Haggai
Haggai
Haggai and Zechariah preached to the exiles who had returned to build the temple during the days when King Darius was ruling the Persian Empire (cf. Hag 1.1; Zech 1.1). Darius’ predecessor, Cyrus, had given a decree that any who wished to return and rebuild the temple in Jerusalem were free to leave from their station in exile (cf. Ezra 1.2-4). After the exiles had finished laying the foundation for the Second Temple, there was opposition from “the enemies of Judah and Benjamin” (Ezra 4.1), those who said, “Let us build with you, for we also worship your God and have been sacrificing to Him since the time King Esar-haddon of Assyria brought us here” (Ezra 4.2). Although the exiles initially responded with great devotion against this threat of syncretism, saying, “You may have no part with us in building a house for our God, since we alone must build it for the LORD, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Persia has commanded us” (Ezra 4.3), in time fear took them captive. The people of the land continued to discourage them and bribed local leaders to frustrate the construction efforts (cf. Ezra 4.4-5). With the construction “at a standstill” (Ezra 4.24), Haggai challenged the exiles to evaluate their priorities:
- Concerning temple construction (1.1-2.9). The prophet straightway confronted the cowardly attitude that had seized the formerly devout exiles; they said that work on the temple, ‘isn’t God’s timing,’ while they had plenty of time to build paneled houses for their private residences (1.2-4). Haggai said: “Think carefully about your ways: You have planted much but harvested little. You eat but never have enough to be satisfied. You drink but never have enough to become drunk. You put on clothes but never have enough to get warm” (1.6). The prophet claimed that the exiles’ excessive toil had amounted to so little because the LORD had ruined their produce and frustrated their selfish pursuits; He argued His case against them, saying: “My house still lies in ruins, while each of you is busy with his own house” (1.9). Haggai was persuasive; as a result of his preaching, “the people feared the LORD” (2.12), and got to work. Though the temple was a hut in comparison with the glory of Solomon’s edifice, Haggai urged Governor Zerubbabel, Joshua the high priest, and all the people to heed the word of the LORD: “Work! For I am with you…This is the promise I made to you when you came out of Egypt, and My Spirit is present among you; don’t be afraid” (2.4-5). Although the work of their hands seemed meager, Haggai spoke of a day when the LORD would “shake the heavens and the earth…shake all the nations so that the treasures of all the nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory” (2.6, 7). Indeed, the final glory of the temple would eclipse that of even Solomon’s day (cf. 2.9)!
- Concerning holiness (2.10-19). The LORD prompted Haggai to approach the priests with a set of riddles concerning the states of holiness and defilement which accorded contact with a corresponding consecrated or contaminated object (vv. 10-14). This scenario forced the people to consider their present situation: contact with their newly constructed temple would not make them holy, but their sin would make them unholy. Haggai exhorted the exiles to understand that their previous state of want correlated with their spiritual poverty, and repentance would bring the LORD’s provision for their needs (vv. 17-19)
- Concerning God’s provision of leadership in the land (2.20-23). Haggai’s final sermon was a word of encouragement to Governor Zerubbabel. Now that the temple had been completed, the nation needed stable spiritual leadership to fortify Israel’s place in the land. While Haggai’s prophecy concerned an immediate situation, its themes foretell the day of reckoning when God will condemn the wicked and exalt His people (cf. Rev 19.11-21.14)
Haggai encouraged Zerubbabel the governor, Joshua the high priest, and the returned exiles in their work of reconstructing the temple by casting a vision of God’s wrath upon their enemies. In that day, he prophesied, the LORD would shake the heavens and the earth, bringing the treasures of the nations into Jerusalem and the temple; “The silver and gold belong to Me” (2.7), He said. The prophet a second time expounded this theme of God’s wrath shaking the heavens and the earth so as to destroy the nations and exalt Israel (2.20-21). Haggai’s prophecy must have been a great encouragement to the returned exiles and their leaders; while their work of the temple and their place in the world seemed insignificant at present, a day of reckoning and righteousness would come. The author to the Hebrews wished to encourage his audience, too, and found in the words of the prophet a useful theme. But his exhortation, according to the pattern of the storyline of Scripture, went beyond that of Haggai. The prophet urged his readers to be faithful in the earthly orientation of the old covenant—the physical realities of the tabernacle and temple, those things that corresponded to the time when God removed His people from Pharaoh’s grasp (2.4-5). In light of what God had done for them in Egypt, the people of Israel could be confident of vindication in a future day, when the LORD would shake the nations and bring their treasures to Jerusalem, according to the word of Haggai (2.6-7). But the author of Hebrews was concerned that his audience understand the heavenly orientation of the new covenant; they had come to Mount Zion, not Sinai; to Jesus, not Moses; to things which are unshakable (12.14-24). Both audiences felt slighted by the world powers of their day, and both could hope in God’s justice at the end of the day—but since the latter had resources and assurance unknown to the former, more was expected of them. Haggai challenged his audience to be faithful, and the author to the Hebrews urged no less from his, saying:
“See that you do not reject the One who speaks; for if they did not escape when they rejected Him who warned them on earth, even less will we if we turn away from Him who warns us from heaven. His voice shook the earth at that time, but now He has promised, ‘Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also heaven.’ Now this expression, ‘Yet once more,’ indicates the removal of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what is not shaken might remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us hold on to grace. By it, we may serve God acceptably, with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire” (12.25-29: cf. Hag 2.1-4).
*For a complete list of references, please see scripturestoryline.com