Haggai 2:23
‘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. (NIV)
Today’s Reading: Haggai 2:20-23
God gives Zerubbabel a prophetic word that He will make him like His signet ring and that he is chosen. We have discussed the signet ring before. It’s the seal of the king. Documents and proclamations would be sealed with the king’s signet ring to certify that the king in fact wrote it. It was the symbol of authenticity.
So why would God liken Zerubbabel to His signet ring? Recall from yesterday, Zerubbabel was the governor of Jerusalem who was tasked by God to rebuild the temple. The Israelites had returned from exile in Babylon and the city was in ruins as was the temple. The Israelites were struggling to find motivation to rebuild it so God sent Haggai to both warn them what would happen if they didn’t rebuild the temple but also to encourage them that it was kingdom work to get it done.
However, Zerubbabel wasn’t just a convenient leader. He was of royal blood. He was a descendant of King David and the grandson of King Jehoiachin who lost the throne when he was captured by Babylon. This is significant because God uses the same signet ring imagery with Jehoiachin:
“‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘I will abandon you, Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah. Even if you were the signet ring on my right hand, I would pull you off. I will hand you over to those who seek to kill you, those you so desperately fear—to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and the mighty Babylonian army. I will expel you and your mother from this land, and you will die in a foreign country, not in your native land. You will never again return to the land you yearn for” (Jer 22:24-27, NLT).
Jehoiachin would be the last descendant of King David to hold the throne in Judah as God had promised due to the sins of his great-great-grandfather Manasseh. Jehoiachin was only three months into his reign when King Nebuchadnezzar would invade Judah and take the Israelites into exile. Jehoiachin obediently surrendered to Nebuchadnezzar as the prophet Jeremiah told him to do because it was God’s will.
Jehoiachin would be held in prison for 37 years – the entire reign of King Nebuchadnezzar. When King Nebuchadnezzar was replaced by King Evil-merodach, he released Jehoiachin from prison and was extremely kind to him:
“He spoke kindly to Jehoiachin and gave him a higher place than all the other exiled kings in Babylon. He supplied Jehoiachin with new clothes to replace his prison garb and allowed him to dine in the king’s presence for the rest of his life. So the king gave him a regular food allowance as long as he lived” (2 Kings 25:28-30).
Jehoiachin would go on to have seven sons (1 Chron 3:17-18) while in captivity. Recall that the Israelites remained in Babylon for 70 years and then began to return. Well it would be Jehoiachin’s grandson Zerubbabel who would be installed as governor over Jerusalem. So back to our question, why would God tell Zerubbabel that he was like His signet ring and that he was chosen? Matthew has the answer for us:
“Zerubbabel was the father of Abiud.
Abiud was the father of Eliakim.
Eliakim was the father of Azor.
Azor was the father of Zadok.
Zadok was the father of Akim.
Akim was the father of Eliud.
Eliud was the father of Eleazar.
Eleazar was the father of Matthan.
Matthan was the father of Jacob.
Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary.
Mary gave birth to Jesus, who is called the Messiah” (Matt 1:13-16).
Jesus would be born through the lineage of Zerubbabel about 520 years later. God told Haggai to deliver a promise to Zerubbabel:
“Tell Zerubbabel governor of Judah that I am going to 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” (Hag 2:21-22).
Jesus will come and when he claims his rightful throne over all the earth, he will shatter the power of foreign kingdoms. And on that day, Zerubbabel will be like God’s signet ring. All of the promises of God will be fulfilled just like the decrees of an earthly king that bear his signet ring are carried out. God’s word never returns void. It always accomplishes His will.
“It is the same with my word.
I send it out, and it always produces fruit.
It will accomplish all I want it to,
and it will prosper everywhere I send it” (Isa 55:11).
Christ in the Old Testament 
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