Key Verse: "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" (Isaiah 22:22).
David the anointed king of Israel was enthroned by the almighty God to impact the life, economy and military capability of the nation of Israel in his own time. In like manner, God lifted up His servant Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah and appointed him over the house of Judah to bring peace and succour to His afflicted people while captivity and anguish remained the lot of the enemy nations which had troubled God's people.
It is noteworthy from our text that Eliakim was not a military leader in Israel but an administrator in the government of Hezekiah, king of Judah (2 Kings 18:18; Isaiah 36:3); yet God used him to give Judah and Jerusalem the needed respite. God has also empowered us through the Spirit of the indwelling Christ with whom we have been baptised to function in and for His kingdom.
The open door God granted Eliakim is similar to the open door of global evangelisation today. God has promised to give us the heathen for an inheritance and the ends of the world for our possession. No one should rest on his oars until this divine mandate is accomplished. As we march out gingerly in obedience to our great Commander, the enemy shall submit to the superior power of our God and His Christ.
The task of conquering the world for Christ with the gospel must never be misconstrued as the prerogatives of pastors, church leaders and workers alone. The pew and the pulpit must determinedly converge to bring the full-orbed gospel to the whole world.
Thought For The Day: God empowers and uses earthen vessels to accomplish His purpose.
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