Hag. 1:1 In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, in the first day of the month, came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet unto Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, saying,
Hag. 1:2 Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that the LORD’S house should be built.
Haggai’s ministry is to the people of Judah in Jerusalem who have returned from the Babylonian captivity. He begins his prophetic ministry two months before Zechariah begins his ministry in 520 BC.
Zechariah 1:1 “In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the LORD unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying….”
He directs this message to Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah, and Joshua, the high priest—the head governmental and religious leaders of the people respectively. The message—Rebuild the temple. According to the book of Ezra, the message produced the intended result.
Ezra 5:1-2 “Then the prophets, Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied unto the Jews that were in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, even unto them. Then rose up Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and began to build the house of God which is at Jerusalem: and with them were the prophets of God helping them.”
Since Haggai gives specific dates for the messages he was to deliver, we know that they came over a three-month period of time.
Point is made that this message is from YHWH, the self-existent, eternal God of Israel.
Spurgeon: “Delay has always been one of the strongest of Satan’s temptations even with God’s own people, who far too often say, even concerning his work which they know ought to be done, ‘The time is not come.’ How much more would be done for God if we would all do at once what ought to be done!”
Courseon: “One of the favorite attacks of the enemy is to whisper in our ears, ‘Nest month, next year—after you buy your house, develop your career, have your family—than you can really engage yourself in doing what the Lord has called you to do.’ But, gang, it’s never the wrong time to do the right thing.”
Guzik historical note: “In 538 B.C. Cyrus King of Persia allowed the exiled Jews to return to Jerusalem after 70 years in captivity. Two years later (536 B.C.) construction on the temple began, led by Zerubbabel. The work stopped after two years (534 B.C.). After 14 years of neglect, work on the temple resumed in 520 B.C. and was finished four years later in 516 B.C.”
Hag. 1:3 Then came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet, saying,
Hag. 1:4 Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses, and this house lie waste?
The first thing God says to His people through His prophet is that they have their priorities all wrong. They were more concerned with getting their own homes (re)built and well furnished than in getting God’s house rebuilt and furnished. The temple is significantly different from the churches of today since it had been designated as God’s dwelling place on earth and signified Israel as God’s chosen people. While they were in captivity in Babylon, Ezekiel had informed the people that God had removed His glory from the temple.
Although Ezra indicates that they had rebuilt the altar and reinstituted the daily sacrifices, a truly repentant people would have set a great priority on rebuilding God’s house and beseeching Him to reestablish His presence among them. In the second year they started working on the foundation of the temple, but met great opposition from some of the people in the land. These people eventually succeeded in getting Artaxerxes to command that the building be stopped. Finally, through the encouragement of Haggai and Zechariah, the Israelites continued the building process, receiving official permission to continue from Darius once he was presented with all the facts. (This background is all found in the book of Ezra.)
Hag. 1:5 Now therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.
As He often does, YHWH asks His people to take time to think about their actions. This goes hand-in-hand with the admonition He often gives them to “remember” Who He Is and the miraculous ways He has provided for them throughout their history. The prophet’s message is helping them to see the true condition of their hearts. Moses delivered this message to the people many times in his writings.
Deuteronomy 4:39 “Know therefore this day, and consider it in thine heart, that the LORD he is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: there is none else.”
Deuteronomy 8:5 “Thou shalt also consider in thine heart, that, as a man chasteneth his son, so the LORD thy God chasteneth thee.”
Deuteronomy 32:7 “Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations: ask thy father, and he will shew thee; thy elders, and they will tell thee.”
Hag. 1:6 Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.
Hag. 1:7 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.
The people had been back in the land long enough to experience harvest from planting, and the results of the harvest had been very poor. Although they had planted much seed, it had produced little. They didn’t have enough to satisfy their appetite for food and drink. I think the fact that their clothing wasn’t sufficient was directly related to the quality of their livestock for producing wool and their lack of money to buy goods from others. The money they were able to earn seemed to disappear; it is pictured as going into bags full of holes. Boy can I relate to that comparison!
As the LORD continues to detail their circumstances, He again has the prophet ask them to take time to think. Could they be at fault for their poor circumstances because of their lack of faith and dependence upon God? Could the fact that they were putting self on the throne of their lives rather than God be the cause? I think Jesus expressed the same intent in His message to His disciples as recorded in Luke. I wonder if He was thinking about these verses in Haggai.
Luke 12:33-34 “Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
Hag. 1:8 Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the LORD.
God now instructs the people what to do after they have taken time to consider His message and their ways. That time of consideration should have resulted in recognition of the importance of rebuilding the temple. God makes it clear that if they will start rebuilding His house, He will take pleasure in it and will be glorified. The Hebrew for “take pleasure” included some interesting choices, “satisfy a debt…approve…pardon…reconcile self.” I’m always amazed at how little God requires from us to provide for our forgiveness and reconciliation of relationship with Him. It would seem that God is saying that He is giving them a chance at a clean slate regarding the temple. Even though He knows that it won’t be as beautiful and magnificent as Solomon’s temple, He will be glorified nonetheless because of their obedience and desire to please Him.
Hag. 1:9 Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? saith the LORD of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house.
Hag. 1:10 Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from her fruit.
Hag. 1:11 And I called for a drought upon the land, and upon the mountains, and upon the corn, and upon the new wine, and upon the oil, and upon that which the ground bringeth forth, and upon men, and upon cattle, and upon all the labour of the hands.
God continues to explain through the prophet that He is the reason their harvest has been poor and they haven’t been able to provide for their own comfort. He was not going to allow them to prosper in their homes while His house lay in ruins. As Creator, He controls His creation; He can hold back the dew and the rain. He can cause drought and directly impact the growth of the produce of the land, the ability to make wine and oil, and, in turn, the health of men and animals. They can work as hard as they can, but it will produce little without God’s blessing. This should not be new information to the people. Their past is full of examples of God’s authority over His creation to their benefit—actions that should have inspired faith and obedience, but somehow became taken for granted and assumed as their privilege as God’s chosen people.
Hag. 1:12 Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Josedech, 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 did fear before the LORD.
As shown in Ezra 5:2 above, the leaders of Israel, Zerubbabel and Joshua, led the people in obedience to God’s message. The people finally began to recognize God’s authority and show Him the proper reverence and respect He deserved, but it took the example of their leaders.
Spurgeon: “Sometimes it happens that people get angry, and hate the preacher who too plainly rebukes them for their sins; but when the Spirit of God works within them, they take heed to what is said, and receive the preacher’s message as from God himself.”
Wiersbe: “When God speaks to us by His Word, only one response is acceptable, 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.”
Hag. 1:13 Then spake Haggai the LORD’S messenger in the LORD’S message unto the people, saying, I am with you, saith the LORD.
As He always does, the LORD readily responded with a promise of blessing to the people. There is no greater blessing than to know that YHWH is with you. I couldn’t help but think of the words of Paul.
Romans 8:31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
Hag. 1:14 And the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and did work in the house of the LORD of hosts, their God,
Hag. 1:15 In the four and twentieth day of the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king.
This chapter closes with only 23 days between the first verse and the last. I think the main difference in verses 12 and 14 is one of obedience in response to fear of God in verse 12 vs. obedience as a result of changed hearts in verse 14.
I did not recognize that truth at first. God is so amazing! If we but respond in obedience to His will, He always meets us with empowerment to go above and beyond. Verse 14 makes it clear that it is God working in the hearts of the people as they responded to Him in obedience. He so wants to bless us and empower us to glorify Him if we will but show a little submission. My eyes are filling with tears as I realize what a poor testimony I am to His power.
Wiersbe: “Any interpretation of the Bible that limits God and encourages His people to be lazy instead of busy in ministry is a false interpretation and must be abandoned. If the Lord is to be pleased with us and glorified before an unbelieving world, we must hear His Word, believe it, and act upon, regardless of the circumstances.”
Hag. 2:1 In the seventh month, in the one and twentieth day of the month, came the word of the LORD by the prophet Haggai, saying,
Hag. 2:2 Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and to the residue of the people, saying,
The message of this chapter comes approximately a month after the close of the previous chapter. Again, emphasis is made that the message delivered by Haggai is from YHWH. As in the first message, it is directed to Zerubbabel, the governor, and Joshua, the high priest, the governmental and religious leaders of the people. This time, however, address is included to the rest of the people. Why? I think because of the change of heart as described in the last chapter.
Hag. 2:3 Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory? and how do ye see it now? is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing?
The LORD brings up a painful thought. He reminds them that this temple is nothing compared to the beautiful temple of Solomon that was destroyed by the armies of Babylon. Ezra confirms this as a painful memory to those who had lived to return from the captivity.
Ezra 3:12 “But many of the priests and Levites and chief of the fathers, who were ancient men, that had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice….”
We are so prone to make judgments according to physical appearances, and that is totally wrong. God was clear in establishing the truth that He looks on the heart of a man—not his outward appearance.
1Samuel 16:7 “But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.”
We tend to think a ministry is successful according to its size and wealth. The LORD was clear in His letter to Smyrna that though they considered themselves poor, He considered them to be rich.
Revelation 2:9 “I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich)….”
We are so prone to look at things from eyes of flesh and the mindset of the world. We need to learn to look at things through God’s eyes. God is looking for a response from His people that declares their love for and obedience to Him as LORD. That truth was emphasized by the Apostle John.
1John 2:5 & 15-16” But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him….Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.”
Hag. 2:4 Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith the LORD; and be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest; and be strong, all ye people of the land, saith the LORD, and work: for I am with you, saith the LORD of hosts:
Hag. 2:5 According to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, so my spirit remaineth among you: fear ye not.
The beautiful truth that God declares—What matters most is that “I am with you,” God says. It’s not the beauty of the building that matters; it’s the God that building honors that should be their focus. In spite of their unfaithfulness, God reminds them that He is a covenant-keeping God; He will honor the covenant established with them when they came out of Egypt. I think these verses in Leviticus describe it best.
Leviticus 26:44-45 “And yet for all that, when they be in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away, neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly, and to break my covenant with them: for I am the LORD their God. But I will for their sakes remember the covenant of their ancestors, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the heathen, that I might be their God: I am the LORD.”
God is always faithful—even when His people are not.
Hag. 2:6 For thus saith the LORD 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;
Hag. 2:7 And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts.
These verses are very familiar in my study of prophecy regarding the return of Messiah Jesus as King of kings. I believe that has to be the main fulfillment of this prophecy since it will result in God filling the temple with glory. Although Jesus brought glory to the temple by His very presence there during His first coming, it is His second coming that will result in God’s glory being restored to the temple as it was in the time of Solomon. It is His second coming that will be preceded by a shaking of the heavens, earth, sea and dry land as so vividly detailed in the book of Revelation.
My focus has always been on the physical impact on the planet. Creation will be shaken as God pours out His wrath in judgment upon the nations of the earth. The thing that stands out to me now is that the LORD’s coming is described as “the desire of all nations.” I think the word desire could only apply to those who have turned to God in faith during that time. Though it is true that this has been the desire of the church since its beginnings (and it is true that the church is composed of people from all nations), the LORD is clear that His wrath is reserved for His enemies, the wicked.
Nahum 1:2 “God is jealous, and the LORD revengeth; the LORD revengeth, and is furious; the LORD will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies.”
So even though this could be a reference to the desire of the “church,” the church will not be here to experience the wrath of the day of the Lord that precedes His coming. The nations here would refer to the body of believers that come to faith during the tribulation, or 70th week of Daniel. This period will include the time of wrath prophesied by Isaiah.
Isaiah 13:11-13 “And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir. Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.”
Always of interest is the difference in God’s perspective on time and ours—“it is a little while,” and it’s already been over 2500 years since Haggai made this prophecy.
Hag. 2:8 The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts.
Hag. 2:9 The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the LORD of hosts.
Staying in context, the LORD is saying that there is nothing you could use to make this temple more beautiful that I could not provide you. When the LORD returns to rule from the throne of David, that temple will have far greater glory than Solomon’s temple. It will house the very throne of Messiah. When He establishes His kingdom, there will finally be peace in the land of Israel.
Hag. 2:10 In the four and twentieth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet, saying,
Hag. 2:11 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Ask now the priests concerning the law, saying,
Hag. 2:12 If one bear holy flesh in the skirt of his garment, and with his skirt do touch bread, or pottage, or wine, or oil, or any meat, shall it be holy? And the priests answered and said, No.
Hag. 2:13 Then said Haggai, If one that is unclean by a dead body touch any of these, shall it be unclean? And the priests answered and said, It shall be unclean.
Two months have passed since the previous message, and Haggai is given another word from YHWH. The LORD poses a couple of questions to the priests:
If you have holy flesh (from a sacrifice) in the skirt of your garment and your garment touches bread, pottage, wine, oil or meat, is it still holy? The priests answer, “No,” according to the law.
If you have touched a dead body and then touch any food or drink, does it become unclean? Again, the priests answer according to the law, “Yes.”
I liked David Guzik’s summary of the principle: “Holiness is not ‘contagious,’ but impurity is.”
Hag. 2:14 Then answered Haggai, and said, So is this people, and so is this nation before me, saith the LORD; and so is every work of their hands; and that which they offer there is unclean.
Haggai then applies this truth to the people. He basically says, “Nothing about you is holy; everything you have to offer me is unclean.”
Hag. 2:15 And now, I pray you, consider from this day and upward, from before a stone was laid upon a stone in the temple of the LORD:
Hag. 2:16 Since those days were, when one came to an heap of twenty measures, there were but ten: when one came to the pressfat for to draw out fifty vessels out of the press, there were but twenty.
Hag. 2:17 I smote you with blasting and with mildew and with hail in all the labours of your hands; yet ye turned not to me, saith the LORD.
Again, the LORD is asking them to remember and consider what He has taught them in this experience of building the temple. My paraphrase of His message: Remember that before you determined to honor Me and build My house, you were not very prosperous. I made sure that you weren’t by preventing your crops from producing and by sending mildew and hail to destroy much of what did grow. I caused your labor to be unfruitful. Yet not once did you turn to me in faith and repentance.
Hag. 2:18 Consider now from this day and upward, from the four and twentieth day of the ninth month, even from the day that the foundation of the LORD’S temple was laid, consider it.
Hag. 2:19 Is the seed yet in the barn? yea, as yet the vine, and the fig tree, and the pomegranate, and the olive tree, hath not brought forth: from this day will I bless you.
The LORD continues His message; He basically says—Learn from your experience. Since deciding to honor me by building my house, though your barns are still empty of harvest and your fruit vines and trees have yet to produce a good crop, I am promising that from this day forward “I will bless you.” In other words, you will plant your seed and reap a good harvest and your fruit vines and trees will produce and provide all that you need.
Smith: “Such is a universal truth and a universal law that knows no time, that knows no dispensation. Put God first in your life, and God will take care of the rest of the things of your life. Put the things of your life first, and you’re always gonna be running short.”
Hag. 2:20 And again the word of the LORD came unto Haggai in the four and twentieth day of the month, saying,
Hag. 2:21 Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, I will shake the heavens and the earth;
Hag. 2:22 And I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms, and I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the heathen; and I will overthrow the chariots, and those that ride in them; and the horses and their riders shall come down, every one by the sword of his brother.
Hag. 2:23 In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, will I take thee, O Zerubbabel, my servant, the son of Shealtiel, saith the LORD, and will make thee as a signet: for I have chosen thee, saith the LORD of hosts.
Now the LORD has a special message for Zerubbabel, the governor. Verses 21-23 seem to go hand-in-hand with verses 6-7. This prophecy was obviously not fulfilled in Zerubbabel’s time. So how does it apply? I had to go to the commentaries for help. It made sense to me to understand Zerubbabel as a type of Jesus. As the governor, he represented the ruler of Israel. In the day that Messiah comes to take His throne, He will fulfill the promise represented by Zerubbabel as God’s signet ring, the ring of God’s authority. In that day, the powers of the heathen kingdoms on earth will be destroyed and their militaries destroyed by the word of God, and Jesus, the rightful King of Israel, will take His throne.
My how blessed Haggai was to see a positive response to his ministry—a privilege not enjoyed by many of the prophets.