19, 20. (a) How will Eliakim prove to be a blessing to his people? (b) What will happen to those who continue to look to Shebna?

¹⁹ Finally, Jehovah uses symbolic language to describe the transfer of power from Shebna to Eliakim. He states: “‘I will drive him [Eliakim] in as a peg in a lasting place, and he must become as a throne of glory to the house of his father. And they must hang upon him all the glory of the house of his father, the descendants and the offshoots, all the vessels of the small sort, the vessels of the bowl sort as well as all the vessels of the large jars.

²⁰ In these verses the first peg is Eliakim. He will become “a throne of glory” to the house of his father, Hilkiah. Unlike Shebna, he will not disgrace his father’s house or reputation. Eliakim will be a lasting support to household vessels, that is, to others in the king’s service. (2 Timothy 2:20, 21)

Hence, when the time of judgment “to start with the house of God” came in 1918, Jehovah removed Christendom. Another steward was identified​—“the faithful steward, the discreet one”—​and appointed over Jesus’ earthly household. (1 Peter 4:17; Luke 12:42-44) This composite class has shown itself worthy of shouldering the royal “key” of the house of David. Like a trustworthy “peg,” it has proved to be a reliable support for all the different “vessels,” anointed Christians with different responsibilities who look to it for spiritual sustenance. The “other sheep” too, like ‘the alien resident within the gates’ of ancient Jerusalem, depend on this “peg,” the modern-day Eliakim.​—John 10:16; Deuteronomy 5:14.

22. (a) Why was the replacing of Shebna as steward timely? (b) In modern times, why was the appointing of “the faithful steward, the discreet one,” timely?

²² Eliakim replaced Shebna when Sennacherib and his hordes were threatening Jerusalem. Similarly, “the faithful steward, the discreet one,” has been appointed to serve during the time of the end, which will come to a conclusion when Satan and his forces move for a final attack on “the Israel of God” and their other sheep companions. (Galatians 6:16) As in Hezekiah’s day, that attack will end in destruction for the enemies of righteousness. Those who support themselves on the “peg in a lasting place,” the faithful steward, will survive, just as faithful inhabitants of Jerusalem survived the Assyrian invasion of Judah.