One of many joys of being parents, for my wife and I, has been reading to our kids – My six-year-old and I just finished reading The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis for second time – He’s read through whole Narnia series once with my wife, now I’m taking him back through it a second time
If you’ve not read it, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is part of C.S. Lewis’ series of fantasy books called The Chronicles of Narnia – In The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, four English schoolchildren find their way through the back of a wardrobe into the magic land of Narnia – Narnia has come under spell of White Witch, a spell that makes it “always winter, but never Christmas” – The schoolchildren are destined to play a vital role in helping Aslan, the golden lion, to triumph over White Witch – So, Aslan is hero who gives himself as a sacrifice to redeem one of children from curse of White Witch, then comes back to life and leads an army to defeat White Witch – I trust you’ll understand the imagery
One of my favorite parts of book comes shortly after all four children have entered Narnia – They befriend a couple of beavers who invite them over for dinner and help them orient to the various people and problems in Narnia – This is part of conversation where children learn they will meet Aslan, personally:
“Is – is he a man?” asked Lucy. “Aslan a man!” said Mr. Beaver sternly. “Certainly not. I tell you he is the King of the wood and the son of the great Emperor-beyond-the-Sea. Don’t you know who is the King of Beasts? Aslan is a lion – the Lion, the great Lion. “Ooh!” said Susan, “I’d thought he was a man. Is he – quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion.” “That you will, dearie, and no mistake,” said Mrs. Beaver; “if there’s anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they’re either braver than most or just silly.” “Then he isn’t safe?” said Lucy. “Safe?” said Mr. Beaver; “don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”[1]
This morning we are going to finish our four-week series in prophetic Book of Haggai as we look at fourth and final Divine message in Haggai 2:20-23 – It’s only four verses, but there’s a lot to unpack, so let’s jump in
Read v. 20
If you look back to verse 10, you’ll see that Haggai’s third prophetic message was given on twenty-fourth day of ninth month – So, this fourth and final message comes on the same day as message we looked at last week
And this Divine message will be directed specifically to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah – You’ll recall that Persians were currently ruling over region, but they had delegated local oversight to Zerubbabel, an Israelite who had been born during exile in Babylon and then had returned to Jerusalem with group of exiles (Ezra 1:1-2:2) – Here’s what Lord instructs Haggai to tell Zerubbabel:
Read v. 21-22
Now, if you were here a couple of weeks ago, some of this will likely sound familiar to you, because we hear echoes of prophetic vision Lord had given Israel back in Haggai 2:6-9
Once again, Lord is foretelling an event that lies in Zerubbabel’s and Israel’s imminent future – He is “about to” do something – And that something is described as “shaking” – Same verb used back in verses 6-7
As we noted a couple of weeks ago, this verb is used prevalently in prophetic literature to refer to a profound, cataclysmic revelation of Lord’s presence, power, and judgment – And this “shaking” is often connected with a two-fold outcome: 1) judgment of nations; 2) Divine restoration and renewal of God’s people
For example, prophet Joel foretells of Lord’s future judgment of nations saying, “The Lord roars from Zion, and utters his voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth quake. But the Lord is a refuge to his people, a stronghold to the people of Israel.” (Joel 3:16-17)
We could go on and on with prophetic examples like this one, using this same verb, but you get idea – Many prophets, especially during period of exile and after, spoke of a future “shaking” when Lord would show up in a profound, cataclysmic way to demonstrate His power and glory: 1) by judging nations; 2) by renewing His people
And that’s exactly what Haggai describes here in this final prophetic vision: a future but imminent “shaking” whereby Lord will overthrow “the throne of kingdoms” – He will “destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the nations”
And, with imagery that reminds us of fate of Pharaoh’s army at Red Sea, He will “overthrow the chariots and their riders” so that “the horses and their riders shall go down” – He will create confusion among His enemies so that they will enact judgment upon themselves, “every one by the sword of his brother”
This is an arresting image – This is language of war – Language here is reminiscent of Sodom and Gomorrah, of instantaneous and total destruction at hands of God’s unlimited power – God will defeat all competing powers in a clear and decisive victory – Nations will be judged – And God’s people will be renewed:
Read v. 23
Central to what will happen on that day future day of “shaking” is an enthronement ceremony – Lord will “take” Zerubbabel his “servant” and make him like a signet ring because He has “chosen” him
Royal language is thick here – Back in verse 20, Lord acknowledges Zerubbabel with title “governor of Judah” – But here in verse 23, Lord shifts to using two different titles – First, “my servant,” which was title ascribed to King David – Second, “son of Shealtiel,” which is a genealogical reminder of Zerubbabel’s connection to David’s royal line
And, things come full circle with reference to “signet ring” – A signet ring, practically speaking, was a piece of metal jewelry that had an impression of king’s seal etched into it – King would use ring to authenticate his legal documents and royal pronouncements, often by pressing it into a piece of wax affixed to document[2]
But what makes this mention of signet ring especially meaningful here is its connection to God’s covenant with David – In 2 Sam. 7, God had promised David: “I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever…And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.” (2 Sam. 7:12-13, 16) – This is known as Davidic Covenant – Like Mosaic Covenant, Davidic Covenant is central to our understanding of God’s redemptive work in Old Testament and, ultimately, in Christ
At heart of Davidic Covenant is God’s promise to raise up one of David’s heirs to establish an enduring throne and kingdom – While it initially appeared to move forward in David’s son, Solomon, things quickly turned south at end of Solomon’s life, result being split of nation of Israel, and a long series of Jewish kings who abandoned Lord, worshipped idols, and acted unjustly – Spiraling of kingdom ended with King Jehoiakim, one of final kings in Judah before it was defeated by Babylon
Listen to what Lord said about King Jehoiakim through mouth of Jeremiah: “As I live, declares the Lord, though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, were the signet ring on my right hand, yet I would tear you off and give you into the hand of those who seek your life, into the hand of those of whom you are afraid, even into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and into the hand of the Chaldeans” (Jer. 22:24-25) – And, few verses later, Lord promises that none of Jehoiakim’s offspring who go with him into exile “shall succeed in sitting on the throne of David and ruling again in Judah.” (Jer. 22:28-30)
Signet ring of Davidic kings has become so corrupt, so ineffective in reflecting and representing Lord’s presence and authority on earth, Lord tears it off and throws it away into land of Babylon – As Israel goes into exile, status of Davidic Covenant is left in doubt – Will there be another king in Judah? – Will God keep His promise?
And now, after decades of waiting, God is making it clear that He will – He will put His signet ring back on his finger – He will put a Davidic king back on throne – Zerubbabel’s name literally means “seed of Babel” – Since Jehoiakim and original kings of Israel did not fulfill their God-given role as kings, God has “chosen” the “seed of Babel” – He will “take” him out of Babylon, make him His “servant,” and make Him like a “signet ring” – Lord will keep His promise to raise up one of David’s heirs and to establish his throne forever – Israel’s hope is being renewed
But to what end, we ask? – Now, 2,500 years later, we have rest of story – We know that Zerubbabel never in his lifetime actually ascended a Jewish throne – We know that Israel never saw “shaking” of nations and restoration of a flourishing Jewish state, as they had envisioned – Instead, Israel largely remained under thumb of other nations: Persians, Greeks, then, at time of Jesus, Romans – Through all of this, they longed for a Messiah, an Anointed King, from line David who would, as it is written in Psalm 2, break the nations with a rod of iron, dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel, and expand his possession to ends of earth – They waited and they waited and they hoped and they prayed – And that kind of king never came
But Jesus did – Of four Gospel accounts, Matthew and Luke record Jesus’ genealogy – While genealogies are different in a number of ways, and there is good reason for that, they are not different in that they both clearly put Jesus in royal line of David and Zerubbabel (Matt. 1:6-12, Luke 3:27-31)
As Jesus began His ministry, His gave a royal announcement: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand, repent and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:15) – His preaching and His miracles drew large crowds – They were astonished by His authority (Matt. 7:28, Luke 8:25) – Discerning that He might be that long-awaited Messiah, they tried to take him by force and make him king – But Jesus, to their surprise, withdrew away from them (John 6:15) – The more they tried to exalt Him to an earthly throne, the more He humbled Himself as Heavenly Servant (Phil. 2:1-11)
When Romans came in Garden, Peter drew his sword so as to finally break nations with a rod of iron – But Jesus commanded the sword to its sheath and the ear to its lobe (John 18:11) – And though disciples retreated in fear, Jesus proceeded to His enthronement – He accepted royal robe of ridicule – And He received painful crown of thorns (John 19:1-3) – And then He ascended a rough, wooden throne and received His title with honor: “King of the Jews” (John 19:16-19)
At His death there was a “shaking” – Though it was middle of afternoon, sun withheld its light (Matt. 27:45) – When Jesus breathed His final breath, the earth shook, the rocks were split, the Temple curtain was torn in two, the tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised (Matthew 27:51-52)
But that’s not all – Because three days later, earth shook again as Jesus rose from dead, defeating curse of sin and death (Matt. 28:1-2) – Without raising a weapon, Jesus had defeated great enemy – King of Universe had “disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame” by canceling the record of debt that stood against us” by shedding of His blood (Col. 2:14-15) – And, then, after appearing to His disciples for many days, Jesus did what every king must do, He ascended to His rightful throne as King of Universe (Acts 1:9)
And it is from this heavenly throne that Holy Spirit was commissioned to bring a surprising renewal of God’s people, a renewal that would involve an incorporation of people from every tribe, tongue, and nation who would turn from their sin, have faith in Christ Jesus as Savior, and obey Christ Jesus as King – These people would be bound together not by a common ethnic heritage, but by blood of Christ, truth of Gospel, unity of Holy Spirit (Acts 10:1-48, Rev. 7:9) – They would be a people who would have God’s Word written on their hearts and then would carry that Word out from Jerusalem, Judea, to ends of earth (Acts 1:8)
And so, as it stands, we can see more clearly that God has fulfilled His promise to David – And God has fulfilled His promise to Zerubbabel, who was a key link between promise that was jeopardized by Jehoiakim and fulfilled in Jesus – Jesus is New and Better King of God’s People – God has kept His promise – He always does
And yet, while we can see clearly that we have received these promises in fullness, we can also see that we have not yet received them in completeness – There remains a future day when Jesus’ rule and reign will be established in completeness – There remains a future day when God’s people will be renewed and restored in completeness
And there remains a future day when God’s judgment of nations will be executed in completeness – Judgment of nations is prominent part of Haggai’s prophecy – We often get excited to talk about God’s love for nations – And, indeed, that’s a beautiful thread we see throughout Scriptures from Genesis to Revelation – It’s an important message of prophet Zechariah, one of Haggai’s contemporaries – It’s a clear element in Jesus’ great commission – And it’s a clear part of John’s heavenly vision in Revelation 7 – God is on a mission to save the nations
But, we cannot forget that God’s mission to save nations is connected to His desire to rule the nations[3] – And those nations – in Greek it’s ethnos – people groups who have shared culture, ethnic, or geographical ties – Those peoples who will not turn from their sin in order to be saved and ruled by King Jesus, will face a clear and final judgment
Listen to what John records in Book of Revelation, Divine vision he received regarding end of this age:
Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords. (Rev. 19:11-16)
So, when all is said and done, we see that mistake of many Jews in Jesus’ day was not in expecting a Messiah who break the nations with a rod of iron, dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel, and expand his possession to ends of earth – Their mistake was assuming it would happen at His first appearance, rather than His second
Scriptures are clear that Jesus will, at end of this age, overthrow “the throne of kingdoms” and “destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the nations” and “overthrow the chariots and their riders” – He will defeat all competing powers in a clear and decisive victory
How do we respond to these things? – I’ll give you three points of application:
First, worship the King
Every one of us has a decision to make – Either we will acknowledge that Jesus Christ is the rightful Savior and King of the Universe, deserving of all worship, glory, and praise – Or we will search in vain for something or someone else to fill that role: money, modern technology, modern medicine, a celebrity pastor, a politician, a country, a set of doctrines, you name it – Those things have a place in Christian life, but that place is not throne – Throne must be reserved for Lord Jesus Christ – All other things must be brought into His service
It’s possible you’re hear and you’ve never actually made conscious decision to put Jesus on throne of your life – Maybe you’ve let Him in vicinity, you’ve let Him get close to throne, to keep an eye on throne – But you’ve never actually let Him sit there to rule and to reign
Or maybe you have made that decision but you are realizing this morning that there are some unworthy competitors vying for throne of your life, grabbing for Jesus’ scepter
Whatever case, know that Jesus is not satisfied to be in vicinity of your heart – He is not satisfied to be close to your heart – He is not satisfied to keep an eye on your heart – He will not be satisfied until He sits on throne of your heart – And neither will you, because no other person and no other thing is qualified for that job
If something or someone other than Jesus sits upon throne of your life this morning, confess that to God, maybe confess it to a trusted friend, do what you need to do to unseat that unworthy anarchist and make a way for Jesus to ascend throne of your heart – Humble yourself and worship Him this morning
Second, proclaim the King
Yesterday we celebrated OneLink’s 30th anniversary – Gathering space was full of pictures of students who have gone to nations over past 30 years on OneLink trips – Begs question: Why would we spend so much time and so many resources to send all these students to unreached people all over world?
Well, there are a few reasons – First and foremost, because King is worthy – Second, because King’s love compel us (2 Cor. 5:14-15) – But, third, and this is a sobering but appropriate reason to make Jesus known, because someday soon Jesus will return to judge nations – Some day soon, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord – Some will make that confession unto eternal life and some will make that confession unto eternal condemnation – Our God-given prayer and mission as church is to proclaim Gospel so that peoples of earth might bow before Jesus now, and not wait until He returns
This is fuel for global missions, but it’s also fuel for mission right here in Wichita, in Kansas, and in our country – Because from a biblical perspective, America is included in the nations and we are included in peoples – All kinds of wacky ideas out there, so I feel need to make this clear – America gets no special status – Americans, however you want to try to divide them up: socially, politically, economically, get no special exemption – All are confronted with choice to kneel now or kneel later
Worship King – Proclaim King – Lastly, trust the King
We live in a world filled with evil, corruption, exploitation, and suffering – We read about it in news – We experience it in our communities – All to often, we know it personally – Many times, evil men and women go on being evil, with what seems like little to no consequence – Sometimes, it may even seem like their evil deeds are embraced and rewarded – And our efforts often seem powerless to create reform or change – Most problems are too big for us
But they are not too big for our King – One day He will return and repay every evil deed – No evil will go unpunished – All things will be made right – And all things will be made new – His enemies will be cast away forever – He will wipe away every tear, He will make all things new, and we will be with Him fully, finally, forever – In this we trust as evil mocks us day by day
Lucy and Susan asked of Aslan: “Is he safe?” – Is Jesus safe? – On one hand, Jesus is safest person any of us could ever know – He can save us from sin, give us eternal life, and preserve us through every storm – On other hand, Jesus is most danger person any of us could ever know – Because He calls us to die to ourselves, to take up our cross daily, and to follow Him with complete allegiance – He commissions us into a spiritual war and leverages all things, even suffering, in His endeavor to make us like Himself
I wonder how John the Baptist would have answered question, “Is Jesus safe?” as he laid his neck across Herod’s chopping block? – I wonder how Paul would have answered that question as he faced hardship after hardship and imprisonment after imprisonment on his journey to Rome? – I wonder how Martin Luther would’ve answered that question as he held a nail and 95 Theses? – I wonder how Amy Carmichael would’ve answered that question as she set sail for India? – I wonder how millions of unknown, unnamed Christians living in persecution all over world would answer that question: “Is Jesus safe?”
My guess is that they might have say, “That’s the wrong question – The right questions are, “Is He King?” and “Is He good?” – And to those questions we emphatically reply, “Yes, yes, He is”
[1] C.S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Harper Collins: New York, 1994, pg. 79-80.
[2] Eugene H. Merrill, An Exegetical Commentary – Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, Minor Prophets Exegetical Commentary Series (Biblical Studies Press, 2003), 57.
[3] Mark J. Boda, Haggai, Zechariah, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 2004), 67.