Consider Your Ways: An Overview of the Book of Haggai
Introduction
As we continue our study on the Minor Prophets, we come to the Book of Haggai. Haggai was one of three prophets who preached to Israel after Judah had returned from the Babylonian Captivity. His ministry predates that of his contemporary Zachariah by a few months and addresses many of the same concerns. The last prophet, Malachi, came about 100 years later.
Cyrus the Great made a proclamation in 539 BC that all the people groups who had been exiled by the Babylonians could return to their native land. The Jews were able to return home. For some it seemed like a dream. Some of them headed back to Jerusalem. their joy can be seen in the 126th Psalm. However, many of the Jews did not return to Israel but stayed in Babylon. The LORD told through Jeremiah that the captives should build houses and vineyards in Babylon, and that the LORD would greatly increase them. As Babylon was taken suddenly when the Persians found they could drain the river and then enter the city under the gates that were stretched across the water, the city was not destroyed. Many Jews felt quite at home in Babylon, and many emigrated to other cities in the Persian Empire. We see this in the Book of Esther.
As for those who did return, they were overwhelmed at the destruction of the city. The walls and gates were overthrown, the Temple destroyed, and the city was in ruins. The excitement of the returning exiles soon diminished in the light of reality. The 126th Psalm was an attempt to stir up their original enthusiasm. As the Persian Empire offered stability, the people who came started to rebuild their houses. They had made a feeble attempt to rebuild the Temple but left off. Over a period of 20 years, they had gained a degree of prosperity as seen in the fact they could panel the walls inside their houses. It is in this environment that the LORD sent Haggai to Zerubbabel the leader of the city and Joshua the High Priest.
Consider Your Ways (Haggai 1:1-11)
The LORD tells that He is aware that the people in Jerusalem were saying that it was not yet time to rebuild the LORD’s House. He challenges the people through Haggai that they need to strongly reconsider this. They had already completed the work on their houses. But why should the LORD’s house continue to remain in ruins? There seems to have been some sort of economic downturn at the time. Haggai mentions that there was a drought. Their harvest of grain and wine had fallen well short of expectations as a result. The price for these commodities had soared. It was like their wages had been put into a bag with holes in it (Haggai 1:6). I would suppose that this might have entered into the minds of the inhabitants that they needed to address this situation rather than go to work rebuilding the Temple.
What they did not realize was that the LORD had sent the drought to get their attention. The reason crops were failing is because the inhabitants failed to give the things of the LORD the attention the LORD was due. They did not need an economist of a specialist in agriculture to fix their problem. They needed to repent. When trouble comes to a nation, one should ask whether it is a “natural disaster,” a “manmade disaster.” or a message from God to give Him the glory He is due.
The People Respond (Haggai 1:12-15)
Zachariah, Joshua, and the people believed the message which Haggai had spoken. They obeyed the word and began to work again on the LORD’s house. The LORD responded that He was pleased. He said: “I AM with you.” The LORD provided them the encouragement to begin. At first, it seems that plans were drawn up and materials gathered. Three weeks had passed.
God’s House Will be Glorious (Haggai 2:1-9)
About three weeks after the plan to rebuild the House of the LORD was started, the LORD came to Haggai and asked if any of the old men and women had seen the glory of the first Temple built by Solomon. The work of rebuilding had just started as the foundation had not yet been laid. It seems the plan for the new Temple was far more humble than Solomon’s. This could have led to another round of discouragement. So the LORD nipped this in the bud. One must realize that the Temple that Solomon had built was at the time of Israel’s greatest prosperity. A work of that scale was not possible in Haggai’s time as far as human capacity was concerned. The LORD reaffirmed that He was with them in this project, which is all that really matters. His Spirit was with them.
Haggai then goes off into a prophecy of future times. The LORD says it will be a little while. The LORD’s house might not look like much now, but it has a glorious future. But there will be a major shakeup. This shaking will include heaven and earth, the sea and the dry land. Then He says that the “Desire of Nations” shall come. This is quoted by the Book of Hebrews as referring to Jesus and the New Jerusalem. Even though the LORD would establish Zerubbabel who is included in the genealogy of Jesus, this would not happen in his day. Even though Herod the Great would vastly upgrade the Temple five hundreds ears later and adorn it with much silver and gold, the LORD had a far greater project in mind. He is building for us a city with His own hands, metaphorically speaking. And the glory of this House where the presence of the LORD shall abide for ever will be far more glorious than any manmade structure.
Consecrating the People 2:10-19
Haggai then goes on to use a parable. If a priest in his holy garb toughed common food, would it make it holy? The people answered, “No.” then he asked: “If the holy priest touched a dead body, would he become unclean? They answered, “Yes.” The point the LORD was trying to make is that the people needed to consecrate themselves to the holy task. It takes clean hands to build a holy Temple. This they needed to do before a single stone was laid. They needed to be reminded of their former lack of diligence, that it showed unclean thinking and actions.
When the foundation of the LORD’s house was laid, the LORD restored the food and the wine. The LORD blessed the people with material prosperity because they had put the LORD first. We think of the words of Jesus: “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and these things shall be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:33). This is a lesson we all can learn.
I Will Build Your House, Zerubbabel (Haggai 2:2-23)
The Lord reminds the people again that there will come a great shaking which will overthrow earthly kingdom and their armies before all is established. But before this, the LORD promises to establish Zerubbabel. There are overtones of 2 Samuel 7:1-14 which we need to compare to. In that passage, it says that David who lived in an expensive house of cedar felt bad that the LORD was confined to a tent. So David wanted to build the LORD a proper dwelling. The prophet Nathan had originally thought it a good idea. But the LORD spoke that night to David and said: “Will you indeed build me a house?” This is in the form of a question which expects a negative answer. Even Solomon in the dedication of the first Temple which was go glorious was astute enough to recognize that this Temple was totally inadequate for the majesty of God. No manmade structure could ever do Him justice. David’s heart was in the right place, but the LORD was content to have His presence tabernacle with His people in a tent. We can even think of what was said of Jesus: “And the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us.” Rather, the LORD told David that He would build David a house. But this was not a house of Cedar. It was a promise that the Christ would come forth from his ancestry who would reign in glorious splendor for ever.
Zerubbabel was a descendant of David and this promise, but He was not the Christ. Yet it was through him that Christ would be born. But it would be a little while.
The question remains as to why the LORD told Zerubbabel, Joshua and the people to even rebuild the LORD’s house in Jerusalem. Part of this was the concept of “a little while.” The Temple would stand as a symbol of this greater Temple, greater than the one built by either Solomon or later by Herod. They were told to rebuild because they were neglectful of the promises of God. So the situation was different than the one which David was in. David’s heart was in the right place, even though he did not understand that it is the LORD who has made us. We have not made the LORD.
A Practical Consideration
This should serve as a caution about interpreting Scripture. Some could preach from Haggai as supporting the church engaging in a new building program. I have seen many churches come to financial hardship over rash plans to “build it and they will come.” Context is everything. David was told not to build, and Zerubbabel was tasked to rebuild. A decision to engage in a church building plan should come from the LORD. It may, indeed, be the LORD’s will for your church to expand or rebuild. But we must not prooftext. We need to pray about our plans and ask the LORD to confirm them. This is not just true for building programs but also for any new ministry the church might want to undertake.
We must remember that the LORD wants to build us up. If that includes a building program, so be it. If it does not, so be it. This does not change our status or annul God’s promise to establish us. It is a much littler while now that the final shakeup will come and the Desire of Nations, Our Lord Jesus Christ shall return and bring us to a far greater building He has made. We must keep this in mind always in all that we do.
