“Then the word of the LORD 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 power 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 the LORD of hosts, “I will take you, Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, My servant,” declares the LORD, “and I will make you like a signet ring, for I have chosen you,” declares the LORD of hosts’” (Hag 2:20–23).
In spite of Zerubbabel’s Davidic lineage (1 Chron 3:19), he likely lived under the shadow of having a “cursed” grandfather. On the eve of Israel’s exile, God spoke against Coniah, also known as Jehoiachin, declaring that even if he were a signet ring on God’s right hand, He would remove him and cast him into exile (Jer 22:24–30). The image is devastating. A signet ring represents royal authority and legitimacy, and Jeremiah’s words could easily be taken to mean that God’s promise to raise up a Messianic son from David’s line had been nullified because of Coniah’s sin (see Jer 22:30).
We must never allow our past, or our family history, to tell us who we are or who we are destined to be.
Zerubbabel’s title, “governor of Judah” rather than “king” (Hag 2:21), would have served as a constant reminder of this family failure. Yet the God of second, third, and fourth chances, the God of infinite grace and mercy, reverses this judgment. God takes Zerubbabel, a son of David, and makes him His signet ring once again, placing him back on His right hand. In light of this extraordinary grace and promise, the prophet Zechariah, Haggai’s contemporary, sees in Zerubbabel a prefiguration of the coming Davidic Messiah (Zech 3:8; 6:12–13). And because of this grace, Zerubbabel, God’s chosen servant, appears in Yeshua’s Messianic genealogy (Matt 1:13).
What can we learn from this brief but powerful prophecy? We must never allow our past, or our family history, to tell us who we are or who we are destined to be. It is God alone who has both the right and the power to define our identity and our destiny.
