A Peg in a Secure Place

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 22:20-25

Then it shall be in that day,
That I will call My servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah;
I will clothe him with your robe
And strengthen him with your belt;
I will commit your responsibility into his hand.
He shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem
And to the house of Judah.
The key of the House of David
I will lay on his shoulder;
So he shall open, and no one shall shut;
And he shall shut, and no one shall open.
I will fasten him as a peg in a secure place,
And he will become a glorious throne to his father’s house.

‘They will hang on him all the glory of his father’s house, the offspring and the posterity, all vessels of small quantity, from the cups to all the pitchers. ²⁵ In that day,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘the peg that is fastened in the secure place will be removed and be cut down and fall, and the burden that was on it will be cut off; for the Lord has spoken.’

This passage seems to have several layers of meaning. As you read it, some of the language might seem familiar to you. It should. Phrases like “He shall open, and no one shall shut; and he shall shut, and no one shall open,” and “The key of the house of David,” are messianic phrases we find applied to Jesus in other texts. So, there seems to be some messianic typology or prophecy in this text.

There is also the immediate application to those who were hearing this in Isaiah’s day. The Lord was going to install Eliakim to a position of power. Eliakim was going to be a strong leader on whom the whole house of David would hang. The enormous weight of responsibility for the kingdom would hang totally on this one man. He would be able to bear it – at least for a while.

He is described as “A peg in a secure place.” Think of this like a hook on which things are hung. For a hanging hook to do its job, it has to be a strong hook and it has to be attached securely to the wall. The Lord is saying that, like a peg in a secure place, Eliakim would be able to bear the weight of the responsibility that would be placed on him.

That sounds great. But…

That peg would “Give way, and it would be cut down and fall, and the load that was on it would be cut off, for the LORD has spoken.”

God may raise up men upon which great burdens are placed. They may bear those burdens and carry them successfully. Thank God for that. But the warning here is that we should never put our faith in men. They, no matter how much good they can do, are just men. They are always liable to fall and fail.

There is one person, and only one, in whom we can trust; One on whom we can hang the whole weight of our life and our eternal future. I think this is why we hear the echoes of Messianic language in this text. Jesus is the peg in a secure place, but He is the peg that will never give way and fall.

Thank God for good men who are good leaders. But don’t hang everything on them. Hang your life and destiny on Jesus.

wood peg in a wall