Bible Commentaries
Haggai

Haggai

“Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: Consider your ways”

Haggai 1:7

Haggai’s Work

Haggai was a prophet of God that prophesied to the Jews who had returned to Jerusalem from Babylon during the year 536 BC (i.e., the first year of Cyrus over Babylon / cf. Ezra 1:1-2). These Jews were led back to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple of Jehovah that had been destroyed by the Babylonians. Seventy years had been spent in Babylonian captivity as foretold by Jeremiah (cf. Jeremiah 25:11). God had commanded that the temple now be constructed (cf. Ezra 1:1-2; Ezra 6:14). Zerubbabel returns to Jerusalem with 50,000 people to build the temple under the authority of Cyrus (cf. Ezra 1:1-2 / see also Isaiah 44:28). A strong and zealous start by the people results in the completion of the foundation of the temple after two years of being in Jerusalem (cf. Ezra 3:8 ff). The adversaries; i.e., the Samaritans, soon discourage the Jews from building. The Samaritans “weakened the hands of the people of Judah” and “frustrated their purpose all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia” (cf. Ezra 4:4-5; Ezra 4:24). The next 15 years pass with no work being done on the temple of God (compare Ezra 4:24 to Ezra 6:1 ff). The people failed to keep God’s command to build the temple and were thereby in sin. The objective of God’s prophet Haggai was to motivate the people to get back to the work of rebuilding the temple.

Date of Haggai

Ezra 5:1-2 reveals that Haggai entered upon his work on the first day of the sixth month, in the second year of Darius. The prophet’s first address to the people regarding their delinquency made such an impression, that Zerubbabel and Joshua with the people set about the work of building as early as the twenty-fourth day of the same month (comp. Haggai 1:1; Haggai 1:14 f.). Four years later (total of 21 years) the temple is completed (six total years of actual construction) (compare Ezra 1:1; Ezra 3:8; Ezra 6:15). This dates the book to the second year of Darius the king (i.e., 519 BC) (note that the 17 years in Jerusalem minus 536 BC equals 519 BC).

First of four Oracles: Get Busy

Haggai reveals God’s displeasure in the people’s 15 year period of disobedience (Haggai 1:4). Once again the Lord commands, through Haggai, that the people get to work on the temple (Haggai 1:8). Haggai calls upon the people in Jerusalem to reason with God. Haggai asks them to consider why they are in the current distress of drought (Habakkuk 1:11), little harvest (2:16), mildew and hail (Haggai 2:17). Why all the distress? “Because of my house that lies waste, while ye run every man to his own house” (Haggai 1:9). The sovereign God of creation has called upon nature to correct His people. After Haggai’s “stirring” words (cf. Haggai 1:14) the Jews “consider” these things and respond with obedience and fear (Habakkuk 1:12). The people begin working 23 days after Haggai delivers the first oracle (Haggai 1:15). The great lesson learned is that God’s blessings are contingent upon Israel’s obedience (compare Haggai 1:7-9 with 2:19).

Second of four Oracles: Encouragement

Haggai delivers his second revelation to the people of Jerusalem three and a half weeks after the people begin working on the temple. Once again discouragement settled in among the builders. This time it was not the Samaritans but rather their view of the current temple. Ezra tells us that after the foundation was laid many mourned due to the little stature of the temple in comparison to Solomon’s (cf. Ezra 3:12 and Haggai 2:3). Haggai encourages the people by telling them to be strong because God is with them in their efforts (Haggai 2:4).

Third of Four Oracles: A Call for Repentance

Haggai delivers the third revelation to the people of Jerusalem three months after the work on the temple had started. Though the people had obeyed through fear (cf. Haggai 1:12) and begun to rebuild the temple (Haggai 1:14) they were still considered “unclean” (Haggai 2:14). Their every work was thereby unclean (Haggai 2:14). Haggai calls upon the people to consider their sinful ways and turn to God that they may receive the blessings of Jehovah (Haggai 2:15-18).

Four of Four Oracles: The Hope of the Anointed Christ

Haggai delivers this last oracle the same day that he received and delivered the third (i.e., three months after the work of the temple had begun). Zerubbabel is told that the Lord has chosen him to bring about His anointed one. Through Christ all eternal blessings will be found to those who turn their hearts to him.

Consider the kings of Persia

• ·    Cyrus (559 [536 over Babylon] – 530 BC) – Allowed Jews to return to Jerusalem, under the leadership of Zerubbabel, to rebuild the temple (Ezra 1:1-2). The Jews efforts were frustrated all the days of Cyrus (; Ezra 4:5).

• ·    Cambyses (530 – 522 BC) (the Ahasuerus or Xerxes of Ezra 4:6-23) – Killed his brother Smerdis to secure his position as King of Persia. Cambyses received letters from the Samaritans in relation to the construction of the temple. He authorized a decree to cease the work on the temple due to the history of Jewish rebellion in Jerusalem (cf. Ezra 4:19-21).

• ·    Gomates (Pseudo-Smerdis) (521 BC) – Laid claims to being the murdered brother of Cambyses and thereby usurped the throne of Cambyses while he was away in Egypt. Gomates was killed by a Persian officer and thus his rule lasts for only a few months.

• ·    Darius the Great (521 -486 BC) – During the second year of Darius (i.e., 519 BC) Haggai and Zechariah prophesied unto the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem and encouraged them to return to the work of the temple (Ezra 4:24 to Ezra 5:1). Tattenai (the governor beyond the River / Ezra 5:3) questioned the validity of said work and wrote a letter to Darius requesting that a search be made in the Persian archives as to whether or not Cyrus ever gave a decree that the temple be constructed (cf. Ezra 5:17). Darius found that Cyrus did give such a decree (; Ezra 6:3) and thereby gave authority to Zerubbabel and the Jews to continue the work (Ezra 6:14). Four years latter, the sixth year of Darius, the temple was completed (; Ezra 6:15).

HAGGAI: THE TEMPLE BUILDER

The tenth of the Minor Prophets is Haggai, a man with a mission and the determination to see the job accomplished.

About the Author

The author is "Haggai the prophet," i.e., the spokesman for God (See Exodus 7:1 and Exodus 4:15-16). All we know about Haggai is revealed in his small book and brief notices about him in Ezra 5:1 and Ezra 6:14. His name means "festive or festival." It is comparable to the Latin name Festus. He may have been born on a festival day and so was named.

Haggai had been in exile with his fellow Hebrews in the land of Babylon. He was among the faithful remnant that returned in 536 B.C. On the basis of 2:3, it is thought by some that he was an old man who had seen Solomon’s Temple before it was destroyed. Because of his boundless energy and determination, someone has dubbed Haggai "a steam engine in trousers."

As a preacher, Haggai was not a polished speaker, rather, he was plain spoken, blunt, and of few words. He spoke with a "thus saith the Lord," thus he was a truly God’s messenger. Haggai was an exhorter. He was one of those rare persons who could motivate people to do great things in the face of incredible hardships. Not only did he rebuke his hearers, he cheered commended and encouraged them as well. The one obsession of the prophet’s life was to get God’s temple rebuilt. He had the vision to look beyond the rubble of the ruined city and see the hope of tomorrow’s finished work. He not only preached to others, he put his hand to the task as well (Ezra 5:1-2). He was blest with a "remarkable genius for organization and a capacity for getting things done." He saw the duty at hand and dedicated himself to seeing it completed. He was great because he was strong in faith and optimistic in hope. His priorities were straight. God’s work must come first (Matthew 6:33).

Haggai was the first prophet of the restoration period when the Hebrews returned from Babylonian captivity. His contemporaries were Zechariah the prophet, Zerubbabel the governor and Joshua the high priest of Judah.

The Historical Background

Cyrus the Great became master of the Fertile Crescent in 538, B. C., when Babylon fell. At Cyrus’s death in 529 B.C., his son Cambyses, took the throne. He was a cruel and dissolute ruler. In 522, Cambyses died (some think it was suicide) and Darius, son of Hystaspes, became king. Darius was challenged by a usurper known in history as Pseudo-Smerdis who held the throne of Persia for seven months before being killed. In 521, insurrections broke out all over the empire. Twenty-three provinces rebelled. Darius fought nineteen battles to preserve his kingdom.

A chronology of Haggai’s ministry will be helpful for our study.

1.    In 536 B.C., Cyrus issued his proclamation allowing all captive people to return to their ancestral homes (Ezra 1:1-4). Some 42,360 Hebrews set out for the land of Judah (Ezra 2:1; Ezra 2:64).

2.    In the seventh month, October of 536, God’s altar was erected and sacrifices were offered. The Feast of Tabernacles was observed (Ezra 3:1-4).

3.    In the second month of 535 the foundation of the temple was laid (Ezra 3:8-10). Hostile opposition from the neighboring Samaritans forced the construction to halt. From 535-520 no work was done (Ezra 4:1-24) .

4.    In the year 520, Haggai and Zechariah, through their preaching and leadership, stirred the Hebrews to resume work of the building God’s house.

5.    Haggai’s first prophecy was delivered in September (Haggai 1:1-11).

6.    A month later his second message was presented (Haggai 2:1-9).

7.    In November of 520, Zechariah brought forth his first prophecy (Zechariah 1:1-6).

8.    In December, Haggai’s third and fourth oracles were spoken (Haggai 2:10-23).

9.    In January of 519, Zechariah delivered his second lesson (Zechariah 1:7 to Zechariah 6:15).

10.    In November of that year his third message was given (Zechariah 7:1 to Zechariah 8:23).

11.    The temple was completed in March of 515 B.C. (Ezra 6:15).

The leadership of the struggling nation rested upon two righteous men. Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, was governor under the Persian overlords (Haggai 1:1). He was a direct descendent from David and Jechoniah, the last king of Judah prior to the captivity (Matthew 1:11-12). Zerubbabel is thought to be the Sheshbazzar of Ezra of 1:8-10. (Compare Ezra 2:1-2). Joshua, the son of Jehozadak, was high priest (Haggai 1:1). He was descended from the last high priest, Seraiah. Sometimes Joshua is referred to as Jeshua (Haggai 2:2). At the time Haggai began his work, Joshua and the priesthood were ceremonially defiled and thus disqualified for God’s service (Zechariah 3:1-10).

The situation in Judah was pathetic. God’s temple lay in ruins. Only the altar had been erected (Haggai 1:4). The people, being blocked in their efforts to rebuild God’s house, had busied themselves in building their own homes. They now had comfortable "ceiled houses," i.e., they were paneled with wood (Haggai 1:4). Over those 16 years of inactivity they had lost their concern for God’s house. Perhaps during the seventy long years of exile in Babylon, they had adjusted to worshiping without the temple. A new generation had grown up that had never seen the old temple, and thus did not realize the extent of their loss. Disillusionment over their ruined cities, hostile neighbors and general hardships had discouraged them. Crop failures and serious economic problems were plaguing them. Their personal interest in building their own homes and in getting their businesses and farms going had overshadowed their responsibility to God. There may have been the feeling that the realities of the restoration had not measured up to the glowing predictions delivered by Isaiah (See Isaiah 35:1-10 and Isaiah 40:1-11). Some may have argued that God wanted the temple to be ruined for a full seventy years (See Jeremiah 29:10-11).

The great majority of the Hebrews had chosen to remain in Babylon. Only 42,360, plus 7,337 servants came back in the first migration (Ezra 2:64-65). It is to their credit that those who stayed behind did send financial help (Ezra 1:5-6). The returnees faced massive economic hardships. This little nation would have qualified for "disaster relief’ (Haggai 1:6; Haggai 1:10-11). Haggai was faced with lack of concern, despondency, unbelief, apathy and moral insensibility as he began his work. To fully understand Haggai’s book a good student will first read (Ezra 1:1 to Ezra 6:16).

About the Book

The book bears the name of its inspired author. In the Septuagint it is called "Aggaios." In the Latin Vulgate it is "Aggaeus."

The literary style of the book is interesting. It is "pathetic in exhortation, vehement in reproofs, elevated in contemplating the glorious future" (J. Wolfendale). His words are plain, concise, earnest, impressive. They were just what was needed for the occasion. Haggai was fond of using interrogations (Compare Haggai 1:4; Haggai 1:9; Haggai 2:3; Haggai 2:12). One is impressed by the absence of denunciation of idolatry, immorality or social injustice. Most likely, his book is composed of excerpts from his notable lessons delivered in the time frame under consideration.

The book of Haggai is self-dating. It consists of four oracles dated between the last week of August and the first week of December 520 B.C. (Haggai 1:1; Haggai 2:10). Few ancient books are so precisely dated.

The book was first written for the remnant of Jews living in Jerusalem following their return from Babylonian captivity. It has blessed Jews and Christians to this date.

Haggai’s purpose was one: to get the temple rebuilt. He had no call for repentance; no denunciation of social injustice or sin; no strong ethical or spiritual lessons. To accomplish his goal, he rebuked (Haggai 1:1-10); encouraged (Haggai 2:1-9), and exhorted (Haggai 2:10-19).

Haggai has suffered at the hands of liberal scholars. Oesterly and Robinson are typical of the sinful arrogance of such men. They write, "he can have no place among the prophets in the sense of the word." For a refutation of these assaults, see An Introduction to the Old Testament Prophets by Hobart Freeman.

Some Miscellaneous Facts about the Book

The Hebrew text of Haggai is well preserved. In the New Testament, Hebrews 12:26-28 contains a clear allusion to (Haggai 2:6-7). "I will shake all nations." Haggai is one of the smallest books of the Old Testament, containing only thirty-eight verses.

Haggai. Zechariah an Malachi are generally classified as the post-exilic prophets since they served after the Babylonian captivity. According to the Jewish Talmud, these three prophets were all members of the Great Synagogue, later to be known as the Sanhedrin.

It is of interest to note that seventy years passed from the first Babylonian invasion of Jerusalem in 606 B.C. to the first return in 536. Seventy years also elapsed from the destruction of the temple in 586 to its completion in 516/515 B.C.

Concerning the destruction of the temple by Nebuchadnezzar’s troops, we read in 2 Kings 25:9 that it was burned, not demolished. This would explain why so few could do the work of rebuilding in only four years. The original temple built by Solomon was seven years in construction. Employed in the project were 153,300 workmen (1 Kings 5:15-16; 1 Kings 6:37-38). The prophet speaks of houses ceiled with cedar (1:4). In Judea, stone was cheap, wood a luxury. If they could line the interior of their houses with wood, they were not so poor as they pretended.

Their rebuilt temple was as nothing compared to Solomon’s (Haggai 2:3). Their lack of wealth and workers made it impossible to restore the temple to its former grandeur. The ark of the covenant with its contents was lost and there is no historical evidence that the shekinah actually filled their temple.

Haggai was standing on the promises of God. Ten times God repeated his promises to him: "I will take pleasure in it" (Haggai 1:8). "I will be glorified" (Haggai 1:8). "I am with you" (Haggai 1:13). "I will bless you" (Haggai 2:19) etc.

Jewish rabbis attributed some of the Psalms to Haggai, as did the early church fathers. In the Vulgate he is credited with (Pssalm 111); in the Septuagint with Psalms 137, 146, 147, 148 : and in the Peshitta with Psalms 145.

Haggai’s success in seeing the temple rebuilt won him a place among the founders of post-exilic Judaism.

Our prophet has made a strong impression on scholars over the years. "A prophet’s historical magnitude is measured, not by the literary splendor of his style, but by the work that he accomplished" (Elmslie). "No other prophet is more discreet in his purpose, so pungent in his criticism, and yet so adept at reaching the object aimed at..." (Ward).

Keys that Unlock Haggai’s Message

The key verses of Haggai are two:

Haggai 1:8, "Go and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith Jehovah."

And Haggai 2:9, "The latter glory of this house; shall be greater then the former, saith Jehovah."

The key word is "consider" which is used in Haggai 1:5; Haggai 1:7; Haggai 2:15; Haggai 2:18.

The key phrases are "saith Jehovah" or similar terms which are used 26 times in his 38 verses and "I am with you saith Jehovah" used in Haggai 1:13 and Haggai 2:4.

The key concept is that God must be first in our lives.

A Simple Summary of the Book

I. Divine Reproof (Haggai 1:1-15)

II. Divine Remedy (Haggai 2:1-9)

III. Divine Explanation (Haggai 2:10-19)

IV. Divine Encouragement (Haggai 2:20-23)

Exposition of Haggai

Haggai 1:1 identifies the author and dates the book. The sixth month of Darius would have been September of 520 B.C. Darius was the third of the mighty Persian monarchs who ruled the Fertile Crescent. The writer assures us that though he spoke and then wrote the message, it was "the word of Jehovah" which had been given unto him. If the prophet were truly sent by heaven, God would put his words into his mouth (Jeremiah 1:9). The man would then speak Gods word "faithfully" (Jeremiah 23:28), not substituting or including his own thoughts or ideas.

The message was delivered first to Zerubbabel, the governor and Joshua the high priest, the leaders of the small nation. See the introductory notes for more information on these two men.

A Rebuke and a Call to Action

(Haggai 1:2-15)

The people said, "It is not the time for Jehovah’s house to be built" (Haggai 1:2). This statement sets forth the problem with which Haggai had to deal. Jehovah’s house lay in ruins and the people sought to justify the situation by saying that the time was not yet come to rebuild it. It is possible that they were taking Jeremiah’s prophecy of seventy years of captivity in Babylon to mean that God wanted his temple to be ruined for seventy years (Compare Jeremiah 25:1-12; Jeremiah 29:10). The temple had been destroyed in 586 B.C. It was 520 when the prophet wrote, hence some may have thought they should wait another four years.

Haggai 1:3-4 is a rebuke to the people from Jehovah through Haggai. He asked them, "Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in you ceiled houses, while this house (God’s temple) lieth waste?" Their "ceiled houses" were likely wainscoated with cedar (see 1 Kings 7:6-7 and Jeremiah 22:14). In Judea, stone was cheap and wood a luxury. If they could line the interior of their houses with wood, they were not as poor so they pretended. He rebuked their words of excuse (that "it is not time to build") and turned them on the speakers, by asking how then is it time to build you own expensive dwellings? He thus exposed their hypocrisy and hollow excuses.

Haggai 1:5-6 is a call for the Hebrews to consider their ways, i.e., "take a hard look at yourselves" They were in a grip of an economic depression described thusly:

"Ye have sown much (seed) and bring in little (harvest);

Ye eat, but ye have not enough;

Ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink;

Ye clothe you, but none is warm; and

He that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes."

The money bag with a hole in it is not be interpreted literally, rather it refers figuratively to rampant inflation which was as bad as actually losing ones money. The charge to "consider this" means, ask yourselves why is this happening? What does it mean?

Haggai 1:7-8 is a charge to get started rebuilding God’s temple. Again he says, "Consider your ways." In this verse the application of the exhortation is that they consider their duty to God to build his house. "Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house (temple); and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith Jehovah."

The command is plain and straight forward, get to work and build the temple, now! God’s favor is promised if they will obey the charge.

Haggai 1:9-11 provides an explanation of their hardships. "Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? saith Jehovah of hosts. Because of my house lieth waste, while ye run every man to his own house" (Haggai 1:9). They had returned home from Babylon with high expectations of economic prosperity; but crop failure and economic hardship was the harsh reality. Up to this point they had attributed their problems to natural causes. Haggai explains that it was a judgment of God for their neglect of his house. That God "blew upon it" means that what little they managed to accumulate was soon dissipated as wind scatters the chaff on the threshing floor. That each man ran to his own house means that they were so busy with their personal affairs that they had no time for the things of God.

Haggai 1:10-11 explains that the drought and corresponding crop failures were directly tied to their neglect of the temple. "Therefore" draws a conclusion from the foregoing words. Furthermore he declares that God had taken a personal hand in ordering their hardships as a punishment for their sin.

Haggai 1:12-15 relates how the people responded to the prophet’s message. Led by Zerubbabel and Joshua, all the people "obeyed the voice of God, and the words of Haggai the prophet." This passage teaches that when we heed the teaching of God’s teacher, who faithfully delivers the divine message, we are obeying God. In the words of Christ, "He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me...." (John 13:20). It is worth noting that all the people obeyed God and began to work on God’s house. None are so great or important that they are excused from obedience and participation in the Master’s Cause.

Haggai cheered the workers on by conveying Jehovah’s blessing unto them. "I am with you, saith Jehovah" (Haggai 1:13). What greater blessing could one ask than that God be with him?

"And Jehovah stirred the spirit of Zerubbabel.....Joshua.....and of all the remnant ..." (Haggai 1:14). He had also stirred the spirit of Cyrus to let the Hebrews return home and of the people who accepted the opportunity to go (Ezra 1:1; Ezra 1:5). We are not told just how God stirred them, but we can be sure it involved the preaching leadership of his messenger, Haggai. Ezekiel prophesied over the dry bones of the Jewish nation to review them (Ezekiel 37:4-5). Paul says that prophesying edifies, exhorts, and consoles (1 Corinthians 14:3). God still places great value on the preaching of his Word (1 Corinthians 1:21; 1 Corinthians 11 Tim. 4:1-2).

Haggai’s message was delivered on the first day of the sixth month. By the twenty-fourth day they were at work. The intervening days were evidently used for preparation for the project.

Encouragement in the Face of Disappointment

(Haggai 2:1-9)

Haggai’s second message came on the twenty-first day of the seventh month. This is the month Tishri and is comparable to our October and November. The date would have been the final day of the Feast of Tabernacles, a major festival day for the Hebrews (Leviticus 22:33-33).

The temple construction had been underway some three and a half weeks. Evidently the older members of the community who had seen Solomon’s splendid temple, before Nebuchadnezzer destroyed it, were bemoaning the fact that their new house was inferior to the former one.

The prophet asks them, "Who is left among you that saw this house in its former glory? And how do you see it now? Is it not in you eyes as nothing?" (Haggai 2:3). Ezra records that at the laying of the foundation back in 535, "the old men that had seen the first house...wept with a loud voice" (Ezra 3:12). Times were hard. Given the smallness of their numbers and financial strength, we can understand their discouragement. God speaks of "this house," singular. Three temples were built: Solomon’s....Zerubbabel’s and Herod’s, yet the Lord saw them as a continuity.

Sensing their need for encouragement, God’s spokesman urged them, "Yet now be strong...and work...for I am with you, saith Jehovah....according to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, and my Spirit abode among you: fear not" (Haggai 2:4-5).

Haggai conceded the limitations of the new building, but exhorted them to work on because God was pleased with the work they were doing. He will accept their temple and all the covenant promises of the past will be honored. At Sinai, God had promised that Israel would be his "own possession from among all peoples...." and that they would be unto him "a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation" (Exodus 19:5-6). Also he promised to "dwell among" the children of Israel, and...be their God (Exodus 29:45). God’s presence in their midst was evidenced by the shekinah, the great shining light, that led them out of Egypt and later dwelt in their temple (Exodus 13:21-22). Ezekiel had seen the "glory of Jehovah" depart from Jerusalem because of their sin and idolatry. That allowed God to deliver the city, its inhabitants and his temple over to the Babylonians (Ezekiel 9:8-9). In Ezekiel 43:1-7 Ezekiel saw the shekinah returning to the future temple.

In Haggai 2:6-8 God promises the workers that he will supply them adequate provisions to complete their task. "Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land, and I will shake all nations; and the precious things of all nations shall come; and I will fill this house with glory" (Haggai 2:6-7). These difficult lines are easily understood if we carefully note the parallelisms and compare them with Zechariah. The parallel is cumulative in nature: God will shake the heavens and the earth, the seas and the dry land all the nations.

The result of shaking all the nations will be the needed funds to rebuild his temple. Zechariah explained that God is unhappy with the heathen nations that had afflicted his people (Zechariah 1:15). He would cut off their horns, i.e., their power (Zechariah 1:20-21), and take their possessions and give them as spoils to Israel (Zechariah 2:7-9). This interpretation is verified by comparing Habakkuk 2:20 when in yet another prediction God says: "I will shake the heavens an the earth; and I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms ..." The parallel lines show that what was to be shaken was the governments of the heathen nations. The writer of Hebrews borrows these words and uses them in another context in (Hebrews 12:27-28).

The words "yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake...." (Haggai 2:6), have posed a problem for most commentators. The Amplified Bible seems to capture the correct meaning, "Yet once more, in a little while, I will shake..." God had recently shaken the mighty Babylonian empire bringing it crashing to the ground by the hands of the Medes and Persians. Now he promises to do more shaking of the nations in order to accomplish his will for Israel. From our introductory study we recall that Darius was challenged for the throne by a usurper known as Pseudo-Smerdis. In 521 B.C., just months after Haggai prophesied, insurrection broke out in twenty-three Persian provinces. Darius fought nineteen battles in order to secure his position as ruler.

"The precious things of all nations" (Haggai 2:7) would be their resources which would be used to build Jehovah’s house. Gifts for construction came from Cyrus the Great (Ezra 1:5-11). Darius (Ezra 6:5-13). Artaxerxes (Ezra 7:12-26) and other Gentiles (2 Maccabees 3:3).

The King James translators rendered Haggai 2:7, "the desire of all nations shall come." This has traditionally been interpreted to be a messianic prophecy. Their translation followed understanding of the Jewish rabbis and Jerome. See E. B. Pusey’s commentary for this view. Theo Laetsch correctly observes, "The ’desire’ (Gr. N) cannot refer to Christ as the Desire of the nations, since the predicate is plural."

"The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith Jehovah of host" (Haggai 2:8). The prophet assures the Hebrews they need not worry about the means necessary to build their temple. God would supply every need from his bountiful store (Psalms 24:1; Psalms 50:10-12).

"The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former saith Jehovah of hosts; and in this place will I give peace...." (Haggai 2:9). Solomon’s grand temple was resplendent with material glory (1 Kings 6-7). Zerubbabel’s was as nothing compared to it. To encourage them, God promises that, in a future day, the glory of temple would exceed that of Solomon’s. It is almost universally conceded that the greater glory refers to the presence of God’s Son in the later temple, during his earthly sojourn. Solomon’s temple had the shekinah, the symbol of God’s presence. In the future, the Word of God who would be incarnated would walk and teach in Herod’s temple. That glory, he predicts, will be greater than that of Solomon’s temple, not only in degree, but also in kind (Ebenezer Henderson). Homer Hailey understands this to extend beyond the material temple in Jerusalem to Christ’s church which is God’s spiritual temple (Compare Ephesians 2:15-22; 1 Corinthians 3:16). The probability of this is seen by comparing Habakkuk 2:9 and Ephesians 2:15-16).

1. "in this place will I give peace, saith Jehovah...." (Haggai 2:9).

2. ".....that he might create in himself of the two one new man, so making peace....and preached peace to you that were far off, and peace to them that were nigh...." (Ephesians 2:15-16).

An Appeal to Conscience and a Call to Patience

(Haggai 2:10-19).

"In the four and twentieth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, came the word of Jehovah..." (Haggai 2:10). Haggai’s third message came exactly three months after the people had begun their work on the temple. The ninth month of the Jewish Calendar is Chislev and corresponds with our November/December. God’s response in bestowing temporal blessings for their efforts had been slow in coming. Doubtless this had discouraged some or it had become an occasion of complaint. The prophet now explains why this has been so and announces that a new day of blessing has arrived. He begins by asking two questions.

"Thus saith Jehovah, ask now the priests concerning the law..." (Haggai 2:11). His questions were rightly addressed to the priests for it was their duty to "make a distinction between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean..." (Leviticus 10:10).

1. "If one bear holy flesh in the skirt of his garment, and with his skirt do touch bread, or pottage, or wine, or oil, or any food shall it become holy? And the priests answered and said, No" (Haggai 2:12).

"If one bear" proposed a hypothetical question. We might ask, "Suppose one should bear..."

"Holy flesh" was the flesh of animals slain for sacrifices to the Lord.

"The skirt of his garment" literally means "the wing, the border or corner, of his garment " (Laetsch). The question is two-fold, if in performing his sacred duties the priest’s garment should touch the sacrificial meat is it made holy thereby? The answer to the first query is Yes. "Whatsoever shall touch the flesh thereof shall be holy...." (Leviticus 6:27). The second part of the question is, "If that skirt made holy by touching the sacrifice should then touch other food such as bread, pottage or wine would that holiness be transmitted?" The answer of the priest was a definite No.

2. "Then said Haggai. If one that is unclean by reason of a dead body touch any of these, shall it be unclean? And the priests answered and said, It shall be unclean." The law was clear, anyone or anything that touched a dead body or anything associated therewith became unclean (Numbers 6:6; Numbers 19:22). The law of defilement attached to dead bodies probably was based upon the idea that death was polluting because it was the wages of sin (Romans 6:23; Ezekiel 18:20).

The points forcibly drawn from these two questions are that holiness is not contagious while sin is. The application is then made by the prophet: "So is this people; and so is this nation before me, saith Jehovah; and so is every work of their hands: and that which they offer there is unclean" (Haggai 2:14). The Hebrews had a serious flaw in their thinking. They thought that having an altar and sacrifices were enough to make their lives acceptable to God. The point made through these questions is that, "Israel is utterly unclean on account of its neglect of the house of Jehovah" (Keil). "It is polluted in itself, like the man who is "unclean by a dead body, through its disobedience, and neglect of the temple" (T.T. Perowne). Their altar, "so far from hallowing the land or people by the sacrifices offered thereon, was itself defiled" (E. B. Pusey). The application is implied but not stated. "The worship on the altar which they observed, while they neglected the building of the temple, did not hallow. The possession of a holy thing does not counter balance disobedience" (Pusey). "Whatever the Jews might otherwise rightly perform, would not compensate for their neglect in building the temple" (Henderson).

It is noteworthy that he called the Hebrews, "this nation" (Haggai 2:14) since this is a term most generally used to refer to heathen people who were not pleasing to him.

Their sin in neglecting God’s house had brought them penalties. "...consider from this day and backward, before a stone was laid upon a stone in the temple of Jehovah. Through all that time, when one came to a heap of twenty measures there were but ten; when one came to the wine vat to draw out fifty vessels, there were but twenty. I smote you with blasting and with mildew and with hail in all the work of your hands; yet ye turned not to me saith Jehovah" (Haggai 2:15-17). For sixteen years they had neglected the completion of God’s house and for sixteen years hard times had been upon them. There were shortages in food such as grain and wine. Crops had been ruined by blasting, mildew and hail. "Blasting" was the result of the scorching east winds that blow in from the desert, destroying the vegetation. Mildew was a blight that left crops lifeless and fruitless. God tells them bluntly that he sent these disasters as a just penalty for their sins. The intent was to move them to repentance, yet for sixteen years, "ye turned not to me, saith Jehovah" (Haggai 2:17). They had missed the purpose of their discipline. Haggai 2:17 is borrowed in large part from Amos, a prophet of an earlier age (Compare Amos 4:9).

Now that they had finally shown their willingness to obey God in the matter of rebuilding his temple, things would change. "Consider, I pray you, from this day and backward, ... since the day that the foundation of Jehovah’s temple was laid, consider it. Is the seed yet in the barn? yea, the vine, and the fig-tree, and the pomegranate, and the olive-tree have not brought forth; from this day I will bless you" (Haggai 2:18-19). The point made is to look at your experience and learn the lesson intended. No obedience means no blessing. Now you are obeying God; now you will be blest. How surely this lesson is needed in our age of nominal Christianity!

David’s Dynasty Will be Restored

(Haggai 2:20-23)

"Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, I will shake the heavens an the earth; and I will overthrow the throne of the kingdoms; and I will destroy the strength of the kingdom of the nations and I will overthrow the chariots, and those that ride in them; and the horses and their riders shall come down, everyone by the sword of his brother" (Haggai 2:20-22). This revelation came on the same day as the previous message. The purpose of this was to assure them of their survival in the midst of a stormy political environment of war and violence. Little though they were, they would prevail because the mighty Jehovah was their protector. The shaking of the heavens is but a poetic way of saying, "I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the nations" (Haggai 2:22). Their mighty armies would be destroyed by internal strife as Jehovah directed. So were the armies of the Midianites destroyed in Gideon’s day (Judges 7:22).

"In that day saith Jehovah of hosts, will I take thee, 0 Zerubbabel, my servant, the son of Shealtiel, and will make thee as a signet; for I have chosen thee...." (Haggai 2:23). Zerubbabel, the governor of the struggling nation, is singled out for honor and recognition by the Lord. This could have been in part for his faithfulness in leading the people in rebuilding the Lord’s house. More importantly, he was a descendant of David and God was now renewing the messianic promises made to David (2 Samuel 7:11-14). They would be continued through Zerubbabel.

God would make Zerubbabel "as a signet." A signet was the king’s royal seal by which all documents were authenticated. It was usually a ring or a small cylinder engraved with the king’s name, personal likeness or coat of arms. If a ring, it was worn on his finger (Jeremiah 22:24), if a cylinder, about his neck or arm (Genesis 38:18; Song of Solomon 8:6). If a document were written on a clay tablet, the signet was pressed into the clay. If it were written on papyrus, beeswax would be dripped on it an the seal imposed. The meaning of all of this is that Zerubbabel, as David’s heir, through whom Messiah would come, would be treasured, protected and safely kept by God.

God had "chosen" Zerubbabel for this honor. It was not the Persian overlords, or the Hebrews who had done so, it was Jehovah. The fulfillment of this concluding promise is seen when one consults the genealogy of Christ recorded by Matthew: "...Jechoniah begat Shealtiel; and Shealtiel begat Zerubbabel; and Zerubbabel begat Abiud... and Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ” (Matthew 1:12-16). Joseph was the adoptive father of Jesus, and the lineage passed through him to our Lord. Luke also confirms his connection to David through Mary’s family (Luke 3:23-27).

Because of the prophecy spoken through Jeremiah (Jeremiah 22:28-30) no descendent of Jechoniah could "prosper sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling in Judah." Hence the Jews lived under the dominion of Persians, Greeks, Syrians, Egyptians, and Romans until their end came in 70 A.D. Jesus came and claimed the throne of David (Luke 1:32-37), but his kingdom was not of this world (John 18:36). His dominion is spiritual, it is the church (Matthew 16:18-19), over which he reigns from his throne in heaven (Acts 2:30-33; Acts 2:36).

With these precious words of exhortation and encouragement, the book of Haggai closes. Small and poor though they were, the remnant knew that God had not forgotten his promises to David. By God’s grace they would survive and by faith their cause would prevail.

LESSONS TO REMEMBER FROM HAGGAI

(1) Today’s church needs men like Haggai to help her get God’s work done. We need exhorters. Anyone can fuss, but it is a gift from God to be an exhorter (Romans 12:6-8).

 

(2) It is our task to remind our brethren to seek first his kingdom and his righteousness (Matthew 6:33).

(3) In Haggai and Zechariah, we see the realist and the idealist working together to accomplish God’s will.

(4) The Hebrews of Haggai’s day remind us of the danger of lapsing into self-contentment and allowing God’s business to go unattended.

(5) Rather than be discouraged by scenes of decadence among God’s people, we should be challenged to change the situation for the better.

(6) Haggai knew the importance of dealing with the urgent needs of the present hour (Ecclesiastes 3:1).

(7) Those who expect great things from God, must attempt great things for him. Haggai taught his brethren to seek God’s kingdom (Matthew 6:33). The major hindrance to receiving God’s blessing is ourselves. It is always fatal to leave God out of our plans.

(8) We can see God’s mighty hand of providence, either to bless or to chastise his people and to destroy His enemies.

(9) We see in this book, the awful contagion of sin. A healthy person cannot give his health to others, but a sick man can give his disease. So it is with sin. A stern rebuke with a call to duty is always good medicine for God’s people.

(10) In this study we see the value of self-examination. "Consider your ways" (Haggai 1:7). Plato said, "An unexamined life is unworthy of man."

(11) A small group, even though poor, can do great things for God if the dedication and determination are there.

(12) Some of the Jews in Babylon sent a contribution, but the ones who saved Judaism from death gave their all. So with the Cause of Christ today.

Lesson One: The Call to Rebuild the Temple

(Haggai 1:1-11)

The book of Haggai revolves around a simple but important message, the call to rebuild the temple. We have seen these events from a historical perspective in our study of Ezra, and shall now see a prophetic perspective on the temple rebuilding that will help us to see what motivated the people to resume the long-abandoned project.

Introduction (Haggai 1:1)

The message of the minor prophet Haggai, who urged God’s people to rebuild the temple after their return from Babylonian exile, is an important one for believers in any age. Haggai’s ministry went far beyond the specific task of building the temple, in calling the people to a complete re-appraisal of their perspectives and priorities. Over the next three weeks, we shall study the short book of Haggai’s prophecies, taking special note of the implications for our lives and ministries today. We shall begin with a review of the historical background to Haggai.

Not much is known about Haggai as a person, but he proved to be persuasive and effective in delivering the message God had entrusted to him. Note that what we often call the "minor" prophets are not minor in the modern sense of the word. The ancient Christians divided the prophets into ’major’ and ’minor’ by the length of their books of prophecy, because that is the meaning of those words in Latin - that is, these terms originally had no significance in terms of the importance of these prophets’ messages.

Haggai begins by establishing the historical setting, and we also shall review the setting as discussed in our earlier study of Ezra (Haggai 1:1)

In the second year of King Darius, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest:

In 538 BC, after about seventy years of living in exile in Babylon, the Jews were allowed to return home by decree of Cyrus the Great, the Persian who had conquered the Babylonian Empire and taken over its territories. The disciplinary period that God had sent his people, for their persistent idolatry and stubbornness of heart, was now over, and a new era in their history was about to begin. The ruthless Babylonians were a suitable tool of discipline, but their harshness toward conquered peoples meant that they would never willingly allow the Jews to return to their homeland, and so God gave them over to the Persians, who were much more inclined to be generous to smaller nations that posed no military threat to their own Empire. Cyrus’ decree came just a year after his conquest of Babylon, and the joyful return home soon began.

As the Jews began the process of rebuilding, it was most natural for them to wish to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem, which had for so many years been the center of Jewish life and worship. And indeed, when the first main body of returnees began the process of re -settling in about 536 BC, led by Zerubbabel (the governor) and Joshua (the high priest), one of the first projects they began was the work of rebuilding the temple, which had lain in ruins ever since the Babylonian invasion decades before. But this was a huge job, requiring a major commitment of time, effort, planning, and material resources. Even worse, it provoked resentment and fear amongst those foreigners who had since settled in the Jews’ former homeland, and amongst those Jews who had remained behind when most of the nation had gone into exile. Because of all of these complications, work on the temple was soon abandoned, in 535 BC. The Jews devoted themselves instead to less difficult tasks, and in particular, they soon became more concerned with their own private needs and goals than with lofty projects such as rebuilding the temple.

By 520 BC, it became clear that the people’s priorities were not going to change. God thus sent two prophets, Zechariah and Haggai, to convict the people of their need to re-focus themselves on more important priorities, and in particular to resume work on the temple. Zechariah’s book of prophecy (which we shall begin after concluding Haggai) emphasizes a long- term perspective, and it reveals many ways that God’s plans for the Jews of Zechariah’s day were important for the future. Haggai’s book, which we shall study first, is more down-to-earth. Haggai appealed to the people’s experience and common sense, to convict them of the need for a better perspective, even on simple things in their daily lives.

Study Suggestions:

(1) How could Israel’s experience of returning from exile parallel events in the lives of Christians? Consider both the initial experience of becoming a Christian, and events that might happen later.

(2) In view of your answers to the first question, consider how the challenges and opportunities that the Jews faced in Haggai’s day might be similar to challenges and opportunities in the lives of contemporary Christians. Then consider what we might expect to learn from studying Haggai.

Haggai’s Appeal (Haggai 1:2-5)

In the initial joy of returning to Jerusalem, the Jews had begun work on the temple, but the size of the project, and the opposition it had aroused, soon led them to abandon it. They turned to simpler tasks, and became especially concerned with their personal goals and dreams. For 15 years no work on the temple was done, and the partially rebuilt structure lay in ruins, waiting for God’s people to return their attention to it. So in 520 BC, God sent Haggai, not only to convict the people of the need to get back to work on the temple, but also to convict them of a far more important general lesson about their priorities.

First, Haggai takes note of the then-current perception about the temple rebuilding (Haggai 1:2):

This is what the Lord Almighty says: "These people say, ’The time has not yet come for the Lord’s house to be built.’"

We should not come down too hard on these people. There were plenty of outward signs to suggest that it was not an ideal time to build the temple. They had aroused plenty of opposition with what they had built so far, and knew that each step would not come easily. Further, during the period when the temple work was abandoned, there had been some tumultuous events in Persia, making Persian officials wary of any new projects that might threaten their power or strength. All honest Christians can recall times in our lives when we have seen circumstances unfavorable to spiritual growth, and have concluded that ’the time has not yet come’ for us to make a long -awaited change. This is simply human nature - we should condemn neither ourselves nor Haggai’s contemporaries, but rather should learn from what the prophet now has to say.

Haggai’s call then centers on a theme to which he will return again and again (Haggai 1:3-5)

Then the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai: "Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?" Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: "Give careful thought to your ways."

Starting an important project or ministry is exciting, and it is easy to develop zeal for such things. But as the realities of time, effort, and sacrifice become clearer, the initial enthusiasm wanes. We start to turn our attentions towards things that have less spiritual importance, solely because they are more achievable. We might resolve better to understand some of the more difficult portions of Scripture, but later we decide it would be more fun to take up a new hobby instead. We may have a goal of reaching a lost soul with the gospel, but soon we find that it would be easier to settle for becoming more popular with the neighbors. This loss of motivation usually does not come from a bad heart, or from overt selfishness, or as a result of any conscious decision at all. Rather, we have been pushed down an easier path by the sheer weight of the commitment involved in carrying out a worthwhile ministry. Our response should be neither to condemn ourselves or others, nor to resign ourselves to spiritual ineffectiveness and mediocrity. Instead, we ought simply to heed Haggai’s appeal to "give careful thought to your ways". No fewer than five times in his short book (1:5, 1:7, 2:15, and twice in 2:18) does the prophet urge us to do so. This will be his theme, and it should be what we keep foremost as we study Haggai and apply it to the rebuilding God calls us to do in our own lives.

Study Suggestions:

(1) What activities or responsibilities in the lives of Christians would be similar to the job of building the temple that Israel faced in Haggai’s day? Make sure to consider spiritual parallels, not just outward tasks. Consider also possible parallels on a congregational level.

(2) What reasons might the Jews have had for initially abandoning work on the temple? How are these similar to factors that hinder Christians and congregations of Christians in their ministries? What lessons about our own motivation can we learn from them?

Expectations & Reality (Haggai 1:6-11)

Haggai’s call is for God’s people to "give careful thought to their ways". The goals and dreams that humans pursue so often lead not to happiness or security, as they desperately expect, but to disappointment and frustration. Unfortunately, we often place the blame for this on God, instead of our own flawed perspective. The reason why most persons act in a selfish and ungodly fashion is because they mistakenly think that such behavior is the road to happiness. But Haggai tells us that the selfish lifestyle does not lead to any good at all, and that there is another way to fulfillment.

Haggai thus appeals to them to change their perspective (Haggai 1:6-11)

"You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it." This is what the Lord Almighty says: "Give careful thought to your ways. Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build the house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored," says the Lord. "You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?" declares the Lord Almighty. "Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with his own house. Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops. I called for a drought on the fields and the mountains, on the grain, the new wine, the oil and whatever the ground produces, on men and cattle, and on the labor of your hands."

God appeals to his people’s experience and common sense. Most of them have devoted the best of their time and energy to serving themselves, showing limited concern for serving God or his people, giving only when it proved convenient and painless. They expected that by so doing they would become prosperous and happy. From a worldly perspective, the logic seems clear: If I spend time on myself, pursuing goals important to me, then I will be happier than if I were spending time and energy doing things for God or others, things that cannot benefit me. Despite the obvious selfishness of such a perspective, even many believers can still feel in their hearts that they would be happier if they kept more for themselves, and can even end up envying those who are more selfish, falsely believing that they are happier. Note that God is not saying that the selfish will always have things go wrong for them, but that they will never feel fulfilled. And he is not saying that the godly will always experience success and prosperity, but that they will always have what they need and will be able to be content with what they have. For a comparison study to these verses, see Leviticus 26, Deuteronomy 28, and Ecclesiastes 1.

God calls us to set aside superficial worldly logic and think about what really happens. While the selfish appear satisfied on the outside, their restless striving means that they can never be contented, no matter how much they have, while those with a godly perspective can be far happier with much less. Strong-willed persons who threaten and intimidate others may seem to be getting their way all of the time, but such behavior is by no means a sign of strength; rather it reveals a desperate insecurity and emptiness inside these persons. Their frantic and ugly ways of manipulating and exploiting others are a hopeless attempt to make themselves feel better. On the other hand, only those who give up their own self-will to pursue the will of God know the deep peace that comes from finding a joy that does not depend on temporary, short-term conditions or behavior of others, because they know that God is in control and that his ways eventually will prevail.

Study Suggestions:

(1) Haggai says that when we put ourselves first, and give the best of our time and efforts to meeting our own needs, the results will be disappointing. Think of examples of how you have seen this to be true - in your life, in the lives of others, and also on a larger scale.

(2) Haggai calls the Jews to "give careful thought to your ways". In what respects might he make the same appeal to Christians today?

Sources & References

Haggai is a book with a solid historical setting and a mostly straightforward message. This makes it one of the easier prophetic books to study, and despite its brevity there are a fair number of useful commentaries written about it. Of these, the following are those that I would most particularly recommend for those who want to study Haggai on their own as a parallel to our class studies (each is part of a series, as indicated in parentheses):

Joyce Baldwin, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi (Tyndale)

Michael Bentley, Building For God’s Glory - Haggai & Zechariah Simply Explained (Welwyn)

Pieter A. Verhoef, Haggai and Malachi (NICOT)

Bentley’s book is ideal for a first-time study without a lot of technical details. It gives a full explanation of the historical background and relates it to the spiritual message. It has plenty of good spiritual insights, and also would be useful for studying Zechariah. The other two are for more advanced study, and cover the spiritual themes but also have a more involved look at the details. Baldwin’s book is the handiest, because it is a relatively inexpensive paperback and also covers all three books that we shall study this autumn. Verhoef’s book is well-done and very thorough, but it is only available as an expensive hardback (and it does not cover Zechariah).

As always, see me if you want help locating any of these, or if you want more information on other possible study materials.

-Mark Garner, September 2001

Lesson Two: Rebuilding a Spiritual Perspective

(Haggai 1:12 to Haggai 2:9)

Having heard Haggai’s appeal, the people respond and at last resume the work on the temple. As they proceed, God encourages them by helping them to develop a godly perspective on what they are doing, a perspective that will overcome their inertia and occasional discouragement.

Blessings From Seeking God’s Will (Haggai 1:12-15)

Although Haggai’s appeal for the people to re-focus their priorities and energies was a challenge, they knew immediately that God was speaking through the prophet. Most responded quickly with a readiness to do as God asked, and to work together on the temple rebuilding and other projects of spiritual importance. When they made this decision in their hearts, several significant things happened. Most fundamentally, they received the immediate assurance that God would be with them in all that they did (Haggai 1:12-13):

Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the whole remnant of the people obeyed the voice of the Lord their God and the message of the prophet Haggai, because the Lord their God had sent him. And the people feared the Lord. Then Haggai, the Lord’s messenger, gave this message of the Lord to the people: "I am with you," declares the Lord.

Their willingness to heed God’s appeal through Haggai made it easier for him to assure them that he was with them. When we are walking in the light, it is much easier for us to see the ways that God is with us, and it is much easier for God to re-assure us whenever we need it. But if we are wandering in the darkness, pursuing our own agendas, as the people had been doing before Haggai’s call, then it is much harder to see God’s caring hand at work in our lives.

The people also quickly developed a spirit of unity, beginning with their leaders (Haggai 1:14-15):

So the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of the whole remnant of the people. They came and began to work on the house of the Lord Almighty, their God, on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month in the second year of King Darius.

As the people began to work on the temple, God strengthened the hearts of their leaders, Zerubbabel the governor and Joshua the high priest. Soon, the people as a whole were unified and strengthened in a way that could not have happened when they were seeking their own agendas. The picture is one of complete unity: the people with each other, the people with their leaders, and all of them with God. All of us long in our hearts to experience a genuine unity and fellowship with other humans and with God. Unbelievers do a great many things (some ridiculous and even sinful) in a desperate attempt to find acceptance and camaraderie from others. The craving for acceptance overrides all questions of right and wrong, of truth and falsehood. And all the while, the blessings they seek are available freely, and without limit, only by seeking God and his will. But rather than bash pagans, we must examine our own hearts. Haggai’s message, after all, was directed at God’s own people.

Genuine unity can only be achieved among those who have sacrificed their worldly goals and agendas so that they can unite in accordance with God’s will. Any other basis for unity or acceptance is fragile and deceptive, and can at best produce only a temporary alliance among those who find each other useful for pursuing some short-term objective. If we desire to know genuine unity in the body, we must be ready to give up not only any self-centered focus we may have on worldly things, but also any human agendas or goals for the church. God’s designs hold much more wisdom and go much deeper and farther than any of our own. It is only those of us who are willing to discard not only our fleshly and worldly goals, but also our own preconceptions about the church itself, who can know a real and lasting unity that will be based on a complete humility in the face of God’s wisdom, and on a genuine readiness to pursue his will whole-heartedly.

Questions For Discussion or Study:

(1) Consider the lessons we can learn from Haggai on the following questions: Do we really understand what unity is when we strive to obtain it? Where does unity come from? Based on this, how does it fit in with other priorities such as love, hope, and truth?

(2) What general lessons have we seen so far in Haggai about working together and doing God’s will?

Encouragement Through Godly Perspective

(Haggai 2:1-5)

The temple rebuilding had been discontinued once before, because the discouragements, sacrifices, and obstacles involved soon overwhelmed the people. Here, the prophet addresses one particular discouraging factor: their tendency, natural in God’s people in any era, to compare their work with the seemingly greater things that God had done in the past. He is aware of what many of them are thinking (Haggai 2:1-3):

On the twenty-first day of the seventh month, the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai: "Speak to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people. Ask them, ’Who of you is left who saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Does it not seem to you like nothing?

A very few of the Jews had seen the original temple, and the rest had all heard about it. That was the legendary and glorious structure built in Solomon’s reign, for centuries the center of religious life in Judah, celebrated not only throughout Israel, but among the surrounding nations as well. By comparison, the new temple was shaping up to be a humble structure, not worthy of comparison with the old, in the eyes of many. When Solomon had built the original temple, over four centuries earlier, he was a powerful king, whom the surrounding nations were eager to please. He had access to all of Israel’s own wealth, and received valuable materials and labor from neighboring kings wishing to earn his friendship. But in the days of Haggai, the Jews were refugees, with no wealth and no political or military strength. They thus had to make do with limited materials and manpower, even after Zechariah and Haggai motivated them to continue rebuilding.

The new structure was thus far less impressive, on the outside, than the original temple. We saw in our summer study (Ezra 3:12-13) that even in the early days of rebuilding the temple, before any obstacles arose, there were those who were bitterly disappointed that the temple would never be as glorious as it once had been. Now, after 15 years of obstacles and inactivity, this feeling is an even larger obstacle. Misguided perspectives like this can be very effective in preventing Christians from building or re-building in their lives and ministries.

Haggai must thus appeal to them to reject this negative perspective (Haggai 2:4-5):

But now be strong, O Zerubbabel,’ declares the Lord. ’Be strong, O Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land,’ declares the Lord, ’and work. For I am with you,’ declares the Lord Almighty. ’This is what I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt. And my Spirit remains among you. Do not fear.’

Humans all have a tendency to focus on the external, to focus on things that can be counted or assigned a price tag. But God is more concerned with spiritual values. It made no difference to God whether they built his house out of gold and silver or out of stone and wood, as long as he knew the people were giving him the best of their time and effort. God would be present regardless of the materials and decorations that were used. Christians also must always remember this principle. The success of our ministries is not measured in terms of buildings or dollars or numbers of any kind. Worldly-minded believers who evaluate Christian ministry in such terms are doomed to be filled with either frustration or pride. It is not us but God who can "once more shake the heavens and the earth" (see below), and if we remember in our hearts that it depends on him, not on us, we can then pursue the ministries to which he has called us, in confidence and joy.

Questions For Discussion or Study:

(1) Some of the Jews in Haggai’s day had seen the original temple, now destroyed, and many of the younger Jews had heard about it from the older generation. How did their knowledge of the original temple affect their feelings about the new one? In what ways did their memories hinder them? Could these memories have been at all helpful?

(2) Apply your answers to the first question to Christian ministry - that is, based on the example of Haggai’s generation, consider how memories of the past can both help and hinder our ministry in the present.

God Has the Power & the Glory (Haggai 2:6-9)

God always values the spiritual more than things that can be measured or counted, but he knows how hard it is for humans to make this same adjustment in their own thinking. He therefore wants to assure us that, while the things we do in our ministries may be unimpressive and humble by earthly standards, he has the power to turn them into something quite glorious, by his standards. When the people became discouraged, and thought that their efforts could not produce anything as glorious as the first temple, they had forgotten the real meaning of glory.

Haggai thus reminds them of just how much power and glory God has (Haggai 2:6-9):

"This is what the Lord Almighty says: ’In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land.’" I will shake all nations, and the desired of all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the Lord Almighty. ’The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the Lord Almighty. ’The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the Lord Almighty. ’And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the Lord Almighty."

Humans never have any real power, and likewise they never do anything that merits any real glory. When we forget this, even for a short time, it creates insecurity, frustration, envy, depression, and many other negative results. When we expect instead that it is God who will do great and glorious things, that it is God who should receive the glory, that it is God who can fulfill our needs and dreams, then we find a secure ground for hope and confidence. Ministries and responsibilities that once seemed oppressive or impossible become pleasant and fulfilling. For the small price in humility that we must pay, in order to accept in our hearts that God is the focal point of all power and glory, this realization yields many rewards and blessings.

It is God who can "shake the nations", and it is God who can fill his house with glory. Hebrews 12:26-28 reminds us that this promise - and the challenge it implies - is for Christians, too. It is a privilege for us to participate in the fulfillment of his plans, and it is a responsibility of believers to be ready for God to use them, but it does not depend on us in any way. And when we can accept this, we shall find that the glorious things God can do will far outshine the fleshly acts that we can accomplish on our own strength. Let us stop looking at ourselves and seeing our own fleshly strengths and limitations. Let us also avoid making comparisons with what God has done through others, and even with what God has done in the past through us. Instead, let us look to God and remember that he is an inexhaustible source of power, energy, and love.

Questions For Discussion or Study:

(1) If we can accept that all glory and power belong to God, how will this change our perspective on our lives, our identities, and our ministries? How will it change the ways that we look at other persons?

(2) Haggai said that God would "shake all nations". What did he mean by this? What lesson was he trying to teach about God? What similar indications does God give to us in order to remind us that power and glory are his alone?

-Mark Garner, September 2001

Lesson Three: Important Spiritual Applications

(Haggai 2:10-23)

The people responded with commendable eagerness to Haggai’s call, and as they resumed the work on the temple, God continued to adjust their perspective and to teach them to have the right priorities. In the last portion of the book, God uses the prophet to teach them some additional lessons about important spiritual principles that they would need to learn and remember.

After 15 years of inactivity, work on the temple has now resumed. The people realized that the time had come to build the temple, in spite of the outward appearances that made it seem an unfavorable time. For further details on the actual work on the temple, and on the obstacles that had to be dealt with, refer back to the book of Ezra, chapters 5 and 6, which we studied this past summer.

Avoiding Spiritual Defilement (Haggai 2:10-17)

It can be very easy to become discouraged or frustrated in our attempts to serve and worship God. When this happens, we must "give careful thought to our ways". There is a common, but unfortunate, tendency to overlook the fact that the most common cause of spiritual disappointment or discouragement is our own spiritual defilement. That is, that we have allowed something to happen to our hearts, minds, or souls that makes it difficult or impossible for God to use us.

This is what Haggai now addresses, reminding them first of some basic Levitical principles of holiness and cleanness (Haggai 2:10-13):

On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Haggai: "This is what the Lord Almighty says: ’Ask the priests what the law says: If a person carries consecrated meat in the fold of his garment, and that fold touches some bread or stew, some wine, oil or other food, does it become consecrated?’" The priests answered, "No." Then Haggai said, "If a person defiled by contact with a dead body touches one of these things, does it become defiled?" "Yes," the priests replied, "it becomes defiled."

Haggai reminds them that, according to Levitical law, it was very easy for something to become unclean (defiled) but very difficult to become holy (consecrated). In the Levitical priesthood of the Old Testament, these principles were impressed visibly on the Israelites through the system of sacrifice and ritual. They were constantly reminded - as Haggai does in this passage - of the many ways that they could defile themselves, that is, make themselves unclean and impure. It did not necessarily take an overt, deliberate sin to make a Jew unclean. Many of the defilements were mere acts of thoughtlessness or inattention. God wanted the people to be convicted of their identity as a chosen, holy nation, and wanted them to understand how important it was to remain focused on this identity, because it is so easy to become distracted, discouraged, and ultimately defiled by the pagan world. To fulfill their promise and purpose as a holy people, they first had to be clean and pure.

Their spiritual defilement is at the root of many of their difficulties (Haggai 2:14-17):

Then Haggai said, "’So it is with this people and this nation in my sight,’ declares the Lord. ’Whatever they do and whatever they offer there is defiled. " ’Now give careful thought to this from this day on - consider how things were before one stone was laid on another in the Lord’s temple. When anyone came to a heap of twenty measures, there were only ten. When anyone went to a wine vat to draw fifty measures, there were only twenty. I struck all the work of your hands with blight, mildew and hail, yet you did not turn to me,’ declares the Lord.

Likewise, it is easy for Christians to become spiritually defiled, and to do things inappropriate for a holy people. And, as in the Levitical system, we do not have to commit a deliberate sin to make ourselves impure or unclean. Simply absorbing the values and perspectives of the unbelieving world, blurring the distinction between the holy church of Jesus Christ and the lost world around it, not only makes it difficult for God to speak and act through us, it is also a very demoralizing way to live. Trying to have it both ways is frustrating to both our spirit and our flesh. This is the situation that Haggai describes to the people in this passage. God hopes that we can avoid this pitfall, and allow him to pour out real blessings upon us, as he describes in the verses that follow.

Questions For Discussion or Study:

(1) In what ways might Christians "defile themselves"? Why do we fall into such temptations? Can we avoid all possible types of spiritual defilement? How can we ’cleanse’ ourselves from spiritual defilement?

(2) How did God attempt to teach the Jews of Haggai’s generation that they had defiled themselves? What ways might God use to communicate similar lessons to us about our lives? Give personal examples if at all possible.

Receiving Spiritual Blessings (Haggai 2:18-19)

In several key passages in Leviticus, Deuteronomy, and other Old Testament books, God describes in detail two paths on which his people can travel: the path of rebellion and selfishness, which leads to frustration and desolation, and the path of faithfulness and righteousness, which leads to contentment, joy and security. Here in Haggai, he does the same, for a new generation and a new era in the history of his people. Having reminded them of the fruitlessness of living for themselves (see previous verses), he now assures them that, from this point onward, he can resume blessing them, if only they will take advantage of this opportunity for a fresh start. The resumption of work on the temple can mean much more than the physical rebuilding itself - if they wish, it can be the start of a renewed and re-invigorated relationship with God.

He thus makes this promise (Haggai 2:18-19):

From this day on, from this twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, give careful thought to the day when the foundation of the Lord’s temple was laid. Give careful thought: Is there yet any seed left in the barn? Until now, the vine and the fig tree, the pomegranate and the olive tree have not borne fruit. From this day on I will bless you.

When we read these kinds of promises, it is important to bear in mind their real significance. The Scriptures do not guarantee us that there will always be a direct, immediate correlation between our behavior - that is, whether we are "good" or "bad" - and the amount of worldly goodies we receive in return. While there are often natural connections between the two, and while God also does give good gifts to his people to show his love for them, it must be remembered that it is never God’s highest priority to see us succeed in earthly terms. The most important blessings are spiritual, and this is true not only in heaven, but also in this life. The person who accumulates material goods, power, and other earthly treasure through sinful and selfish living will pay the price inside, in fear, guilt, loneliness, and a cold, hard heart. No matter what kind of phony facade such persons show to the world, they are suffering inside, because their souls are missing their God. Conversely, the person who sacrifices many things of worldly value can have in their place far more important commodities, such as faith, hope, security, purity, and the love of God. No matter how lacking the life of a faithful believer may appear to be by fleshly standards, the believer has spiritual treasure that cannot be measured on any worldly scale.

Haggai told the Jews that God was ready and willing to forget about their years of selfish and irrational living, if they were ready to seize the opportunity he offered them, through the temple rebuilding. So too, regardless of how long you or I have been struggling with selfish living, or with caving in to fleshly sin, all we need do to experience healing is to take the opportunity that has always been there, to repent, to allow the blood of Jesus to cover our sin completely, and to move forward, putting our best time and effort into the things God has called us to do.

Questions For Discussion or Study:

(1) What blessings did God want to give the Jews in Haggai’s day? How are these intended blessings similar to those he offers to contemporary Christians?

(2) What did these Jews need to do in order to make it possible for God to give them the blessings he had planned for them? What lessons can we learn from this, for our own lives and ministries?

Spiritual Leadership & Initiative (Haggai 2:20-23)

After challenging and encouraging all of the people of Israel, the book of Haggai closes with some special words to Zerubbabel, their leader. Though all the people would bear the responsibility for responding to the challenge God had issued, Zerubbabel had a special responsibility. It was particularly important for him to see clearly what God was doing, and it was also especially vital for him to embrace the role to which God called him, without doubt or hesitation. In the pagan world, leadership means authority, privilege, and rewards. But among God’s people, leadership means responsibility, example, and devotion to God and his people.

The prophet thus addressed this concluding message to Zerubbabel personally (Haggai 2:20-23):

The word of the Lord came to Haggai a second time on the twenty-fourth day of the month: "Tell Zerubbabel governor of Judah that I will shake the heavens and the earth. I will overturn royal thrones and shatter the power of the foreign kingdoms. I will overthrow chariots and their drivers; horses and their riders will fall, each by the sword of his brother. "’On that day,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ’I will take you, my servant Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel,’ declares the Lord, ’and I will make you like my signet ring, for I have chosen you,’ declares the Lord Almighty." (Haggai 2:20-23)

It was very important for Zerubbabel both to understand and to embrace what God was doing. The prophet thus gave the governor some extra encouragement, so that he could demonstrate the spiritual leadership and initiative God called for. In the body of believers, it is more important for leaders to set an example, through their faithfulness and devotion to the work of God, than it is for them to impress the rest of God’s people with their talent and brilliance. Further, any abilities or skills that leaders have will only be put to a truly godly use if the leaders’ hearts are devoted to God. Leaders should show that they are willing to sacrifice at least as much, and work at least as hard, as they call others to do.

Note the particular things with which God encourages Zerubbabel. He first impresses upon him the magnitude of God’s power, and the massive dimensions of the plans he has made for his people. He wants the governor to be fully convinced that the fulfillment of these plans and dreams depends on God’s wisdom and might, not on human goodness. Then, he wants Zerubbabel to know that he has been chosen for a special purpose. He uses the image of a ruler’s signet ring, a sign of authority, to let Zerubbabel know that as long as he faithfully acts as God calls him to, he shall have God’s full power and authority behind him at all times. As we Christians work to fulfill the plans and ministries that God has prepared for us, we shall do well to remember these same points. We do not have enough power or knowledge to accomplish anything ourselves of eternal importance, but God has enough of both to use our humble lives to fulfill his own amazing and glorious plans. And he has graciously chosen us to be part of this process. When we allow his will and his wisdom to reign in our lives, we can be sure that his full authority and power are with us.

Questions For Discussion or Study:

(1) What particular responsibilities did Zerubbabel have? Why did God direct this last part of Haggai’s message to Zerubbabel personally? What kinds of encouragement and exhortation do leaders in today’s church need?

(2) What things did God use to encourage Zerubbabel? How would these have given him strength and courage? In what similar ways does God encourage us? How can we be more aware of and moved by God’s encouragement?

-Mark Garner, September 2001

Rebuilding the Temple - Haggai 1:1 to Haggai 2:23

Open It

1. If you could have a house restored and money was no object, what kind of house would you want to restore?

2. When do you procrastinate?

3. When do you tend to own up to your mistakes, and when do you find it easier to make excuses for yourself?

Explore It

4. What points did Haggai cover in the introduction to the book? (Haggai 1:1)

5. What excuse did the people make for not rebuilding the temple? (Haggai 1:2)

6. Why did the Lord rebuke the people of Judah? (Haggai 1:3-6)

7. What did the Lord challenge the people to do? (Haggai 1:7-8)

8. What had led to the people’s impoverishment? (Haggai 1:9-11)

9. How did the people react to the prophetic message? (Haggai 1:12-15)

10. What did Haggai say when he announced his second prophetic message? (Haggai 2:1-2)

11. How did the Lord promise to help His people? (Haggai 2:3-5)

12. What was God’s assurance concerning the temple? (Haggai 2:6-9)

13. How was Haggai’s third message introduced? (Haggai 2:10)

14. What contrast was made between God’s punishment up to that point and His future blessing? (Haggai 2:11-19)

15. How did the prophet introduce his final message? (Haggai 2:20)

16. What did God command Haggai to tell Zerubbabel? (Haggai 2:21-22)

17. What final promise did God make? (Haggai 2:23)

Get It

18. What effect might a luxurious life-style have on your spirituality?

19. How do you handle tough experiences?

20. What excuses do you make for not doing the will of God?

21. If a respected church leader reprimanded you for your lack of commitment to ministry, how would you respond?

22. What motivates you to do the work of the kingdom?

23. Why do you need the Lord to give you courage to do His work?

24. How has God’s discipline influenced your life?

25. How has spiritual discipline changed the life of your church?

26. On what future blessings of the Lord do you depend?

Apply It

27. What steps do you need to take to stop procrastinating and get involved in ministry for the Lord?

28. What do you want to remember the next time you are rightly confronted with a need to change?