The Temple Filled With Glory
Comments for Study 2
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I. Glory and Peace (2:1-9)
>1. How long had it been since the first message came? (1, 1:1)
* Haggai 2:1 "On the twenty-first day of the seventh month, the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai"
* 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:"
* "the twenty-first day of the seventh month" -This is according to the Hebrew calendar, Oct. 17, 520 B.C. modern calendar. The last day of the feast of Tabernacles.
* 1:1 says "on the first day of the sixth month" which was Aug. 29th modern calendar.
* The timing was one and a half month.
* See a drawing depicting the location of the temple mount retaining walls to the right.
>Who was this message to?
* Haggai 2:2 "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,"
* "Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah" -Zerubbable means "descendant of Babel." He is the grandson of King Jehoiachin, the last king of Judah. Jehoiachin was taken to Babylon in the first Exile in 597 B.C. by Nebuchadnezzar (2 Kings 24:10-17). Zerubbabel's father was Shealtiel. (Ezra 3:2; and 1 Chron. 3:16-17). Zerubbabel is named in Ezra 2:2 among the leaders of those who returned from Exile. According to Ezra 3, Zerubbabel and Jeshua, (or Joshua) the high priest rebuilt the altar and in their second year (538?) laid the foundation of the Temple, but their work was halted by among other hings from opposition from those who had remained in Palestine during the Exile and people who the Assyrians relocated there. (4:1-6,24) Darius granted the Jews permission to continue rebuilding the Temple. (6:1-12) Zerubbabel quickly disappears from the record and was replaced by another. Some scholars believe he was removed by the king because the Jews tried to make Zerubbabel king of the Jews.
* "Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest" -Nothing else is known about him outside of this book.
* "remnant" -The prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Amos, Hosea, Micah, Haggai, Zephaniah, and Zechariah write of the remnant. The remnant make it through the day of the Lord's wrath by grace, people who are left over after God's judgement. The remnant are people who accept his call and remain so even though the majority do not. For the prophets the remnant refer most specifically to true Israel.
Some Christians have used the term remnant to refer to themselves. Can the Gentiles who are "grafted into Israel" by grace through faith in Jesus be called a remnant? The Hebrew and Greek words for remnant appear in both the Old and New Testament. Noah and his family were remnant from the judgment of the flood though the word is not used. (Genesis 6:5-8; 7:1-23) Lot was remnant of Sodom, but again the word is not used. (Genesis 18:17-33; 19:1-29) The first time the word is used concerns the Israelites who went to Egypt. Joseph called Israel a remnant from all the people who perished because of drought. He said to his brothers, "For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will not be plowing and reaping. But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance." (Genesis 45:6-7) Also, Og the Gentile king was called a remnant of the Rephaites. (Deuteronomy 3:11) So a remnant is a person or a small group who is saved by grace from the larger whole who perish during the wrath of the Lord. In that respect Christians are a remnant who are saved by grace through Jesus. Jesus calls them the few who follow the narrow road. (Matthew 7:13-14)
When the prophets speak of the remnant are they speaking to survivors from Israel, Judah, and the church? It seems that they are speaking of only a remnant from Israel and/or Judah. (2 Kings 19:4, 30-31, 21:10-15; 2 Chronicles 34:9, 21, 36:20) James made a distinction between the remnant and the Gentile believers. During the council in Jerusalem which met to consider the Gentiles who were putting faith in Jesus quoted the prophets. James said, "Simon (Peter) has described to us how God at first showed his concern by taking from the Gentiles a people for himself. The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written: "'After this I will return and rebuild David's fallen tent. Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it, that the remnant of men may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who bear my name, says the Lord, who does these things' that have been known for ages." (Acts 15:14-18)
Paul, a Benjamite called himself a remnant because he believed in Jesus. He writes, "I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew. Don't you know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah--how he appealed to God against Israel: "Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me"? And what was God's answer to him? "I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal." So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace... Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their fullness bring!" (Romans 11:1-12) Paul quoted from Hosea and from Isaiah to demonstrate that the saving of a remnant from among the Jewish people was still part of the Lord's method of redeeming His people. There would always be a future for anyone among the covenant people who would truly turn to the Lord for salvation. They were remnant survivors because the Lord chose to show mercy to those who had believed steadfastly in Him and had been righteous in their lives. The same will be true during the day of the Lord's wrath; there will be a remnant who survive and will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air as he returns to the earth to establish his worldwide kingdom.
Today's Dictionary of the Bible (T.A. Bryant) states, "Remnant has three basic meanings in Scripture:
a) A group of people who survive military or political turmoil (Joshua 12:4 concerning the race of giants in Bashan; the nations surrounding early Israel, Joshua 13:12; the Amorites in 2 Samual 21:2; and Jeroboam's dynasty in 1 Kings 14:1-)
b) A portion of meat, oil, or other sacrifice left for the priests as their proper portion (Leviticus 2:3, 5:13, 14:18)
c) A prophetic designation referring to the core of Israel who survive God's judgment to become the nucleus of the new people of God (Isaiah 10:20-23, 11:11-12; Jeremiah 32:38-39; Zephaniah 3:13; Zechariah 8:12) The whole idea of the survival of a "righteous remnant" implies God's care of his "chosen people" (2 Kings 19:31; Isaiah 10:22, 37:31; Ezekiel 6:8; Joel 2:32; Micah 2:12). Isaiah is the principal proponent of the "righteous remnant" concept, and Paul picks up his emphasis and applies it to the Church (Romans 9:27).
The New Compact Bible Dictionary (T. Alton Bryant) almost repeats a) and c) above.
* The new message through Haggai was after the remnant repented after the first message.
>What question was ask and what was the obvious answer? (3; Ezra 3:12)
* Haggai 2:3 "'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?"
* Ezra 3:12 "But many of the older priests and Levites and family heads, who had seen the former temple, wept aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid, while many others shouted for joy."
* "this house" -Even though Haggai knew there was two buildings he referred to the second as a continuation of the first.
* "in its former glory... look now." -Haggai is speaking of what people see first in a building, the size, shape, and architecture. The real glory of the temple was the presence of the Lord.
* "Does it not seem to you like nothing?" -The new temple was smaller than Solomon's temple destroyed 66 years earlier. When this foundation was laid it was clear to the old timers that the new temple would be much smaller.
* The Lord has a temple in heaven. (Rev. 11:19) The Lord gave the Israelites first the tabernacle and then a temple as the place where they could go to him and offer prayers, sacrifices, and hear his word. (1 Kings 6:11-13, 8:10-12, 27-53) The tabernacle was replaced with a temple at Shiloh by Samuel's birth and remained until the Philistines burned it down just before the start of his ministry. (Joshua 18:1, 22:12; Judges 18:31, 21:19, and 1 Samuel 1:3, 24, 4:3-4; Psalm 78:60; Jeremiah 7:12-14) David laid Jerusalem's temple foundation and Solomon, his son built it. The Babylonians burned it down, but Ezra rebuilt it. Herod expanded Ezra's temple. In 70 A.D. the Romans completely destroyed it. Very soon it is going to be rebuilt.
* The Lord had stated through the prophet Jeremiah before Judah had been taken into captivity that the captivity would last seventy years. (Jer. 25:11-12, 29:10; 2 Chron. 36:21) The exile began with Nebuchadnezzar's first invasion of Judah in 605 B.C. (2 Chron. 36:2-7) and ended with the first return of the Jews to the promised land in 536 B.C. (Ezra 1) Cyprus, the Mede-Persian ruler ordered the return of the exiles and the rebuilding of the Lord's temple.
* The temple was the center of Israel life and society. After Jesus' ascension the apostles returned to the temple to pray and preach. The temple was the place men and women were able to come worship the Lord, even after they received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
>2. In spite of the difference between the former and the new what words of encouragement was given? (4)
* Haggai 2:4 "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."
* After Daniel prayed the people returned to Jerusalem and had begun work on the temple. Then after a few years they stopped. The Lord sent Haggai to rebuke then. Once they obeyed and started working on the temple again, the Lord gave them words of encouragement.
* "Be strong and work" -The work was hard, not easy. Obeying the Lord is often not easy.
* "For I am with you" -The temple was barely started and yet the Lord was with them. The Lord does not need a building to be with his people. We are the temple now for Jesus has sent us the Holy Spirit.
>What did the Lord reveal about his desire? (5)
* Haggai 2:5 "'This is what I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt. And my Spirit remains among you. Do not fear.'"
* "This is what I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt." -The Lord Jesus, God of the universe wants more than anything to have a loving relationship with men and women.
* "And my Spirit remains among you." -The Holy Spirit had rested on Moses and the 70 elders as they had led the people out of Egypt and through the desert. (Numbers 11:16-17, 25; Isaiah 63:11) The Holy Spirit later rest on a few from time to time including Judges, Kings, Prophets, and Priests. Now his Spirit is in us. How much more should we be encouraged and seek to be filled with the Spirit?
* "Do not fear." -Jesus often said these very words. As members of God's kingdom in the midst of the kingdoms of this world there is many things we could and many times are afraid of. However, God's children don't need to be afraid.
* 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 "Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple."
* 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body."
* Ephesians 2:19-22 "Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit."
>What can be learned about how to be full of the Spirit? (John 6:53-58, 15:1-5)
* John 6:53-58 "Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever."
* John 15:1-5 "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."
* Acts 7:54-56 "When they heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. "Look," he said, "I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God."
* When a person accepts Jesus' invitation to a loving relationship with him, accepting his death for the removal of sins and his resurrection Jesus sends to Holy Spirit. When we then follow the lead of the Holy Spirit and obey Jesus' words we are full of the Holy Spirit. If we resist the Holy Spirit's work in our life and do not do Jesus' will we still have the Spirit, but we are not full of the Spirit. Paul wrote, "Do not put out the Spirit's fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil." (1 Thessalonians 5:19-22)
>3. When was the first time the world was shaken and when will it be again shaken? (6; Gen. 6:12-13; Luke 21:25-26; Heb. 12:26-29)
* Haggai 2:6 "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."
* Genesis 6:12-13 "God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways. So God said to Noah, "I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth."
* Matthew 24:21 "For then there will be great distress, unequalled from the beginning of the world until now--and never to be equaled again."
* Mark 13:18-20 "Pray that this will not take place in winter, because those will be days of distress unequalled from the beginning, when God created the world, until now--and never to be equalled again. If the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, whom he has chosen, he has shortened them."
* Luke 21:25-26 "There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken."
* Hebrews 12:26-29 "At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, "Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens." The words "once more" indicate the removing of what can be shaken--that is, created things--so that what cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our "God is a consuming fire."
* See question 9 for more on the shaking for in these words are repeated in Haggai.
>Who is the desire of all nations? (7; Mal. 3:1)
* Haggai 2:7 "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."
* Malachi 3:1 "See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come," says the LORD Almighty."
* "the desired of all nations" -Jesus is the desire of all nations. Malachi adds to Haggai's prophecy by stating that Jesus is the Lord the Jews were seeking.
* "I will fill this house with glory" -When the tabernacle and Solomon's temple were dedicated they were filled with smoke and a bright light. (Exodus 40:36-38; Ezekiel 1:28, 3:23, 9:3) The Jews call this the Shekinah glory meaning "the glorious presence of God." This was visible in the pillar of fire that led Israel from Egypt to the Promised Land. (Exodus 13:21, 33:9; Numbers 12:5, 14:14). This is the light that was on Mount Sinai when the Lord stood on it. The remnant Jews building the second temple expected to see this when they finished. What they failed to realize was the Shekinah glory wasn't important. Instead the Lord's presence himself, the messenger of the covenant was what needed to be in the temple. The Shekinah glory is just the radiance that flows from him. When the Lord was born in Bethlehem the Shekinah glory did not show from him. It was hidden. Only once was the Shekinah glory revealed and then only to three of the closest disciples of Jesus; Peter, James, and John. (Matthew 17:1-2; Mark 9:2-3) When John saw Jesus he described him this way, "I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lamp stands, and among the lamp stands was someone "like a son of man," dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance." (Revelation 1:12-16)
>How did his coming fill the temple with glory? (Mark 14:49)
* Mark 14:49 "Every day I was with you, teaching in the temple courts, and you did not arrest me. But the Scriptures must be fulfilled."
* John 8:2 "At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them."
* Luke 20:1 "One day as he was teaching the people in the temple courts and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, together with the elders, came up to him."
* Luke 2:27 "Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required,"
* Luke 2:32 "a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel."
* Jesus' presence is the desire of all nations. All those who love him seek him with all their hearts, minds, soul, and strength. When Jesus taught in the temple he was the glory of the temple.
>Why does the silver and the gold belong to the Lord?
* Haggai 2:8 "'The silver is mine and the gold is mine,' declares the LORD Almighty."
* God owns all. God provided for the building of Solomon's temple (1 Chron. 29:2, 7) and for this temple (Ezra 6:5).
>4. What did the Lord say he would grant in the temple that they were rebuilding?
* Haggai 2:9 "'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."
* "will be greater" -Earlier verses in Haggai reveal that this temple was smaller than Solomon's temple. So the glory here was not in its size. Rather, the glory in this temple would be that the Messiah would walk and teach in this temple. This was fulfilled through Jesus.
>How did the Lord grant peace?
* "in this place" -Not only the temple and temple mount, but "place" here refers to the general area of the temple mount and Jerusalem.
* The peace mentioned here is peace with God. When we sin we are at war with God. This war is in the heart and against the working of the Holy Spirit. When we surrender the war is over. Peace is achieved. According to the Law atonement must be made for the transgression of resisting the Holy Spirit. Jesus death for our sins was the price the law required, "A lamb without defect." Jesus' death brought peace.
II. Purified and Blessed (2:10-19)
>5. When did the next word of the Lord come to Haggai?
* Haggai 2:10 "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:"
* "On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month" -Dec. 18, 520 B.C.
* 2:1 says the previous message was given on the 21st day of the seventh month. So this was two months later.
>What is consecrated meat?
* Haggai 2:11-12 "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.""
* Consecrate means to make or declare sacred, to set apart or dedicate to the service of God, and to devote or dedicate to God's purpose.
* Consecrated meat is meat that someone had decided to give to the Lord. In Old Testament times this meant bringing it to the temple and giving it to the priest. The priest would then offer it to the Lord. Depending on the type of offering it would either be completely burned up, or some of the meat would be given to the priest as well, or some of the meat would be given to the priest and the person offering the meat.
* A person can also be consecrated to the Lord.
* Ezekiel 46:20 "He said to me, "This is the place where the priests will cook the guilt offering and the sin offering and bake the grain offering, to avoid bringing them into the outer court and consecrating the people."
* See a drawing of the priest making a offering at the temple altar to the right.
>If the fold that carries it touches some other food will that food become consecrated?
* Haggai 2:11-12 "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.""
* "In the fold of his garment" -The meat would be touching the fold, then the fold would touch something else. The consecrated meat would not touch the other food. So the other food would not be consecrated.
* "some bread or stew, some wine, oil or other food" -For this illustration they were not offerings as well. Only the meat was meant to be offered. These other foods were allowed to be offering. However not for this illustration.
* Since the meat did not come into direct contact with the other food they were not holy. Only direct contact made other things holy.
* The same can be said when a Spirit touches the heart of a person. The person is holy, but that holiness cannot be passed on by the one touched by the Spirit. Peach all we will, if the Holy Spirit does not touch a person's heart, they are not made holy.
* Leviticus 6:24-27 "The LORD said to Moses, "Say to Aaron and his sons: 'These are the regulations for the sin offering: The sin offering is to be slaughtered before the LORD in the place the burnt offering is slaughtered; it is most holy. The priest who offers it shall eat it; it is to be eaten in a holy place, in the courtyard of the Tent of Meeting. Whatever touches any of the flesh will become holy, and if any of the blood is spattered on a garment, you must wash it in a holy place."
* Ezekiel 46:19-20 "Then the man brought me through the entrance at the side of the gate to the sacred rooms facing north, which belonged to the priests, and showed me a place at the western end. He said to me, "This is the place where the priests will cook the guilt offering and the sin offering and bake the grain offering, to avoid bringing them into the outer court and consecrating the people."
>When a person touches a dead body does he become defiled? (13; Num. 5:1-3)
* Haggai 2:13 "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."
* Numbers 5:1-3 "The LORD said to Moses, "Command the Israelites to send away from the camp anyone who has an infectious skin disease or a discharge of any kind, or who is ceremonially unclean because of a dead body. Send away male and female alike; send them outside the camp so they will not defile their camp, where I dwell among them."
* The point of the questions asked by Haggai is that unholiness is transferred much easier than holiness.
>What does it mean to be defiled?
* Defile means to make impure for ceremonial use, to desecrate and to make foul, dirty, and unclean.
* Matthew 16:11-12 "How is it you don't understand that I was not talking to you about bread? But be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees." Then they understood that he was not telling them to guard against the yeast used in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees."
* Luke 12:1 "Meanwhile, when a crowd of many thousands had gathered, so that they were trampling on one another, Jesus began to speak first to his disciples, saying: "Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy."
* 1 Corinthians 5:6-8 "Your boasting is not good. Don't you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast--as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth."
* Galatians 5:13-26 "You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law. The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other."
>6. What shocking revelation did the Lord give Judah? (14)
* Haggai 2:14 "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."
* "this people" -He did not call them his people.
* "this nation" -He did not call them his nation.
* "in my sight" -Even though he did not call them his people and his nation they were still in his sight. Israel is called by the Lors as the apple of his eye meaning he is always watching them.
* Even though the people were back in the promised land, the holy land, that holiness did not make them pure. They needed to obey the Lord, particularly with regard to rebuilding the temple. (NIV Study Bible)
* The application is twofold 1) Israel had originally been set apart for the Lord and was therefore holy (Exodus 19:6), but 2) the nation had been defiled, and everything it touched, including its offerings, became unclean. (Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, Joyce B. Baldwin)
>How does this equate to the former verses?
* The people were declared unclean and their acts were unclean even if what they were doing was right. The point here is that the act of offering is not acceptable if the heart of the person making the offering is not right.
* Just because the people were back in the holy land did not mean that they were holy. They had to love and obey the Lord to be holy. In this case they had to finish the temple.
* When we are employed in any good work we should be jealous over ourselves, lest we render it unclean by our corruptions and mismanagements. (Matthew Henry)
>7. What were they to consider? (15)
* Haggai 2:15 "'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."
* "Give careful thought" -A common repeated phrase in Haggai. See study 1 commentary.
* "from this day on" -They had started to rebuild the temple in obedience. Now they were to see what the Lord was going to do for them and compare it to the lives they had in the years before they obeyed.
* "before one stone was laid on another" - Before the 24th day of the sixth month.
>What problem did they have?
* Haggai 2:16-17 "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."
* The life they had when they built there houses but ignored the temple was hard and profited little.
>How was the Lord using this?
* The Lord brought the time of want to show them that neglect of the things of God while trying to get wealth brought only need for more. This priniciple goes against what the world teaches. Looking at some in the world we could say, "Hey that ungodly person has it better than me." How did they obtain it? Will it last? What troubles came into their lives? What did they sacrifice to get the material? Does it bring them peace?
>8. What did the Lord promise them?
* 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.'"
* "I will bless you" -Obedience to the message spoken through Haggai would mean material blessings would follow. When they stopped the work, there was no blessing. When they started the work again, blessings would follow.
* Is this promise true in our lives today?
>What can we learn about the Lord's blessing?
* Starting the Lord's work won't bring blessing unless we finish the work the Lord gives us.
* Doing what is right won't bring blessing if our heart is not in it.
* Serving the Lord out of guilt or regret is not what the Lord seeks.
* Genesis 4:6-7 "Then the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it."
* Matthew 9:13 "But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."
III. The Promise of Zerubbabel (2:20-23)
>9. What was the second message on the day as the former message? (20-21)
* Haggai 2:20-21 "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."
* "a second time" -This message was given on the same day as the previous.
* Repeated from 2:6 which was given two months earlier.
* These two verses have two fold fulfillment. They were an announcement of the coming day of God's judgement on the nations -which the fall of Persia to Alexander the Greek (333-330 B.C.) would foreshadow.
* Hebrews 12:26-29 relates this verse to the judgment of the nations at the second coming of Christ. The background for the shaking of the nations here in verses 21-22 is the judgment on Egypt at the Red Sea (Isaiah 14:16-17) and the flood in Noah's time. (Genesis 7:11)
* The principle of multiple fulfillment is used many times in the Bible. When a prophet spoke to the people his words would often be fulfilled within their lifetime so they would know that he was a true prophet of the Lord. Then that prophecy would ultimately have fulfillment in Jesus' first and second coming. Such is the case here.
* See a chart showing the prophetic principle of multiple fulfillment to the right.
>What was sure to happen and how might it be linked to the finishing of the temple? (22)
* Haggai 2:22 "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."
* "I will" -The Lord ultimately would overthow the kingdoms of the world.
* "overturn royal thrones" -First fulfilled when the Greeks defeated the Mede-Persian empire.
* "chariots and their drivers" -Zerubbabel had none. The Persian's had thousands.
* "each by the sword of his brother" -The Lord often used this weapon. Judges 7:22 states about Gideon's battle against the Midianites, "When the three hundred trumpets sounded, the LORD caused the men throughout the camp to turn on each other with their swords. The army fled to Beth Shittah toward Zererah as far as the border of Abel Meholah near Tabbath."
* The temple needed to be finished during the Persian rule, before the Greeks were to control the land of Canaan.
>When will this be fulfilled? (Judges 7:22; Eze. 38:21; Zech. 14:13)
* Judges 7:21-22 "While each man held his position around the camp, all the Midianites ran, crying out as they fled. When the three hundred trumpets sounded, the LORD caused the men throughout the camp to turn on each other with their swords. The army fled to Beth Shittah toward Zererah as far as the border of Abel Meholah near Tabbath."
* Ezekiel 38:19-23 "In my zeal and fiery wrath I declare that at that time there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel. The fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the beasts of the field, every creature that moves along the ground, and all the people on the face of the earth will tremble at my presence. The mountains will be overturned, the cliffs will crumble and every wall will fall to the ground. I will summon a sword against Gog on all my mountains, declares the Sovereign LORD. Every man's sword will be against his brother. I will execute judgment upon him with plague and bloodshed; I will pour down torrents of rain, hailstones and burning sulfur on him and on his troops and on the many nations with him. And so I will show my greatness and my holiness, and I will make myself known in the sight of many nations. Then they will know that I am the LORD.'"
* Zechariah 14:12-14 "This is the plague with which the LORD will strike all the nations that fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths. On that day men will be stricken by the LORD with great panic. Each man will seize the hand of another, and they will attack each other. Judah too will fight at Jerusalem. The wealth of all the surrounding nations will be collected--great quantities of gold and silver and clothing."
* The final fulfillment of this prophecy will be when Jesus comes again. Consider Daniel's prophecy of the rock that was cut out by God's hand, grew and ultimately smashed the kingdoms of the world. (Daniel 2:31-35)
>10. What was promised about Zerubbabel?
* Haggai 2:23 "'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."
* "On that day" -The same day as the prophecy would be fulfilled. "On that day" and "The day of the Lord" is the time when God reveals His sovereignty over human powers and human existence.
* The Old Testament prophets used a term familiar to their audience, a term by which the audience expected light and salvation (Amos 5:18), but the prophets painted it as a day of darkness and judgment (Isa. 2:10-22; 13:6,9; Joel 1:15; 2:1-11,31; 3:14-15; Amos 5:20; Zeph. 1:7-8,14-18; Mal. 4:5). The Old Testament language of the day of the Lord is thus aimed at warning sinners among God's people of the danger of trust in traditional religion without commitment to God and to His way of life. It is language that could be aimed at judging Israel or that could be used to promise deliverance from evil enemies (Isa. 13:6,9; Ezek. 30:3; Obad. 15). The day of the Lord is thus a point in time in which God displays His sovereign initiative to reveal His control of history, of time, of His people, and of all people.
* "my servant" -A term used for prophets, political leaders, and the Messiah.
* "signet ring" -A signet ring was seal worn on the finger and used as a signature. Each person of importance had an unique signet ring. It was a pledge and guarantee of full payment and a mark of ownership.
* See a picture of a signet ring found at Tell El Kheleifeh Fortress at Elat (near Ezion-Geber) that belonged to Jotham (2 Kings 15:32-38; 2 Chronicles 27:1-9) to the right.
>What does this mean?
* Perhaps this was a reversal of the curse placed on Zerububbel's grandfather, King Jeholachin (Jeremeiah 22:24) for Zerububbel obeyed the Lord's command to finish the temple.
* Zerubbabel would be a guarantee that someday the Messiah, a descendant of David would come and reign as the King of the Jews. (Matthew 1:1-12) However, the fulfillment of reign would at the Messiah's second coming for the Jewish leaders rejected their Messiah when he came the first time.
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