Lectio: Isaiah 22:19-23
Thus says the Lord to Shebna, master of the palace:
"I will thrust you from your office
and pull you down from your station.
On that day I will summon my servant
Eliakim, son of Hilkiah;
I will clothe him with your robe,
and gird him with your sash,
and give over to him your authority.
He shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem,
and to the house of Judah.
I will place the key of the House of David on Eliakim's shoulder;
when he opens, no one shall shut,
when he shuts, no one shall open.
I will fix him like a peg in a sure spot,
to be a place of honor for his family."
Studium:
It was not unusual for a change of positions in the court. Princes are fickle. In these verses, Shebna is in disgrace. He was the treasurer. What he specifically did is not the point. He did something. The point is that temporal positions aren't forever. Don't rely on princes. Their favors are fickle. We need to pray for our princes (leaders).
Eliakim is God's servant and He has called him to a higher position. It was foretold that Eliakim should be put in Shabna's place.
Meditatio:
It's easy to identify with Shebna, in today's world--not his crime, but certainly his demotion. Today, young college graduates are often hired by large fortune 500 companies because they're cheap, bright, and hard working. They're anxious to prove themselves. Give these same young lads twenty years, and it is not uncommon to find themselves out of a job--to make room for the next generation of smart young college graduates because they're cheaper than their fifty-year-old predecessors.
I'm sure everyone knows their jobs are not like a peg in a sure spot. That's just the way, today. Only God is constant. He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
Oratio:
Lord, be at my side, always. Be my companion. Help me to do Your Will and not be anxious about my job and home life. Give me the grace to trust in You. You alone are the same. Your love and care I need to trust.
Contemplatio:
Lord, Your love is eternal. Thank You for loving me.
Thus says the Lord to Shebna, master of the palace:
and pull you down from your station.
On that day I will summon my servant
Eliakim, son of Hilkiah;
I will clothe him with your robe,
and gird him with your sash,
and give over to him your authority.
He shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem,
and to the house of Judah.
I will place the key of the House of David on Eliakim's shoulder;
when he opens, no one shall shut,
when he shuts, no one shall open.
I will fix him like a peg in a sure spot,
to be a place of honor for his family."
Studium:
It was not unusual for a change of positions in the court. Princes are fickle. In these verses, Shebna is in disgrace. He was the treasurer. What he specifically did is not the point. He did something. The point is that temporal positions aren't forever. Don't rely on princes. Their favors are fickle. We need to pray for our princes (leaders).
Eliakim is God's servant and He has called him to a higher position. It was foretold that Eliakim should be put in Shabna's place.
Meditatio:
It's easy to identify with Shebna, in today's world--not his crime, but certainly his demotion. Today, young college graduates are often hired by large fortune 500 companies because they're cheap, bright, and hard working. They're anxious to prove themselves. Give these same young lads twenty years, and it is not uncommon to find themselves out of a job--to make room for the next generation of smart young college graduates because they're cheaper than their fifty-year-old predecessors.
I'm sure everyone knows their jobs are not like a peg in a sure spot. That's just the way, today. Only God is constant. He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
Oratio:
Lord, be at my side, always. Be my companion. Help me to do Your Will and not be anxious about my job and home life. Give me the grace to trust in You. You alone are the same. Your love and care I need to trust.
Contemplatio:
Lord, Your love is eternal. Thank You for loving me.
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