The Governor's Signet Ring Text: Haggai 2:20-23
Introduction: The Shaking of All Things
We live in an age of perpetual shaking. Our headlines are filled with the tremors of political instability, cultural upheaval, and the constant threat of economic collapse. Thrones and kingdoms that seemed invincible a generation ago now look fragile, and the great powers of the earth posture and threaten one another. In such a time, it is easy for the people of God to grow anxious, to shrink back, to believe that the great historical forces at play are godless, random, and chaotic. It is tempting to think that the mission of the church is a small, private affair, utterly disconnected from the great movements on the world stage.
But the Word of God does not permit us such a meager and fearful worldview. The Bible teaches us that history is not a runaway train; it is a story being written by a sovereign Author. And the central plot of that story is the establishment of the kingdom of His Son. The prophet Haggai, speaking to a small, beleaguered remnant trying to rebuild a small temple in a forgotten corner of the Persian empire, is given a message of staggering, cosmic scope. God pulls back the curtain of history to show His people that the tremors they feel are not random. He is the one doing the shaking. And He is not shaking things apart so that they may descend into chaos; He is shaking them so that what cannot be shaken may remain.
This final word in the book of Haggai is delivered on the same day as the previous promises of blessing. It is a personal word to the civil magistrate, the governor Zerubbabel. It is a promise that secures the Messianic line and reveals the ultimate purpose of all the political and military turmoil in the world. It is a promise that God's man, and by extension God's people, will be kept safe and secure, not by being removed from the shaking, but by being made the very center of God's unshakable purpose within it.
The Text
Then the word of Yahweh came a second time to Haggai on the twenty-fourth day of the month, saying, "Speak to Zerubbabel governor of Judah, saying, ‘I am going to shake the heavens and the earth. I will overthrow the thrones of kingdoms and destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the nations; and I will overthrow the chariots and their riders, and the horses and their riders will go down, everyone by the sword of another.’ ‘On that day,’ declares Yahweh of hosts, ‘I will take you, Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, My servant,’ declares Yahweh, ‘and I will make you like a signet ring, for I have chosen you,’" declares Yahweh of hosts.
(Haggai 2:20-23 LSB)
The Divine Demolition (vv. 21-22)
The prophecy begins with a declaration of divine intent, addressed directly to the civil leader, Zerubbabel.
"Speak to Zerubbabel governor of Judah, saying, ‘I am going to shake the heavens and the earth. I will overthrow the thrones of kingdoms and destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the nations; and I will overthrow the chariots and their riders, and the horses and their riders will go down, everyone by the sword of another.’" (Haggai 2:21-22)
God does not say that the heavens and the earth are simply unstable. He says, "I am going to shake" them. This is active, personal, and purposeful. The God of the Bible is not a distant, deistic clockmaker; He is the sovereign Lord of history who actively intervenes to accomplish His will. This shaking is comprehensive, affecting both the heavens, the realm of spiritual and political authority, and the earth, the realm of nations and peoples. This is the language of cosmic revolution.
And what is the purpose of this shaking? It is the systematic dismantling of all rival kingdoms. God declares He will "overthrow the thrones of kingdoms." He is the great kingmaker and king-breaker. The stability of any earthly throne is an illusion if it is not established in righteousness under Him. He will "destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the nations." The word for strength here refers to military might, economic power, and political influence. All the things in which pagan nations trust, all the instruments of their pride, are targeted for destruction.
Notice the specific instruments of this strength that God mentions: "chariots and their riders." In the ancient world, the chariot was the equivalent of the modern tank or fighter jet. It was the pinnacle of military technology, a symbol of overwhelming power. But God says He will overthrow them. And how will He do it? Not necessarily through a direct, miraculous intervention, but by turning the nations' own sinful ambitions against themselves: "everyone by the sword of another." God is so sovereign that He can use the internecine warfare, the political backstabbing, and the mutual hatred of fallen men to achieve His own righteous ends. The self-destructive nature of sin is a tool in the hand of God to bring down the proud.
This is a profoundly postmillennial promise. The shaking is not a single cataclysm at the end of time, but rather the ongoing process of Christ's kingdom advancing through the proclamation of the gospel. The gospel is the great earthquake that shakes the foundations of paganism and unbelief. As the gospel goes forth, it overthrows the spiritual thrones of darkness and, in its wake, dismantles the political and cultural structures built upon that darkness.
The Chosen Servant (v. 23a)
In the midst of this cosmic upheaval, God identifies one point of absolute stability: His chosen servant, Zerubbabel.
"‘On that day,’ declares Yahweh of hosts, ‘I will take you, Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, My servant,’ declares Yahweh..." (Haggai 2:23a)
"On that day" refers to this time of great shaking. When the world is coming apart at the seams, God's eye is on His man. He says, "I will take you." This is the language of divine election and preservation. Zerubbabel would not be swept away in the judgment on the nations; he would be personally taken up and secured by God Himself.
God calls him "My servant." This is a title of high honor, placing Zerubbabel in the company of men like Moses and David. But it points beyond him to the ultimate servant of the Lord, Jesus Christ, who would come from his lineage. Zerubbabel is a type, a placeholder for the Messiah. He is the governor of Judah, keeping the throne warm, as it were, for the true King who is to come.
The significance of this is magnified when we remember Zerubbabel's ancestry. His grandfather was King Jeconiah, also called Coniah. Because of his wickedness, God had pronounced a terrible curse on him through the prophet Jeremiah: "Thus says Yahweh, ‘Write this man down childless, a man who will not prosper in his days; for no man of his seed will prosper sitting on the throne of David or ruling again in Judah.’" (Jeremiah 22:30). It looked as though the royal line of David was severed forever. God had taken off the royal signet ring and thrown it away. But here, God takes Zerubbabel, the grandson of that cursed king, and makes a promise that directly and gloriously reverses that curse.
The Divine Signet (v. 23b)
The climax of the prophecy is the beautiful and powerful image of the signet ring.
"...and I will make you like a signet ring, for I have chosen you,’" declares Yahweh of hosts." (Haggai 2:23b)
A signet ring in the ancient world was an instrument of immense importance. It was used to impress the king's seal upon a document, authenticating it with the full authority of the throne. It was a symbol of identity, ownership, and delegated power. It was precious and kept close at all times. For God to say He will make Zerubbabel His signet ring is a promise of three things.
First, it is a promise of restored authority. The royal authority that was thrown away in the curse of Jeconiah is now restored in his grandson. The line of David is secure. The promise of a king who will reign forever is still on track. Second, it is a promise of precious intimacy. A king keeps his signet ring on his very hand. God is promising to keep Zerubbabel, and the messianic line he represents, close to Himself, under His personal and protective care. Third, it is a promise of guaranteed security. The purpose for which God has appointed him will be accomplished. He bears the seal of the Almighty.
Of course, this promise finds its ultimate fulfillment in the Lord Jesus Christ. Zerubbabel was a fallible man who governed a small province. But Jesus is the Son of God, the King of Kings. He is the perfect image of the Father, the one who bears His ultimate authority. He is the one who perfectly reveals the Father's identity. He is the one through whom God impresses His seal of ownership on His people by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13). Jesus is God's signet ring, the guarantee that all of God's promises are "Yes" and "Amen."
And why does God do this? The reason is the bedrock of all reality: "for I have chosen you." The security of Zerubbabel, and our security in Christ, does not rest on our performance, our strength, or our worthiness. It rests entirely upon the sovereign, gracious, and irreversible choice of God. He chose Zerubbabel. He chose Christ, the elect servant. And in Christ, He chose us before the foundation of the world. This is why the kingdom cannot be shaken, because its foundation is not the shifting sands of human will, but the immutable rock of divine election.
Conclusion: Sealed in the Shaking
This great promise to Zerubbabel is therefore our promise as well. We who are in Christ have been sealed. We are God's signet ring, precious to Him, protected by Him, and marked with His authority to be His ambassadors in the world. And we live in the midst of the great shaking that Haggai foretold.
The gospel continues to advance, and as it does, it overthrows thrones and dominions. It exposes the weakness of the nations' idols. It brings down the proud and confounds the wise. We should not be surprised or alarmed when we see the world in turmoil. God is at work. He is shaking everything that can be shaken, so that the kingdom of His Son, a kingdom that cannot be shaken, will be revealed in all its glory.
Therefore, we are not to be anxious. We are to be confident. Like Zerubbabel, we have a job to do. He was to finish the temple. We are to build the church through the faithful preaching of the gospel and the discipleship of the nations. Our work may seem small, and the opposition may seem great. The nations may rage and the thrones may tremble. But we are sealed with the promise of the living God. We belong to the one whom the Father has chosen, the one He holds as close and precious as a signet ring. In Him, we are secure. In Him, our work is significant. And through Him, we are part of that unshakable kingdom that will one day fill the whole earth.