Haggai: The Best is Yet To Come
Haggai: 2:1-9
Pastor Jefferson M. Williams
Chenoa Baptist Church
10-08-2023
Satan’s Tool Box
It was advertised that the devil was going to put his tools up for sale. On the date of the sale, the tools were placed for public inspection, each being marked with its sale price -Hatred, Envy, Jealousy, Doubt, Lying, Pride, and so on.
Laid apart from the rest of the pile was a harmless-looking tool, well-worn and priced very high.
“What’s this one do?” asked one of the purchasers.
“Good eye,” said the adversary, “That’s Discouragement.”
“Why is it so expensive?” The purchaser asked.
“Because it’s more useful to me than the others. I can pry open and get inside a person’s heart with that one when I cannot get near him with other tools.
The accuser smiled widely and continued:
“Once I get inside, I can make him do what I choose. It’s a badly worn tool because I use it on almost everyone.”
Has anyone here ever been discouraged? We all have felt discouraged from time to time.
This morning, we are going to see the people of Israel deal with discouragement and how Haggai encourages them to move forward in faith.
Review
Last week, we began this study of Haggai by looking closely at his first sermon to the returning exiles.
In order to understand the book of Haggai, I need to set the context of the book.
In 607 BC, the Babylonians attacked the southern kingdom of Judah. This had been prophesied by Jeremiah and happened as a result of the people’s disobedience to God’s rule and His ways. The people would go into exile for seventy years.
The Babylonians started deporting thousands of the best and brightest of the Israelites, like Daniel and his three friends.
In 586 BC, The Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem and tore down the Temple.
In 539 BC, The Medes-Persians defeated Babylon. King Cyrus, gave the order allowing Jewish people to return to their homeland. Only about 50,000 returned home.
They returned home to a city that had been destroyed. They set to work immediately.
In 536 BC, a new altar was built and construction on the new Temple started but then stopped. For the next 16 years, the foundation of the Temple lay untouched.
Enter Haggai in 520 BC. We don’t know much about Haggai. It is believed that he was in his 70s and his name means “feast.”
Haggai is unique among the prophetic books because it is entirely in prose. Most of the other books are poetry.
Haggai consists of 4 sermons, delivered over a four-month period.
He delivered the first message on August 29, 520 BC.
The Lord, through the prophet Haggai confronts the people’s misplaced priorities:
“Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?”
The people had stopped working on the Temple and had focused on building their own houses.
Yes, they had a million excuses and they were materialistic and self-absorbed.
We talked last week that there was a reason for this.
When they began to rebuild, Ezra tells us that they experienced intense opposition:
“Then the peoples around them set out to discourage the people of Judah and make them afraid to go on building. They bribed officials to work against them and frustrate their plans during the entire reign of Cyrus King of Persia and down to the reign of Darius King of Persia.” ( Ezra 4:4-5).
We are even told that the surrounding people tried to sue them and threatened them.
“Thus the work on the house of God in Jerusalem came to a standstill until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.” (.v24)
The people became weary and discouraged.
But because of Haggai’s challenge, the people obeyed and began working on the Temple again.
Less than a month later, they are discouraged again. And again, Haggai has a message from the Lord for them.
Turn with me to Haggai 2.
Prayer.
Dates Matter
“On the twenty-first day of the seventh month, the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai:
This is September 21, 520 BC. This month was typically a busy month for the Israelites.
The first day of the month was the Feast of Trumpets. This is known as Rosh Hashanah which our Jewish friends just celebrated last month.
Shofars (ram’s horns) are blown, reminding people to repent and encouraging reflection.
The tenth day of the month was the Day of Atonement. This is called Yom Kippur and it is the most solemn day of the Hebrew calendar. This is a day of fasting and praying for the forgiveness of sins. (September 24 this year)
And the fifteenth day of the month started a week-long celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles.
During the feast of Tabernacles, or Sukkot, Jewish people would make temporary shelters and live in them for a week. (September 29 this year)
It’s a time to thank God for the harvest and thank God for His blessings.
Specifically, it was designed to help them look back to the faithfulness of God when He brought them out of Egypt.
It was on the last day of this celebration that Haggai addressed the leaders and the people.
Here’s the main point of the sermon this morning. It’s hard to move forward while looking back.
It’s Hard to Move Forward While Looking Back
“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, ‘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?”
The foundation of the new Temple had been laid and the form was starting to take shape.
The older men, who had been children when the Babylonians had invaded, had seen Solomon’s temple with their own eyes.
As they looked at the structure being built, they were shocked by how insignificant this new temple seemed.
“Doesn’t it seem to you like nothing?” Haggai asked. The word “nothing” means “worthless.”
It’s important to know that Ezra was a contemporary of Haggai’s and he gives us insight into what is going on here.
When the foundation was laid, they had a worship service to celebrate.
“And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid.
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.
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.” (Ezra 3:10-12)
The older people wept when they saw the new temple.
“Come here, young man. What are you cheering about? I saw Solomon’s temple. This isn’t even close. This is embarrassing. Solomon’s Temple had 285 tons of gold. This temple has no gold. Solomon’s Temple had 625 tons of silver. Look around, see any silver? It took 180,000 skilled laborers seven years to complete Solomon’s Temple. We’ve got 50,000 people that don’t know a hammer from a screwdriver. We’ve got less than $60,000 to work with.
The glory of the Lord departed the Temple and you think He will return to this hot mess? This temple won’t be the center of anything because we are now ruled by the Persians. This is useless. I’m going to go home and watch a Matlock marathon.”
Imagine that you had bought your wife a very expensive diamond and somehow she lost it. But you surprise her one day with a new ring - from a CrackerJack’s box. That’s how the older men felt about the new temple.
The older men discouraged the younger men and then everyone stopped working on the Temple.
Looking back has its place. That’s what the Feast of Tabernacles was all about - remembering the faithfulness of God.
That’s why we celebrate communion. We remember Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross and do this “in remembrance of Him.”
But nostalgia for the “good old days” can keep people from seeing what God is doing right here and right now.
Bruce Springsteen sang about the “glory days,” Eddie Money sang that he wanted “to go back and do it all over.” Miranda Lambert sang that she wanted to go back to “the house that built me.”
Some people live in the past. They are stuck. Uncle Rico, from the movie Napoleon Dynamite, would tell anyone who listens
“How much you wanna make a bet I can throw a football over them mountains?... Yeah... Coach woulda put me in the fourth quarter, we would've been state champions. No doubt. No doubt in my mind. Back in ’82, I could throw a pigskin a half a mile.”
We see this in churches that want to go back to the way church was done 50 years ago even though they know that won’t reach the young families around their community.
The great theologian Billy Joel sang, “The good ole days weren’t always that good and tomorrow ain’t as bad as it seems.”
What was behind this discouragement? Comparison.
In their eyes, they compared the new Temple to the old one and it wasn’t even a contest.
Teddy Roosevelt said, “Comparison is the thief of joy.”
It’s easy to get discouraged when you compare.
Pastors do it all the time. We go to a conference at a large church and walk around looking at all the resources they have and return home discouraged.
You look at that lady at the gym with the abs and you get discouraged and go eat a donut or three.
You compare your house, marriage, car, and life to other people and get discouraged that you are not where you want to be.
You see someone your age who seems to be so much more spiritually mature than you and you get discouraged because you made it to Leviticus this year again but quit because of all the talk of mold.
One of my favorite quotes on comparison is from Jon Acuff:
“Don’t compare your beginning to someone else’s middle.”
Haggai needed to step in and challenge them to stop comparing the two Temples and get back to work!
It’s hard to be discouraged when your eyes are on the Lord
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. ‘This is what I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt. And my Spirit remains among you. Do not fear.’
In the midst of the discouragement, Haggai has three commands from the Lord:
Be Strong!
Notice that God addresses the leaders first then the people.
Through the Scriptures, God continually has to remind the people, and us, to be strong because of our tendency to get discouraged and overwhelmed with our own weaknesses and failures.
Does this Temple project look “worthless?” Did it seem overwhelming? They might have agreed. But God’s plan is much bigger and they would need His strength to carry out His purposes.
Joshua was obviously overwhelmed when Moses died and he became the leader of the people. God encourages him:
"Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Josh 1:9)
They are to be strong. And…
Work!
Remember that you can’t move forward while looking back. God gives them the same command in chapter one.
Get to work! Finish what you started.
Once their hearts have been strengthened, it affects their hands.
But it isn’t going to be accomplished through pure human effort.
Why? Because God will not share His glory.
Paul told the Colossians:
“To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me.” (Col 1:29)
Do not fear!
365 times in the Bible we are told not to fear. Why? Because we have a tendency to be afraid.
Yes, the odds were against them. Yes, the surrounding nations were going to continue to harass them and threaten them.
Why could they, or us, not be afraid?
For I am with you.
Over 50 times in the Bible we are told by God, “I am with you.”
God told Moses:
“And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.” (Exodus 3:12)
When Gideon was hiding in a wine press, an angel of the Lord appeared and said, “The Lord is with you.” (Judges 6:12)
God told Jeremiah:
Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord. (Jer 1:8)
And Jesus, while giving His disciples their marching orders before He ascended, gave them, and us, this promise:
"And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matt 28:20)
By the way, Jesus is called Emmanuel which means, “God with us!”
Because God keeps His promises.
When God brought the people out of Egypt, He made a covenant with them:
“Then Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain and said, “This is what you are to say to the descendants of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.
Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’” (Exodus 19:3-6)
God is a promise-keeping God!
And my Spirit remains among you.
The same Spirit that led them out of Egypt and guided them with fire by night and cloud by day, is the same Spirit that still is with them in the rebuilding of the Temple.
Zechariah, who was with Haggai and also was a prophet, encouraged the people with these words:
“So he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.” (Zech 4:6)
It’s Hard to Quit When You Know What’s Ahead
Haggai then shifts from the present to the future and reminds them that the future’s so bright they need to wear shades!
“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. 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. ‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the Lord Almighty.
Haggai speaks of a day when God will once again shake the world.
God had shaken the nations in the past. We see this in Isaiah and Habakkuk:
“For when you did awesome things that we did not expect, you came down, and the mountains trembled before you.” (Isaiah 64:3)
“He stood, and shook the earth; he looked, and made the nations tremble. The ancient mountains crumbled and the age-old hills collapsed—but he marches on forever.” (Hab 3:6)
“Shaking” is a sign of His sovereignty and judgment. He will shake everything again when Jesus Christ returns to the earth.
The words of Haggai are found in only one New Testament book, the book of Hebrews:
“At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” The words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.” (Hebrews 12:26-29)
At the return of Jesus, His kingdom will be established and it will be unshakeable.
I want you to look at verse 7 closely with me. If you have a King James Version, you will see the “Desire of all Nations.” That Messianic title has even made it into our Christmas carols like Angels from the Realms of Glory:
Sages, leave your contemplations;
brighter visions beam afar;
seek the great Desire of nations;
ye have seen his natal star:
come and worship, come and worship,
worship Christ, the newborn King!
There is just one problem with that translation. The word translated desire is plural. It is not the desire of nations.
Our NIV translates it as “what is desired,” NASB “the wealth,” and ESV “the treasures.”
This is a prophecy not of the Messiah but of how God was going to provide for the building of the new Temple.
In Ezra 6, we read of King Darius finding a memo from King Cyrus in the archives and commanding that the Temple be furnished with all the articles that were stolen and that the workers be paid out of the royal treasury.
In fact, the memo ends with these words:
“Furthermore, I decree that if anyone defies this edict, a beam is to be pulled from their house and they are to be impaled on it. And for this crime, their house is to be made a pile of rubble. May God, who has caused his Name to dwell there, overthrow any king or people who lift a hand to change this decree or to destroy this temple in Jerusalem.
I Darius have decreed it. Let it be carried out with diligence.” (Ezra 6:11-12)
I’ve quoted Hudson Taylor before:
“God's work done in God's way will never lack God's supply.”
Before we look at the last verse of this section, let me give you some applications.
Dealing with Discouragement
The word “discouragement” literally means to be emptied of courage. It means to be less confident or less hopeful. We feel stuck, burdened, sad.
Discouragement is different from depression in that it is usually temporary.
Fear, failure, loss, lack of purpose, chronic health issues, loss of friends, loss of job, unhealthy relationships, lack of control, loneliness, tiredness, frustration, and not meeting goals can lead to discouragement.
I’ve lost 20 pounds but I’ve been stuck on a plateau for five weeks. That’s discouraging. Many of you have been there.
Moses, Elijah, Job, Jeremiah, David, and Paul all faced discouragement.
John the Baptist, languishing in prison, got so discouraged that he sent people to ask Jesus if He really was the Messiah or if should they expect someone else.
You can’t go back
I’ve heard people say that if they could go back they wouldn’t change a thing. What?! If I could go back, I would change a thousand things. I would be more patient with my children. I would love Maxine better and more intentionally. I wouldn’t have walked out of a job because I got mad.
But we can’t go back. There is no time machine, yet.
You can’t stay here
Discouragement is like quicksand. The longer you stay, the more it can get you down.
You have to choose to move forward
When you are discouraged, what are some things you can do to help?
Let go of painful memories. We are not able to forget but we can choose not to focus on these memories.
Forgive as the Lord has forgiven you.
Move on from the life you thought you were going to live and live the life you have been given
Remind yourself daily that God loves you and that you don’t have to perform for Him.
Stop comparing yourself to others.
Count your blessings
Remember that God is good and is always working for your good and His glory.
John Piper has said that “God is always doing 10,000 things in your life and, at any given time, you may be aware of three of them.”
- Spend some time alone with God and talk to him about it - prayer
Saturate yourself in the Scriptures
“Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.” (Duet 31:8)
Jesus told His disciples:
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
Go for a walk. Get outside in the sunlight.
- Repent of being so self-focused and do something to encourage someone else.
Take a nap. Sometimes I’m discouraged because I’m just tired.
Remember God’s faithfulness to you in the past
In our Daily Audio Bible readings this week, Brian read Psalm 77:
Asaph is obviously discouraged and asks:
“Will the Lord reject forever? Will he never show his favor again? Has his unfailing love vanished forever? Has his promise failed for all time? Has God forgotten to be merciful? Has he in anger withheld his compassion?” (Psalm 77:7-9)
He answers his own questions by remembering:
“I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds.” (Psalm 77:11-12)
- Treat yourself. Do something that gives you joy. Phil and I went to the record shops this week.
Listen to some Barry Manilow.
- Don’t fake it. If someone asks you how you are, tell them the truth
Fix your eyes on Jesus. Last week in adult Sunday school, we studied Jesus walking on the water in Mark 6. Peter got out of the boat and walked toward Jesus. But when Peter took his eyes off of Jesus and “saw the wind and the waves, he began to sink”. (See Matt 14)
Corrie Ten Boom knew this:
“If you look at the world, you will be distressed.
If you look within you will be depressed.
If you keep your eyes on Jesus, you will be at rest.”
Brighter Glory
’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.”
How in the world could this rinky-dink Temple, without any gold or silver or marble, have more glory than Solomon’s Temple?
Because 520 years later, glory would indeed return to this Temple as a baby who would change the world:
“Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:
“Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.” (Luke 2:25-32).
God's manifest presence returned to the Temple in glory - Jesus Christ, the Son of Man and the Son of God!
And Jesus is the only One who can bring peace.
Jared C. Wilson writes:
“There’s a storm inside of us for which Jesus is the peace. This peace comes to us from His very self. Indeed, Paul tells us that Jesus is your peace (Eph 2:14). And Jesus tells us that he wants to give this peace to us (John 14:27).
He says that He doesn’t give as the world gives. The world gives with strings attached and breaks promises. Our Lord Jesus gives Himself fully and freely to those He loves, and the effect is a peace that passes all understanding (Phil 4:7)”
Kathrine Von Drachenberg, better known as Kat Von D, is a world-renowned tattoo artist who starred in the reality shows LA Ink and Miami Ink.
She charges a $400 sitting fee and $200 an hour. She’s tatted a lot of celebrities like Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato, Dave Growl, and Ewan McGregor.
She is a best-selling author, a singer/songwriter, and was the CEO of her own makeup business.
In 2006, she stopped drinking but that didn’t bring her the peace she was searching for.
Over the past few years, she had her tattoos covered because she got many of them while drinking.
In 2022, she publicly renounced witchcraft and threw away her books on the occult and magic.
She moved her family from California to Indiana.
And a couple of weeks ago, she posted this video. She has found the peace that passes all understanding.
Video of Kat Von D getting baptized.
