NAIL IN A SURE PLACE
Bible Verse
for Devotion: Isaiah 22:23, 24
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.
Isaiah 22 can be called
as a chapter of lamentations of Prophet Isaiah (verse 4) over the Valley of
Vision. In this devotion, the contextual message of the entire chapter is not
taken, only the essence of verses 23 & 24 is considered.
Eliakim, son of Hilkiah
The above two verses (23 & 24) of Isaiah 22 is about a man named
Eliakim, son of Hilkiah whom God had chosen to replace Shebna, a treasurer.
Shebna had accumulated great wealth and as was the custom of ancient rich men,
he had even hewed out a sepulcher for himself on a rock. He did great works for
himself, but failed to look unto his maker (verse 11) and hence God intended to
strip him of his role, wealth and honor and send him into captivity. His place
was given to Eliakim. God said that Shebna’s robe, girdle, positions and
authority would be given to Eliakim. He will be also given the custody of the
key of the house of David and will inherit the blessings.
Nail in a Sure Place
The final promise made by God to Eliakim was that: He would fasten
Eliakim as a nail in a sure place. Eliakim would be like a nail driven deep
into a secure and firm wall. Consider a nail, if it is not driven deep into the
wall and not kept secure, it will break off and fall if a burden is hung on it.
If the wall is not strong enough to hold the nail also, the nail will dislodge.
But in these verses, God promised to fasten Eliakim as a nail in a sure place.
When a nail is driven deep into a firm wall, it can be of much use to those
around it. When a burden is hung on the nail, it does not swerve or budge under
the weight. Because the firm wall bears the weight of the burden hung on the
nail.
Servants of God - Firm Nails:
When a nail is fastened in a wall, it is done so with a purpose. In
village houses we can see all sorts of things hung on the nail. From expensive
to inexpensive items, from heavy to light objects, pots, baskets and fruits
everything was hung in those days from nails driven on wooden planks or walls
(at least common in eastern countries). In verse 24, God told Eliakim that
people will hang all the glory of his father’s house on him. People would
appreciate him, honor him, respect him and glorify him and that would be
marvelous. But that is not the only thing to be hung on him.
People of his household will also hang vessels on him from small cups to
magnificent articles. In olden days, vessels were an essential part of day-to-day
life. Unlike present days, where we can shop for vessels wherever and whenever
we want. In olden days it took great effort and time to make these vessels.
People would be careful and responsible with their vessels. There were vessels
and cups of gold and silver that were of great importance and also clay pots
that were of lesser significance. Gold told Eliakim all sort of vessels would
be hung on him. Vessels indicate their means of livelihood, duties, cares,
responsibilities etc.
Bearing Each Other’s Burden
As servants of God, like Eliakim there are different phases. There are
times when we feel encouraged and appreciated. But there are other times, when
our friends, family and the people whom we minister share their pain, loss,
sickness, sadness with us it is like a burden is hung on the nail of our heart.
Many ministers feel bogged down under the weight of the burden and they feel
pressurized. If you are a nail fastened on a firm wall you don’t have to bear
the weight of the burden. The firm wall will bear the weight for you and help
you to remain stable.
We all know about Jesus Christ’s invitation to those who are weary in
Matthew 11:28, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I
will give you rest”. But when people around us go through trials and
tribulations and reach out to us for help, as children of God we have to “Bear
one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” as Apostle Paul says
in Galatians 6:2. But before that we have to make sure that we are like the
nails fastened on a firm wall.
A Firm Wall and a Sure Place:
In the New Testament we can often find phrases such as, built on a
strong foundation, being deeply rooted etc. All of these have similar meaning
i.e. being strong and steady. What is our secure and firm place where we can
stay stable and steady? Jesus himself is our sure foundation (Isaiah 28:16) of
our strong city. The Bible tells in Isaiah 26:1, “We have a strong city; God
will appoint salvation for walls and bulwarks”. The salvation we have received
through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ gives us firmness and security. The hope
we received through the promises of God gives us surety as given in Hebrews
6:14 – 20.
Finally, the exhortation given by Apostle Paul to the Ephesian Church to
remain steadfast in their faith saying “As you therefore have received Christ
Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have
been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving” in Colossians 2:6,7 encourages
us also to do the same. If we are careful about our relationship with God, we
will be like a nail fastened on a firm place. And whenever a burden is hung on
us, we don’t have to bear the weight, because the weight will be transferred on
to the firm place we are driven into and we can remain stable and steady
through it all.
So, before you venture
out to minister especially during these days of great need, spend some time to
check whether your nail is fastened onto a firm place. If not, take God’s help
to fix you deep in a sure place.
