I Will Make You Like My Signet Ring

by Mr Quek Tze Ming

Introduction

We are going to look at Haggai 2:20-23, which contains several job descriptions.
We have arrived at the fourth and final message recorded in the book of Haggai.
That these short verses form a unit is quite clear from its introduction. The introduction in each of the previous three units in the book contains a reference to a date, plus a reference to the word of the Lord coming through or to Haggai. Haggai 2:20 also contains a date, and a reference to the Word of the Lord to Haggai.

But Haggai 2:20 is also slightly different from the earlier introductions in 1:1, 2:1,
and 2:10:“The word of the LORD came to Haggai a second time on the twenty-fourth
day of the month”. We learn that this word of the LORD is coming “a second time”
on the 24th of the month. What we have then, is another message delivered on the
same day - the 24th day of the 9th month, on 18 December 520 B.C. This is the day
on which the people celebrated the laying of the foundation stone.

So, while v 20-23 forms a unit, it is very closely connected to the text 2:10-19.
Both texts are delivered on the day when the foundation stone is laid, and taken
together, function as encouragement for the people. They encourage by affirming
the decision of the people to lay the foundation stone, to move forward, to rebuild the temple. And so, if you view both texts together, you can get quite a nice structure that flows from the past to the present to the future.

- The address to the priests looks at the past (2:10-14)
- The address to the people forms a bridge by focusing on the obedient
response in the present and looking forward to a blessed future (2:15-19)
- The address to the ruler, Zerubbabel, looks to the far future (2:20-23).

Let us look more closely at the message to Zerubbabel:
“Tell Zerubbabel governor of Judah that I will shake the heavens and the earth. I
will overturn royal thrones and shatter the power of the foreign kingdoms. I will
overthrow chariots and their drivers; horses and their riders will fall, each by the sword of his brother. “‘On that day,’ declares the LORD Almighty, ‘I will take you, my servant Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I will make you like my signet ring, for I have chosen you,’ declares the LORD Almighty.” (2:21-23)

We find that Haggai’s message contains many job descriptions for a king from
David’s line, and applies them to Zerubbabel.

1. Zerubbabel, the expected Messiah?

“I will overturn royal thrones and shatter the power of the foreign kingdoms.” (v 22)

The message begins with the same language as 2:6.In 2:6-9, the shaking of the
heavens and the earth started a process that ended up with the treasure of the nations
streaming into the temple. Here, in 2:21- 22, the same shaking of the nations leads
to an overthrowing of nations.

Previously, the shaking of the nations focused on the result of God’s action. Now, we see aspects of what that shaking actually does. Thrones and powers of kingdoms are disrupted. This is an image that occurs often in texts that speak of kings from the line of David. And so, we have in Psalm 2:

“Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the
LORD and against His Anointed One.” (v 1-2)

“I have installed My King on Zion, My holy hill.”
I will proclaim the decree of the LORD:
He said to Me, “You are My Son; today
I have become Your Father.
Ask of Me,
and I will make the nations Your inheritance, the ends of the earth
Your possession.
You will rule them with an iron scepter;
You will dash them to pieces like pottery.”
(v 6-9)

The nations are seen as conspiring against God and against His anointed king. God
installs His chosen king, and the king is given authority to rule over the nations.
God’s destruction of the power structures of humanity serves as the base for what
comes next.

“ ‘On that day,’ declares the LORD Almighty, ‘I will take you, my servant
Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I will make you like my signet
ring, for I have chosen you,’ declares the LORD Almighty.” (v 23)
“
On that day” is a phrase that tells us something about the time reference that is
in Haggai’s prophecy here. “On that day” is regularly used in the prophets to look
to future time and fulfillment, especially the time called the “Day of the Lord.”
This is the day when God will defeat all the enemies that mar His creation - sin,
the devil, and death itself. In other words, Haggai is not giving a specific timetable
here when all this would happen but he is peering into an indefinite future.

“I will take you ” (v 23). The word “take” is found in contexts where God takes a person and appoints him to rule.

“Now then, tell my servant David, ‘This is what the LORD Almighty says: I took you
from the pasture and from following the flock to be ruler over My people Israel.” (2 Samuel 7:8)

“my servant” (v 23). Zerubbabel is also called “my servant”. This is a term that
is associated with kings from the line of David.

“Now do it! For the LORD promised David, ‘By my servant David I will rescue
my people Israel from the hand of the Philistines and from the hand of all their
enemies.’” (2 Samuel 3:18)

“Son of Shealtiel” (v 23).And then, Zerubabbel is called son of Shealtiel.
According to 1 Chronicles 3:17, Shealtiel is son of Jehoiachin, who ruled for three
months in 598-587 B.C. as the second to last king of Judah Jehoiachin ends up
exiled in Babylon.

The descendants of Jehoiachin the captive: Shealtiel his son, Malkiram, Pedaiah, Shenazzar, Jekamiah, Hoshama and Nedabiah. The sons of Pedaiah:
Zerubbabel and Shimei. (1 Chronicles 3:17-19)

Now, 1 Chronicles 3:17 tells us that Jehoiachin’s son is Shealtiel. But the next
verses, v 18-19, do not tell us if Shealtiel had any sons. Instead, we learn that
Pedaiah, the brother of Shealtiel, had a son named Zerubabbel. What appears to
have happened is this. Shealtiel, heir to the throne, had no sons. But an heir had
to be found. Zerubbabel, his nephew, was identified as the proper heir and adopted
into the line of Shealtiel. That is why Haggai calls Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel.
By legal adoption, he is in the line of the proper heirs to the throne of David.

“and I will make you like my signet ring” (v 23). What is a signet ring? This is
common language in the ancient Near East. Literally, it means that piece of metal
jewellery a king wears. It could be worn on a finger or on a chain around the neck.
On that ring is an impression of the seal of a king. The signet ring symbolises the
king’s authority because it is used to sign legal documents and pronouncements.

The impression on the ring is pressed into some clay that has not yet set, and when
the clay hardens, the impression of the seal becomes permanent. It is what we
today call the signature. So it is a precious possession. It would have been worn by
a king and have been guarded against it being stolen or copied.

Haggai is actually using language that a prophet from an earlier generation had
used. Jeremiah had attacked Jehoaichin, Zerubabbel’s grandfather, for his
disobedience:

“As surely as I live,” declares the LORD ,“even if you, Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim
king of Judah, were a signet ring on my right hand, I would still pull you off.”
Jeremiah 22:24)

The idea is that Jehoiachin would be taken into exile, that even if he were God’s
signet ring on his right hand, he would be torn off and given into the hands of
the Babylonians. The contrast is striking. Haggai is now saying this: the signet
ring torn from the Lord’s right hand - Jehoiachin - would now be put back again
in the person of Jehoiachin’s grandson, Zerubbabel. A new Davidic heir would
exercise authority on God’s behalf.

Here, we should reflect on the terms “servant” and “signet ring”. The servant
has no authority apart from his relationship with his master. The ring has no value apart
from its connection to the king who wears it. The Davidic king is to rule on earth as
the Lord’s representative. He executes the Lord’s authority and rules the earth as the
Lord would rule, with justice and with love. Before the exile, previous kings from
the line of David had exercised authority beyond these boundaries. They had not
ruled as the Lord would rule. That is why the house and the nation fell. The future
of the line of David would be based on a return to this original vision of kingship
- the king had to do God’s will perfectly, exercise God’s rule perfectly.

The reason for the Lord’s action is given in the final phrase: “for I have chosen you”
(v 23). This is also language that is taken from passages that speak of kings from the
line of David:
“He chose David his servant
and took him from the sheep pens;
from tending the sheep he brought him
to be the shepherd of His people Jacob,
of Israel His inheritance.” (Psalm 78:70-71)

“You said, “I have made a covenant withMy chosen one,
I have sworn to David My servant,
‘I will establish your line forever
and make your throne fi rm through all generations.’” (Psalm 89:3-4)

It is striking to see in these passages, how the words “servant” and “chose” are
used, in the context of the rule of David or David’s line. The Davidic king is chosen
by God.

In short, v 20-23 completes the larger unit that began in 2:10. On the day the
foundation stone was laid, this is what Haggai has done:
- He has reflected on the past uncleanness which has brought about the bad
harvests (2:10-14)
- He has affirmed the obedience of the people, represented by their laying
of the foundation, and anticipated a blessed future promised by God: “I will bless you” (2:15-19)
- Now, Haggai takes this promise into the far future and sees an even greater blessing. God will overthrow proud human kingdoms, and appoint a ruler from the line of David to his rightful place as God’s representative over the world (2:20-23)
All this is strong stuff, especially the language used to describe Zerubbabel.
It seems he is being given a job description.

But the message is also subtle. Did you notice that Zerubbabel is never called a
king or a prince? Using these terms would have caused a lot of political trouble
from the Persians. Only one person is ever called king in Haggai. Do you know
who it is? Darius. And Darius had just come to the throne two years earlier and
was consolidating his rule. Egypt was threatening to revolt. The last thing he
needed was for this tiny province on the way to Egypt to declare its local leader
“king”. And so Haggai’s message is somewhat indirect. But for those who
know their stories and songs from the Old Testament, the job descriptions are
obvious, and the special relationship between God and Zerubbabel could not
be clearer.

Haggai does not directly challenge Darius or the Persian authority but he does put
such earthly kingdoms into perspective - God’s perspective. Darius was the king
but it was God who shook the nations and ruled over them. In the world’s eyes,
Zerubbabel was the governor of tiny Judah. But to God, he was the signet ring
authorised to act on behalf of God in building the temple, and perhaps … in the
future … ruling the world.

But … what happened to Zerubbabel? This is the last we hear about him in Haggai.
Outside of Haggai, we only hear about him a very few number of times, all of them
connected to rebuilding the temple. Is that not strange? After all that exalted language
and the job descriptions used upon him by Haggai, nothing more is known of him.
Did people expect him to take up the throne of David? To be king? Did people expect
him to be the Messiah? Messiah means “the anointed one”. Kings were anointed.
With the language used in Haggai, I suspect there must have been people who
did. But Zerubbabel disappears from the Bible and from history.

So how do you deal with a text like this? Let me suggest a way. Sometimes,
when the Old Testament prophets refer to an individual, they actually have his
descendants in mind.

“For the Israelites will live many days without king or prince, without sacrifice
or sacred stones, without ephod or idol. Afterward the Israelites will return and
seek the LORD their God and David their king. They will come trembling to
the LORD and to His blessings in the last days.” (Hosea 3:4-5)

Hosea is speaking at time when David is long dead, in fact, when the line of kings
has failed. He is speaking about the future, the last days. And he says the Israelites
will return and seek the Lord their God and David their king. He is not expecting
David to come back from the dead. He is talking about a new king from the line of
David. Haggai is doing the same thing. He is telling his people that God is doing a new
thing with them. Zerubbabel is a symbol that represents the future of the king from the line of David. He remains an important symbol representing this future king 500 years later. Five hundred years after Haggai, two men wrote stories about a powerful prophet-preacher-worker of mighty acts. Each of their stories traces the family line of this powerful man. Each family list contains the names David, and … Zerubbabel.

What are these stories? Today, we call them the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke.

2. Jesus, the unexpected Messiah?

I am speaking, of course, of Jesus of Nazareth, descended from David, from
Zerubbabel. In many ways, Jesus fits the job description of the Messiah, the
expected coming king from the line of David. The New Testament is concerned
about applying several of these job descriptions - many of which we have seen
applied to Zerubabbel - to Jesus.

a) The messianic claims: Matthew 1:1; Acts 2:30; Romans 1:3; Psalm 2 quoted
in Acts 4:25-26; 13:33; Hebrews 1:5; Revelation 2:27

And so in Matthew 1:1, we learn of His descent from David. In the following
chapter, we learn He is born from Bethlehem, David’s hometown, exactly
where the prophet Micah said a ruler would be born. At Pentecost, Peter is
concerned to stress how Jesus fulfills God’s promise to David that He would place one
of his descendants on his throne. Paul in Romans 1:3 says Jesus is a descendant
of David. Remember Psalm 2, the psalm that celebrates the installation of a Davidic
king? It keeps getting quoted and applied to Jesus - in Acts 4:25-26; 13:33; Hebrews
1:5; Revelation 2:27.We could go on.

b) The “unmessianic” actions: The cross and the Son of God in Mark 15:39

But there are a couple of questions that come up. How does a Messiah get
crucified? How does a king get himself whipped and insulted and abused? And if
he does suffer abuse, torture, rejection and death on a Roman instrument of death, is
he still qualified to be a Messiah? Is he still qualified to be the king, who overthrows
nations and rules the world on God’s behalf? Is he still qualified to be God’s representative on earth?

To answer this question, we need to take a tour. We have to go back into the beliefs,
promises and stories of the Old Testament (not just Haggai) because this gives shape
and meaning to the strange events of the gospel story.

Let us start at the very beginning. What is God’s purpose for humanity? To bear
God’s image before the world. To rule the world as God’s representative. But sin
came in, and there is a problem.

What is God’s purpose for Israel? That is harder to answer but once you have
scanned through the Old Testament, an answer does come out. Israel is to be
the means of dealing with the sin of the world. Israel was to be true humanity, the
people through whom God’s purposes for the world would be fulfilled. Israel was to
be the light to a dark world, a city which would be set on a hill and not hidden. If
humanity was to be God’s representative before the world, Israel is to be God’s
representative to the rest of the human race.

What is true of Israel is true of Israel’s king - David and his heirs. And so we have
this picture of Solomon, David’s son, as one whose wisdom and splendour exceed
that of all the kings of the earth. Other kings come to pay homage and receive
wisdom. Humanity, and particularly Israel, and especially Israel’s king, is to be God’s
chosen means of ruling over His world.

But, although Israel had been called to solve the world’s problem, to undo sin,
it gradually dawned on Israel’s prophets that Israel as a whole was unequal to this
task. Israel was not even able to attempt it because Israel was part of the problem. The
world needed to be redeemed but Israel herself needed to be redeemed and remade.
But how then can the world and humanity be redeemed? Who can step in and do for
Israel and the world what needed to be done, but what neither Israel nor the world
can do for itself?

The prophet Isaiah has an answer. In his famous chapter 53, Isaiah describes a
strange figure, a servant. We are never very sure who the servant is. I do not think even
Isaiah himself knew who it was he was talking about. It is more like a role looking
for someone in particular to fulfill - a job description. What we can say is that the
servant is someone who represents Israel in some sense, and so fits the description
of a king. But also that servant is someone who stands in for Israel. The servant is sent
by God Himself to rescue Israel from sin. He does so by doing what the nation as
a whole, and all previous Davidic kings, have failed to do. He will die on behalf of
those He represents. He will die so that those He represents will not die.

The sin of the world is to be piled upon Israel. Israel as a whole cannot bear this
weight, and so it is piled in turn upon Israel’s representative - the King of the
Jews. It is these ancient promises and stories and calling that Jesus is obedient
to when He makes His way to Calvary. On the cross, Jesus is Israel. Jesus is the
servant King of Israel. He is obedient to the calling; He is doing what Israel should
have done but could not. Jesus had come to take the pain of the world on to Himself,
to bend His back under the load that Israel and the world could not carry.

The suffering and the rejection and the death on the cross - those “unmessianic”
actions, turn out then to be the most messianic of actions. The Messiah is the
one who represents God’s rule on earth, who rules the world as God always
intended to have His world ruled. It turns out that the way God rules is by self-giving love. God rules not by self-serving and self-glorifying power and influence, manipulation
and violence but by self-sacrificial giving, by loving the world and dying for it. And that is why the cross is the ultimate job description for the Messiah. Jesus is the only one who meets the job description. And, as it turns out, this is a job description that only God Himself can fulfill.

And that is why, in Mark’s Gospel, no human being gets to call Jesus Son of God
correctly until the cross. The demons call Him Son of God, they know. God calls
Jesus His son, He knows. But humans will not be able to understand what the
Messiah, what Son of God, truly means until they see the cross on which Jesus dies
for the sin of the world. Then, and only then, you have the centurion, representing
humanity, saying: “Truly this man is Son of God.” (Mark 15:39)

3. We are the Messianic community

What does this mean for us? Throughout these few days of the conference, we have
been called to wake up from our slumber and to dream big dreams. To build God’s
kingdom and not our own. To give first priority to God. To be strong and not be
afraid or be discouraged, because God is doing new and greater things in our midst
and in our future. To guard against being tainted by sin, especially sin built into the
structures in which we live but instead look to change some of these structures.
And in so doing we move from curse to God’s blessing.

Today, I want us to think, as a community, as a fellowship - what is our characteristic?
We are the worshippers of Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified Messiah. We must always remember that. We are the Messianic community.

a) We are called to represent Him on earth … (Matthew 28:18-20)

We are now called to represent Jesus the Messiah on earth, until He returns.

“Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has
been given to Me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them
in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them
to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always,
to the very end of the age.” (Matthew28:18-20)

The ending of Matthew reminds us God’s authority is given to Jesus and we are
commissioned by Him to go into all the world. We represent Jesus until He returns.
But we are to do so

b) … by living the way of the crucified Messiah (Revelation 12:11)

And that way is self-sacrificial giving to others. Jesus, though His life, and through
His death, showed us that God’s kingdom is ruled by self-giving love. By serving,
not being served. As Jesus Himself said in Mark 10:45:“For even the Son of Man did
not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”

If we say we are Christians, if we say we follow this Messiah, this crucified
Messiah, then we have to follow His way. We are the signet ring. We are the chosen.
We are the community of the crucified Messiah. We live cross-shaped lives. Our
primary characteristic must be self-giving love. That is how we are the Messianic
Community.

(This message was given at the IFES East Asia Regional Conference held on 29 May
at Lecture Theatre 27, National University of Singapore