Haggai 2:20-23 - A seal on a promise

Summary

After many years of exile in Babylon, God brought a remnant home to Jerusalem to rebuild God’s temple, the dwelling-place of God (at that point in history) with his people. But opposition brought that rebuilding to a halt, and years passed. God sent Haggai to call God’s people to resume building his temple, reflecting their devotion to him. He promised them future blessing and glory despite their current situation.

In the daily grind of little progress, and the present reality of irrelevance in a backward province, God’s promises may have seemed hard to appreciate. So God sent one final message to Haggai (2:20-23), promising once again to bless his people and glorify his name, with Zerubabbel as the ‘seal on a promise’. He does this by recalling his past judgment of those who opposed him, promising to visit it once again, and certifying it through Zerubabbel.

Our passage explained

v20-22

While God’s words in verses 20-23 are forward-focused, they are announced in the memory of God’s past deeds of judgment. God speaks again to Haggai on the same day as his previous message (v.20), telling him to say to Zerubabbel the Governor of Judea that “I am about to shake the heavens and the earth, 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” (vv.21-22).

How do these words bring to memory the past judgments of God against those who do wicked deeds, and who oppress God’s people? Simply, by the language used.

For instance, when God punished the people of Sodom and Gomorrah for their wickedness, Genesis records that “overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground” (Gen 19:25).

Perhaps most prominently coming to mind, God overthrew the chariots and riders of Pharaoh’s army when he graciously brought his people out of Egypt (Exodus 14:23-28). Then God destroyed the wicked Canaanites (Deut 7:1-5) by the hand of Israel.

All of these examples (and others recorded in Scripture in the historical books of Joshua to 2 Chronicles) demonstrated God’s faithfulness to his covenant, to punish those who reject him and do evil, and to ultimately defeat those who sought harm to his people.

As a result, the promise of God in verses 21-22 are not empty threats. God “has form” in his past dealings, and promises again to his people that he will act once again to appear and shake the heavens and earth, to overthrow kingdoms who rage against God in vain (Psalm 2). As God promised in Haggai 2:6, he will overthrow those who do wicked deeds, and all the ill-gotten spoils of the nations will be brought before God’s feet, to whom they truly belong.

v23

To further certify God’s intentions, he puts a seal on a promise, certifying his intent. In verse 23, God states “On that day… I will take you, O Zerubbabel my servant… and make you like a signet ring, for I have chosen you, declares the LORD of hosts.” God likens Zerubabbel to a signet ring (or a seal), which was used as an official stamp (with wax) to certify documents.

Our passage applied

Zerubabbel has been chosen by God as the way by which God certified his promises to his people. As we know from elsewhere, Zerubabbel was a descendent of David (1 Chronicles 3:19). He was also an ancestor of Jesus (Matthew 1:13).

Zerubabbel acting as Governor (that is, the political leader) of his people in Judea was a seal of God’s intent to fulfil his covenant promises to his people, expressed through the ages. The sins of previous kings descended from David were not the end of God’s promises, which were renewed by placing another son of David over God’s people. Those promises included the promise of the Messiah, descended from David, who would rule his people and the nations and take away their sins.

With the benefit of time, we can see God working out his promises to his people in 520BC, as he sent Jesus to take away the punishment our sins (Isaiah 53:5-6) and bring about the Kingdom of God, made without hands, which cannot be shaken (Hebrews 12).

We have added reason then to look up from the toil in front of us and look forward to God’s promises made. As we have read in Haggai and also read again in passages like Hebrews 12, God will not leave the cries of the righteous unanswered. God will bring judgment and deliverance, saving all who trust in him.

We toil in our labours and at times reap sparingly, strive to rid our lives of sin, and sow seeds of the kingdom which do not always seem to sprout. But this passage reminds us that God keeps his promises, and will defeat his enemies as he did in the past, once and for all. He has already won the decisive battle through the cross, as Jesus overcame our great foes sin and death.

God keeps his promises.