His Signet Ring

             "Faith sees the invisible, chooses the imperishable, and does the impossible."
                                                    Vance Havner




In certain ancient cultures, a king who wanted to mark or secure a document with his seal used his signet ring. The wax was softened and the king would press his ring firmly into it. When the wax hardened, it would become an unbroken seal that bore the mark of the king.

The signet ring had both value and significance. It was used to prove authority, identify possessions, and to "sign" official documents. The king's seal ensured the personal guarantee of the king. The seal and the signet were chosen, unique, and used for noble purposes.

Biblically, the seal and the signet were used as a metaphor of obtaining God's honor and authority in the earth. Since God is the King, the Bible gives us examples of people being compared to signet rings. There are examples of signet rings being removed from God's finger, such as Jehoiachin. And, there are examples of people being fashioned into a signet ring to be used for God's purposes, such as Zerubbabel.

Interestingly, both Jehoiachin and Zerubbabel were members of the same family. Another interesting fact was that their lineage would ultimately usher in the first coming of Christ. One was disqualified and one was sealed forever by the hand of the King.

Jehoichin was a descendant of David. He was coronated as king of Judah when he was eighteen years old. Unfortunately, he was so wicked that the prophet Jeremiah prophesied against him. Through Jeremiah, God spoke and said, "'As I live,' says the Lord, 'though Jehoiachin, son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, were the signet ring upon My right hand, yet I would tear you off'" (Jeremiah 22:24).

The reason God removed Jehoiachin was because he did not obey His statutes and refused to repent. Therefore, he had become utterly useless to the purposes of God. Because of this, he was succeeded by his uncle, even though it was documented that he had at least seven children who were next in line to sit on the throne of David.

Zerubbabel was the grandson of Jehoiachin. While he did not sit on the throne, he led the first group of Jews home following their Babylonian captivity. This is what God said to Zeubbabel, "'In that day,' says the Lord of Hosts, 'I will take you Zerubbabel, My servant, son of Shealtiel,' says the Lord, and will make you [through the Messiah, your descendant] My signet ring; for I have chosen you [as the one with whom to renew My covenant to David's line],' says the Lord of Hosts" (Haggai 2:23).

Working with Joshua, Zerubbabel was used by God to rebuild the Second Temple in Jerusalem. Through him, God reinstated the Davidic line and renewed His covenant with David. Zerubabbel was also given the rare distinction and encouragement of being referred to as this triad: servant, son, and signet ring. According to Peter Ackroyd, Zerubbabel was a "royal representative of God".

Today, when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we, too, are sealed. The book of Ephesians explains, "In Him you also who have heard the Word of Truth, the glad tidings (Gospel) of your salvation, and have believed in and have adhered to and relied on Him, were stamped with the seal of the long-promised Holy Spirit. That [Spirit] is the guarantee of our inheritance [the firstfruits, the pledge and foretaste, the down payment on our heritage], in anticipation of its full redemption and our acquiring [complete] possession of it- to the praise of His glory" (Ephesians 1:13-14).

We are chosen and we are sealed and we are in covenant with God. The Holy Spirit seals all those who are in Christ, which is God's guarantee that believers are owned by Him and secure in Him. It is His sealing that separates believers from this world and from their unholy past.

If we look closely at the Davidic line, we find that David's family tree might have been cut down. There certainly were plenty of wicked and apathetic kings that could have justified doing so. Yet, God's desire was to cause a "branch" to grow up from the stump to become the Ruler of the nation (Isaiah 11:1; 53:2).

This King is named Jehovah Tsidkenu, which means "The Lord Our Righteousness" (Jeremiah 33:15-16). This name can only be applied to Jesus. The apostle, Paul, explains, "it is from Him [God] that you have your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom from God [revealed to us a knowledge of the divine plan of salvation previously hidden, manifesting itself as] our Righteousness [thus making us upright and putting us in right standing with God], and our consecration [making us pure and holy], and our Redemption [providing our ransom from eternal penalty for sin]" (1 Corinthians 1:30).

When we put our faith in Jesus, His righteousness is put into our account and we are declared righteous before God (Romans 3:21-5:11). This is called "being justified by faith". As we cooperate with the Holy Spirit, we are fashioned for service in His kingdom on earth and become His earthly representatives.

We are living in the days preceding the Second Coming of Christ. The Old Testament story of the Jews returning to their land after the Babylonian captivity is a foreshadow of the great world-wide regathering that will occur in the last days. This is when "He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other" (Matthew 24:31).

Our job now is to become useful in the Hands of our Creator. It is to daily remember our covenant with Him and that His number one priority is to reach those who do not yet know Him. Our goal should be to bring as many other people into eternity with us as we can. Allowing the Holy Spirit to flow freely through our lives will make this happen. The additional perk is that just maybe we could enter into heaven known not only as a son and as a servant, but also as His signet ring!


                                               "O What can I give to the Master,
                                                 The One who from sin set me free?
                                                I'll give Him a lifetime of service
                                                To thank Him for dying for me."
                                                                 K. De Haan