Isaiah 22:15-25
"They shall hang upon him"
The office occupied by Shebna under the reign of Hezekiah was
going to be taken from him and Eliakim was going to be invested
with it. Isaiah stated that he was going to be nail on which others
would hang. The word nail is used to here to allude to the support,
which Elikam would yield to all his dependent relations. Elikam
was to be a nail on which others would rely upon. He was to be
a nail on which his descendants would hang.
Now the nail that is referred to here is a not a nail that one
would drive into the walls with a hammer or a mallet, but a spike
or large peg that would be fixed into the walls of the house when
the hose was building. It would be placed into the mortar of the
walls while still soft. The care with which they were fixed manifests
the importance they were meant to serve. It was a peg on which
reliance could be placed. On such a peg or nail armor, shields,
helmets, swords, and spoils of war were hung. Sacred and precious
trust would rest on these nails.
If that nail gave way (25), all that hangs upon it will fall.
As a Christian, we are all nails to someone else. Someone else
is hanging on us. If you fall, all those than hang upon you fall.
Sunday School teacher, you are a nail that little boys and girls
are relying on. Awana worker, you are nail that others are trusting
in. Everyone here this morning is a nail on which some one else
is relying upon. Parents, you are the nail that your children
are trusting on. Grandparents, you may be the nail that your grandchildren
are hanging on. Brother or sister, you may be the nail that your
other brothers and sisters are hanging on. If you give way, all
that hangs upon you will fall. We all are a nail that someone
is depending on.
Abraham went down to Egypt, and Lot his nephew depending on him
went as well. Egypt was not the place of God’s leading for
Abraham. But while Abraham was there Lot got his first taste for
the Egypt and when the time came to choose the land he wanted,
Lot chose Sodom because it was like the land of Egypt. Where did
Lot learn about Egypt? From the man on whom was his nail.
When Lot went to Sodom, his family followed. He was their nail,
and when he fell, all that hung upon him fell.
When Elimelech went to Moab because there was a famine in the
land, his wife Naomi and his two sons went with him because he
was their nail.
When Jeroboam their fist king of the divided nation of Israel
fell into idolatry and began his worship of golden calves, the
whole nation fell with him. He had much hanging on him and when
he pulled out and fell all that hung upon him fell.
When the ten spies that brought back the evil report of the giants
in the land of promise and their inability to conquer them, the
whole nation fell to enter the promise land because they were
hanging upon the nail of their report.
When the nail holds its place, then that which hangs upon it holds
its place, but if the nail pulls out, then that which hangs upon
the nail goes with it. I have seen the truth of what I am telling
you repeatedly. "None of us liveth to himself." People
trust you. Will you let them fall?
Oh, the importance of a little nail.
How to be a nail that is reliable, trustworthy, and dependable.
I. Must be anchored in the Sovereign place.
the place of God’s choosing ....of His will. Let go of your
stubborn will and surrender to His sovereign will.
God had a sovereign will for your life.
A. Saved - II Peter 3:9
Not saved; not in the will of God.
B. Spirit-filled - Ephesians 5:18
C. Sanctified - I Thessalonians 4:3,4
Holy, pure, set apart (7)
D. Submissive - I Peter 2:13-15
Exemplary life in society
E. Singing -I Thessalonians 5:18
Hebrews 13:15
Psalm 41:2,3 "He brought me up also out of an horrible pit,
and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he
hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God."
(Out of the mire and into the choir)
"Let my mouth be filled with thy praise and thy honor all
the day."
"I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually
be in my mouth"
F. Serving - Romans 12:1-3
"be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work
of the LORD."
God will never reveal to you His unrevealed will if you are not
doing His revealed will.
II. Must be anchored in the sure place
"For ever, O Lord, they word is settled in heaven."
The grass withereth, and the flower thereoff falleth away: but
the word of the Lord endureth forever."
"The grass withereth, and the flower fadeth: but the word
of the our God shall stand forever."
The Bible is not a book of the hour, but the book for the ages.
The Bible stands like a mountain tow’ring
Far above the works of men;
Its truth by none ever was refuted,
And destroy it they never can.
Irrevocably true
Irreversibly inspired
Irresistibly convincing
The successfulness of the nail is entirely dependent upon the
substance into which it is driven. The nail finds its strength
in that which it is anchored. Need to anchor ourselves deep into
the Word of God. The sheet-rock of the world will give way, but
the eternal Word will hold.
Need to spend time in the Word of God daily personally.
Surrogate spirituality
Let others spend time with God in His Word and then let me benefit
from their experience. Do not do that with vacation. Do not say,
"I am going to send someone else on vacation for me. When
they return, I’ll hear all about it and be spared the inconvenience."
Do not let someone eat physical food on your behalf. "Chewing
is such a bother. It tires my jaws and the variety of tastes are
overwhelming. I just let someone else chew my food and I’ll
just swallow what they give me."
Spend time in the Word yourself. Let God speak to you personally as you study His eternal book.
Get in the Word of God....that sure place because it will hold you when the storms of life come. Others are depending on you. Be anchored in a sure place.
III. Be anchored in the special place
Why ? cause others are relying upon you.
"Loved the church and gave himself for it."
Nail in Bible times that was to used for holding up things was
anchored in a special place in a place that was carefully thought
through and prepared.....oftentimes in the mortar while it was
soft.
Special place we need to be anchored in the church of the God.
See I Timothy 3:15. This architectural image would mean much to
Timothy at Ephesus. for the great temple of Diana had 127 pillars.
The word "ground" suggest a bulwark, stay, support.
The local church is a pillar and bulwark for the truth. It is
place in which we ought to be anchored in. To forsake the house
of God is doing away with than which can give us stability and
a steadfast place to anchor.
Hebrews 10: 23-25
"hold fast" notice in the context what God has given
to hold us fast...it is the church. Preserving or holding fast
is linked to the church.
Two boys were hoeing on one occasion and a big jet flew over
and one of the lads said, "I sure would hate to be up there
in that plane." The other boys answered, "I sure would
hate to be up there without it."
The NT does not teach lone-ranger Christianity.
Conclusion:
Someone is hanging on you. If you fall, they will fall. If the
nail falls, it takes everything that hangs upon it.
Dad if you fall
Mom if you fall
Teacher if you fall
Brother if you fall
Sister if you fall
May I beseech you this morning to make sure you are anchored
in the sovereign, sure, special place because of those who are
hanging on you.