Referring not to Eliakim (Christ) but to Shebna (v. 15), who was replaced by Eliakim. In His judgment God discharged, or “fired,” everyone and everything, including the kings of the nations, Shebna the steward, and all the bowls and jars in God’s house, and replaced them all with Christ. God discharged everyone on the cross, and He is replacing everyone with Christ. Because Christ joined Himself to us, uniting Himself with us, when He died on the cross, we died with Him and were terminated (Rom. 6:6; 2 Cor. 5:14). Now, in our organic union with Christ through our faith in Him, He replaces us by living in us, with us, by us, and through us (John 15:5; Rom. 11:17; Gal. 2:20; Phil. 1:19-21*a). Furthermore, God has replaced everything in His Old Testament economy with Christ (Matt. 17:3-5; Col. 2:16-17; Heb. 10:5-14). Thus, the all-inclusive Christ as Immanuel (Isa. 7:14) replaces everything and becomes everything in God’s economy.

The bowls and jars typify the different ways and means for us to partake of Christ in His riches. Bowls, or cups, are small vessels to contain water, typifying the Spirit of Christ (John 7:37-39), and jars, or pitchers, are large vessels to contain wine, typifying the divine life (Matt. 9:17 and note Matt. 9:17¹). This signifies that in the house of God all His children are vessels to contain His Spirit as water to quench people’s thirst and His life as wine to cheer people unto rejoicing. All the riches of the bountiful supply for the enjoyment of God’s children are hanging on Christ as the peg, the holder.

Or, weight. In this verse glory is in apposition with both the offspring and the issue and vessels. Thus, the glory of the Father’s house that hangs on Christ as the peg is the children of God as the offspring and the issue (descendants) of God, and these children of God are the vessels of Christ, who hang on Him in order to contain Him and to minister Him to others. The children of God as the offspring and the issue are glory in the house of God, and they are also the vessels.

Christ will become a throne of glory for His Father’s house. The glory here is the children of God, who are vessels hanging upon Christ as the peg (v. 24 and notes). With the glory there is a throne, and this throne is actually Christ Himself. The throne signifies the administrative authority and the kingdom. Christ in His administrative authority is the throne that governs everything within the house of God.

Christ has been driven by God as a peg, or nail, into a sure place (v. 23a), which typifies the third heaven (cf. 2 Cor. 12:2b), where Christ was exalted by God after His resurrection (Acts 2:33; 5:31). Because the Father is in the third heaven (Matt. 6:9), to be exalted to the third heaven is to be exalted to God the Father (cf. Luke 15:18). Christ today is in the heavens as a peg driven into God. See notes on v. 24.

The all-inclusive Christ, as typified by Eliakim, is also the One upon whose shoulder the key of (the treasury of — Isa. 39:2 and note Isa. 39:2¹) the house of God (typified by the house of David for the building up of the kingdom of God — 2 Sam. 7:16) is set (Rev. 3:7). The church is both God’s house (1 Tim. 3:15) and God’s kingdom (Matt. 16:18-19; Rom. 14:17). The key set on Christ’s shoulder is the key for the keeping of all the treasures of the house of God, which are all the riches of Christ for our enjoyment. Christ is the One who can open and shut the door to the treasury of God’s riches, which are embodied in Him (Col. 2:9).

Christ is a Father to us, God’s children (cf. Isa. 9:6). As the Father, He is the source and Supplier to support us in everything and in every way.

Eliakim, the servant of Jehovah who replaced Shebna (vv. 15-19), is a type of Christ as the Steward over God’s house (v. 22, cf. Rev. 3:7). God’s house is the divine household (Gal. 6:10; Eph. 2:19; 1 Tim. 3:15), including all the believers throughout the ages, over which Christ is the unique Steward, who takes care of God’s household in every way. While Christ as God’s Steward serves in God’s house, He also governs, rules, and administrates God’s children, who are under Christ’s care.

Even Jerusalem was included in Jehovah’s judgment upon the nations. In His judgment Jehovah would trample down the city of Jerusalem — the valley of vision (vv. 5-7) — because of its unforgivable iniquity: it did not look to the Lord and regard Him (vv. 11-14).