Hag 2:21 | KingComments | STEP | On the day of the prediction of blessing the word of the LORD comes for the second time to Haggai ( ). It is his fourth and final message. He must personally tell Zerubbabel what the LORD will do. Zerubbabel is the rightful heir to the throne in the line of David. There is nothing to be seen of it here yet. Here he is the governor of Judah in the service of the Medes and Persians to whom Judah is subject ( ). But Haggai has an encouraging message for him. The land may be subject to foreign domination, but the LORD will change that situation. He does so with the power He has to shake heaven and earth. These words point back to the verses that also speak of the shaking of heaven and earth ( ). The LORD will change the situation of His people by overthrowing the throne of the kingdoms. The throne is the symbol of kingship or dominion ( ). He will break their reign, so that they no longer have any strength to rise themselves up against His people. The means by which they have shown their strength, such as “the chariots and their riders”, and “the horses and their riders”, will be overthrown and will go down. The LORD will do this by letting them exterminate one another, “everyone by the sword of another” that is, of his brother in the evil that they have done to God’s people. One hostile realm will destroy the other ( ; cf. ). This paves the way for the introduction of the King to God’s heart, the Messiah, of Whom Zerubbabel is a picture. We see this in the next and last verse of this book.

‏ Haggai 2:21

A Word for Zerubbabel

On the day of the prediction of blessing the word of the LORD comes for the second time to Haggai (Hag 2:20). It is his fourth and final message. He must personally tell Zerubbabel what the LORD will do. Zerubbabel is the rightful heir to the throne in the line of David. There is nothing to be seen of it here yet. Here he is the governor of Judah in the service of the Medes and Persians to whom Judah is subject (Hag 2:21).

But Haggai has an encouraging message for him. The land may be subject to foreign domination, but the LORD will change that situation. He does so with the power He has to shake heaven and earth. These words point back to the verses that also speak of the shaking of heaven and earth (Hag 2:6-7).

The LORD will change the situation of His people by overthrowing the throne of the kingdoms. The throne is the symbol of kingship or dominion (Dan 7:27). He will break their reign, so that they no longer have any strength to rise themselves up against His people. The means by which they have shown their strength, such as “the chariots and their riders”, and “the horses and their riders”, will be overthrown and will go down.

The LORD will do this by letting them exterminate one another, “everyone by the sword of another” that is, of his brother in the evil that they have done to God’s people. One hostile realm will destroy the other (Zec 14:13; cf. Eze 38:21). This paves the way for the introduction of the King to God’s heart, the Messiah, of Whom Zerubbabel is a picture. We see this in the next and last verse of this book.