"And the government will be upon His shoulder" (Isaiah 9:6).
The image in this verse reflects the custom of carrying long, heavy, frequently used keys over the shoulder. The symbolism is extensive. The very act says “authority”! The priest who exercised such authority had command of the royal chambers and a right to admit or refuse people to the Royal Presence. Referring to Eliakim, High Priest of Israel, Isaiah says, “The key of the house of David/ I will lay on his shoulder; "So he shall open” (Is. 22:22). John, in Revelation 3:7, describes the risen, ascended, glorified Lord Jesus as our High Priest: “He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens.”
God invested all priestly authority in Jesus Christ, His Son. It is Jesus who has the keys! The government is upon His shoulder!
And what does all this mean to you and me? It means Jesus Christ has command of the Royal Chambers - and the right to admit us into the Royal Presence. That is why Hebrews 4:16 says, “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
The Scriptures say we have a High Priest (see Heb. 4:14). You can know you have such a High Priest if He “has” you! Has He forgiven your sin? If not, He has the right to refuse your entrance to the King’s chambers; but if so, then you can be assured that when you draw nigh to the throne, there will be grace to help.
