Context for Isaiah 22:15-23:18
Among the judgments against the peoples of Isaiah’s day, we find judgments against specific people who have drawn God’s wrath by their sinful living. For these people, special punishment has been reserved, befitting their crimes.
Shebna was the steward of Jerusalem during the reign of Hezekiah. Among his offenses of pride was carving a tomb for himself out of rock, likely a public expense, an honor typically reserved for kings and honored warriors. He was deposed and likely captured by the Assyrians during one of their attacks on Judah.
“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?â€
Luke 16:10-11 NIV
Shebna’s crime was that his pride exceeded his place, making him an untrustworthy steward of the wealth of Jerusalem. Worse, one can infer from the judgment pronounced against Shebna that he likely knew the nature of his sin and either did not care or thought he could get away with it.
So what sins do we think we can get away with? What actions do we think we can hide from our God? Of course, we are saved by Grace, but to we continue sinning because of Grace? As Paul says, may it never be!
Instead, we should learn from Shebna’s lesson. We are saved by Grace through faith, but our salvation is just the first step in a journey toward Heaven. Once we are saved, God gives us responsibilities, sometimes big, sometimes small, but whatever their importance, they are the tasks we have been given to do, and by our faith we are to do them faithfully.
So then, our goal as faithful Christians is to do God’s will and avoid the temptations of sin. There is nothing else for us to do, and certainly that is enough.
DLH
