Haggai

Anyone who's read Haggai prior to this is one up on me. Haggai is instructed at the end of this short book to state to Zerubabbel (Haggai 2:21-23):

²¹ “Tell Zerubbabel governor of Judah that I will shake the heavens and the earth. ²² 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.

 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.” 

We are shown the clear allusion to the last days when God will pass his final judgment on Earth, but I see something else as well.  My NIV Study Bible has a note on v23 suggesting that the signet ring is a promise that God hasn't forgotten his covenant to send Christ. However, consider what Christ's coming meant in terms of not just earthly kingdoms, but earthly religion. If you substitute the word "church" for any of the references to secular government ("royal thrones," "foreign kingdoms," etc.), Christ was just as disruptive to the religious rulers of his time, perhaps even more so, than the secular government.


Think about it--who really wanted him executed? When we reach the New Testament, we're going to see just how early in Christ's ministry that the religious authorities saw him as their biggest threat, bigger even than being ruled by a pagan foreign government. During Jesus' trial, Pilate found no wrong but still acceded to the wishes of the Jewish authorities and executed him. Similar events will occur when we reach Acts and read about the trial of Paul and how it wasn't the Romans who wanted him punished, at least initially.


Jesus was the fulfillment of prophecy and promise, but he turned the people of Israel's religious beliefs on its head. Being Lutherans primarily of German and Scandinavian descent, we embrace change easily (primarily with regard to our hymnals), but not everyone is as malleable as we are. All of the exhortations that Jesus would state to his disciples, crowds, and to us today, can be tied directly to these verses in Haggai that many of us have seen for the first time in our lives. NOTHING in the message of Christianity is difficult to understand--we may not understand all the particulars or details, but the underlying message is pretty simple. I've stated it numerous times before, and I'll state it again--it boils down to:
1. I'm a sinner
2. Christ died and rose again to absolve me of that sin
3. I've done nothing and deserve nothing for this absolution--it's God's free gift to us
That I can boil it down to 29 words (and I'm disappointed in myself--I can usually do it in 17) doesn't mean it's easy to DO. That's our jobs as Christians--God will not be impressed that we know what to do, but when we do what we know.
Scott