1 On the twenty-first day of the seventh month, the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai: 2 “Speak to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, to Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people. Ask them, 3 ‘Who of you is left who saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Does it not seem to you like nothing?
Haggai’s message to the people of Judah is dated August 29, 520 BC and his address is aimed at those who were much older, those who had seethe original temple before it was destroyed 66 years earlier. Many of the older people probably could not make the journey, but some did, and their reaction to the laying of the temple foundation was recorded in the book of Ezra (Ezra 3:12-13):
12 But many of the older priests and Levites and family heads, who had seen the former temple, wept aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid, while many others shouted for joy. 13 No one could distinguish the sound of the shouts of joy from the sound of weeping, because the people made so much noise. And the sound was heard far away.
Some of the old people wept because the new temple was smaller and less ornate. Remember, Solomon spared no expense building the temple. He did this with a huge reserve David set aside, plus all of the riches of Israel at the height of its power. The Jews in the time of Haggai were returning from three generations in captivity. They simply didn’t have the economic resources that Solomon possessed.
This is also important to remember that the view of the new temple is through the perception of those seeing it. Some of the older crowd look bad in a state of longing, but there are those who see it as a great triumph. Our perception of events is a powerful tool. It can excel us along our path or derail us, dependent on how we look at any given situation.
4 But now be strong, Zerubbabel,’ declares the Lord. ‘Be strong, Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land,’ declares the Lord, ‘and work. For I am with you,’ declares the Lord Almighty. 5 ‘This is what I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt. And my Spirit remains among you. Do not fear.’
God gives the people of the land a firm duty:
1. Be strong: First to the leadership, then to the people. All of these people (Zerubbabel, Joshua and the people) are essential to finish the job. They all have different jobs to do. But the foundation of strength is important to understand. They must be strong in their beliefs and action. If they are to shed their ambivalence and get started, then they must have the inner compulsion to see it through.
2.And work: Nothing is ever achieved by waiting around for something to happen. During World War II, the Normandy Invasion marked a change in the war. The Allies could have allowed all of Europe to be overtaken by Hitler’s forces and perhaps waited for Hitler to simply get tired and stop his expansion. Instead, a demarkation was in that invasion. In the same way, God wants His people to be pressed into action. The work of building the temple is not an easy one. There is opposition. There are economic, health and general living problems that arise with it. But to build a place for God is about getting their priorities right. The hard work that goes into it is worship.
3. For I am with you: When the Jews recognize the importance of getting their priorities right with God, there is a blessing to the work at hand. It is the same in our life. Our lives are blessed by what we put into the relationship. It doesn’t mean everything will go our way all the time, but it does mean that if we continue in God’s work, our priorities, shifting toward God, will give new perspective to our lives.
4. Do not fear: Fear is the number one thing that stops any work from being done. Fear of failure, of reprisal or opposition. Fear of commitment. Fear derails any project, and especially those things that we are to do for God. It can stop us from the very work we need to be doing. But remember that God doesn’t relinquish His promises. He promises security and provision if we walk with Him. His spirit remains among and in us.
6 “This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. 7 I will shake all nations, and what is desired by all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the Lord Almighty. 8 ‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the Lord Almighty. 9 ‘The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the Lord Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the Lord Almighty.”
The shaking of the land and nations is a direct prophecy regarding the coming of Jesus. The desire of all nations is in the resurrected Christ. The redemption of man’s soul is the only way for a person to find salvation, and even if the nation as a whole doesn’t want Jesus, it is still what each created person craves. So since the coming of Jesus is imminent, then the glory of the rebuilt temple, even though it isn’t wrapped in gold and prestige, is far greater than the original. Since the gold and silver belongs to God, then it shouldn’t affect the work. Since God provides, then why should there be fear in any sense?
Blessings for a Defiled People 10 On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Haggai: 11 “This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Ask the priests what the law says: 12 If someone carries consecrated meat in the fold of their garment, and that fold touches some bread or stew, some wine, olive oil or other food, does it become consecrated?’” The priests answered, “No.” 13 Then Haggai said, “If a person defiled by contact with a dead body touches one of these things, does it become defiled?” “Yes,” the priests replied, “it becomes defiled.” 14 Then Haggai said, “‘So it is with this people and this nation in my sight,’ declares the Lord. ‘Whatever they do and whatever they offer there is defiled.
This next message is dated December 18, 520 BC. Haggai asks a few questions of the priests, both of which are answered by the law. If someone is defiled (operating outside the law) comes in contact with something that is undefiled (holy), does it corrupt it?
The idea is this: Just because the Jews have returned to Jerusalem (Promised Land), it doesn’t make everything they do holy. Again it comes down to priorities and motives. Are those two things in place? The building of the new temple doesn’t make them holy either. They will be doing something extraordinarily good for future generations, but if the motivations are wrong, then the workers themself remain corrupt.
We can draw a parallel with church. Let’s say we go to church every Sunday. We go during rain, snow, whatever the weather or circumstance throws at us. It sounds very good, righteous even, but what is the true motivation of going to church every week. If it is to worship and connect and grow your heart, that’s a good thing. But what if it’s just a habit, a practice that has long grown stale, yet you feel an obligation to be there? What if it is met with dread and a begrudging spirit. Perhaps you just have to get through it to move on with your day.
What has been described is motive. If our motives are wrong then the action is corrupt. Yes, the action could bring along a good result, but the motive is corrupt. It is being done for reasons different than what the outside intention is. When we get that wrong, then what we do doesn’t matter on a spiritual level. We’re going through the motions at that point. Our defiled spirit is moving through activity, rather than engaging with our heart.
15 “‘Now give careful thought to this from this day on—consider how things were before one stone was laid on another in the Lord’s temple. 16 When anyone came to a heap of twenty measures, there were only ten. When anyone went to a wine vat to draw fifty measures, there were only twenty. 17 I struck all the work of your hands with blight, mildew and hail, yet you did not return to me,’ declares the Lord. 18 ‘From this day on, from this twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, give careful thought to the day when the foundation of the Lord’s temple was laid. Give careful thought: 19 Is there yet any seed left in the barn? Until now, the vine and the fig tree, the pomegranate and the olive tree have not borne fruit. “‘From this day on I will bless you.’”
Trials are in our lives for specific reasons. Each person learns (or doesn’t learn) from the set of circumstances laid out before him. Trials, according to James, are meant to test our spirit, to build endurance and to bring us to a place of strength and maturity (James 1:2-4). This is what God reminds the Jews of in this passage. Remember how life was when you weren’t reaping a blessing? There wasn’t enough in any part of their life. Food, drink, weather all conspired against them. Why? God brought trials into their life to show them that their dependency on their own strength had limits. It didn’t work. But God, ever merciful, will bless them from this time forward.
Zerubbabel the Lord’s Signet Ring 20 The word of the Lord came to Haggai a second time on the twenty-fourth day of the month: 21 “Tell Zerubbabel governor of Judah that I am going to shake the heavens and the earth. 22 I will overturn royal thrones and shatter the power of the foreign kingdoms. I will overthrow chariots and their drivers; horses and their riders will fall, each by the sword of his brother.
God’s protection is assured through their new covenant. The powers of the surrounding nations are large, compared to Jerusalem and its crumbled walls, but God’s protection extends to the returned Jews in this city. Their job is to continue to work, continue to build the temple and trust in the provision.
23 “‘On that day,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘I will take you, my servant Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will make you like my signet ring, for I have chosen you,’ declares the Lord Almighty.”
The signet ring was a ring worn by a king that had a special icon that showed the blessing of the king. This was used as the king’s signature, his stamp of approval on anything that needed a signature. Zerubbabel would have the blessing of God to rebuild the temple.
In the ancestry of Zerubbabel, Jechoniah (the last king of Judah) was cursed (Jeremiah 22:30). He was replaced by Zedekiah, but Zedekiah was appointed by Babylon, who occupied Judah at that time. Since Zerubbabel was a descendant of Jechoniah, he was recognized as a legitimate ruler of Judah upon the return of the Jews. Zerubbabel was also the only person who was in both lineages of Jesus, the bloodline through Mary (Luke 3:27) and through the legal line through Joseph (Matthew 1:12).
If we are to apply this to our life, we have to look at the entire book of Haggai. Haggai’s main call is one of complacency to strength, and to recognize the strength we must reprioritize our life to meet God’s priorities. Our life will always be one of “coming up short” until we reorganize our thoughts and motives to meet his. This doesn’t mean God is going to make us rich or unsinkable, but it means that we will move closer to God, He to us, and we’ll begin to understand the true meaning of our design, the work God wants us to do on His behalf, and help us to move from a life of self-preservation to one of a servant.