Day 30: Zerubbabel Lent 2016 - Forty days in the genealogy of our Lord
The thirtieth generation in the genealogy of Jesus Christ is Zerubbabel. The name Zerubbabel means "born in Babylon" or "descendant of Babylon." As descendants of Adam, all human beings are born sinners. Apostle Paul reminded us of our former situation in the following verse.
“remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.” (Ephesians 2:12, NASB)
But like Zerubbabel, when we heed the call of God and decide to leave the former life for a life in Christ, then God will take a hold of us and use us as His righteous instruments for His holy purpose.
Zerubbabel led the reconstruction of the temple after his return from Babylon.
Although the Israelites were taken captive to Babylon, God promised that they would return after seventy years (Jer 25:11-12; 29:10). In keeping with this promise, God stirred up the spirit of Cyrus the king of Persia and allowed the Israelites to return home from captivity, whereupon they began the reconstruction of the temple (Ezra 1:1-4). In 538 BC Cyrus issued a decree and the Israelites began to return in 537 BC. This was the first return from Babylon.
There were a total of 49,897 people who returned in the first return. Among them the assembly numbered 42,360; their male and female servants numbered 7,337; and the singing men and women numbered 200 (Ezra 2:64-65). There were also eleven leaders who represented them and Zerubbabel was the first leader mentioned among them (Ezra 2:2).
In the Hebrew manuscript, a maqqeph (ㅡ) connects the name Zerubbabel and the word im, which means “with.” This distinguishes Zerubbabel from the other ten leaders, implying that he was the actual chief among the people during the first return from Babylon.
Regarding the participants of the first return, Ezra 1:5 states, “everyone whose spirit God had stirred to go up and rebuild the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem. “They were people who were inspired by God and possessed willing and voluntary faith regarding the reconstruction of the temple.
The fact that there were fewer than 50,000 participants in the first return shows that most of the Jews who were born during the period of captivity were afraid to leave. They did not want to leave behind their livelihood and position that they had established thus far and return to the ruins of Jerusalem. However, those who take the lead in doing God’s work are always the ones who sacrifice their personal interests and gain in order to follow God’s Word (Ref - Gen 12:1-4). Zerubbabel possessed the ability and spirituality worthy to represent these exceptional people of faith.
Those who returned to Jerusalem finally began to rebuild the temple in the second month of the second year. Even at this time, the name "Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel" appears at the forefront (Ezra 3:8). Shortly thereafter, when the adversaries who tried to hinder the construction of the temple approached the leaders of the captives who had returned, Zerubbabel’s name appeared at the forefront again (Eza 4:1-3). It is evident that Zerubbabel was the leader of the people at the time of the return and throughout the entire process of the temple reconstruction. A true leader is faithful and steadfast, devoted to God and His people.
We may have put ourselves before God until today and lived unsatisfying lives. However, when we obey God’s Word and repent, even the most difficult problems will begin to be solved.
Zerubbabel was the leader who restarted and completed the construction of the temple, which had been interrupted.
The construction of the temple, which began in 536 BC, came to a halt because of the opposition of the adversaries. Since then, the construction work was neglected for sixteen years, and by this time, it was already 520 BC. It was Zerubbabel who restarted the construction of the temple in obedience to the words proclaimed through the prophets Haggai and Zechariah (Ezra 5:2; Hag 1:4; Ref Zech 4:6-10).
FIRST, the people obeyed God’s Word.
God rebuked the people through Prophet Haggai saying, “Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses [fancy houses made of cedar] while this house lies desolate?” (Hag 1:4).
Prophet Haggai explained that the people of Judah have sown much, but harvested little; they ate, but there was not enough to be satisfied; they drank, but there was not enough to become drunk; they put on clothing, but no one was warm enough; and they who earned, earned wages to put into a purse with holes. This is all because they have halted the construction of the temple and neglected it (Hag 1:6, 9).
When the message regarding the construction of the temple was proclaimed through Prophet Haggai, Zerubbabel and all the people obeyed the Word of God (Hag 1:12). Here, the word obey is shama and means “to listen” or “to pay attention.” They listened closely to God’s Word and repented for the lives that they had lived while the construction was on hold.
We may have put ourselves before God until today and lived unsatisfying lives. However, when we obey God’s Word and repent, even the most difficult problems will begin to be solved.
SECOND, the spirit of the people was stirred up.
Haggai 1:14 states, “So the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and worked on the house if the Lords of hosts, their God.”
Here, the word spirit is ruah and the Hebrew word for stir up is the hiphil (causative active) stem of ur, which means “rouse oneself,” “to be awake,” “to awaken”, or “to incite.” Thus, God had awoken the spirits of Zerubbabel, Joshua the high priest, and all the people and caused them to begin the nationwide construction of the temple. It was when God awoke their spirits that the temple construction work, which had been halted for sixteen years, was finally restarted.
THIRD, they started the construction immediately.
Prophet Haggai’s message regarding the reconstruction of the temple was first proclaimed in the second year of King Darius, on the first day of the sixth month (Hag 1:1). The construction that had been halted was resumed on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month in the second year of King Darius (Hag 1:14-15), which means the construction began twenty-three days after God’s Word was proclaimed. The sixth month was usually the busiest month because preparations for the Feast of the Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles needed to be made. Nonetheless, they were able to prepare and begin the construction work in only twenty-three days, clearly demonstrating how Zerubbabel and the people voluntarily and actively participated in the reconstruction work in order to fulfill God’s Word.
The temple construction, which resumed in this manner, was finally completed, and the temple was dedicated to God in the sixth year of King Darius’s reign (516 BC), on the third day of the month of Adar (twelfth month; Ezra 6:13-15).
God called Zerubbabel His “servant” and “signet ring.” Haggai 2:23 states, “'On the 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.” Here, the word signet ring is hotam in Hebrew and means “seal” or “seal ring.” In the ancient Near East, the signet ring represented its owner, so the owner always carried it with him. When God said that He would make Zerubbabel like a signet ring, He was promising to be with Zerubbabel and protect him even until the end. This message was proclaimed on the twenty-fourth day of the nine month, in the second year of King Darius (Hag 2:10, 18). It was an expression of God’s strong desire to complete the construction of the temple through Zerubbabel.
On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month in the second year of King Darius, God gave another confirmation through Prophet Zechariah that the construction of the temple would be carried out solely by the work of God’s Holy Spirit, not by human strength (Zech 1:7; 4:6). Ultimately, the temple was completed purely by the work of God (Ezra 6:15).
Likewise, even today, God makes His servants like a “signet ring” by the work of the Holy Spirit and builds His house through them. They are endowed with the leading role in the holy work of redemption to complete the kingdom of God (2 Cor 1:22; Eph 1:13; 4:30; Rev 7:2-4; 9:4).
"‘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 2:23)
- from The Promise of the Eternal Covenant by Rev. Abraham Park