Haggai 2:1-9

THE SECOND MESSAGE. Haggai 2:1-9

RV. In the seventh month, in the one and twentieth day of the month, came the word of Jehovah 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 that saw this house in its former glory? and how do ye see it now? is it not in your eyes as nothing? Yet, now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith Jehovah; and be strong, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest; and be strong, all ye people of the land, saith Jehovah, and work; for I am with you, saith Jehovah of hosts, according to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, and my Spirit abode among you: fear ye not For thus saith Jehovah of hosts, Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; and I will shake all nations; and the precious things of all nations shall come; and I will fill this house with glory, saith Jehovah of hosts. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith Jehovah of hosts. The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, saith Jehovah of hosts; and in this place will I give peace, saith Jehovah of hosts.

LXX. In the seventh month, on the twenty-first day of the month, the Lord spoke by Aggaeus the prophet, saying, Speak now to Zorobabel the son Salathiel, of the tribe of Juda, and to Jesus the son of Josedec, the high priest, and to all the remnant of the people, saying, Who is there of you that saw this house in her former glory? and how do ye now look upon it, as it were nothing before your eyes? Yet now be strong, O Zorobabel, saith the Lord; and strengthen thyself, I Jesus the high priest, the son of Josedec; and let all the people of the land strengthen themselves, saith the Lord, and work, for I am with you, saith the Lord Almighty; and my Spirit remains in the midst of you; be of good courage. For thus saith the Lord Almighty; Yet once I will shake the heaven, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; and I will shake all nations, and the choice portions of all the nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord Almighty. Mine is the silver, and mine the gold, saith the Lord Almighty. For the glory of this house shall be great, the latter more than the former, saith the Lord Almighty: and in this place will I give peace, saith the Lord Almighty, even peace of soul for a possession to every one that builds, to raise up this temple.

COMMENTS

THE WORD OF JEHOVAH. Haggai 2:1-2

Claiming again the inspiration of God for his message, Haggai, a month after rebuilding was resumed, addressed himself again to the civil and spiritual leaders and the people.

THE FORMER GLORY. Haggai 2:3

There were a few who had returned from captivity who longed for the good old days. The modest dimensions and decor of the second temple could not compare with the splendor of the first. (1 Kings 6:22; 1 Kings 6:28; 1 Kings 6:30; 1 Kings 6:32; 1 Kings 7:48-50)

How do you see it? asks the prophet. The temple they were building was nothing compared to their memory of the one erected by Solomon.

Traditionally, several things were absent from the second temple by which it could not compare to the first:

(1) The Ark of the Covenant was gone. Its fate still remains a mystery. The idea that it was taken directly into heaven has been held by some on the strength of Revelation 11:19. The apocalyptic nature of Revelation, however, makes a literal interpretation very unreliable.

(2) The Shekinah glory. the pillar of cloud and of fire was absent. proof that the full glory of God was not yet come.
(3) Following Malachi, the Spirit of prophecy was apparently silent and the inspired prophet was replaced by the professional scribe.

(4) The sacred fire, kindled by God upon the altar was extinguished, and God no longer smote the priests for replacing it with strange fire. (cf. Leviticus 10:1 -ff)

(5) The Urim and Thummim were also gone. (cp. Exodus 28:30) The literal meanings of these words are lights and perfections, respectively. The exact nature of them is problematical. They may have been some divine manifestation or they may have been an appendage on the breastplate of the priests. (cp. Deuteronomy 33:8 and 1 Samuel 28:6) It has been suggested that the Urim and Thummim were jewels set in the breast plate of the high priest. (cp. Exodus 28:29, Exodus 39:8 and Leviticus 8:8)

No doubt much else was lacking. The first temple had been erected by a wise ruler of a wealthy nation in collaboration with building experts. The second was built by a vassal state, with no king and no real wealth.
This actual inferiority was exaggerated in the memory of those in whose minds sixty-six years had no doubt added even to the real glory of Solomon's temple.
The key to Haggai's message to those who were depressed and disappointed in the inferiority of their handiwork, is the question how do ye see it? They were overly concerned-' with material embellishments.

I AM WITH YOU. Haggai 2:4-5

The important thing in regard to the rebuilding of the temple, as God saw it, was that His people were back in their land, and He was with them. And His presence is according to the everlasting covenant.
Here is the heart of the prophetic message. This is the reason the remnant had been returned. This is the reason the temple must be rebuilt. His promise to bless all the nations of the earth in the seed of Abraham was the reason they became a nation in the beginning. (cf. Exodus 2:34, Exodus 19:5-6) It is equally the reason for the restoration of their national identity.

In their national pride and religious exclusiveness, they were about to forget again the reason for their existence. It was vital that, upon this restoration as in their beginnings as a people (Genesis 1:1-3) and as a nation (Exodus 19:5-6), that the people be once more made aware of their covenant purpose. Here is the real purpose of the preaching of Haggai, for in the reconstruction of the temple was the symbolic re-affirmation of the covenant.

THE LATTER GLORY OF THIS HOUSE SHALL BE GREATER THAN THE FORMER. Haggai 2:6-9

Through the restored remnant the Christ would come. Never again would Baal be worshipped among His people. They would forget the covenant purpose as a nation. Their religion would become a hollow form, but with it all, the faithful few would remain true and the Messiah would come in fulfillment of the covenant promise. (cp. Matthew 1:1, Luke 1:33; Luke 1:55; Luke 1:72-73)

Thus saith the Lord in verse six is dependent upon the covenant mentioned in verse five.

The phrase in a little while has been rendered variously, it is as yet a little while, and one period morea brief one it is. The Septuagint has yet once. The sense is that of repetition.

Just as the power of the Lord had shaken Sinai (Hebrews 12:26) as God manifest His moral power to Israel, so again He will demonstrate His power in the shaking of the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land and. all nations, and the precious things of all nations. (Haggai 2:7)

The Hebrew writer sees the fulfillment of this in the coming of the new covenant. (Hebrews 12:18-29) The coming of the church, the new temple (Hebrews 8:1 -ff) and ultimate fulfillment of the Abrahamic covenant (Galatians 3:29) shook and put an end to the nations of the pre-Christian world.

The shaking began during the silent years between the Testaments. The Persian Empire crumbled before Alexander. Alexander's kingdom, divided after his youthful death, in turn gave way to Rome, and the west began its current domination of the east which heretofore had set the culture of the world.

The desire of all nations (KJV) in verse seven is unmistakably Messianic. There could hardly be a more vivid expression of the covenant promise, in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed. Even the rabbis saw in it the coming of the Messiah. The true riches of God, the silver and gold of verse eight will make the glory of the house of God outshine the glory of Solomon's temple.

And so the prophet comforts the people in such a way as to turn their minds from their ambitions of national grandeur to the glorious hope of covenant fulfillment.
The statement in verse nine, the latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, is deserving of special attention. The argument of the book of Hebrews for the superiority of the new covenant over the old is a glorious re-statement of this truth.

It is patently obvious that Haggai cannot be saying that when the second temple is complete it will be more splendid than the first. This simply could not be true in the nation's post-exilic circumstances. Historically it was not true, even with Herod's embellishments during the Roman era. Haggai is looking to something far more meaningful than stone and mortar.

Lump Solomon's temple, Zerubbabel's temple, and Herod's temple all together and their glory cannot surpass that of the real temple, the church. That the Jews identified the material temple with their ambitions for national glory was a grave error for them. Ultimately, it brought about their rejection of Jesus. But it did not alter the spiritual facts. (cp. Daniel 2:36-45; Daniel 4:19-27, Ezekiel 40-48, Zechariah 2:3-13; Zechariah 6:9-15; Zechariah 8:13; Zechariah 8:18-23; Zechariah 9:9-10; Zechariah 14:16-21, Psalms 145:6; Psalms 145:9-13; Psalms 145:21)

The true tabernacle, or temple is superior to the old because it is based on a superior revelation by a superior Revelator (Hebrews, Chapter s 1-3) and because it is ministered by a superior priesthood. (Hebrews 4:14 to Hebrews 10:18) It is more glorious than the former because it is related to God by a better covenant and accomplishes better services. The scene, conditions and results of its ministry are ideal whereas those of the old temple were symbolic, shadowy types of the real temple. The former temple was passing away, the latter temple is eternal. The sacrifices offered in the former were dead animals. Those in the new are living men. (Romans 12:1-2)

The promise of peace is also related to the new temple rather than the old. The peace which God gives to those who are the new temple, the spiritual house (1 Peter 2:5), is beyond the comprehension of those who think of material glory. (Philippians 4:7)

The world seeks peace in terms of silent guns and rusted swords. The world seeks peace in terms of easy going tolerance in all human relationships. The world seeks peace through positive thinking, tranquilizers and electro-therapy.

But the peace which prevails in the true and more glorious temple of God is not as the world gives. (John 14:27) Such peace comes only from complete surrender to and complete trust in Him Who is the meaning of the old temple and the High Priest of the new.

It is related to the reality of the Holy Spirit, not as a doctrine but as a present Person. (John 14:26-27) Haggai knew about this. In Haggai 2:5, he says My Spirit abideth among you, fear not.

Chapter XXIVQuestions

Exposition of Haggai

1.

Write an outline of Haggai.

2.

Haggai's first message is concerned with?

3.

What were the results of the first message?

4.

Discuss the ancestry of Zerubbabel in light of Haggai 1:1, 1 Chronicles 3:17-19, and Luke 3:27,

5.

The message Haggai was _____________ message.

6.

Haggai's first message attacks _____________.

7.

How does the message apply to us who would build the church?

8.

How does Haggai account for the drought and austere conditions which had beset the people?

9.

Discuss Jehovah stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel.

10.

What is the gist of Haggai's second message? To whom is it addressed?

11.

What was missing from the second temple?

12.

What is meant by the latter glory of the house?

13.

Discuss Haggai 2:7 in light of Hebrews 8:1 -ff and Galatians 3:29.

14.

What is meant by desire of all nations?

15.

What is the gist of Haggai's third message?

16.

What false motives might have been involved in rebuilding the temple?

17.

What malady confronting Haggai was also addressed by Jesus?

18.

Show evidence that Haggai considered his message to be God's rather than his own.

19.

Discuss the shaking of the heavens and earth (Haggai 2:21 cp. Haggai 2:6)

20.

Why could not this shaking have referred to the chaotic conditions of Darius-' early reign?

21.

Where in the Bible do we find the ultimate fulfillment of this prophecy?

22.

Discuss Zerubbabel as a type of Christ. Show parallels between them.