.
     "The key of the house of David will lay on his shoulder", in reference to Eliakim in verse 22. The cross of Jesus was a key of similar type. Jesus was called "the son of David". How much clearer could Isaiah's vision be? He was seeing Jesus!
     Think on verse 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." We all know that Jesus was nailed to the cross. Isaiah saw and understood the value in that! It's not the treasury which God emphasized to Isaiah but the Treasure - Jesus Christ!
     Look at God's promise in verse 26: "In that day shall the nail that is fastened in the sure place be removed, and be cut down, and fall; and the burden that was upon it shall be cut off." Jesus would overcome death, and the burden of sin shall be cut off! That version is a picture of redemption wherein sin is defeated and hearts are circumcised. Why was Isaiah a born-again Christian who was saved? Because he accepted Jesus's future atonement (payment) for sin. He saw God crucified, trusted that it would happen, and served God. It was by God's Name he was saved - Jesus. How do I know that? The Apostle Paul described the Church:

Ephesians 2:19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; 20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; 21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:

     Indeed, the Church was built on Peter. He was the foundation of the Church. However, so was Isaiah, Jeremiah, Andrew, Bartholomew, others, and of course Jesus - the Cornerstone. Isaiah was a living stone which God laid down before the Church was ever established. God built the Church on the prophets because they understood! It was Jesus who convinced Isaiah as Lord of the Hosts. Isaiah knew the Cornerstone in person, and built the foundation of that Church to that Datum. 

     For those who aren't builders, in ancient times and even into the present, the cornerstone was laid first, and all further measurements in all directions were referenced off that stone. It was laid true and plumb and its measurements precise. Isaiah was measured off the same Datum as was Peter and Paul but long before them! The Church is built on a firm foundation, and it was the written-down visions of Jesus which converted those in the apostolic Church!