A. The southern kingdom
of Judah had just undergone judgment having spent 70 years captive in
Babylon.
B. The Medes and
Persians overthrew the Babylonian kingdom (recorded in Daniel 5) –
Cyrus, as predicted by Isaiah (Isa. 44-45), issued a decree for the
Jews to return and rebuild the Temple.
C. Progress languished,
God was neglected, focus turned to personal goals.
D. The people neglected
spiritual matters and became materialistic—so God intervened in
the material realm to speak to them about spiritual realities.
E. He “spoke”
to them through the very things which had become their idols:
material blessing and productivity. They were working hard, but not
moving forward. Haggai revealed that God had called for a drought on
the fruit of the land and on the labor of their hands (v. 11).
F. Haggai identified
their inverted priorities as the root cause of their troubles: a
focus on self advancement over service to God. (Incidentally, isn’t
this where our country and culture are today?)
G. As the people
responded to God’s correction through Haggai and renewed their
reverence for Him, He stirred up their spirits to resume work on the
Temple.
H. In our passage
today, it has been almost 1 month since the rebuilding of the temple
began anew.
I. It is also becoming
apparent to the people that the temple they are working on will only
be a shadow of its former self—the glorious temple built by
David's son Solomon which had been destroyed when they were taken to
Babylon.
II. Haggai 2:1-9
A. In the seventh month, on the
twenty-first of the month, the word of the LORD came by Haggai the
prophet, saying: "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: '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? 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. 'According to the word that
I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt, so My Spirit
remains among you; do not fear!' 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; '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. 'The silver is Mine, and
the gold is Mine,' says the LORD of hosts. '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.
(Hag. 2:1-9)
III. Exposition
A. “Who saw this temple in its former
glory?” (Hag. 2:3)
1. Speaking to the remnant
of the people: a paltry subset when viewed in human terms.
2. In comparison
with the days of former glory – how
do you see it now?
a) The former glory – the Temple built by
Solomon.
(1) The immense wealth and materials amassed by
David in preparation.
(2) Ornate and decorative carving, including
images of cherubim, palms, garlands,
and opening flowers.
(3) Elaborate furnishings, overlaid with pure
gold. The temple itself wholly overlaid with gold (1K. 6:21-22).
(4) Contained the Ark of the Covenant
(a) Wherein were stored the tablets of the law
given by Moses (1K. 8:21; 2Chr. 5:10).
(b) Over which dwelt the Shekinah (or “dwelling”)
presence of God (1K. 8:10-11; 2Chr. 7:1; Ps. 26:8) between the
Cherubim over the mercy seat (2K. 19:15).
3. “Is this not in your eyes as nothing?”
a) When the foundation had been laid, there was
great praise and fanfare. But amidst the fanfare, “. . . many
of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers’ households,
the old men who had seen the first temple, wept with a loud voice
when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes”
(Ezra 3:12)
b) The memory of what had gone before—unknown
to the newer generation—weighed heavily on the older generation
who had experienced the former glory.
B. “Yet now be strong . . . for I am with
you . . . I covenanted with you . . . My Spirit remains among you . .
. do not fear!” (Hag. 2:4-5)
1. The covenant established with Israel by the
hand of Moses at Mt. Sinai
a) Exodus
33:12-15 Then Moses said to the LORD, "See, You
say to me, 'Bring up this people.' But You have not let me know whom
You will send with me. Yet You have said, 'I know you by name, and
you have also found grace in My sight.' "Now therefore, I pray,
if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may
know You and that I may find grace in Your sight. And consider that
this nation is Your people." And He said, "My
Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest."
Then he said to Him, "If
Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here.”
b) The question for the people of God is not,
“what do we have?” or “how are we doing?”, or
“how does this look in the eyes of the world,” but “is
God with us?”
2. “I am with you . . . My Spirit remains
among you”
a) Jeremiah 20:10-11 For I heard many mocking:
. . . All my acquaintances watched for my stumbling, [saying]
. . . "we will prevail against him, And we will take our revenge
on him." But
the LORD [is] with me as a mighty, awesome One. Therefore
my persecutors will stumble, and will not prevail. They will be
greatly ashamed, for they will not prosper. [Their]
everlasting confusion will never be forgotten.
b) How the world mocks the puny work-force of God:
(1) Nehemiah
4:1-3 But it so happened, when Sanballat heard that
we were rebuilding the wall, that he was furious and very indignant,
and mocked
the Jews. And he spoke before his brethren and the army of Samaria,
and said, "What
are these feeble Jews doing? Will they fortify themselves? Will they
offer sacrifices? Will they complete it in a day? Will they revive
the stones from the heaps of rubbish-stones that are burned?"
Now Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him, and he said, "Whatever
they build, if
even a fox goes up on it, he will break down their stone wall."
(2) The Sanballat's and Tobiah's of the world see
our efforts and our church in exactly this way: a joke to be mocked.
In the eyes of the world, we are as nothing.
c) Romans 8:31 What then shall we say to these
things? If God [is] for us, who [can be] against us?
C. Once more (it is a little while) I will shake
heaven and earth, the sea and dry land, and I will shake all nations
. . . (Hag. 2:6-7)
1. This “shaking” of the nations most
likely refers to God’s gathering the nations for the Battle of
Armageddon in the Day of the Lord.
2. Isaiah 24 reads in
part: Behold,
the Lordmakes
the earth empty and makes it waste, Distorts
its surface And scatters abroad its inhabitants. . . . The land shall
be entirely emptied and utterly plundered, For the Lord
has spoken this word. The earth mourns and
fades away, The world languishes and
fades away; The haughty people of the earth languish. The earth is
also defiled under its inhabitants, Because they have transgressed
the laws, Changed the ordinance, Broken the everlasting covenant.
Therefore the curse has devoured the earth, And those who dwell in it
are desolate. Therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, And
few men are
left. . . . It shall be
like the shaking
of an olive tree, . .
. Fear and the pit and the snare Are
upon you, O inhabitant of the earth. And it shall be That
he who flees from the noise of the fear Shall fall into the pit, And
he who comes up from the midst of the pit Shall be caught in the
snare; For the windows from on high are open, And the foundations of
the earth are shaken. The earth is violently broken, The earth is
split open, The
earth is shaken exceedingly.
The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, And shall totter
like a hut; Its transgression shall be heavy upon it, And it will
fall, and not rise again. It shall come to pass in that day That
the Lord
will punish on high the host of exalted ones, And on the earth the
kings of the earth. . . .
3.The writer of Hebrews speaks of this passage and describes two
important elements of this event:
a) It
is future
to his day,
Hebrews
12:26 . . . whose voice then [at the giving of the law at Sinai]
shook the earth; but now He
has promised,
saying, “Yet
once more Ishake
not only the earth, but also heaven.”
b) The
purpose of the shaking, Hebrews 12:27 Now this, “Yet
once more,”indicates
the
removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are
made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain.
c)This is one of several purposes of the coming period of Tribulation
– to undermine all things which man trusts in other than
God—the “things which are made” - temporal things
which will eventually pass away.
(1)Sixth seal, Revelation 6:12-17 I looked when He opened the
sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun
became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood.
And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its
late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. Then the sky receded as
a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was
moved out of its place. And the kings of the earth, the great men,
the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every
free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the
mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and
hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the
wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who
is able to stand?”
(2)Trumpets, Revelation 8
(a) 1st
- The first angel sounded: And hail and fire followed, mingled with
blood, and they were thrown to the earth. And a third of the trees
were burned up, and all green grass was burned up. (Rev. 8:7)
(b) 2nd
- Then
the second angel sounded: And something like a great mountain burning
with fire was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became
blood. And a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a
third of the ships were destroyed. (Re 8:8–9)
(c) 3rd
- Then the third angel sounded: And a great star fell from heaven,
burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the
springs of water. The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the
waters became wormwood, and many men died from the water, because it
was made bitter. (Re
8:10–11)
(d) 4th
- Then the fourth angel sounded: And a third of the sun was struck, a
third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them
were darkened. A third of the day did not shine, and likewise the
night. (Re 8:12)
(3)Man’s technology, the environment, even aspects of the very
cosmos will come unglued when God “shakes the nations” to
get their attention!
4. They shall come to the Desire [or “desired
things”] of All Nations (NKJV)
a) A grammatically difficult passage with two main
interpretations
(1) NKJV – the nations come to that
which is considered desirable by them. The nations seekthat
which they will then value: the Messiah or promised redeemer.
(a) The same Hebrew word, which frequently refers
to inanimate objects of wealth, is used in a similar
construction to describe king Saul
i)“on
whom is all the desire of Israel?” (1S. 9:20)
(2) NASB – “they will come with
the wealth of all nations”. The nations bring their own
wealth.
(a) Immediate context: “The silver is
Mine, and the gold is Mine, says the Lord of hosts.” (Hag. 2:8)
(b) Isaiah 60:8-11, speaking of Jerusalem: "Who
[are] these [who] fly like a cloud, And like doves to
their roosts? Surely the coastlands shall wait for Me; And the ships
of Tarshish [will come] first, To bring your sons from afar,
Their silver and their gold with them, To the name of the LORD your
God, And to the Holy One of Israel, Because He has glorified you. The
sons of foreigners shall build up your walls, And their kings shall
minister to you; For in My wrath I struck you, But in My favor I have
had mercy on you. Therefore your gates shall be open continually;
They shall not be shut day or night, That
[men] may bring to you the wealth of the Gentiles,
And their kings in procession.
(3) or gathered to “the Desire of All
Nations” Who will reign from the temple in Jerusalem (NKJV)
D. I will fill this temple with glory . . . The
glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former (Hag.
2:7,9)
1. How could it be possible that this meager
second temple would have a future glory exceeding that of Solomon’s?!
2. Two possibilities
a) Refers to the millennial temple to be
established following the second coming of Jesus.
(1) The context follows the pattern of the Second
Coming leading to the millennium.
(a) The judgment of the nations.
(b) The nations bringing wealth to the temple, or
gathered to “the Desire of All Nations” Who will reign
from the temple in Jerusalem (NKJV).
(c) A period of time characterized by peace.
b) Refers to Jesus, as the glory of God incarnate.
(1) The incarnation as a revelation of God’s
glory
(a) John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and
dwelt among us, and we
beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,
full of grace and truth.
(b) Col 2:9 For in Him dwells all the fullness
of the Godhead bodily;
(c) In the incarnation, God was revealed and
approached as never before.
(d) In the incarnation, the redemption of mankind
is highlighted and brought to pass – one of God’s most
glorious acts within all of history.
(2) Jesus’ seemingly purposeful retracing of
the departure of the Shekinah glory from Solomon’s temple (Eze.
8:4-6; 9:3; 10:4,18-19; 11:22-23) via the Mt. of Olives.
(a) Jesus visited the temple being built in this
passage (the second temple, Zerubbabel’s temple), which was
extensively enhanced by Herod in the time of Jesus.
(b) Jesus came from the Mt. of Olives to cleanse
the Temple and then departed again—seemingly purposefully
retracing the path of the visible glory of God which, for reasons of
idolatry departed Solomon’s temple via the Mt. of Olives prior
to the temple’s demise by Babylon.
(c) After the Shekinah glory had departed
Solomon’s temple, it was doomed to destruction by
Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.
(d) After the Jesus had departed Zerubbabel’s
temple, it was doomed to destruction by Titus of Rome.
c) Although the context favors that Haggai saw
aspects of the millennial context, it seems it was the purpose of the
Spirit of God for the passage to function as a double reference
(1) primarily the millennial temple
(2) typologically brings into view the visitation
of God’s glory in the incarnation of Jesus Who visited
Zerubbabel’s temple—the very temple whose foundation was
being laid in this passage.
E. In this place I will give peace (Hag. 2:9).
1. This undoubtedly refers to the coming reign of
the Prince of Peace.
2. Isaiah 9:6-7 For unto us
a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be
called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince
of Peace. Of the
increase of His
government and peace There will be
no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it
and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward,
even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.
3. Then shall come to pass the words written on
the United Nations building, originally penned by the prophet Isaiah.
a) Isa. 2:4 He shall judge between the nations,
And rebuke many people; They shall beat their swords into plowshares,
And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword
against nation, Neither shall they learn war anymore.
IV. Application – What have we Learned from
Haggai?
A. We do not see what God will do through meager
beginnings. We dare not despise the day of small beginnings! Physical
appearance is no measure of the significance of a spiritual work in
the eyes of God.
1. What often externally appears as a great work
of God, may not be within His will
a) Matthew 24:1-2 Then Jesus went out and
departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the
buildings of the temple. And Jesus said to them, "Do you not see
all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not [one] stone
shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down."
2. God's work
often involves seasons of apparent
meagerness and leanness. The people of God must persevere beyond the
appearance while keeping their eyes focused on the “big
picture” of God's principles and purposes in history coupled
with the empowerment of the Holy Spirit to bear spiritual fruit.
a) The physical
glory of Zerubbabel's temple
never approached that of Solomon's temple, yet the glory of the Lord
entered Zerubbabel's temple in a way that Solomon's never saw.
3. The ways God chooses
to work and the people through whom He chooses to work nearly always
differ from how the world evaluates significance.
a) The world places
great acclaim upon resources, talents, and self-motivated
aggressiveness.
b) God often initiates
important work with little in the way of visible resources, but by
way of people who, by His Spirit, exhibit consistency, obedience, and
faithfulness in believing and pursuing the work which He is
undertaking.
c) We must not evaluate
Christian ministry—especially our own ministry—in the
light of what secular society considers “successful” or
“relevant.” This is the “business model”
mentality having taken over the church.
B. A time of great
physical cataclysm yet remains on the horizon. A time when God will
shake the nations so that only that which is rooted in Him will
endure.
C. Beyond the storm
clouds, a great time of glory and peace await those who will
experience the kingdom of God. They are the ones who recognize Jesus
as the incarnate glory of God who came to earth as a man to die in
their place.