Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible
Haggai 1:12-15
The Leaders And People Make Their Response (Haggai 1:12).
The result of Haggai's persistence was that the leaders and people responded to his urgings, and to the word of YHWH, and began again on the work of building the Temple. Note again the great emphasis on the use of YHWH's name. It appears three times in Haggai 1:12, three times in Haggai 1:13 and twice in Haggai 1:14. The emphasis is on the fact that this is YHWH's doing and YHWH's activity.
Thus they obeyed the voice of YHWH their God, through the word of the prophet whom YHWH had sent, because they feared YHWH. For YHWH's messenger had brought YHWH's message saying that YHWH was with them. And it was because YHWH had stirred the spirits of the leaders and people that work was being done on the house of YHWH. So in the end it was all YHWH's doing.
‘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 YHWH their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as YHWH their God had sent him, and the people did fear before YHWH.
Thus with one accord Zerubbabel, Joshua and ‘the remnant of the people' obeyed YHWH's voice and the words of the one whom YHWH had sent, and demonstrated thereby their genuine and holy fear and their love for YHWH. It was a crisis point for the new Israel and they responded and ‘obeyed'. It was like a renewal of the covenant, a new beginning. Obedience was ever the sign the His people were in a right relationship with Him. ‘Now therefore if you will obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you will be a special treasure to Me among all nations' (Exodus 19:5; Exodus 19:8; contrast Jeremiah 22:21). And they obeyed, and that obedience resulted in and from a new awareness of ‘fear before YHWH'. ‘Fear before YHWH' was not simply the same as ‘the fear of YHWH' which is the beginning of wisdom. It arose from a genuine sense that they had previously displeased YHWH and had come under His judgment. They knew ‘the terror of the Lord'. Compare the same use of the phrase in Deuteronomy 5:5. It was a whole new spiritual experience.
Note the use of the term ‘remnant'. These were the few from whom the many would be established. Tens of thousands had had the opportunity to return from all parts of the empire, but only these had done so. But this remnant represented the true Israel. So often the Lord's work has to be done by a remnant. They no doubt also included faithful Jews who had remained in the land without being tainted by the syncretistic religion around them. But the idea of the ‘remnant' as representing those who are faithful to YHWH is a regular one in Scripture (compare Isaiah 6:13; Isaiah 10:20; Isaiah 37:32; Jeremiah 23:3; Micah 4:7; Zechariah 8:6).
‘Then spoke Haggai, YHWH's messenger, in YHWH's message to the people, saying, “I am with you, says YHWH.”
As we have seen, the repeated repetition of the Name is designed to bring out that all this is due to the activity of YHWH. Haggai is YHWH's messenger, bringing YHWH's message so that they might know that YHWH is with them. No one can be in any doubt as to Whose impetus is responsible for the house being built. Small and insignificant it might appear, but it is the product of YHWH's activity and the people's obedience and therefore glorious.
And now on seeing their ‘fear before Him' YHWH gives them a message of assurance. YHWH's messenger (angel) gives them the assurance, ‘I am with you, says YHWH.'
‘And YHWH 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 did work on the house of YHWH of hosts, their God, in the four and twentieth day of the month, in the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king.'
Indeed having brought them to a position of obedience it was YHWH Himself Who stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel (compare Zechariah 4:6) and stirred up the spirit of Joshua the High Priest (Zechariah 3-4), and stirred up the spirit of the remnant of the people to begin work on the house of YHWH of hosts, their God. It had taken twenty four days from when Haggai had first received the world of YHWH (Haggai 1:1). It was not, of course, just a matter of building. First the site had to be cleared and the necessary building materials gathered. The actual laying the new foundation would not commence for three months (Haggai 2:18).
The ‘spirit' in a man is that which is Godward within him. When a man dies his spirit returns to the God Who gave it (Ecclesiastes 12:7). It is with his spirit that he looks to God (1 Corinthians 2:9). And it is through a man's spirit that God stirs him (as here).
In this we have a reminder that hen God calls us to obedience and we respond He never leaves it there. He ‘works in us to will and to do of His good pleasure' (Philippians 2:13). He stirs our spirit to do His will. He does not just leave us on our own.
Note On The Importance of the Temple For Israel At This Juncture.
As we look at this situation in our own day we may ask, ‘Why was God so concerned that they rebuild the Temple?' He was clearly not so concerned that it be a grand place or one that drew admiration from passers-by. So what then was its purpose?
The first purpose that God had in the rebuilding of the Temple was to raise the hearts of the people in the land themselves to a remembrance of the vision that should be theirs, the vision of the coming King described in Genesis 49:10; Numbers 24:17; 2Sa 7:13; 2 Samuel 7:16; Psalms 2; Isaiah 9:6; Isaiah 11:1, and to cause them to take the first tentative steps towards it.
In 2 Samuel 7 especially the building of the first Temple had been very closely linked in with the building of the house of David and the bringing in of the everlasting kingdom. Thus the building of a new Temple was to be a visible reminder of those promises, and was to stir their hearts towards the fulfilment of the greater vision. This in fact is what Haggai will bring out in the second chapter which clearly demonstrates that he saw the rebuilding of the Temple as but a prelude to the gathering of the nations to YHWH (Haggai 2:7) and the rebuilding of the nation under the coming new King (Haggai 2:21).
Secondly the news that the Temple had been ‘restored' would spread like wildfire to many of the Jewish communities around the world who kept in constant contact with each other. It would be to them the same symbol of hope, putting new heart within them, and even acting as a magnet to draw some back to Jerusalem to participate in the new venture so as to build up a new nation, obedient under God. It would be an indication that things were ‘back on track'. In their case too the Messianic hopes would be revived.
Thirdly it would unite the true worshippers in the land, freed from the taints of idolatry, as one recognised community around the Temple. It would give them a focal point for their purified faith. For there were many in the land who would gladly have drawn them back to the old failings and the old syncretistic ways, and who indeed sought to have their part in the new Temple so as to nullify it before it had even been built (see Ezra 4:2). And they had had to be firmly rebuffed. For if the bitter experiences of the Exile had taught this new community anything, it was that any new Temple had to be free from all connection with the old syncretism. It had to be true to the Law of Moses. Thus its purity had to be jealously guarded.
It is interesting to note in Haggai how in respect to this new community his reference to them as ‘the remnant of the people' in Haggai 1:12; Haggai 1:14; Haggai 2:2, changes in Haggai 2:4 to ‘the people of the land' (Haggai 2:4). The Temple will give them a new status within the land. They are the seeds of the new nation.
End of note.
Note On The Difficulties Encountered In Building The New Temple.
Haggai does not deal with the question of the difficulties that arose when God's people began to rebuild the Temple. He was not concerned with difficulties. What were difficulties when YHWH had spoken? But nevertheless they were very real.
The original work on the Temple had been stopped by the activities of the people present in the land before the exiles had returned, who had been rebuffed when they had offered to join in with the building of the Temple, (in which they would have expected to be allowed to carry out their syncretistic rites), and had then done all that they could to prevent it from being built (Ezra 4:1), efforts which had proved successful. We do not know how far the work had got, but the work ceased and the proposed Temple had remained only partly built.
Once, however, the new rebuilding work began as a result of the activities of Haggai and Zechariah, the ‘Governor Beyond The River' (named Tattenai), who was probably the governor of the Persian province in which Jerusalem was situated, along with other powerful men, had written to Darius asking that the work be made to cease (Ezra 5:6). Meanwhile, on being notified of this, Zerubbabel, Joshua and their followers continued work on the Temple, confident that they were doing God's will and that He would therefore protect the work.
On search being made in the archives it was discovered that Cyrus had indeed given permission for the rebuilding of the Temple, and not only that, but had required that provision be made from state funds towards its rebuilding. Thus an order was issued by King Darius to the effect that the work should continue, and financial assistance be given towards the completion of the project and the provision of sufficient sacrifices to fulfil daily requirements so that they might make their offerings to the God of Heaven and pray for the life of the king and his sons (Ezra 6:6).
End of note.