HAGGAI
Chapter Two
Introduction
Do you think of yourself as an encourager? Or as a discourager?
No one sets out to be a discourager… Nevertheless, people sometimes say and do the most discouraging things – especially God’s people.
Haggai was an encourager who dealt with discouragers among God’s people:
The rebuilding of the Temple at Jerusalem was a spiritual building project for the Jews. Christians in the Church Age are also involved in a spiritual building project. The Bible suggests the metaphor that both the church and the Christians in it are a spiritual building project. Jesus said, "I will build My church" (Matthew 16:18); Peter called believers "living stones… being built up a spiritual house" (First Peter 2:5). Paul used the metaphor of the spiritual building project in the books of Romans, Ephesians, and First Corinthians. Corporately as a church, and individually as Christians, we are God’s spiritual building project on the earth today.
With Haggai as our guide, we looked last week at things that halt your progress in the building project. This week we want to look at the things that hinder or hasten the project. We’ll organize our thoughts around these two points: #1 Consider The Ways You Hinder The Progress Of God’s Building Project, and #2 Consider The Ways You Hasten The Progress Of God’s Building Project.
#1 Consider The Ways You Hinder
The Progress Of God’s Building Project
(v1-19)
The Jews rededicated themselves to the rebuilding of the Temple. The work was making progress. But that progress was being hindered by discouragements. Haggai exposed three discouragements among the people: Comparing, contamination, and carefulness.
He first exposed the discouragement of comparing, in verses one through nine.
Haggai 2:1 In the seventh month, on the twenty-first of the month, the word of the LORD came by Haggai the prophet, saying:
Haggai 2:2 "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:
Haggai 2:3 ‘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?"
The Jews had been taken captive by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon some seventy years earlier. The Babylonians had ruined their Temple. It was Solomon’s Temple – an altogether glorious structure. The Temple they were rebuilding, sometimes called Zerubbabel’s Temple, would not even begin to approach the magnificence of the previous Temple.
There were among the Jews who returned to rebuild many who had seen the former Temple in its splendor. They were comparing the current work to the former Temple and, in their eyes it was as nothing. Their comparisons were a discouragement that could only hinder the progress of the building project.
Haggai had a word of encouragement:
Haggai 2:4 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.
Haggai 2:5 ‘According to the word that I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt, so My Spirit remains among you; do not fear!’
Haggai did not dispute the disparity between the two Temples. He was realistic about the current Temple being far less grand than its predecessor. He got instead to the very heart of the issue: The Temple was the place where God met with His people. It was God’s presence that made the Temple glorious. It didn’t matter how grand the structure – only how glorious. Whether it was the Tabernacle in the wilderness – which was essentially a moveable tent… Or Solomon’s Temple… Or Zerubbabel’s Temple… It was the presence of God that gave the Temple its glory.
God assured them, in verse five, that there had been no diminishing of His glory. He was the same awesome God among them Who had delivered their ancestors out from Egypt with mighty works and power. Glory, not grandeur, ought to be the focus.
The discouragers looked back to Solomon’s Temple and compared it to Zerubbabel’s Temple. God encouraged them to look forward to a yet future Temple that would be far more glorious than anything they could imagine:
Haggai 2:6 "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;
Haggai 2:7 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.
Haggai 2:8 ‘The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine,’ says the LORD of hosts.
Haggai 2:9 ‘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."
There is some disagreement among scholars as to the proper interpretation of the key phrase, "Desire of All Nations." Most conservative, evangelical scholars say it refers to Jesus Christ in His Second Coming to earth. Critics say that Jesus is not desired by all nations; but that’s not true! Peace, prosperity, power – those things are the desire of all nations, but they can never be achieved apart from submission to the rule of Jesus Christ as King over all the earth. The nations may not know it, but Jesus is the only One Who can fulfill their desires; He is truly the Desire of All Nations.
With that in mind we would say that these verses are a prophecy of a future Temple that will exist after God "shake[s] heaven and earth, the sea and dry land." It sounds like the Great Tribulation period to me. God will "shake all nations," and then the "Desire of All Nations" will come. Jesus Christ will return to earth from heaven in His Second Coming. All the nations of the earth will bring their treasures to Him there; He will fill the Temple, and the earth, with the glory of His presence. There will be unprecedented "peace" on the earth.
The argument Haggai made was profound. The discouragers were looking back at the grandeur of the former Temple when they should have been looking forward to the glory of the future Temple. In the mean time, it is glory, not grandeur, that ought to be the focus. It is the presence of God among His people that is glorious.
Comparing is discouraging. Unfortunately, Christians compare all the time. We do it based on observation and based on expectation:
Comparing is not only discouraging, it hinders the progress of the spiritual building project. Glory, not grandeur, should be our focus. The presence of God in your life, and in our midst, does not depend on any outward grandeur. God has His plan for you and for us. It is unique and unlike His plan for anyone else. So long as you are enjoying Him – that is the glory.
Haggai next exposed the discouragement of contamination, in verses ten through fourteen:
Haggai 2:10 On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came by Haggai the prophet, saying,
Haggai 2:11 "Thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘Now, ask the priests concerning the law, saying,
Haggai 2:12 "If one carries holy meat in the fold of his garment, and with the edge he touches bread or stew, wine or oil, or any food, will it become holy?"’"
Then the priests answered and said, "No."
Haggai 2:13 And Haggai said, "If one who is unclean because of a dead body touches any of these, will it be unclean?"
So the priests answered and said, "It shall be unclean."
Haggai 2:14 Then Haggai answered and said, "‘So is this people, and so is this nation before Me,’ says the LORD, ‘and so is every work of their hands; and what they offer there is unclean."
Haggai argued from a simple principle. Holiness cannot be imparted by contact, but you could be contaminated by contact. He used the Old Testament offerings as his example. We could use the example of sickness and health. You cannot impart your good health to a person who has the flu; but they can sure impart their sickness to you!
There must have been sin among God’s people. It was a discouragement that was hindering the progress of the building project. Haggai didn’t identify the sin. Perhaps it was just a general exhortation to recognize that they had been contaminated by their contact with the carnal world around them.
Sometimes the church is making progress, but there is a sense that something is hindering real spiritual progress. That something often turns out to be sin that is hidden in the heart and life of an individual or individuals. I could give you many tragic examples. Suffice it to say that any of us can hinder the spiritual progress of all of us. Instead, let’s help one another by keeping our individual hearts and lives pure.
The final discouragement Haggai exposed was carefulness, in verses fifteen through nineteen:
Haggai 2:15 ‘And now, carefully consider from this day forward: from before stone was laid upon stone in the temple of the LORD—
Haggai 2:16 since those days, when one came to a heap of twenty ephahs, there were but ten; when one came to the wine vat to draw out fifty baths from the press, there were but twenty.
Haggai 2:17 I struck you with blight and mildew and hail in all the labors of your hands; yet you did not turn to Me,’ says the LORD.
Haggai 2:18 ‘Consider now from this day forward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, from the day that the foundation of the LORD’S temple was laid—consider it:
Haggai 2:19 Is the seed still in the barn? As yet the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have not yielded fruit. But from this day I will bless you.’"
We saw in chapter one that God had caused material deficits in their food, clothing, and shelter. The people had their priorities backwards; they were seeking first after material things rather than seeking first God and His kingdom. God reminded them that no matter how hard they worked, the increase of their material goods was up to Him. Therefore they should seek Him first and trust Him to provide for them.
The key thought is in verse nineteen. Their "seed" had not yet been planted; neither had their orchards begun to bear fruit. They had to plant and prune, trusting that their work would result in a future harvest. Just so, they ought to work for God – trusting that their spiritual work would also result in a future harvest. In other words, they had to walk by faith with God.
I call the problem here being careful; you might think that is strange. After all, what’s wrong with being careful? I’m using the word the way it is used in Philippians 4:6, where we read,
Philippians 4:6 KJV Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
The word "careful" is translated into English by the word anxious in some modern Bibles. That is the idea – anxious, or full of cares. People who are anxious and full of cares are discouraging and they hinder the progress of the church.
Don’t get me wrong – I’m not talking about people who are struggling with problems. I’m talking about people who are so careful, so anxious, so over-worried that they never want to step out in faith when it comes to serving God. Faith is not careless; but it is not careful, either. You won’t ever make progress unless you do it by taking steps of faith.
There was an awful lot of discouragement among God’s people to hinder the progress of the project. But there was also great encouragement, and it hastened the project.
#2 Consider The Ways You Hasten
The Progress Of God’s Building Project
(v20-23)
The encouragement was directed to Zerubbabel, but would excite all the people.
Haggai 2:20 And again the word of the LORD came to Haggai on the twenty-fourth day of the month, saying,
Haggai 2:21 "Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying: ‘I will shake heaven and earth.
Haggai 2:22 I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms; I will destroy the strength of the Gentile kingdoms. I will overthrow the chariots and those who ride in them; the horses and their riders shall come down, every one by the sword of his brother.
Haggai 2:23 ‘In that day,’ says the LORD of hosts, ‘I will take you, Zerubbabel My servant, the son of Shealtiel,’ says the LORD, ‘and will make you like a signet ring; for I have chosen you,’ says the LORD of hosts."
Again it’s clear that we are looking forward to the return of Jesus Christ in His Second Coming to the earth. It is then that God will "shake heaven and earth… overthrow the throne of kingdoms… destroy the strength of the Gentiles…" God promised the Jews that He had a far-reaching plan for them.
God went on to promise Zerubbabel that he would be "like a signet ring…" Zerubbabel was the descendant of King Jeconiah (also called Coniah and Jehoiachin). In Jeremiah 22:24 you read concerning Jeconiah,
Jeremiah 22:24 "As I live," says the LORD, "though [Jeconiah] the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, were the signet on My right hand, yet I would pluck you off;
The signet, or signature, ring was the symbol of the authority and rule of the king. To pluck it off meant the end of the king, and perhaps the descendants of that king. God had pronounced a judgment against the kingly line of which Zerubbabel was descended. Now here he was, leading the people, but not as a king over a free nation. He was the appointed governor, appointed by the Persians, over a dominated people.
God reversed the previous judgment and announced that the line of kings would be unbroken. Zerubbabel’s descendant would indeed be King. You see Zerubbabel in the genealogy of Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:12; Luke 3:27).
The encouragement Haggai gave was to keep looking forward, beyond their present situation, to the ultimate fulfillment of an eternal plan of which they were an integral part. Though their part might seem small and insignificant, it was no less vital a link in the chain of spiritual history and progress than any other link.
Looking forward to the ultimate fulfillment of which you play a part always hastens the progress of God’s building project. You see this in the New Testament writing of the apostle Peter. He mentions the last days of human history, then says, in Second Peter 3:11-14,
2 Peter 3:11 KJV Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
2 Peter 3:12 KJV Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
2 Peter 3:13 KJV Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
2 Peter 3:14 KJV Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.
Looking forward to the ultimate fulfillment of God’s plans hastens the progress of the spiritual building project. How does it hasten it? It encourages you to be "diligent… found of Him in peace, without spot, and blameless."
Conclusion
God told Zerubabel that He had "chosen" him. If you are a Christian, God has also chosen you. Enjoy His glory, with or without any outward grandeur. Hasten the spiritual building project in your life as a Christian and in our life as a church by being diligent, at peace, without spot, and blameless.
If you are not a Christian, is it because God has not chosen you? Charles Spurgeon wrote, "there never was a soul yet that came to Christ and Christ did cast it away… there never can be such a soul, for He has said, ‘Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.’"
If you are not a Christian, Jesus has today come to you! He stands at the door of your heart and knocks. If you will receive Him, you will discover that you have been chosen in Him.