God's Coat Peg - Isaiah 22:15-25

These small pieces of shaped wood or metal can be found in cupboards and the backs of doors
in most rooms of most houses. From them hang coats, anoraks, dressing gowns, umbrellas,
hats, scarfs and doubtless many other items. There never seems to be enough of them, often
they have several coats hanging from them, or perhaps that’s just my home.

Hidden deep in the prophecy of Isaiah we learn of a human “coat peg” a man appointed by God
and considered to have the qualities that likened him to a strong peg driven into the ground or
into a wall, just like a coat peg. At the time the nation of Judah was facing up to the imminent
threat of an Assyrian invasion and rather than trust in God as Isaiah had been exhorting them to
do they were casting around other nations trying to build alliances and find support.

It may be at this point in time that King Hezekiah is ill and so has placed his trust in a steward
named Shebna. Isaiah with fairly devastating insight tells his readers of the kind of man Shebna
is. Here is a leader who has no interest in anyone but himself, and is literally and rather
bizarrely feathering both his own nest and also his own tomb. He is going to find very quickly
that someone else will get his job and his own future will mean being rolled up by God into a
small ball and tossed far from the centre of God’s promises.

His successor and the one who will be called by God “a peg in a firm place” is Eliakim. This
man will lead with compassion and authority and provide for the nation the stability of leadership
they need. The idea of the peg usually refers to a tent peg which is driven hard into the ground,
and it seems from the text of v 23, 24 that this idea very quickly changes fro Eliakim to be a peg
driven into a wall. It is perhaps this subtle shift in role that leads to this peg giving way under the
weight of family and national responsibility he is left to carry.

At the heart of this incident Isaiah is placing a very important lesson, that our trust in life must be
ultimately in God. Everyone could see that Shebna wasn’t to be trusted, and both Isaiah and 2
Kings record that Shebna loses his job and has to serve under Eliakim. A shameful but merited
demotion.

Eliakim seems so strong reliable and gifted, the right man at the right time for the nation and yet
even he seems to fail, the load too great to carry. Perhaps Eliakim tried to carry the load
himself, perhaps he fell prey to that deep seated pride that whispered quietly in his ear, you can
do this, you’ve got this, just keep going. Perhaps he wanted to prove how much better than
Shebna he was. Whatever the reason he found out the hard way what happens if God is not
allowed to be the burden bearer he has promised to be.

Perhaps as you read v22, 23 this wonderful character Eliakim speaks to you in a deeper way,
the picture of keys will take you to passages like Matt 16 v 9; Revelation 3 v 7,8 were scripture
is leading us on a journey of revelation of authority delegated to some but found ultimately in
Christ. Welcome to the majestic depths of this great prophecy.

There are I think many lessons for us to learn from these few verses. The principal one being
of course that lives must be built on the strength and foundation of God not on human wisdom
and strength. It may be worth testing the practical implementation of that in our lives by
comparing the simple contrast between time spent on our phones verses time spent with a Bible
open before us.

There are also lessons for us in terms of our service and ministry as Christians. We may not be
called to be a strong peg that carries great responsibility, but we are all called to be supporters
of coat pegs helping to carry burdens, praying in support and perhaps doing all we can before
God to not become a burden.

It may also be that to a varying degree we find ourselves as a coat peg, perhaps in family life or
in Christian service, there for others to depend upon and look to for stability and leadership. If
so then we need to depend on God’s wisdom and strength, not our own. Reflecting on years in
Christian life and ministry I have met and worked with folks like Eliakim, people who taught and
shepherded my life but who found their loads too great and as pegs they gave way. They serve
as inspirations for their willingness to carry the loads of life for others, but as warnings also, that
only God can ultimately be trusted with the lives of his people. If we place our entire trust in a
human being, even one like Eliakim they may well let us down.

But perhaps also they serve as reminders of our corporate responsibility for each other, to share
burdens practically and pastorally, to watch carefully over the physical and spiritual lives of each
other and to bring compassion and love to bear when our favourite coat pegs express elements
of fragility in their Christian service.

So as we enter 2026, we need to take Isaiah’s lesson on board. We thank God for faithful coat
pegs who carry our burdens, but ultimately our trust must be in God, and if we are that coat peg,
we too despite our gifts and strengths must look to God for the ultimate energy to carry His
ministry.