Continue the work

His kingdom

Ezra 4:23–24 LEB

Then when a copy of the letter of King Artaxerxes was read before Rehum, Shimshai the scribe, and their associates they returned in a hurry to Jerusalem against the Jews and they stopped them by force and power. Then the work on the house of God in Jerusalem stopped, and was discontinued until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.

16 years - for sixteen years the work of rebuilding the temple had stopped. Prior to that, there was 70 years of captivity, the previous temple had been destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, there was no king of Judah of Israel, many of the lineage of David had been made into eunuchs, it seemed that the line of David was completely overthrown, extinguished. I think Tolkien in his Lord of the Rings novels, without intending to, gave an apt analogy, “Kings built tombs more splendid than the houses of the living and counted the names of their descent dearer than the names of their sons. Childless lords sat in aged halls musing on heraldry or in high cold towers asking questions of the stars. And so the kingdom of Gondor sank into ruin, the line of kings failed, the white tree withered and the rule of Gondor was given over to lesser men.” So, in Jerusalem, where David had ruled, where Hezekiah sought the Lord, where Josiah had a great spiritual revival through the Passover feast, Jerusalem where it seemed that the “line of kings” was extinguished, God had himself a man. The list of mockers and people who were obstructing the work was long. After the rebuilding had begun a letter had been sent to the king and in that letter the enemies of the people of God put in there all of their past misdeeds. All of their former power, all their good and bad things from their past were put on display. A new king was in Persia and he didn’t bother to look for the truth, he believed the lies that were in the letter and the work stopped. A lot happens in sixteen years, children grow up, new leadership comes in new kings come in, but the enemy never rests. Yet, God never rests either, God is not mocked, he will complete his plans.

Yahweh speaks - Ezra 5:1-2 “Now the prophets, Haggai and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and in Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel who was over them. Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak set out and began to build the house of God that is in Jerusalem. And with them the prophets of God were helping them.” After 16 years, God showed his leaders, showed his people, every single man or woman who was paying attention heard what God wanted. Haggai 1:1-4 “In the second year of King Darius, in the sixth month, on the first day, the word of Yahweh came through Haggai the prophet to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, saying, “Thus says Yahweh of hosts: ‘This people says, “The time has not come to rebuild the temple of Yahweh.’ ” And the word of Yahweh came through Haggai the prophet, saying, “Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your houses that have been paneled while this house is desolate?”” They had decorated their homes and they were comfortable (nothing wrong with doing that if your priorities are straight), they were returned from exiled, their neighbors liked them (or so they thought), yet God still had a plan, God still had promises to fulfill. Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel still needed to hear some things from God and Joshua the high priest was going to face spiritual opposition, the sins of the past were going to be brought up.

I am with you - Haggai 1:12-14 “Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and all the remnant of the people gave heed to the voice of Yahweh their God and to the words of Haggai the prophet, as Yahweh their God had sent him, and the people feared Yahweh.” “Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and all the remnant of the people gave heed to the voice of Yahweh their God and to the words of Haggai the prophet, as Yahweh their God had sent him, and the people feared Yahweh.” God reminded everyone that he was with them. Interesting to note that if you read the book of Haggai properly you will find that the prophet Haggai received all of these words from the Lord in a span of 4 months.

The accuser stands up - the people were encouraged by two men of God, Haggai and Zechariah. One received word and the other saw visions and received word. In the excitement of re-starting the work of God, not only did the people of God face earthly opposition, they faced supernatural opposition. In Zechariah’s fourth vision, he saw behind the veil, the veil that separate this earthly realm from the supernatural realm. Zechariah was shown that the accuser was standing up and the accuser was appropriately rebuked by the LORD. Zechariah 3:1-8 “And he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of Yahweh; and Satan was standing on his right to accuse him. But Yahweh said to Satan, “Yahweh rebukes you, O Satan! Yahweh who has chosen Jerusalem rebukes you! Is this not a stick snatched from the fire?” And Joshua was clothed in filthy garments and was standing before the angel. And he answered and said to the ones standing before him, saying, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” And he said to him, “See, I have taken away your guilt from you, and will clothe you with rich garments.” And I said, “Let them put a clean headband on his head.” And they put a clean headband on his head, and they clothed him with garments. And the angel of Yahweh was standing by. And the angel of Yahweh assured Joshua, saying, “Thus says Yahweh of hosts: ‘If you will walk in my ways, and if you will keep my requirements, then you will judge my house, and you will also guard my courtyards, and I will give to you passageways among these t…” Right of access, the Branch will come. The promise has not been forgotten.

A signet ring -

The technology revolution of the past two decades has made the use of passwords and PINs (personal identification numbers) commonplace in homes and the marketplace. Verification of one’s personal identity is now essential for both accessing and protecting computer files, bank accounts, and credit cards. The seal served the same function in the ancient world, the equivalent of a signature or similar mark of personal identification.

The Hebrew verb hatam means to “affix a seal” to a letter or a document (as in Esth. 8:8; Dan. 12:4) or to “seal shut” (used metaphorically in reference to chastity, Song 4:12; or referring to God’s control of the celestial lights, Job 9:7). The noun hotam is usually translated “seal” (1 Kgs. 21:8) or “signet ring” (Hag. 2:23). Most often the “seal” was a small cylinder of stone engraved with individual and clan symbols. Typically, a hole was bored through the stone cylinder so that it could be tied with a leather cord and worn around the neck. We read that Judah gave his “signet and cord” to Tamar as a personal pledge (Gen. 38:18). The book of Job describes the dawn of a new day like clay spread out and imprinted under the pressure of a cylinder seal being rolled over its surface (Job 38:14). Elsewhere, the seal is mentioned in connection with witnesses to a business transaction (Jer. 32:44).

The “signet ring” was associated with nobility and royalty in the ancient world. Like the cylinder seal, the signet was a metal or stone ring engraved with writing and personal symbols. Affixing the royal seal to an object was an official act that placed the object under the king’s jurisdiction and the legal purview of the state (Esth. 3:12). The prophet Haggai’s reference to Zerubbabel as the Lord’s “signet ring” symbolizes the divine authority vested in Zerubbabel as the leader of the Hebrew community in Jerusalem (Hag. 2:23). Theologically, the signet ring hearkens back to God’s rejection of King Jehoiachin as His “signet” and the curse of the Davidic line (Jer. 22:24). Haggai’s blessing of Zerubbabel in this fashion has the effect of overturning Jeremiah’s earlier curse upon the house of David and restoring the promises connected with the Davidic covenant (2 Sam. 7).

Eugene E. Carpenter and Philip W. Comfort, Holman Treasury of Key Bible Words: 200 Greek and 200 Hebrew Words Defined and Explained (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2000), 173.

The promise was still intact, the redeemer would still come through the line of David. Jesus came to restore the house of David, he came through the line of David. In the midst of opposition, in the midst of a time where every word, every communication and every action was aimed at the people of God. God came in and encouraged, God spoke and the people built, God allowed someone to see beyond the veil and a promise was kept.

God is telling his people today, build my house. What house? Today, his spirit dwells in physical vessels made of flesh, not wood and stone. Vessels made of flesh, you and I and God is calling us to continue the building. He has given you what you wanted, now it is time to give him what he wants.