A Signet Ring

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Scripture:

Haggai 2:23 On that day, says the LORD of hosts, I will take you, O Zerubbabel my servant, son of Shealtiel, says the LORD, and make you like a signet ring; for I have chosen you, says the LORD of hosts.

Observation:

The signet ring was of great value and importance to the king. The ring was generally made of gold and possible encrusted with precious stones. It represented the legal authority of the owner and was pressed into wax to seal official documents, marking the authenticity of the work.

For Zerubbabel to become like the signet ring for the LORD was a covenant promise for both Zerubbabel and God’s people. The mark of God’s kingdom was peace and now, God’s people were to be a people of his peace. They were to carry the power and the authority of the kingdom within their very beings and they were to be the symbol of the authority of God on earth. This was a foreshadowing of the arrival of Christ who would make this prophetic word a possibility for all, for God has chosen all to be his ambassadors in the kingdom.

As ambassadors in the kingdom, as signet rings, we are to be image bearers. The image of the ring is the image of the kingdom and God’s people are to bear the image of peace to the world.

Application:

In all of this we see the gracious act of God in the lives of his people. It is not we who shape our own lives into that of the signet ring. This is no cheap knock-off which can be bought at the dollar store! No, God actually works his gracious act in our lives and molds us into his signet ring. We become the official ambassadors of God in this world. Not only are we ambassadors but we are empowered to do the work. Just as the signet ring carried with it all the official power of the kingdom, as God’s signet rings, we too carry with us the official power of the kingdom of God realized through the working of the Holy Spirit.

Sadly, we live in a world that is all too happy these days with cheap knock-offs. Designer copies are being created on a mass basis for they can be created quickly and are very inexpensive. But in the long run, you get what you pay for and the same is true spiritually. To be a true signet ring takes time, energy and a genuine desire to be shaped and formed by God. This is what had been missing in the lives of God’s people and it may be missing today. We may be slipping on the cheap imitation, pretending to be God’s holy people but when the trials come, we crack and fall apart. God’s true workmanship survives the tough times and continues as an authentic authority. This is an authority which bears the mark of the kingdom of peace.

Prayer:

Lord, please help me be the bearer of your image of peace today.  Amen.

If you would like to read more "Reflecting the Image"  click on the image to take you to the NPH bookstore.The book is also available in Kindle format on Amazon.com.



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