The Introduction
Now Haggai is an old book, written about twenty-five hundred years ago. Needless to say the copyright has long since expired. You may rightfully ask, "How can anything so ancient be applicable in today's world and culture?" Of course the first thing that should jump to mind is 2 Timothy 3:16-17.
| All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. (NKJV) |
While that should be sufficient, it is also important to understand that the culture has changed from an agrarian, local oriented, extended family culture to an industrial, technological, world oriented, nuclear family. But people have not changed. The human heart or nature is no different today than it was two thousand, five hundred years ago. What God told his people so long ago is still applicable to you and I today.
But to understand the book it helps to know and understand the historical context of the book, what was happening in Israel in the sixth century B.C. This study looks at this context and some lessons in chapter 1 through chapter 2, verse 9. A second study, “God's Amazing, Unfathomable Grace” looks at Haggai chapter 2:10-23, in which God teaches his people of his amazing and unfathomable grace.
The Historical Background
But before looking at the text 1:1-2:9, an history lesson to set the stage for the messages of Haggai the prophet.
In the year 605 BC, Assyria is weakening as the world power in the Middle East. There were two other major nations at this point who were contending for power in this region. Egypt to the southeast of Israel and Babylon to the west. When Babylon marched against Assyrian in 605 B.C., Egypt, fearing the growing power of Babylon and seeing a weak nation of Assyria as a better option than a powerful Babylon made a treaty with Assyria against Babylon. Egypt's armies marched up through the nation of Judah to aid Assyria in the north. Josiah, a good king in Judah went out to stop the Egyptians, although he was warned by God not to do so, and was killed. The armies of Babylon led by Nebuchadnezzar, the son of the then reigning king of Babylon, decisively defeated Assyria and Egypt at the battle of Carchemish.
Nebuchadnezzar chased the Egyptian forces back down to Egypt, passing through Judah. When he heard that the king of Babylon, his father, had died, he turned around and returned to Babylon to consolidate his power as the heir to the kingdom. On his way back up through Judah, he asserted his power and took some royal captives as hostages to ensure Judah's allegiance to himself rather than Egypt whom he had defeated but not conquered. Daniel, his friends and others went to Babylon in this deportation. For a few years Jehoiakim, the king of Judah, was loyal to Babylon and paid tribute but then he rebelled and switched his allegiance back to Egypt. Nebuchadnezzar, in response, invaded Judah and besieged Jerusalem in 597 BC. When Jehoiakim died, his son Jehoiachin became king and surrendered to Nebuchadnezzar, who took him and many more captives back to Babylon and placed Zedekiah as king on Judah's throne. This was the second deportation.
Zedekiah was loyal to Babylon for several years, but he too, thinking that Egypt was his salvation switched his loyalty refusing to pay tribute to Babylon. Again, Nebuchadnezzar returned with his army in 586 BC. This time he completely destroyed Jerusalem, burned the temple, killing or taking captive most of the population back to Babylon. This is the third deportation and final deportation of the exile.
But Babylon would not continue much longer for Persia was growing in power. In 539 BC under Cyrus the Great, Babylon fell. Cyrus, then in a political move to gain the favor of the nations he had conquered and some he had not yet fought, but who had been vassals to Babylon, issued decrees in 538-7 that all peoples who had been subjected by Babylon and deported by them were free to return to their homelands and rebuild their places of worship.
This then brings us to the time of Haggai. Ezra, recorded for us the historical events of this period. Ezra 1:1-4:
| 1:1 | Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying, |
| 1:2 | Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: All the kingdoms of the earth the Lord God of heaven has given me. And He has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah. |
| 1:3 | Who is among you of all His people? May his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem which is in Judah, and build the house of the Lord God of Israel (He is God), which is in Jerusalem. |
| 1:4 | And whoever is left in any place where he dwells, let the men of his place help him with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, besides the freewill offerings for the house of God which is in Jerusalem. |
Now while it is very doubtful that Cyrus was a believer in the God of Israel, since he did this for other nations that Babylon had subjugated and their gods as well, it is true he was a servant of God in that God used him to do His will, whether or not he believed. But as a result of the decree, in 535 BC, 70 years after the first deportation just as Jeremiah prophesied, Jews, led by Zerubbabel who was appointed as the civil head of the Persian province of Judah, and Joshua, the high priest, returned to Judea to begin the work of restoration on the temple. Ezra 3:8:
| 3:8 | Now in the second month of the second year of their coming to the house of God at Jerusalem, Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and the rest of their brethren the priests and the Levites, and all those who had come out of the captivity to Jerusalem, began work and appointed the Levites from twenty years old and above to oversee the work of the house of the Lord. |
But there were issues even from the beginning with the rebuilding of the temple. At the outset there was discouragement. Ezra 3:12-13:
| 3:12 | But many of the priests and Levites and heads of the fathers’ houses, old men who had seen the first temple, wept with a loud voice when the foundation of this temple was laid before their eyes. Yet many shouted aloud for joy, |
| 3:13 | so that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people, for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the sound was heard afar off. |
Not only were some disheartened at the contrast between Solomon's Temple and this one being built out of rubble of the old, there also was outside opposition. Ezra 4:1-5:
| 4:1 | Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the descendants of the captivity were building the temple of the Lord God of Israel, |
| 4:2 | they came to Zerubbabel and the heads of the fathers’ houses, and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we seek your God as you do; and we have sacrificed to Him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here.” |
| 4:3 | But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the heads of the fathers’ houses of Israel said to them, “You may do nothing with us to build a house for our God; but we alone will build to the Lord God of Israel, as King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us.” |
| 4:4 | Then the people of the land tried to discourage the people of Judah. They troubled them in building, |
| 4:5 | and hired counselors against them to frustrate their purpose all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia. |
So, in 530 BC, the work on rebuilding the temple came halt when the enemies of Judah persuaded Artaxerxes, the current Persian ruler, to stop the work on the temple. Ezra 4:23-24:
| 4:23 | Now when the copy of King Artaxerxes’ letter was read before Rehum, Shimshai the scribe, and their companions, they went up in haste to Jerusalem against the Jews, and by force of arms made them cease. |
| 4:24 | Thus the work of the house of God which is at Jerusalem ceased, and it was discontinued until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia. |
In 520 BC, God used two prophets to restart the work of rebuilding. Ezra 5:1-2:
| 5:1 | Then the prophet Haggai and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophets, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them. |
| 5:2 | So Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak rose up and began to build the house of God which is in Jerusalem; and the prophets of God were with them, helping them. |
This time, when the opponents of Judah tried to stop it, a request was made to Dairus, the king of Persia, to search and determine that Cyrus had indeed authorized this construction. This was done and it was confirmed. Darius decreed that the construction could continue. Then in 515 BC, the temple was completed. Ezra 6:14-15:
| 6:14 | So the elders of the Jews built, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they built and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the command of Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia. |
| 6:15 | Now the temple was finished on the third day of the month of Adar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius. |
Now, a look at Haggai. Both Haggai and Zechariah were used by God to direct and encourage the people in the rebuilding of the temple in 520 BC. Haggai is a collection of four messages directed to the nation. The first message (Haggai 1:1-11) was delivered on the first day of their sixth month, for us late summer/ fall of 520 B.C. About three weeks later, the second message is given (Haggai 1:12-15) on the 24th of that same month. Around a week after that on the first day of their seventh month the third message came (Haggai 2:1-9). And, finally, on the 24th of their nineth month, for us somewhere in December/January Haggai's last message (Haggai 2:10-23) is sent by God.
The Messages
The First Message Haggai 1:1-11
Haggai chapter 1:1-11 reads:
| 1:1 | In the second year of Darius the king, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the Lord came by the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, saying, |
| 1:2 | “Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘This people says, “The time has not come, even the time for the house of the Lord to be rebuilt.”’” |
| 1:3 | Then the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet, saying, |
| 1:4 | “Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses while this house lies desolate?” |
| 1:5 | Now therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts, “Consider your ways! |
| 1:6 | You have sown much, but harvest little; you eat, but there is not enough to be satisfied; you drink, but there is not enough to become drunk; you put on clothing, but no one is warm enough; and he who earns, earns wages to put into a purse with holes.” |
| 1:7 | Thus says the Lord of hosts, “Consider your ways! |
| 1:8 | Go up to the mountains, bring wood and rebuild the temple, that I may be pleased with it and be glorified,” says the Lord. |
| 1:9 | “You look for much, but behold, it comes to little; when you bring it home, I blow it away. Why?” declares the Lord of hosts, “Because of My house which lies desolate, while each of you runs to his own house. |
| 1:10 | Therefore, because of you the sky has withheld its dew and the earth has withheld its produce. |
| 1:11 | I called for a drought on the land, on the mountains, on the grain, on the new wine, on the oil, on what the ground produces, on men, on cattle, and on all the labor of your hands.” |
Twice in these verses God through Haggai calls out to His people to consider their ways, literally, "Set your hearts upon your ways!" They were to ponder their actions, with their intellect, their emotions, their decision making ability, for this is what the heart represented in their language. They were to think about this diligently. What were they doing, or not doing as the case was, and what was the result of their actions.
What they were not doing was working on the rebuilding of the temple. Now it was true that they had been banned from doing this by the authorities. But that ban had been lifted by Darius or would be shortly if this message by God came first. In any case, that was why they had left Babylon and returned home in the first place, but they had not really made a good start as of yet. But they had an explanation. It was not yet the right time to do this. There was opposition; it was politically incorrect and definitely inconvenient. They wanted to wait for more favorable conditions. Times were tough. Economically they were hurting. Droughts, shortage of basic necessities. It was not the opportune time to do this, they said.
But God told them, they had time to rebuild their own homes and even to go beyond the basic construction and install wood paneling, but they did not have time to work on the temple?
Yes, times were hard, but they needed to deeply consider this. Whose hand was controlling this? God told them He was responsible. He had brought about this shortage, the times of need. They needed to consider what they were doing, and then get in gear, go get the materials necessary and work on the temple to honor their God.
Does this passage by application have anything to say to us today? It certainly does! Our nature is no different than theirs. Yes, we have placed our confidence in Jesus Christ our Lord. We may have said, He is our Lord and we serve him, but who do we truly serve most of the time? Where do our time, our effort and our resources go? For services to our Lord and His kingdom, or for our own benefit and comfort? What does God command us to do? Matthew 6:33 states:
| But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. |
Perhaps, we too like God's people in Haggai's day, need to set our hearts upon our ways, to consider diligently what we are doing or not doing as the case may be. The people in 520 B.C. did this, and responded. Three weeks or so later Haggai's second message is given. Haggai 1:12-15.
The Second Message Haggai 1:12-15
| 1:12 | Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the Lord their God and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the Lord their God had sent him. And the people showed reverence for the Lord. |
| 1:13 | Then Haggai, the messenger of the Lord, spoke by the commission of the Lord to the people saying, “‘I am with you,’ declares the Lord.” |
| 1:14 | So the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and worked on the house of the Lord of hosts, their God, |
| 1::15 | on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month in the second year of Darius the king. |
There are other lessons here for us. If you are like me, there are times when you know what you ought to do, but the feeling isn't there to act. You just honestly do not want to do whatever it might be. Sometimes, one must make the decision and then step out even if the desire isn't there. Note that the text states in verse 12 that Zerubbabel, Joshua and the people obeyed the voice of the LORD and then in verse 15 that the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel, Joshua and the people. The order is important! Feeling often follows the action. If you wait until you feel like it, most often you will never act. Zerubbabel, Joshua and the people knew what they must do and made the decision to act. God honored that and subsequently dealt with their spirit.
The Third Message Haggai 2:1-9
The third message found in Haggai 2:1-9, follows a week or so later. We read,
| 2:1 | On the twenty-first of the seventh month, the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet saying, |
| 2:2 | “Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people saying, |
| 2:3 | ‘Who is left among you who saw this temple in its former glory? And how do you see it now? Does it not seem to you like nothing in comparison? |
| 2:4 | But now take courage, Zerubbabel,’ declares the Lord, ‘take courage also, Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and all you people of the land take courage,’ declares the Lord, ‘and work; for I am with you,’ declares the Lord of hosts. |
| 2:5 | ‘As for the promise which I made you when you came out of Egypt, My Spirit is abiding in your midst; do not fear!’ |
| 2:6 | For thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘Once more in a little while, I am going to shake the heavens and the earth, the sea also and the dry land. |
| 2:7 | I will shake all the nations; and they will come with the wealth of all nations, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the Lord of hosts. |
| 2:8 | ‘The silver is Mine and the gold is Mine,’ declares the Lord of hosts. |
| 2:9 | ‘The latter glory of this house will be greater than the former,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘and in this place I will give peace,’ declares the Lord of hosts.” |
Remember that Ezra tells us that when the rebuilding initially started following the return to the land, some cheered and he also added in Ezra 3:12:
| 3:12 | But many of the priests and Levites and heads of the fathers’ houses, old men who had seen the first temple, wept with a loud voice when the foundation of this temple was laid before their eyes. Yet many shouted aloud for joy, |
The reason of the weeping was simply because what was being built was so much less than what had originally been built. This temple would not compare to what Solomon had constructed. And this was discouraging. While some cheered when the work was started, others wept and this had to be discouraging. If you had been there and had heard the weeping and many who disparaged the work, saying it was nothing and might not even be worth the effort, what would your reaction have been if you were one of the workers building? Would this have motivated you to work harder, to do your best? Probably not! It would have tended to do just the opposite. Zerubbabel was the civil leader, Joshua the high priest was the religious leader; they were responsible for the work. They had labored hard at getting the temple built. If you work hard on something even when there are huge obstacles and difficulties, then those for whom you are working to help begin to be scornful of what you are doing and do not think this measures up, it can push you to not try as hard and to even give up what you are doing. It had to have been very discouraging to both Zerubbabel and Joshua.
God therefore sends these leaders a personal message. Haggai goes to them and tells them that God said, "Take courage." This is the opposite of to be discouraged. God tells them to take courage and work. Do not stop what you are doing because I am with you, God said. This is His work. They were doing what they were supposed to be doing. What is more, God tells these two leaders that the time was coming. Note that it was not at that time in their day, but it was coming when God would shake up things and the temple would be filled with His glory.
Would what they were doing ever compare to Solomon's temple. No. But should they stop? Not at all! They were exactly what God wanted them to do, even though it was just a very small thing. Although this temple did not have the outward splendor of Solomons, did not have the gold and silver adornments, it did not matter. God had not given them the resources to work with as He gave to Solomon. They were responsible to use just what God had given them. Was it a little? Sure in man's eyes. But God promises to use the little they had and could do and in the end it would be a lot. Zechariah was a contemporary of Haggai. He delivered a message from God to Zerubbabel only one month after Haggai spoke these words. In Zechariah 4:6-10 we read:
| 4:6 | So he answered and said to me:
“This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of hosts. |
| 4:7 | ‘Who are you, O great mountain?
Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain! And he shall bring forth the capstone With shouts of “Grace, grace to it!” ’ ” |
| 4:8 | Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying: |
| 4:9 | “The hands of Zerubbabel
Have laid the foundation of this temple; His hands shall also finish it. Then you will know That the Lord of hosts has sent Me to you. |
| 4:10 | For who has despised the day of small things?
For these seven rejoice to see The plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel. They are the eyes of the Lord, Which scan to and fro throughout the whole earth.” |
Who has despised the day of small things. Many were doing just that. Not realizing this little bit was what God had called them to do and their little would be a lot.
What about you and I? What has God called you to do? There is a tendency common to us all to look around us and think, "It really doesn't matter, in the larger scheme of things what I do." We think that it makes little impact, produces little change. Is our church a large church? No, and it may become even smaller due to the times in which we find ourselves. Looking at our nation as a whole, or even just our local community, what big differences will we make? Is it even worth the effort? What difference do I personally make, you might ask.
Just as God told Zerubbabel and Joshua, Go build, I am with you. Just as God told Zerubabbel through Zechariah, "Do not despise the day of small things! The Spirit of God sees and He rejoices.
Remember the parable of the talents our Lord told. He did not give us all the same thing or the same amount of resources. We are only responsible to use the little we have. The day is coming, and draws closer every minute when He will shake up the nations. And the little you do will be a lot!