GrayPilgrim
February 9th 2003, 02:19 AM
The destruction of the Southern Kingdom in 587 BC caused a crisis for the nation of Israel. It challenged two fundamental assumptions of the people. One, that Yahweh had chosen David and his heirs to be king and thus their representative to Yahweh, and two, that Yahweh was faithful and thus would always maintain the Davidic line in Jerusalem. However, with the destruction of the Temple and the Monarchy, it caused many to question these assumptions. Is God faithful even if he seems to break his covenants?
In Jeremiah 22:24, God said, "As I live, declares the LORD, though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, were the signet ring on my right hand, yet I would tear you off”! Here we have an important event in Salvation-History God declares that he will remove the Davidic King as his viceroy over Israel! This may lead some to see that God has been unfaithful and confirm their greatest fears. For in the ANE the loci of divine relationships was focused on the Temple and upon the king. How can we solve this problem? How will God show himself to be faithful?
Let us look to the book of Haggai. This short book, with two chapters equaling a total of 38 verses answers this with a resounding: God is faithful even when my people are faithless. I want to draw attention to two aspects that show the relevance of this book for answering the questions: what about the Temple? What about the king?
The book is a series of four oracles. The first three are related to the re-establishment Temple as the sign of God’s covenant loyalty. An interesting grammatical note is that each of these three oracles begins with the formula HYH DBR YHWH BYD XGY HNVY” L”MR [the word of Yahweh was by the hand of Haggai the prophet saying…] (1:1, 2:1, 10, note 1:1 adds additional information considering the addresses). This will be of significance as we turn to the Davidic Oracle.
This fourth oracle brings on a different introductory formula WYHY DBR YHWH SHNYT “L XGY (The word of Yahweh came a second time to Haggai). Note that the three previous oracles are linked under one heading, so that we have the division between the third and fourth oracles not symmetrically as when a similar phrase occurs in Jonah 3:1. What is the significance of HYH versus WYHY? WYHY carries a resumptive quality. That is that it picks up on a narrative that came before it, e.g. Ruth 1:1, where this form is used, sets the book in the historical-theological context of the Judges. So here we see that God in his faithfulness that while he may have taken of Coniah as his signet ring does not leave his people without a shepherd!
Haggai 2:23 On that day, declares the LORD of hosts, I will take you, O Zerubbabel my servant, the son of Shealtiel, declares the LORD, and make you like a signet ring, for I have chosen you, declares the LORD of hosts."
Praise the Lord who reigns in faithfulness! He will not abandon his people! Hallelujah let the Lord reign from on high!
In Jeremiah 22:24, God said, "As I live, declares the LORD, though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, were the signet ring on my right hand, yet I would tear you off”! Here we have an important event in Salvation-History God declares that he will remove the Davidic King as his viceroy over Israel! This may lead some to see that God has been unfaithful and confirm their greatest fears. For in the ANE the loci of divine relationships was focused on the Temple and upon the king. How can we solve this problem? How will God show himself to be faithful?
Let us look to the book of Haggai. This short book, with two chapters equaling a total of 38 verses answers this with a resounding: God is faithful even when my people are faithless. I want to draw attention to two aspects that show the relevance of this book for answering the questions: what about the Temple? What about the king?
The book is a series of four oracles. The first three are related to the re-establishment Temple as the sign of God’s covenant loyalty. An interesting grammatical note is that each of these three oracles begins with the formula HYH DBR YHWH BYD XGY HNVY” L”MR [the word of Yahweh was by the hand of Haggai the prophet saying…] (1:1, 2:1, 10, note 1:1 adds additional information considering the addresses). This will be of significance as we turn to the Davidic Oracle.
This fourth oracle brings on a different introductory formula WYHY DBR YHWH SHNYT “L XGY (The word of Yahweh came a second time to Haggai). Note that the three previous oracles are linked under one heading, so that we have the division between the third and fourth oracles not symmetrically as when a similar phrase occurs in Jonah 3:1. What is the significance of HYH versus WYHY? WYHY carries a resumptive quality. That is that it picks up on a narrative that came before it, e.g. Ruth 1:1, where this form is used, sets the book in the historical-theological context of the Judges. So here we see that God in his faithfulness that while he may have taken of Coniah as his signet ring does not leave his people without a shepherd!
Haggai 2:23 On that day, declares the LORD of hosts, I will take you, O Zerubbabel my servant, the son of Shealtiel, declares the LORD, and make you like a signet ring, for I have chosen you, declares the LORD of hosts."
Praise the Lord who reigns in faithfulness! He will not abandon his people! Hallelujah let the Lord reign from on high!