An important type of Christ is established in Isaiah 22. This begins with a prophecy regarding military attacks against Jerusalem, called “the valley of vision” in verse 1. Despite the imminent danger the people are eating, drinking, and making merry. King Hezekiah, one of Judah’s righteous kings, built a tunnel to bring the water from the Gihon Spring through limestone rock and through the walls of Jerusalem and into the Pool of Siloam as a defense against possible attacks from the Assyrian army under Sennacherib. But the people have not looked to the Maker, who “fashioned it long ago.” They have not looked to the Lord who created the spring long ago.
This arrogance is personified in the character of Shebna, the royal steward and palace administrator over Hezekiah’s household. Verse 16 tells us he carved out a lavish royal tomb for himself, seeking his own glory. Isaiah prophesied that due to his pride and vanity, he would be driven from his high position and violently “tossed like a ball into a large country.” He was demoted to a lesser position and eventually exiled into a foreign country, likely into Assyria. This is a prime example of how human pridefulness can lead to folly and failure.
But there is a Rescuer in this story as Eliakim appears on the scene. His name means “God shall cause to arise.” Regarding Eliakim, as a type of Christ, the Lord said:
“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.
“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.
“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.
“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 22:21-24)
There is a lot to unpack in these verses. First, there is the clothing. He is clothed in a kingly robe and a sash. This is a symbol of power and authority. The government is committed into his hand. He becomes a “father to . . . the house of Judah,” just as the Savior declares, “Behold, I am Jesus Christ. I am the Father and the Son. In me shall all mankind have life, and that eternally, even they who shall believe on my name; and they shall become my sons and my daughters” (Ether 3:14).
The “key of the house of David” is laid upon his shoulder. This phrase is later quoted in Revelation 3:7 as a reference to Jesus Christ, who “openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth.” This is a reference to the sealing power of temple ordinances to bind on earth and in heaven. Isaiah had earlier prophesied, “And the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).
The Messiah would “be fastened as a nail in a sure place.” The Hebrew word for nail (yathed) means “to fasten or pin through something.” It can be translated as pin, peg, nail, or stake. In several places in Exodus, it refers to the “pins” of the tabernacle that held everything together. In Isaiah 54:2, this same word is translated as the “stakes” that secure the place of the Lord’s habitation, or temple. It also refers to Zion and its stakes. In fact, this whole comparison of Shebna and Eliakim can symbolize Zion compared with Babylon, or even Christ compared with Satan, who was also cast out.
The “glorious throne to his father’s house” reminds us of D&C 76:108: “Then shall he (Jesus Christ) be crowned with the crown of his glory, to sit on the throne of his power to reign forever and ever.” Anciently, nails were hammered into a wall to hang pots, pans, vessels, and other utensils. The nail had to be secure to bear the heavy weight. Isaiah 22:24 states, “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.” Vessels of the ancient temple included cups, bowls, censers, fleshhooks, and spoons, which were often translated from the Hebrew word kaph, which also means “palm of the hand.” This Hebrew word will come up later in Isaiah 49:16 where the Savior said, “Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands (kaph).” The gist of this verse is that the nail must be secure enough to hang both small items and large flagons, which, in this case, would be large bags made from animal skins and filled with liquid.
The glory of the Father’s house includes “the offspring and the issue.” In other words, the salvation of all of God’s children hangs in the balance. This brings us to the Crucifixion. Jesus was nailed to the cruel cross, “blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross” (Colossians 2:14). That’s a heavy cross to bear.
The last verse of Isaiah 22 states, “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.” This verse has always puzzled me. If the nail is secure, how could the heavy load fall? Bible scholars don’t agree on the meaning of this verse. Go figure—it’s Isaiah after all. Some scholars say this refers to human frailty. Even someone like Eliakim cannot be saved on his own merits. The Apostle Paul said, “Whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away” (1 Corinthians 13:8). Other scholars say this is an Isaiah prophecy that people “have removed their heart far from me.” (Isaiah 29:13). It can be seen as a prediction of apostacy.
But other scholars read this passage as the burden of sin and sorrow being removed, cut down, and taken away. I like this reading! When I think of all the things I’ve done wrong and the bondage of my sins, it’s a heavy weight nailed to that cross. I’m sure I’ve done more than my share of sinning, but if I multiply that by all the people who have ever lived, I can perhaps see why Elder Neal A. Maxwell called it “the awful arithmetic of the Atonement.” What a blessing it is to have the gift of repentance and to have our sins forgiven with the multitude of His mercies.
