One scripture that we are familiar with at this season is

Isaiah 9:6 (KJV) 6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

But we often skim over the list of titles within the verse thinking more of the actual birth than the prophetic statement within…

and the government shall be upon his shoulder:

this is connected to the verse in

Is. 22:22 The KEY Will I Lay Upon His Shoulder

How can a key be upon a child/baby’s shoulder except it is prophetic for that childs future?

Isaiah 22:22-25.

“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.  And I will fasten him as a nail in a sure place; and he shall be for a glorious throne to his father’s house.  And they shall hang upon him all the glory of his father’s house, the offspring and the issue, all vessels of small quantity, from the vessels of cups, even to all the vessels of flagons. In that day, saith the Lord of hosts, shall the nail that is fastened in the sure place be removed and be cut down, and the burden that was upon it shall be cut off: for the Lord hath spoken it.”

“The KEY of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder.”

 

Again with reference to the times and the culture of the day in which these lines were written; it was the common custom for Middle Eastern and Oriental keys to be large, and people often carried their key on their shoulder.

The handle is made of brass or silver, or wood, and often very elaborately carved.

The corner of the handkerchief is tied to the ring, and the key is then placed on the shoulder, and the handkerchief hangs down in front.

Sometimes you will see men with a huge bunch of these large keys, then they will have half on one side of the shoulder and half on the other side.

For a man to be marching along with a large key on his shoulder shows that he is certainly a person of importance because the possession of a key was evidence of property or trust, an emblem of authority.

 

Often the one carrying the key would be asked whose key they had their shoulder.

HEB: וְנָתַתִּ֛י מַפְתֵּ֥חַ בֵּית־ דָּוִ֖ד.

NAS: Then I will set the key of the house.

KJV: And the key of the house of David.

KEY –  מפתח

Maphteah 

(literally) the opener,

Judges 3:25;

and in the Greek New Testament

kleis,

from its use in shutting

Matthew 16:19; Luke 11:52; Revelation 1:18.

Maphteah – the opener

In the Bible a KEY is used as

a symbol of authority.

In Is.22:22,

we see Eliakim the priest receiving

“the key of the house of David…on his shoulder.”

The king’s trusted servant wore the KEY

to the king’s house on a hook on his shoulder.

Therefore, he had the authority

to open or close the king’s house!

The KEY = access to Davids’ wealth which is equal to

holding spiritual treasures;

as for example,

opportunities for serving the King.

It may be where our saying has its origins that we shoulder responsibilities..

In Rev 3:7 there is similar symbolism, speaking plainly of Messiah Jesus/Yeshua having the

KEY of David.

In ancient Israel, the human king was in fact

the steward of God, the true King of the land.

Similarly, the Messiah Jesus/Yeshua is the steward of His Father’s Kingdom.

With that authority, only Jesus/Yeshua can

allow or disallow someone entrance into the Kingdom

but no man had or has that authority.

I am the Way the Truth and the Life…

I AM The DOOR/DALET

It is important to realize that the rock referred to in Matt. 16:18 is more likely to be referring to Jesus/Yeshua, and not Peter. Peter was a leading apostle/sent one, of the early New Testament Congregation/Ecclesia/Called Apart Ones of the Lord for many years,

but Peter was not its chief cornerstone

that was and is Messiah Jesus/Yeshua

as Ephesians 2:20 confirms.

Also in 1 Corinthians 10: 4;

scripture calls Jesus/Yeshua that Rock.

And It is upon this rock, Messiah Jesus/Yeshua that our faith stands, Matthew 7:24-25.

Keys are associated with locks…

A door lock of Bible times consisted of a sliding piece of wood that was pushed into a slot in the doorframe.

A catch in the frame clamped down on the lock to hold it in place.

This lock was mounted on the inside of the door. It could be opened easily from that side with a wooden key that released the catch in the doorframe. But how was a locked door opened from the outside?

The door had a hole near the lock that made this possible.

A person put his hand through the hole from the outside and inserted the key in the doorframe to open the door.

Ancient door keys doubled as door handles. They were used to reach through the keyhole to lift the locking bolt.

This locking system is also described by Solomon’s bride:

“My lover thrust his hand through the latch-opening; my heart began to pound for him” Song of Solomon 5:4

The oldest wooden lock was discovered in Iran at Khorsabad in a security gate in the palace of King Sargon II (722 to 705 BC). It is very similar to a wooden cane-tumbler lock below.

The pegs at the bit end of the key correspond to the tumblers or bars in the bolt. When inserted, the pegs could lift the tumblers, the bolt could be retracted and the door or gate could be opened.

Temple locks, or Laconian locks, consisted of a wooden bolt on guides on the inside of the door. Through a hole in the door, a person on the outside could slide the bolt back to open position using a very angular tool (key) of bronze or iron. To lock it again, a thin rope or leather strap pulled the bolt into the staples in the door frame. Ancient Greek door locks were used from the seventh century BC in Greece and were named after finds in Laconia in the southern part of Peloponnesus in Greece.

A KEY ON THE SHOULDER 

In Isaiah 22:16 he predicted that Shebna would be deposed from office and be replaced by Eliakim. Carrying a KEY on his shoulder symbolized his position of power and authority, as well as his trustworthiness.

The primitive locks of Bible time, Judges 3: 23-25; had to be opened with long wooden keys. Having the key to something denotes power and authority. You have the right to enter in and the right to refuse entry to others. In the ancient world, keys were given to the steward, a servant whom the master of the house trusted to care for the household. The long, large keys of the day were often carried on a person’s shoulder. These keys were often slung over the shoulders of those who had the authority to lock and unlock doors in the king’s royal buildings. So a key on the shoulder as a symbol of authority is probably the image behind Isaiah’s statement about the Messiah: The government shall be upon his shoulder. Isaiah 9:6.

KEYS OF THE KINGDOM

Isaiah focused on the symbolism of the keys of authority and trustworthiness when he prophesied of a day when the false steward of Jerusalem (Shebna) would be unseated and a true steward (Eliakim) entrusted with the card of the city. He said that Eliakim would replace the corrupt leaders and

“I will give him your authority . . . . I will place the key of the house of David around his neck. When he opens no one will shut. What he shuts no one will open” (Isa. 22:21-22).

This new leader would be trusted with the responsibility to care for Jerusalem.

 In Jesus/Yeshuas’ day, the experts in the law had also proved themselves unworthy to hold the keys. He said to them,

“How horrible it will be for you experts in Moses’ Teachings! You have taken away the key that unlocks knowledge. You haven’t gained entrance into knowledge yourselves, and you’ve kept out those who wanted to enter” (Luke 11:52).

This is the, ‘beware of the leaven of the pharisees’ who were keeping the people in bondage by their oral laws rather than teaching from the scriptures…the same is also true today as Solomon said nothing new under the sun!

These men had access to gain knowledge and share it with others-they knew how to read and interpret the law-but they did not fulfill their responsibility, so Jesus/Yeshua took the KEY away. This is similar to when Messiah said He had blinded those who refused to see.

At some point disobedience leads to a hardened heart that is unable to be turned back to God, and in this case Jesus/Yeshua removed their authority, as symbolized by the KEY.

The keys to unlocking truth are given to true ministers of the gospel, an important charge that they must not take lightly.

He was given the authority to explain gospel truth to others, thereby opening the kingdom to them.

This same authority rests with the church today.

We have a responsibility to

unlock the knowledge of the kingdom of heaven for others.

The second occurrence of the KEY of David is in Isaiah where it states,

The key of the house of King David was to be on the shoulder of Eliakim.

Isaiah 22:22, “The key of the house of David I will lay on his shoulder; so he shall open, and no one shall shut; and he shall shut and no one shall open.”

In this passage, beginning in verse 20, it appears that YHVH will call Eliakim and lay on his shoulders the key of the house of David.

This passage has a prophetic meaning referring to the then future Messiah.

The key of the king’s treasure-chambers and of the gates of the palace was the natural symbol of the chamberlain’s or vizier’s office, and, as in Isaiah 9:6, it was solemnly laid upon the shoulder of the new official, perhaps as representing

the burden of the responsibilities of the duties of his office.

(Eliakim as an allusion or type of Messiah/Christ).

So the key of the house of David is

symbolic for the government of Eliakim in Isaiah 22:21, which is a type or symbol of the government of Jesus Christ/Messiah Yeshua, as described in Isaiah 9. Note also that according to Isaiah, the government or kingdom of Messiah is established, or founded, on a work of judgment. This is an important aspect of the key of the house of David.

Isaiah 22:22. There, the prophet tells the palace secretary Shebna that he will be replaced by Eliakim, for God “will place on his shoulder the key to the house of David” (Isaiah 22:22). The one who holds the keys has the authority. Thus, the “key of David” implies control of David’s domain, which was promised to the Messiah in both the Old and New Testaments (Isaiah 9:7; Luke 1:32).

There are still many buildings in the Middle East which have enormous locks, and of course with keys in proportion.

Many of them are heavy to carry. These locks are made so that no false key could fit them, and they become more complicated in proportion to the number and position of the guards into which the metal drops are required to fall.

Lay upon his shoulder;

he mentions the shoulder rather than the hand, in which keys are commonly carried, either from some ceremony then in use, of carrying a KEY upon the shoulder,

either of the officer of state himself,

or of another in his name and stead;

or to signify that this was a KEY of greater weight than ordinary, and that government, which is designed by this KEY, is a heavy burden, and therefore in Scripture phrase said to be upon the shoulder, as Isaiah 9:6.

These huge locks are found on the inside of doors of gardens and outer courts, and inner rooms too. The only way the owner can unlock them is to cut a hole in the door, put his arm through the hole, and insert the KEY.

Many of the garden doors are still locked this way today.

The ancient lattice window looked very much like a fisherman’s net, and was used in warm middle eastern countries. It was formed by woven work, and highly ornamental. They also had hinges which allowed them to be open or shut. On very hot days then sun is kept out while the air is let in through the trellis openings.

In the Song of Solomon the bride says, “My beloved put his hand by the hole of the door,” that he might enter.

“My beloved is like a roe or a young hart: behold, he standeth behind our wall, he looketh forth at the windows, shewing himself through the lattice.”

– Song of Solomon 2:9

Put in his hand –

Through literally from

the hole of the lock,

in order to raise the pins by which the bolt was fastened.

The Oriental lock is a hollow piece of wood attached to the doorpost, into which a sliding-bolt is made to run. As soon as the bolt has been driven home a number of pins drop into holes prepared in it for their reception.

 

As we have seen, a KEY in the East is usually a piece of wood with pegs in it corresponding to small holes in a wooden bolt within, and is put through a hole in the door, and thus draws the bolt.

So Messiah Jesus/Yeshua “

puts forth His hand (namely, His Spirit, Eze 3:14),

by (Hebrew, ‘from,’ so in Song Sol. 2:9) the hole”;

in “chastening” Ps 38:2; Re 3:14-22,

singularly similar to this passage),

and other unexpected ways

letting Himself in (Luke 22:61, 62).

Put in his hand – Through (literally “from”) the hole (of the lock), in order to raise the pins by which the bolt was fastened. The Oriental lock is a hollow piece of wood attached to the doorpost, into which a sliding-bolt is made to run. As soon as the bolt has been driven home a number of pins drop into holes prepared in it for their reception. To raise these pins, and so enable the bolt to be withdrawn, is to unfasten the lock.

This is commonly done by means of the key (literally “opener”), but may often be accomplished by the fingers if dipped in paste or some other adhesive substance. For such a purpose the beloved inserts his fingers here anointed with the costly myrrh, which will presently be passed onto those of the bride when she rises to open to him.

My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door,….

To remove the bolt or bar which kept him from entering in.

By the “door” is meant the door of her (Israel) heart, which was in a great measure shut against Messiah, because of corruption; and the “hole” in it shows that it was not entirely shut up, there was a little love broke out from her to him; a little light broke in from him upon her; but her heart was much narrowed and straitened, her grace low in exercise, yet there were some faith, some love.

Messiah takes the advantage of the little hole or crevice there was, and “put in his hand”; which is to be understood of powerful and efficacious grace, and the exertion of it on her; which is as necessary to awake a drowsy saint, and reclaim a backslider Acts 11:22; and this is a proof of the greatness of Jesus/Yeshua’s love to His Body/His Bride.

Even though she is dismissive towards Him, He does not utterly forsake her, but left something behind that came upon her; in that what called, knocked, and speaking couldn’t do, His hand/ His Spirit, was able to.

and my bowels were moved for him; the passions of her soul; her grief and sorrow for sin, in using him in so ill a manner; her shame for being guilty of such ingratitude; her fear lest he should utterly depart from her; her love, which had been chill and cold, now began to kindle and appear in flames; her heart, and the desires of it, were in motion towards him; and a hearty concern appeared that he should be used so unfriendly by her; that his company and communion with him should be slighted, who had so greatly loved her, and endured so much for her.

WHAT ARE MYRRH’S SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPORTANCE?

Myrrh meaning bitter 

It is very expensive 

It is a detoxifying agent 

It is used to embalm the dead 

It is used as a base for perfumes

It is a cleansing agent 

It is a healing agent

Myrrh’s spiritual significance:

We must put to death (embalm) the old nature

Bitter, painful experiences (myrrh is bitter) of life and ARE PART of God’s BEAUTY TREATMENT of us

It is not 1 or 2 or 3 months of the 12- month beauty treatment,

it is SIX MONTHS,

meaning HALF, or PART OF OUR BEAUTIFICATION process

We must…

Allow God to detoxify us of all bitterness, anger, offences, hurt feelings, traumas, painful memories, abuse, molestation, trauma…

We must wait in His presence to receive His HEALING,

FORGIVENESS, COMFORT,

teaching, restoration,

and AFFIRMATION…

It is 

“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.  And I will FASTEN HIM AS A NAIL IN A SURE PLACE and he shall be for a glorious throne to his father’s house.  And they shall hang upon him all the glory of his father’s house, the offspring and the issue, all vessels of small quantity, from the vessels of cups, even to all the vessels of flagons. In that day, saith the Lord of hosts, shall the nail that is fastened in the sure place be removed and be cut down, and the burden that was upon it shall be cut off: for the Lord hath spoken it.”

It was customary to build certain pegs into the house, to hang things on. Unlike temporary nails in plastered wall which can fall out overtime, these were very permanent. On such pegs trophies, shields, swords, gold and silver vessels, changes of raiment, and other valuable things were hung, for show.

in Rev. 3:7, Jesus/Yeshua refers to the key of David in these same terms. we are again reminded of the words

“And the government shall be upon His shoulder” Isaiah 9:6

 (KJV) 6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

is a prophecy about a future child who would bear the government on his shoulders and be called by titles that could only rightfully be attributed to God:

The Messiah was pre-eminently the gift of the God of love. Man had no claim on Him, and God voluntarily gave His Son to be a sacrifice for the sins of the world.

And the government shall be upon his shoulder – The sense of this passage is, that He shall rule, or that the government shall be vested in Him.

It was prophesied in Genesis 49:10 that the Lord would reign.  That says,

“The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.”

The Word of God says in 

Matthew 28:18, “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.”  

How right it is that the Lord Jesus should reign.  We read in 

Revelation 19:16

that He is the, “…KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”  

Isaiah 9:7

tells us that, “Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end.”

Which government does Messiah hold on His shoulder?  

Is it not true that He holds all of them?  The Lord is called the “God of Israel” Over 200 times in scripture.  He certainly reigns over all human governments.  

Daniel 4:17 says, “This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones: to the intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men.”

Messiah certainly governs His church as we read in 

Colossians 1:18, “And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.” 

 Messiah Jesus/Yeshua will rule on the earth during His 1000 year reign. 

 Matthew 25 tells us of the judgment of the nations at the end of the time of Tribulation to determine who will enter this kingdom.  

We read in 

Matthew 25:32-34, “And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”

the power and tender love of our blessed redeemer.  

Isaiah 9:6 tells us that, “the government shall be upon his shoulder.”  And yet, when rescuing one of His precious lambs, in Luke 15:5, we read “And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.”  

While the government is on His ‘shoulder’, His lambs are securely and tenderly held on His ‘shoulders.’  Not only does He hold us on His strong shoulders, He rejoices in our salvation. And we are indeed

FORGIVEN

Rev 3:7

WHAT DOES THE KEY OPEN?

There is the opening vision of the ascended Messiah

(Revelation 1:18).

There is the historical backdrop of this terminology

(Isaiah 22).

Jesus/Yeshua exercises absolute power to control entry into the kingdom of God.

What are the IMPLICATIONS FOR THE Ecclesia/Called out ones?

We should be consoled knowing that our access to the kingdom is secure. (Matthew 5:16, John 14:12a).

We should be confident knowing that Jesus/Yeshua is opening doors for lost people to enter the kingdom.

(John 6:44, Ephesians 1:4-5, Luke 16:16).

We should be sobered knowing that not everyone will be admitted into the kingdom.

(Matthew 7:21, Revelation 22:14-15).

We should be humbled knowing that the authority of the kingdom has been entrusted to the church.

(Matthew 16:19).

There is only one way to enter the kingdom,

through the

“narrow gate” 

How?

Through a covenant relationship with Jesus/Yeshua.

He is The

KEY

and it is upon

HIS SHOULDER.

Shalom shalom mishpachah/family and cheverim/friends! You are loved and appreciated and prayed for daily.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read the posts. If they have been a blessing and if you haven’t already, please sign up for free email notification, like, share and subscribe, it all helps to freely spread the Gospel to the uttermost parts of the earth and reaches others with His Truths. MMM will continue as long as the platform is accessible… meanwhile let’s remember

it’s all about Life and Relationship,

NOT Religion.

You are greatly loved and precious in His sight.

NOT SURE if you know the WAY through the Narrow Gate?

YOU CAN BE CERTAIN..

SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART RIGHT NOW…

Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.

I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus/Yeshua rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name. Amen.