Looking for reasons to be thankful this year?  Click HERE and listen to all the promises God made through His prophet Zechariah and the ways He fulfilled them through His Son.

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.  Haggai 2:23

Zerubbabel was the leader in Jerusalem when the Jews returned from Babylonian captivity.  He was leading the effort to rebuild God’s temple and God says to him, “I’m going to make you Zerubbabel like a signet ring.”  At this time, a signet ring was used by a king to show his approval of something.  It served as the Kings stamp of approval and God is saying here to Zerubbabel, “You are my signet ring.  You are my guarantee that my temple is going to be completed and you are my guarantee that my Kingdom is going to be established.”  God says, “I am going to establish and advance my kingdom, and I am going to do it through you Zerubbabel.” 

Now the issue with that statement is that though God says this to Zerubbabel, he dies before these promises are fulfilled.  Because that is the case, how are we to make sense of these promises?  Who is Zerubbabel?  In Matthew 1:12 we learn that he is a part of the royal family—he is in the family of David--in the line of Christ.  Matthew tells us,

And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,

So when God mentions Zerubbabel here in Haggai and says, “He is my signet ring.”  God is reaffirming what he said to the patriarchs long ago and what he promised in David’s day.  He’s showing us here that Zerubbabel is in the messianic line and is saying to him, “Just like I promised your ancestors Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and later promised David, through you Zerubbabel, I am going to provide a King who is going to usher in my Kingdom.  And that King is of course, Jesus.

Just like Zerubbabel was one of the ones responsible for rebuilding the temple, Jesus said he too would rebuild God’s temple.  In John 2, the religious authorities come to Jesus and challenged Him and called for Him to prove himself—to prove that he had the authority to say what he said and do the things he did.  In response, Jesus says, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.” 

At this we are told that the religious leaders were floored thinking, “That’s crazy.  You can’t tear down and rebuild a temple in three days.”  John tells us in his Gospel that Jesus was not talking about a building, he was talking about Himself.  You see Jesus is God’s temple—He is fully God and fully man—He is the God man.   We are told by Paul in Colossians 1:19,

For in him (in Jesus) all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 

In Revelation 21, when John is giving a future glimpse of the New Jerusalem, he says in v. 22,

And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb.

Jesus is the temple.  In Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.  God the Son took on flesh and came to earth to tabernacle with His people.  And so with that in mind, we see here that this prophesy made by Jesus in John 2 happens exactly as He said.  They did in fact destroy God’s temple by crucifying the Lord of Glory.  Yet though that’s the case, the Lord Jesus on the third day, just as he said, rebuilt God’s temple by rising again. 

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So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?”  Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”  John 2:18-19

Gather together, yes, gather, O shameless nation, before the decree takes effect —before the day passes away like chaff— before there comes upon you the burning anger of the LORD, before there comes upon you the day of the anger of the LORD.  Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land, who do his just commands; seek righteousness; seek humility; perhaps you may be hidden on the day of the anger of the LORD.  Zephaniah 2:1-3

In this passage we are reminded of a key truth that we see all throughout the scriptures.  We learn though judgment is certain, grace is possible—though judgment is coming, grace is available. 

Many in our day believe and teach the exact opposite.  Many in our day believe and teach that judgment is possible for some, but grace is certain for most.  Many believe and teach that there might be a final judgment for some--for those really, really bad people, but most are going to be just fine. 

Scripture teaches the opposite.  We learn throughout God’s Word and especially in this section of Scripture that God’s judgment is coming.  Therefore, we got to be ready and respond to God accordingly.

To listen to a sermon from Zephaniah, click HERE.

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 "And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment."  Hebrews 9:27

Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith.  Habakkuk 2:4

God tells Habakkuk clearly in His word that the righteous live by faith.  They do not live as a law to themselves or as if the law is paralyzed.  He says, “the righteous are those who patiently trust in who God is and in the things that He has promised.” 

This is easier said than done because when the going gets tough, our natural response is to worry and our natural desire is to take the reins and take matters into our own hands.  It’s during these trying and uncertain times that God calls for us to trust in him and to be patient and live by faith.

When I was at my parents for Christmas this past year, I notice a plaque sitting out in their home that said, “I don’t know what tomorrow holds, but I know who holds tomorrow.”  How comforting is that truth?  There are so many uncertainties in this life—so many things we don’t know, how reassuring is it to know the God who knows and know that He is in control? 

After God reassures Habakkuk that he is in control, notice how Habakkuk responds.  He says,

 I hear, and my body trembles; my lips quiver at the sound; rottenness enters into my bones; my legs tremble beneath me.  Yet I will quietly wait for the day of trouble to come upon people who invade us. Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.  GOD, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s; he makes me tread on my high places.  Habakkuk 3:16-19

Though the circumstances in Habakkuk’s day were not great, notice how he responds.  He basically says, “Even though life stinks right now and it seems as if God is absent or as if He is standing idly by, I will rejoice in the Lord.  I will take joy in the God of my salvation.”

For more on Habakkuk, click HERE

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"Faith is the art of holding on to things in spite of your changing moods and circumstances."  -C.S. Lewis