The Zone Gathering

I had to look up a verse in Haggai this week for my Crown Financial homework. Fortunately, I knew where to find Haggai in the Bible but honestly could not remember the last time I ever read anything in this small but powerful book. So just in case any of you are seated next to Haggai at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb (see the BDW post on Obadiah), here are the ins and outs of this book of prophesy.

Who was Haggai?

Haggai was one of the so-called “minor” prophets, and the first of three (Zechariah, his contemporary, and Malachi, who prophesied about 100 years later) whose ministry belonged to the period of Jewish history which began after the return from captivity in Babylon. Not much is known about Haggai’s personal history, although some scholars have speculated that he may have been one of the captives taken to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar. Haggai is thought to have commenced his public ministry about sixteen years after the return from Babylonian exile.

When was Haggai written?

Haggai specifically tells us when he gave his prophesies to Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah, and to Joshua, the high priest. The prophesies of Haggai were given in the second year of Darius the King (520 B.C.) within a period of four months (the sixth month through the ninth month of the Jewish calendar, or roughly, August through December).

Why did Haggai prophesy?

Haggai’s primary purpose in prophesying was to urge the remnant to reorder its priorities and to complete the rebuilding of the temple. By way of background, after the Persian king Cyrus allowed the Jews to return to Jerusalem in 538 B.C., they worked on the foundation of the temple, completing it by 536 B.C. However, due to opposition and some excuses, work on the rebuilding the temple came to a stop. For 15 years, the Jews busied themselves with getting their own homes in order, neglecting to finish the work on the Lord’s house. No further progress was made to rebuild the temple until Haggai and Zechariah appeared on the scene.

What did Haggai prophesy?

The book of Haggai consists of four short messages, each of which is clearly dated and designed to rouse the Jewish people from their lethargy and compel them to rebuild the temple.

Message #1 (given on the first day of the sixth month)

Haggai delivered the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel and Joshua, chastising the people for attending to their own needs before addressing the rebuilding of the temple (1:4-9). These words are delivered harshly – “Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses while this house lies desolate?” (1:4). Haggai also reveals that the Jews were experiencing difficulties as a result of their disobedience in neglecting to rebuild the temple. The Lord 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” (1:11) as punishment “because of My house which lies desolate, while each of you runs to his own house” (1:9).

Fortunately, the remnant of the people, under the leadership of Zerubbabel and Joshua, responded to Haggai’s prophesy and turned from their personal pursuits. Haggai 1:12 tells us that they “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.” As the people responded favorably to Haggai’s challenge, the Lord graciously promised that He would be with them (1:13). At this point, the Lord stirred up the spirits of Zerubbabel, Joshua, and all the remnant of the people and “they came and worked on the house of the Lord of hosts, their God” (1:14).

Message #2 (given on the twenty-first day of the seventh month)

The Lord instructed Haggai to encourage Zerubbabel, Joshua and the people in their restoration efforts. He advised them to “take courage…and work; for I am with you” (2:4). The Lord assured the people that His Spirit was abiding in their midst and urged them not to fear (2:5).

Haggai also prophesied that in a little while, the Lord would “shake the heavens and the earth, the sea also and the dry land” and would “shake all the nations; and they will come with the wealth of all nations” (2:6-7). The Lord promised that He would fill the temple with glory (2:7) which would be “greater than the former” and peace (2:9).

Message #3 (given on the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month)

The word of the Lord again came to Haggai, who was instructed to remind the people of their previous unfaithfulness to God. The Lord likened the Jewish people and the work of their hands to an unclean person who makes other things unclean (1:14). He reminded them of the meager harvests and the curses of “blasting wind, mildew and hail” that characterized their lives while they lived in disobedience (1:15-16). In essence, the Lord was saying that their lives and work were “unclean” and cursed because of their failure to obey.

This reminder preceded a beautiful promise from the Lord: “Is the seed still in the barn? Even including the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate and the olive tree, it has not borne fruit. Yet from this day on I will bless you” (2:19). What an amazing picture of God’s grace! When the people turned from their sin and returned to obedience, the Lord promised to bless them.

Message #4 (also given on the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month)

The book of Haggai ends with a final prophesy from the Lord: “I am going to shake the heavens and the earth. I will overthrow the thrones of kingdoms and destroy the powers of the kingdoms of the nations” (2:21-22). This prophesy will have its fulfillment in Jesus Christ. Through Haggai, God promised to take Zerubbabel and “make him like a signet ring” (2:23). This reference is illuminated by Jeremiah 22:24, where Zerubbabel’s ancestor, Jehoiachin, is pulled off like a signet ring and handed over to Nebuchadnezzar.

By making Zerubbabel “like my signet ring,” some scholars have suggested that the Lord was reversing the curse against Jehoiachin, reinstating his family so that a descendant of his could again sit on the throne of Israel. Zerubbabel was not destined to be king, but Christ was his descendant (see Matt. 1:12). And ultimately, “at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord” (Phil. 4:10-11).

Haggai urged the Jewish people to obey the Lord and rebuild the temple, and the Lord responded by promising to be with them and bless them from that day forth. The implication for us today is similar: God will bless us when we turn from our sin and obey His authority in our lives. It is never too late to do the right thing.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 15th, 2006 at 9:26 am and is filed under Bible Drills. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.