Haggai 1:1-15
In the second year of King Darius, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, saying, 2 "Thus speaks the Lord of hosts, saying: This people says, "The time has not come, the time that the Lord's house should be built." " 3 Then the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet, saying, 4 "Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, and this temple to lie in ruins?" 5 Now therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: "Consider your ways! 6 "You have sown much, and bring in little; you eat, but do not have enough; you drink, but you are not filled with drink; you clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; and he who earns wages, earns wages to put into a bag with holes." 7 Thus says the Lord of hosts: "Consider your ways! 8 Go up to the mountains and bring wood and build the temple, that I may take pleasure in it and be glorified," says the Lord. 9 "You looked for much, but indeed it came to little; and when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why?" says the Lord of hosts. "Because of My house that is in ruins, while every one of you runs to his own house. 10 Therefore the heavens above you withhold the dew, and the earth withholds its fruit. 11 For I called for a drought on the land and the mountains, on the grain and the new wine and the oil, on whatever the ground brings forth, on men and livestock, and on all the labor of your hands." 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 feared the presence of the Lord. 13 Then Haggai, the Lord's messenger, spoke the Lord's message to the people, saying, "I am with you, says the Lord." 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, 15 on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month, in the second year of King Darius.
In chapter 1 of Haggai, after the introduction of the prophecy, we learn of the prophet's rebuke of God's people for their neglect in building the temple (vs. 1-11). Next, Haggai encourages them to set about the work, and on their doing so, promises that God will be with them and He will assist them (vs. 12-15).
The verses that stand out to me today are Haggai 1:12-13 "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 feared the presence of the Lord. 13 Then Haggai, the Lord's messenger, spoke the Lord's message to the people, saying, "I am with you, says the Lord." The people responded wholeheartedly to Haggai's exhortation. The "remnant of God's people" was a reference to those who had returned to Judah from the Babylonian captivity (cf. Isa. 6:11-13; 7:3; 10:21; 11:11). The remnant of the people were literally those who had made the trek back to Judah from their place of captivity in Babylon; it also refers to those within a larger population who are faithful to the Lord. I am with you: God's promise to Moses was, "I will certainly be with you" (see Ex. 3:12). God's promise to the people of Judah was that the name of the Coming One would be Immanuel, meaning "God is with us" (see Is. 7:14). Here God repeated the same message of comfort and encouragement. The leaders and all the people united in obeying God's instructions, and they were motivated by a reverent fear of the Lord (v. 12). After all, He is the "Lord of hosts," a title used ten times in this little book (vv. 2, 9, 14; 2:4, 7, 8, 9, 23). It means "the Lord of the armies," the God who is in supreme command of the armies of heaven (stars and angels) and of earth. Obedience always brings further truth (John 7:17), and the prophet assured them that God was with them in their endeavors (Hag. 1:13). When God speaks to us by His Word, there's only one acceptable response, and that's obedience. We don't weigh the options, we don't examine the alternatives, and we don't negotiate the terms. We simply do what God tells us to do and leave the rest with Him.
I pray that you would experience the fruit of obedience today.
Love in Christ,
Alan J. Schrader
Haggai 2:1-23
In the seventh month, on the twenty-first of the month, the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet, saying: 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: 3 Who is left among you who saw this temple in its former glory? And how do you see it now? In comparison with it, is this not in your eyes as nothing? 4 Yet now be strong, Zerubbabel, says the Lord; and be strong, Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest; and be strong, all you people of the land, says the Lord, and work; for I am with you, says the Lord of hosts. 5 According to the word that I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt, so My Spirit remains among you; do not fear! 6 "For thus says the Lord of hosts: Once more (it is a little while) I will shake heaven and earth, the sea and dry land; 7 and I will shake all nations, and they shall come to the Desire of All Nations, and I will fill this temple with glory, says the Lord of hosts. 8 The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine, says the Lord of hosts. 9 The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts. And in this place I will give peace, says the Lord of hosts." 10 On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet, saying, 11 "Thus says the Lord of hosts: Now, ask the priests concerning the law, saying, 12 "If one carries holy meat in the fold of his garment, and with the edge he touches bread or stew, wine or oil, or any food, will it become holy?" " Then the priests answered and said, "No." 13 And Haggai said, "If one who is unclean because of a dead body touches any of these, will it be unclean?" So the priests answered and said, "It shall be unclean." 14 Then Haggai answered and said, " So is this people, and so is this nation before Me, says the Lord, and so is every work of their hands; and what they offer there is unclean. 15 And now, carefully consider from this day forward: from before stone was laid upon stone in the temple of the Lord- 16 since those days, when one came to a heap of twenty ephahs, there were but ten; when one came to the wine vat to draw out fifty baths from the press, there were but twenty. 17 I struck you with blight and mildew and hail in all the labors of your hands; yet you did not turn to Me, says the Lord. 18 Consider now from this day forward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, from the day that the foundation of the Lord's temple was laid-consider it: 19 Is the seed still in the barn? As yet the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have not yielded fruit. But from this day I will bless you. " 20 And again the word of the Lord came to Haggai on the twenty-fourth day of the month, saying, 21 "Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying: I will shake heaven and earth. 22 I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms; I will destroy the strength of the Gentile kingdoms. I will overthrow the chariots and those who ride in them; the horses and their riders shall come down, every one by the sword of his brother. 23 In that day, says the Lord of hosts, I will take you, Zerubbabel My servant, the son of Shealtiel, says the Lord, and will make you like a signet ring; for I have chosen you, says the Lord of hosts.
In chapter 2 of Haggai we learn how a greater glory is promised to the second temple than to the first (vs. 1-9). Next the prophet shows the people that the deeds brought by their priest could not sanctify them while they were unclean by their neglect of the temple; and to convince them that the difficult times they had experienced during that neglect proceeded from this action, He promises a fruitful season from this day forward (vs. 10-19). The chapter concludes with verses containing the prediction of the mighty revolutions that should take place the setting up of the kingdom of Christ under the type of Zerubbabel (vs. 20-23).
The verse that stands out to me today is Haggai 2:4 "Yet now be strong, Zerubbabel, says the Lord; and be strong, Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest; and be strong, all you people of the land, says the Lord, and work; for I am with you, says the Lord of hosts." Haggai didn't deny that the new temple was "as nothing" in comparison to what Solomon had built, but that wasn't important. The important thing was that this was God's work and they could depend on Him to help them finish it. Haggai said "Be strong!" to the governor, the high priest, and the people working on the building, and those two words would be very significant to them. I am with you: The Lord's words to the people were the same as His great words to Moses (see Ex. 3:12). The words of this verse draw a comparison between the events of this period and the events of the first Exodus. God brought the people back from Babylon as He had brought them back from Egypt. The message to the first set of leaders, Moses and Aaron, and to the second, Zerubbabel and Joshua, was the same: God would be present with them. Finally, the mission in the Promised Land was the same, to build a place for the true worship of God.
What is the most splendid cathedral, if God be not in it, influencing all by His presence and Spirit? But He will not be in it unless there are a people who are hungering and thirsting for righteousness; who do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly before God. I pray that we would be that type of people so as to experience HIS presence and power.
Love in Christ,
Alan J. Schrader
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