Haggai 2:20-23 (3)
Notes
Transcript
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We’re going to be at the end of Haggai Chapter 2 this evening.
Encourage to follow along
Hopefully, this will be our final sermon here.
Remember that earlier in this chapter...
....we saw the consummate fulfillment...
…of the coming Temple...
Today, we’re going to see the consummate fulfillment...
…of Israel’s coming King!
Again, these are deep texts....
And we need all the time we can get...
So, we’re just going to jump on in:
Haggai 2:20–23 (ESV)
20 The word of the Lord came a second time to Haggai on the twenty-fourth day of the month,
21 “Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, I am about to shake the heavens and the earth,
22 and to overthrow the throne of kingdoms. I am about to destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the nations, and overthrow the chariots and their riders. And the horses and their riders shall go down, every one by the sword of his brother.
23 On that day, declares the Lord of hosts, I will take you, O Zerubbabel my servant, the son of Shealtiel, declares the Lord, and make you like a signet ring, for I have chosen you, declares the Lord of hosts.”
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Verse 20 can be a little confusing when you first read it.
That’s because we have already seen:
“The word of the LORD come”
...At least three times already!
But, when Haggai says (in verse 20), that:
Haggai 2:20 (ESV)
20 The word of the Lord came a second time to Haggai on the twenty-fourth day of the month,
Twice in the same day
The reason for that appears to be, simply that:
Had a different message...
Intended for a different audience.
Look at verse 21:
Haggai 2:21 (ESV)
21 “Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah...
So, this message isn’t to:
The people in general
Or even:
The priests
This final message is a word to Israel’s (then) vassal civil ruler...
...About the future of:
God’s Kingdom
God’s King!
-Now, at the present...
…the fact that Zerubbabel is referred to:
as a governor...
and not a king...
…is a yet painful reminder that...
…the people are still under the control...
…of a foreign power!
-But, remember, that Zerubbabel...
…wasn’t just any governor that had been appointed by a pagan king...
He was, (as Lange tells us):
...the grandson of Jehoiachin, the king of Judah whom Nebuchadnezzar took into captivity as part of the second deportation of Jews from Jerusalem in 597 BC.
Therefore, Zerubbabel is a descendant of David and the rightful heir to Judah’s throne. — John Peter Lange
Here’s why that would have been so important:
God had told King David:
2 Samuel 7:12–16 (ESV)
12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.
13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever...
16 And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’ ”
But, remember what had happened later:
Jeremiah 22:24–26 (ESV)
24 “As I live, declares the Lord, though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, were the signet ring on my right hand, yet I would tear you off
As we’ll see later...
…the signet ring of a king was greatly protected
He would go on to say:
Jeremiah 22:30 (ESV)
30 Thus says the Lord: “Write this man down as childless, a man who shall not succeed in his days, for none of his offspring shall succeed in sitting on the throne of David and ruling again in Judah.”
-So, this is the cloud that was...
…hanging over the head of Zerubbabel’s family.
YET… The Lord says this:
Haggai 2:21–22 (ESV)
21 “Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, I am about to shake the heavens and the earth,
Remember, how we saw before...
…that, in it’s most basic sense...
…this is the language of a cataclysmic theophany!
In other words:
A visitation of God to the earth...
…that shakes up the whole:
physical
temporal
political...
…order of things on earth!
It's God’s way of reminding his creatures...
…of the precept that we see in:
Jeremiah 32:17 (ESV)
17 ‘Ah, Lord God! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.
It is a reminder that:
Psalm 46:6 (ESV)
6 The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts.
It is a reminder that:
Psalm 2:1–4 (ESV)
1 ...the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?
2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying,
3 “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.”
4 He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision.
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-In an immediate sense...
...God is telling Zerubbabel...
(who has been commissioned with this task of rebuilding)
…that though they had faced stiff opposition...
…God Himself, was going to see to their success.
In a similar exhortation, Zechariah told him:
Zechariah 4:6–10 (ESV)
6 . . . “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.
7 Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain...
9 “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also complete it. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you.
Ian Duguid explains:
When God appears, everything in the created order is shaken up and even the seemingly solid mountains tremble with fear.
On this occasion, however, the shaking is not simply the response of the natural elements to the awesome majesty of God; it is something that God actually does to them.
God will shake the heavens and the earth as we might shake a child’s toy snow globe, sending everything topsy-turvy within the world. — Ian Duguid
Notice the description of these shakings in verse 22:
Haggai 2:21–22 (ESV)
21 ...I am about to shake the heavens and the earth,
22 and to overthrow the throne of kingdoms. I am about to destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the nations, and overthrow the chariots and their riders. And the horses and their riders shall go down, every one by the sword of his brother.
This is how decisively the Lord destroys...
…those who presume to oppose His purposes.
He doesn’t even have to get his own sword wet with blood...
He makes them destroy themselves!
He did this with:
Gideon and the Midianites
Jehoshaphat and the Moabites/Ammonites
Those who oppose the Lord of Hosts...
…are ultimately reduced to:
Self-destructive,
Folly!
Zechariah uses the same language...
…in reference to the “Day of the Lord!”
Zechariah 14:13 (ESV)
13 And on that day a great panic from the Lord shall fall on them, so that each will seize the hand of another, and the hand of the one will be raised against the hand of the other.
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I believe that this is the imagery in our text.
(We’ll see that indicated in verse 23 in a minute).
But already, we can look at the history of Israel...
…and conclude that this is not something that...
…was (at least) fully fulfilled...
…in Zerubbabel’s lifetime.
-But, that shouldn’t surprise us...
…if we call to mind what we saw before...
…about this language of “shaking.”
Glance back to verse 6:
Haggai 2:6–7 (ESV)
6 For thus says the Lord of hosts: Yet once more, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land.
7 And I will shake all nations, so that the treasures of all nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with glory, says the Lord of hosts.
Do you remember how the author of Hebrews...
...interpreted this “shaking?’
Hebrews 12:18–24 (ESV)
18 For you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest
19 and the sound of a trumpet...
22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem...
23 and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect,
24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
Hebrews 12:25–28 (ESV)
25 See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven.
26 At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.”
27 This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain.
28 Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken...
Do you remember what Daniel said?
Daniel 2:44 (ESV)
44 And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever,
You see, The LORD is assuring Zerubbabel of an imminent success...
...But, he’s promising him so much more than that.
The Near and the Far
-Now, if that doesn’t convince you...
I believe that verse 23 will!
First of all he says:
Haggai 2:23 (ESV)
23 On that day, declares the Lord of hosts...
What Day?
Well, in an immediate sense:
The day of this shaking!
In an ultimate sense:
The Day of God’s Visitation in:
Judgment for his enemies
Salvation for his people.
That terminology is frequently used...
…in reference to what the Bible refers to as:
- “The Day of the Lord!” -
For example:
Isaiah 2:11 (ESV)
11 The haughty looks of man shall be brought low, and the lofty pride of men shall be humbled, and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.
is2.20
Isaiah 2:20 (ESV)
20 In that day mankind will cast away their idols of silver and their idols of gold, which they made for themselves to worship, to the moles and to the bats,
Amos 8:9 (ESV)
9 “And on that day,” declares the Lord God, “I will make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight.
Hosea 2:18 (ESV)
18 And I will make for them a covenant on that day with the beasts of the field . . . And I will abolish the bow, the sword, and war from the land, and I will make you lie down in safety.
-So, on “this Day” of Cosmic Upheaval...
…The Lord declares this:
Haggai 2:23 (ESV)
23 On that day . . . I will take you, O Zerubbabel my servant, the son of Shealtiel, declares the Lord, and make you like a signet ring, for I have chosen you, declares the Lord of hosts.”
First of all...
…that language “my Servant,” and “The Chosen,” . . .
…Both have strong messianic connotations.
Remember, that this is in the context...
…of the establishment of a theocratic kingdom.
Isaiah 42:1 (ESV)
1 Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.
More related to our text, is:
Ezekiel 34:22–24 (ESV)
22 I will rescue my flock; they shall no longer be a prey. And I will judge between sheep and sheep.
23 And I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd.
24 And I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them. I am the Lord; I have spoken.
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-In our text, the LORD is telling David’s descendant Zerubbabel...
…whom he calls:
His servant
His chosen...
…that He is going to:
Haggai 2:23 (ESV)
23 ...make you like a signet ring...
What does that mean?
It’s the symbol of a King’s:
Authority
It carries with it the force of his:
Power
If a king gave someone his signet ring...
…it meant that he had given him his own authority.
Consider:
Genesis 41:42 (ESV)
42 Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand, and clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain about his neck.
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-Needless to say, this was an object...
…that would have been:
heavily guarded...
highly treasured.
-But, notice though...
…he doesn’t tell Zerubbabel...
…I’m going to:
Give you my signet ring
Make you be my signet ring...
…but, he says, I’m going to make you:
“Like” a signet ring.
What’s the difference?
Well, remember how they were used:
The word in the Hebrew is actually the word “seal.”
This refers to the action of the ring.
It was the way a king...
…put his “stamp” upon an official document.
It was, essentially, the guarantee of:
The king’s word...
By the king’s power.
In other words...
…what he was going to do for/through Zerubbabel...
…would be his guarantee of the greater things to come!
-Now, here’s the irony in this...
…that leaves us looking beyond Zerubbabel himself:
Jeremiah 22:24 (ESV)
24 “As I live, declares the Lord, though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, were the signet ring on my right hand, yet I would tear you off
Jeremiah 22:30 (ESV)
30 Thus says the Lord: “Write this man down as childless, a man who shall not succeed in his days, for none of his offspring shall succeed in sitting on the throne of David and ruling again in Judah.”
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You see, Jeconiah’s offspring was cursed!
Zerubbabel would never sit on David’s throne...
…in any proper sense.
(and he never did)
So, how can this...
…and the promise of a Davidic King...
…connected to Zerubbabel both be true?
Isaiah 11:1 (ESV)
1 There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
You see, Christ was the Legal Son of Joseph:
Matthew 1:11–12 (ESV)
Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,
But, he wasn’t his biological son:
Luke 3:27 (ESV)
27 the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri,
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He is the Shoot that sprang forth...
…from the Stump of the fallen line.
He is not under that ancestral curse.
He had no earthly father...
…and His humanity comes (through Mary)...
…through a qualified line of descent, that:
Reaches past
Goes around...
…Jeconiah’s curse.
Here’s what it all means:
The Bible Knowledge Commentary (2:23)
It is wrong to suggest that Zerubbabel would actually rule as the anointed one on the Davidic throne in Haggai’s day.
This was not intended any more than the crowning of Joshua the high priest (Zech. 3:1–10) indicated he would have political rule over Israel.
The crowning of Joshua was clearly symbolic of things yet to be fulfilled by the Messiah (Zech. 6:9–15).
Joshua was portrayed in Zechariah’s vision in his official capacity as high priest rather than in his own person.
Similarly Zerubbabel was owned as the Lord’s “signet ring” in his representative position as the son of David,
not for personal fulfillment in his own lifetime but for messianic fulfillment in the kingdom of the final Son of David (cf. Luke 1:32–33) — BKC
Jesus is the one who has the signet ring of almighty God.
He’s the one who said:
Matthew 28:18 (ESV)
18 . . . “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
He’s the one whose coming...
Shook earth and heaven!
He’s the one who established the Kingdom of God
He’s the one who reigns over...
...a Kingdom that cannot be shaken!
He is the one:
Romans 1:3–4 (ESV)
3 ...who was descended from David according to the flesh
4 and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,
And we must ALWAYS remember...
And if our study of Haggai has taught us ANYTHING...
…it is that:
2 Corinthians 1:20 (ESV)
20 ...all the promises of God find their Yes in him....
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