Introduction

It was about 8 years ago that Andy Stanley told Christians that they should “unhitch” their faith from the Old Testament.

Andy Stanley is the founding pastor of North Point Community Church just outside of Atlanta, GA. He was already pretty famous in Evangelical circles, being the son of Charles Stanley, who was the senior pastor of a big church (in Atlanta) and a major figure of the Evangelical “Moral Majority” movement in the 1980s. But Andy has made a name for himself as a leader of multiple big-box megachurches and as the author of many popular Christian living and leadership books.

Just to be clear, I don’t recommend any of his stuff to you… but there are worse things.

When Andy said what he did about the OT, a lot of folks rightly responded with shock and even resentment. I mean, most folks knew that Andy’s methods were more American business and marketing than anything resembling biblical Christianity, but to say that a massive chunk of the Bible was better abandoned or tossed aside… well, that was crossing a line that ought not be crossed.

And yet, I wonder how many of the folks outraged by Andy’s “unhitching” from the OT have any real connection to the OT for themselves.

Statistically speaking, it is pretty likely that most of us in the room would have a hard time opening up to an OT passage and making legitimate and meaningful connections to the NT and to our lives today.

I think it’s good that we have a default assumption that the OT is for us too, but I think it’s better if we know how and why the OT is for us too.

As we consider today this fourth and final word from God, through Haggai, to the people of Judah (about 2,500 years ago), I’d like to demonstrate how NT Christians can and should connect with the OT.

Each passage has its own unique features and connections, and the lines I’m drawing today won’t converge exactly the same for every OT text. And yet, the general way in which I’ll be (1) summarizing the overall story of the Bible and (2) highlighting where we are in the unfolding of God’s plan (leading up to Christ) is going to serve us all well as Bible readers and Bible listeners.

I aim every Sunday not only explain and apply the Bible to our lives, but also to show you how I got what I did from the text in front of us. In this way, I’m trying to help us all to be better listeners to faithful preaching and better interpreters of the Bible ourselves.

Now, let’s remember the scene. The people of Judah had returned from Babylonian exile, but work on the temple had stalled. Discouragement was thick. The foundation was laid, but the structure looked pitiful compared to Solomon’s.

The economy was in ruins. The nations around them seemed invincible. And the worst of it was that the people of Judah had been suffering under God’s curse because they deserved it… They’d sinned and rebelled, and their uncleanness couldn’t be wiped off or denied.

It was into this fog of despair that the prophet Haggai delivered four brief and potent messages from the Lord of hosts.

Today, we’re considering the fourth and final one… And this one centers on the unlikely ascension of a lowly governor… but there’s more to this prophecy than a simple promotion… This passage speaks of cosmic shaking, and it points toward a climactic arrival of One who’s greater than all who came before.

Scripture Reading

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.”

Main Idea:

All who trust and follow God’s chosen King will enjoy God’s gracious blessing.

Sermon

1. A Promoted Governor (v20-22)

God promised an impossible promotion for a lowly governor.

Throughout this short prophetic book, Zerubbabel’s name almost always appears with the designation “son of Shealtiel” (Haggai 1:1, 1:12, 1:14, 2:2, 2:23). God (through Haggai) was emphasizing this family lineage, and it’s important for us to know why (especially now that we are focusing on Haggai’s fourth word).

“Shealtiel” was the son of the last true king of Judah. Jehoiachin (Shealtiel’s dad) surrendered to Nebuchadnezzar (king of Babylon), who overtook Jerusalem (in 597 BC). And “Shealtiel” was among the royal family (along with many others) who were exiled to Babylon when Jehoiachin was dethroned (1 Chronicles 3:17).

Shealtiel never was king. When he and his dad were captured and exiled, Nebuchadnezzar installed a puppet king (Zedekiah). And about 10 years after that, Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the whole city, leveling both the temple and the king’s house (You can read about all of this in 2 Kings 24-25).

Haggai’s prophetic ministry picked up more than a generation later. The Babylonian empire had been conquered by the Persians, and king Darius renewed the original edict of king Cyrus which authorized Zerubbabel to lead a remnant back to Jerusalem to rebuild. About 60yrs after his granddad was dethroned and his dad exiled, Zerubbabel returned as “governor,” of a humiliated-but-hopeful people.

So, we ought to get the picture. Zerubbabel was a descendent of King David, but he wore no crown. He was of the kingly lineage of Judah, but he answered to a foreign sovereign over a pagan empire. He was a monarch by divine appointment, but there he was… a mere administrator of an idolatrous master.

And yet, Zerubbabel was the object and instrument of blessing when God clarified His pronouncement at the conclusion of Haggai’s third (previous) word.

Some of you will remember last Sunday when we considered God’s gracious “blessing” (Haggai 2:10-19). God spoke to an “unclean” and sinful people, and He told them their days of affliction were over. They hadn’t yet experienced God’s blessing (their seed was still in the ground, and their harvest wasn’t yet collected), but God’s promise was so sure that they could mark it down on the calendar.

And here in our passage this morning, God’s fourth word through Haggai is directly aimed at “Zerubbabel.” We learn here that it’s through Zerubbabel that God is going to create a cosmic upheaval, which is the climax of God’s blessing.

God said to Haggai, “Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah… [and tell him] I am about to shake the heavens and the earth… [I am about to] overthrow the throne of kingdoms… [I am about to] destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the nations… [I am about to] overthrow the chariots and their riders” (v20-22).

Indeed, God said that not only would all of Judah’s enemies fall, but they would even “go down” by their own “swords” (v22).

Like David from long ago (the youngest and least significant son of a sheep herder), God promised to take this obscure “governor” and raise him to the status of KING over a nation that would conquer the world. And what would be destruction for the “kingdoms of the nations” would be promotion for the king of Judah. What would be an “overthrow” of worldly armies and “thrones” would be vindication and success for God’s “chosen” “servant.”

Brothers and sisters, we would do well to take note of both of these patterns in the overall storyline of the Bible – (1) that God chooses to promote what is weak and insignificant so that He alone will get the glory, and (2) that God’s blessing for His people is just as sure as God’s judgment on those who oppose Him.

The Scripture invites us to “consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God” (1 Cor. 1:26-29).

God often chooses to bless and promote the weak and insignificant so that He alone is the explanation for success and He alone is deserving of glory for it.

So too, John Calvin said (commenting on Haggai 2 and the certainty of God’s blessings), “whenever [obstacles] and difficulties come in our way, calculated to drive us to despair… this prophecy ought to come to our minds, which shows that it is in God’s power… to overturn all the kingdoms of the earth, to break chariots in pieces, to cast down and lay prostrate all riders, rather than to allow [any of these] to prevent the restoration of His [people].”

Friends, God’s blessings for His people are sure, and His judgment on those who oppose Him are too, despite what the present circumstances might seem.

Whatever else we might learn from this prophecy over Zerubbabel, we ought to learn that what is impossible with men is possible with God, and God seems to delight in showing Himself easily capable of doing the impossible.

2. A Chosen Servant (v23)

God chose Zerubbabel to be His “servant” as a descendent of king David… and (as I will argue) God elevated Zerubbabel as a forerunner of Christ.

In this final verse of our passage this morning, we see a few significant features of what it means that God was/is blessing His people in and through Zerubbabel. First, Zerubbabel is called God’s “servant” (v23). Second, Zerubbabel is to God “like a signet ring” (v23). And third, the basis of all of this is God’s sovereign choice – “for I have chosen you” (v23).

Let’s consider each of these in turn.

First, Zerubbabel is called God’s “servant” (v23).

This word translated “servant” here carries the meaning of “slave” (like in domestic service) or “subordinate” (like military rank) or “subject” (as a citizen is subject to a king). Abraham’s “servants” were slaves in his household. Some of Pharaoh’s “servants” were the military leaders of his armies. And Jacob called himself “servant” of Esau, when Jacob wanted to show respect and submission.

Therefore, to be a “servant” can be a status low or high, depending on who is master. Some of you will know the story of Joseph (in the latter chapters of Genesis). He was a “servant” to the captain of the guard and then to the Pharaoh himself… and each of these positions raised Joseph’s status instead of lowering it.

In the context of our passage (and focusing on Haggai’s prophecy here), Zerubbabel was a “servant” of the king of Persia (i.e., King Darius). Zerubbabel was Darius’s vassal or administrator, ruling the people of Judah as a “governor” under Darius’s greater rule. But God proclaimed in v23 (through Haggai) that Zerubbabel had a higher Master than Darius.

The point is that God Himself was calling Zerubbabel up as His own “servant.” No more would the leader of God’s people be a mere governor under a worldly king. No, God’s “servant” would stand above all earthly rulers with a divine commission… He would be King of kings.

Second, Zerubbabel is to God “like a signet ring” (v23).

A signet ring is an ornate and detailed piece of jewelry, which bears the king’s mark or seal or sign upon it. The king would press his ring into ink or wax, and any document that had the king’s sign carried the king’s full authority. So too, a king would sometimes give his signet ring to a messenger, so that everyone would know that this messenger spoke for the king.

Most of us have probably never seen a signet ring like this, but you’ve likely had to get something notarized before. You know… you sign a document in the presence of a formal witness, and then he or she stamps it with a state seal. The seal is proof that a certified witness saw you (and not someone impersonating you) sign the document. It carries the weight of state authorization and verification – the state of Texas approves of this notary, and this notary is witness to this signature.

So, when God said that Zerubbabel would be “like a signet ring” (v23) to Him, God was saying that Zerubbabel would be authorized to possess… not just kingly authority, but divine authority to speak on behalf of God Himself… his judgment would be God’s judgment – his word, God’s word… And his very person and office would be a sign that God’s word (especially God’s covenant promise) is sure, trustworthy, and unchanged.

Third, the basis or rationale or motive for God’s blessing on and through Zerubbabel is God’s sovereign choice – “for I have chosen you” (v23).

It seems to me that the scandal or irony of this prophecy is two-pronged.

On the one hand, it’s scandalous that God would proclaim such a lofty blessing upon and through a lowly governor of a broken-down kingdom. Zerubbabel was the opposite of an imposing figure, and the little influence he had was exercised over an insignificant rabble in Jerusalem. They might have inhabited the holy city, and they might have had God’s promise of glory and blessing, but there was nothing about them or that city to provoke the “shaking” of any nation, much less “the heavens and the earth.”

On the other hand, it’s scandalous that God would proclaim a blessing at all upon and through a sinful and negligent leader (like Zerubbabel). He had done nothing to earn the status of a heroic man of faith and obedience. On the contrary, Zerubbabel had not led well enough to carry the returned exiles through the beginning phase of their rebuilding of the temple (which was the whole reason God had made provision for their return in the first place!).

So, it is right and good for us to see here an emphasis upon God’s sovereign choice. God’s promise of blessing and God’s designation of Zerubbabel as the leader or ruler or king through which that blessing would come had nothing to do with Zerubbabel’s worth or capability or achievements.

And this (I think) is one of the main points (maybe THE main point) we are to see here in this final word through Haggai – God intends to show Himself (His wisdom and goodness and power) through the weakness and failure of men.

It’s a theme we see appear many times in the Bible’s story.

Adam was the special creation of God, stamped with God’s image and commissioned with divine authority to rule as God’s vassal king. But Adam failed to work and keep the garden. He neglected his duty, he despised his inheritance, and he sat passively by when that ancient serpent led his wife and all his decedents into rebellion and misery.

Sometime later, Noah enjoyed God’s favor, despite God’s curse upon the whole of humanity. Like Adam before him, Noah was lifted up as a new patriarch of all who would come after him, and Noah received the same commission to rule under God’s authority with virtue and holiness. And yet, Noah too was embarrassingly exposed in his garden… Another vassal king was named, and he failed to live up to his role just like the one before him.

Later came Abraham, and then Isaac, and then Jacob – each man with something to admire, but each man also demonstrating that they too were incompetent to serve and speak for God with whole heart and perfect pitch.

And the list goes on…

Moses was God’s servant through whom came God’s covenant and law, but Moses’s disobedience kept him from entering the promised land.

Between Moses and King Saul, the people of Israel were like a parody or mockery of what was supposed to be a kingly and priestly nation among the rest. They swung wildly from arrogant rebellion against God to pitifully crying out for God’s forgiveness and rescue.

Then, when Saul became the first king of Israel, he spent nearly his entire royal experience under God’s curse and trying to kill the guy God appointed to take his place.

Then David followed Saul. He was God’s chosen man, and David was a far better king. But he too was exposed as sinful, hypocritical, and impulsive.

And yet, at each point along the way of man’s failures, God kept promising that one day a man would come who would triumph where all others failed.

In Genesis 3, God promised a “seed” or “offspring” who would suffer but also crush the head of the serpent as He did (Gen. 3:15).

In Genesis 12, God promised that “in” or “through” Abraham’s descendants all “families” or “peoples” of the earth would be “blessed” (Gen. 12:3).

In Deuteronomy 18, God promised that there would arise a “prophet” “like” Moses, and this one would “speak” God’s word with supreme authority (Deut. 18:15-18).

And in 2 Samuel 7, God promised that a man would come from king David’s line who would “build a house” for God and “establish” an eternal “throne” from which He would rule with absolute authority as the “son” of God (2 Sam. 7:8-17).

I could multiply these citations of prophecies for a long while…

So, who would be what Adam was not? Who would succeed where Noah and Moses and David failed? Who among mortal men could possibly fulfill the responsibility to serve God, to reflect His true character, and to rule as God’s signet ring?

Was it Zerubbabel?! He was a descendent of king David… and he did receive this prophecy of God’s blessing through him.

When we read a prophecy like this in the OT, we would be right to ask, “What happened to Zerubbabel? What happened to Judah? And what happened to all the nations around them?”

Did Zerubbabel rule as king? Did he ascend to the place of supreme authority over all the world’s nations and kingdoms?

Well, no… Zerubbabel did not. As a matter of fact, there was no king in Jerusalem after it was destroyed in 586 BC. From Zerubbabel’s day all the way through to the days when Jesus was born in Bethlehem, Judah and its capital city were ruled by pagan kings and nations. And within a generation after Jesus’s death and resurrection, Jerusalem was destroyed again and the temple utterly disintegrated – not one stone was left on another.

But Zerubbabel did take his place in the line of prophetic forerunners to the arrival of Jesus Christ.

Now, some of you might be thinking… “This is a fun Bible survey and history lesson, Marc… But what’s the point? What does this have to do with me right here and now?”

Well, I’m glad you asked. Let me spend the remainder of my time with you this morning answering this question.

3. A Promised Blessing

Because Jesus Christ is the ultimate fulfillment of this prophecy, then, all who trust and follow Him will enjoy God’s gracious blessing.

As I’ve argued already, the reason Haggai’s fourth word is directed at the governor of Judah is because God was clarifying that His promises of “blessing” would come through this one who was the object and instrument of them.

Remember the climax of Haggai’s first word – God said, “I am with you” (Haggai 1:13).

And remember the climax of Haggai’s second word – God said, “The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former… And in this place I will give peace” (Haggai 2:9).

And remember the climax of Haggai’s third word – God said, “from this day on I will bless you” (Haggai 2:19).

If each and all of these promises were only for the people of Judah about 2,500 years ago, then they don’t have much to do with us today. But if they were ultimately pointing to something greater than Judah and someone greater than Zerubbabel – specifically, if they speak of Jesus and His kingdom – then we may indeed hear them as our own gracious promises from the Lord today.

And friends, the NT teaches us that Haggai was ultimately pointing to Jesus.

Jesus was the “servant” of God, “chosen” by God and born as King. In Matthew’s Gospel, he begins with a genealogy (a list of fathers and sons) from Abraham down to Jesus, and notably, Matthew records, “after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah [aka. Jehoiachin] was the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, and Zerubbabel the father of… [and so on, until] Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ” [or God’s “anointed one” or God’s “Messiah”] (Matt. 1:12-16).

Jesus was of the line of Zerubbabel, the kingly line of David.

Jesus was also the one in and through whom God shook “the heavens and the earth” (Haggai 2:21; cf. Heb. 12:26-27). The author of Hebrews tells us that God did this at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, so that those who believe or trust in Him would receive a “kingdom that cannot be shaken” (Heb. 12:28).

In the person and work of Christ, God’s curse was overcome, and all nations (including Israel) were overcome and subdued by the King of kings.

And Jesus is God’s “signet ring” (Haggai 2:23). The Apostle Paul tells us that “all the promises of God find their Yes in him” (2 Cor. 1:20), and “in Christ” God Himself “has also put his seal on [believers] and given [them] his Spirit in [their] hearts as a guarantee” (2 Cor. 1:22).

Brothers and sisters, from our vantagepoint, we can know that the ultimate fulfillment of these promises in Haggai is not in Zerubbabel but in his greater Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Zerubbabel was a shadow; Jesus is the substance. Judah was a type; Christ’s universal and eternal kingdom is the fulfillment.

The same day God promised to promote Zerubbabel, He also said, “From this day on I will bless you” (Haggai 2:19). The seed was still in the barn, the trees had produced nothing, yet blessing was coming.

And for us the blessing is infinitely greater because the true Temple has come (John 2:19-21) and the true King has risen.

Friends, we (like the ancient people of Judah) have sinned against God, and we deserve nothing but His judgment and wrath. And yet, God has condescended with mercy and grace to forgive us of sin and to give us a righteousness that is not from us. In the Lord Jesus Christ, God Himself has suffered our judgment, and He has earned the righteousness that He has required of us.

So too, God is building His people up – even now – as a dwelling place for Himself. He has brought us together, given us His Spirit, and made us to be a glorious reflection of His own holiness in the world.

And God has placed as Head and King over His Church the one who succeeded where all others failed – the suffering servant and the victorious savior.

Thus, we who trust and follow Christ today… we may receive these promises of blessing through Haggai as our very own.

God says to us today, “I am with you” (Haggai 1:13).

God promises to us today, “The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former… And I will give peace” (Haggai 2:9).

And God says to us today, “from this day on I will bless you” (Haggai 2:19).

Conclusion

Friends, I’ve tried to show today how the Bible tells one coherent story that finds its climax in the person and work of Jesus Christ. I’ve drawn from passages and themes throughout the Bible this morning to demonstrate that Haggai’s ancient prophetic ministry is more relevant to us today than we might have known. And I’ve argued that it is those who trust and follow God’s chosen King (namely King Jesus) who will enjoy God’s gracious blessing.

If I’m right, then this calls for a response from all of us.

For those of us who may be distracted by worldly pleasures and attractions, we are confronted by the reality that God has promised and established His King. There is no getting around it. We will either trust and follow Christ, or we will suffer the destruction mentioned in our passage this morning.

No earthly kingdom or worldly power will stand in opposition to Christ. His rule is already in force, and He will suffer no dissent.

Friend, if you are not right now trusting and following Jesus, then I urge you to do it!

For those of us who are trusting and following Jesus, but we are struggling to see the benefits – in our lives, in our families, in our church – then we may take courage and find hope today.

The people who first heard these words from Haggai so long ago, they didn’t even live to see them fulfilled in Christ. It would still be another five centuries before Jesus would come to live and die on behalf of sinners.

And we ourselves are living in the time between Christ’s first coming and His second – when His victory over death and His reign over all earthly kingdoms is true but not yet experienced in full.

Brothers and sisters, it may be that our circumstances do not obviously reflect what we’d like to think are God’s blessing and favor. But don’t lose heart. God has been working out His plan to save and glorify a people for His great name for a very long time… and He will complete that which He has begun.

May God help us all to trust His chosen King. May He help us to follow Christ wherever He may lead us. And may He grant to us all the blessings He’s promised in Christ, both now and forevermore.