Study on the Book of Haggai

On the plains of Moab, prior to Israel entering the Promised Land Moses delivered to the people a series of messages that may be considered the constitution for the theocracy of Israel once she was established in the land. The people were facing war, temptations, and a new, settled way of life under the unproved leadership of Joshua. Moses’ congregation was the survivals of the forty years wandering in the wilderness. They had not experienced the deliverance from the hand of the enemy at the Red Sea or the giving of the law at Sinai.

Moses warned the people when they enter and settle in the Promised Land they must not add to or take away from the commandments and statues of the Lord. If they obeyed the commands and statues of the Lord, they will prosper in the offspring of their bodies, of their beasts, and in the produce of the ground. God will open His good storehouse and give rain to the land in its season. They will be the head and not the tail. If they do not keep the commandments and statues of the Lord, they will suffer internal calamites, such as death, despair, disease, and decline, external judgments, such as defeat by their enemies.

When the Israelites entered The Promised Land under the leadership of Joshua, they were undefeatable. The reason they were undefeatable, their God was with them. They were His chosen people and He would lead them to victory. Following their settling in the land, they became corrupt in the structure of their society and in their obedience to God. They did not heed the words of Moses. The Lord then left them to the mercy of their enemies who showed them no mercy.

The northern kingdom of Israel, whose fall to the Assyrians in 722 b.c. fulfilled the first part of Moses’ prediction of captivity in Deuteronomy 28, was the first to go into captivity. God allowed His chosen people to be conquered and deported from the Promised Land because they turned their back on Him and ignored the warnings that He sent to them through His prophets, including Elijah and Elisha.

The southern kingdom, Judah, was captured and the people taken into captivity by the Babylonians. The siege of Jerusalem began in 605 b.c. In 605 and 597 the leading Judean citizens, including Daniel and Ezekiel were deported to Babylon.

On the seventh day of the fifth month, in the nineteenth year of the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, entered Jerusalem; he ordered the burning of the temple, the king’s house, all the houses in Jerusalem, and breaking down of the wall around Jerusalem. Those who survived the siege of Jerusalem and the deserters who had deserted to the king of Babylon were carried away into exile (2 Kings 25:8).

In Babylon, the captives were unable to worship their God because the temple was the only place of formal worship. They built synagogues where they could hear the reading of the Law and informally worship their God.

Cyrus, after the defeat of Babylon by the Persians, issued a decree in 538 b.c. allowing the captives to return to Judah and Jerusalem. He furnished the materials needed to restore the temple (2nd Chronicles 36:23; Ezra 4:6). The brazen altar was rebuilt, offering of sacrifices was resumed and the foundation for the restoration of the temple was laid.

When the Samaritans’ offer to help in the restoration of the temple was rejected they began a series of organized, planned actions against the restoration of the temple, including an injunction that was issued by Artaxerxes (Ezra 4:7-23). When Darius came to the throne of Persia in 521BC he confirmed Cyrus’ decree and overturned the injunction. Instead of resuming the restoration of the temple, the people claimed this was not the right time to restore the temple. Their claim was based on the prediction the people would spend seventy years in captivity. According to the date they were using for the beginning of the seventy years, the date the temple was destroyed by the Babylonians, two years remained to be fulfilled.

In the second year of Darius’ reign, Haggai and Zechariah were sent by the Lord to minister to the people and their leaders. Their mission was to encourage the people to resume the restoration of the temple that had been dormant for about fifteen years.

Haggai, whose name means "festive," began his ministry two months prior to Zechariah’s ministry. He addressed the issue of the restoration of the temple, Zechariah; whose name means "Jehovah remembers" addressed the spiritual condition of the people. His mission was to lead the people into a complete spiritual renewal through faith in the Lord. In his message to the people, he addresses the nature of God’s Law and the promises of the Lord. Both Haggai and Zechariah point to the coming of the Messiah.

Malachi, whose name means "my messenger," prophesied during the time when the wall of Jerusalem was being rebuilt. He called the people to a recommitment of themselves to the Lord and the following of His Law. The people’s failure to pay tithes to the Lord was condemned by both Nehemiah and Malachi (Nehemiah 13:10-14; Malachi 3:8-10). Malachi leaves us with the feeling there is more to come. The Lord still has promises to fulfill on behalf of His people.

We might ask ourselves, what is it the Lord is revealing to us in the messages Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi took to the captives that returned to Judah and Jerusalem. In each of these messages there is a comparison made between the captives and their past generation. In these messages, there are examples of lifestyles and commitment to the Lord and His plan for mankind as well as indifference. Today there are Christians who are making the same mistakes these captives made when they returned to Judah and Jerusalem. The captives were letting self and the enemy control their lifestyles and commitment to the

Lord. When it is convenient for them, they will restore the temple. When the opposition and hindrances to the restoration of the temple ceases and the demands of life are met, then there will be time to finish the restoration of the temple.

The wealth of the powerful nations of this century and their great military power will not protect them. Those who turn from God He can break as He did ancient Israel. Like ancient Israel their destruction will not come from foreign invaders, although God does and will use foreign invaders as instruments of punishment, their destruction will come from within, as it did with ancient Israel.

Haggai takes us back to the time when the Babylonian captives were permitted to return to their homeland. In 538BC, the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the prediction the people from Judah and Jerusalem will spend seventy years in captivity (Jeremiah 25), “the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus, king of Persia, so that he sent a proclamation throughout his kingdom, and put it in writing, saying, Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, ‘The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and He has appointed me to build Him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever there is among you of all His people, may the Lord His God be with him, and let him go up!’” (2 Chronicles 36:22-23; Ezra 1:1-4).

Cyrus returned the articles taken from the temple by Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, in 605 (Daniel 1:2), in 597 (2 Kings 24:13), and in 586 (2 Kings 25:14-15; Jeremiah 27:16-22), the temple furniture was destroyed in 586 (2 Kings 25:13; Jeremiah 3:16). The neighbors of the Jews were ordered to support their return to Judah and Jerusalem with silver, gold, goods, and cattle, and a freewill offering (Ezra 1:5). About fifty thousand Jews took advantage of the proclamation (Ezra 2:64-65), returning to Judah in 536BC, under the leadership of Zerubbabel, who Cyrus appointed governor of Judah.

Zerubbabel, Joshua, the high priest, and men from all the cities in Judah rebuilt the brazen altar and in the seventh month, the beginning of the Feast of Trumpets (Numbers 29:1-6) they offered burnt offerings to the Lord, and celebrated the Feast of Booths, which lasted from the fifteenth to the twenty-second of the seventh month. The foundation of the temple was laid in 535BC. The Levites, twenty years and older, were appointed overseers of the restoration of the temple (Ezra 3:7-13) and restoration of the temple began.

When the Samaritans, the descendants from the intermarriages of Israelites and foreigners who were transplanted to Samaria by the king of Assyria in 669BC heard the temple was being restored offered their help in restoring the temple. When the offer was rejected, they began harassing the workers and did whatever they could to hinder the restoration of the temple, which included obtaining an injunction prohibiting the rebuilding of the wall around Jerusalem that was torn down by the Babylonians.

When Darius ascended to the throne of Persia, he confirmed Cyrus’ proclamation and overturned the injunction. Instead of returning to the restoration of the temple, the people began to make excuses why they were not restoring the temple. They claimed this was not the right time to restore the temple because they were in the sixty-eighth year of the seventy-year captivity predicted by Jeremiah (chapter 25). They were busy building houses for themselves, planting crops, tending their flocks and vineyards.

The work stoppage caused by the injunction, although it only applied to the building of the wall, was understandable. Now that the injunction was overturned, even though the Samaritans continued to harass the workers and do whatever they could do to hinder the restoration this was no reason for not resuming the restoration of the temple.

Like many professing Christians today, the Jews were using their situation as an excuse for not obeying the will of the Lord. They are too busy doing their own thing, which is temporary and will come to no good end rather than doing what is eternal and will bring joy and happiness.

The Lord will do what He did before the Israelites went into captivity. He will explain to them why they are in the situation they are in just as He revealed through Ezekiel why they were taken into captivity.

Verses one and two - “In the second year of Darius the king of Persia, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet to Zerubbabel...governor of Judah and Joshua ...the high priest, saying, Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘This people says, “The time has not come, even the time for the house of the Lord to be rebuilt.”’”

The Lord of hosts does not call the exiles “His people” because they were ignoring His will. His will for the people is the restoration of the temple. They say the time is not right to restore the temple. They use the injunction against the rebuilding of the wall as an excuse for not restoring the temple. They use the harassment of the Samaritans as an excuse for not restoring the temple. Now that the injunction has been overturned and the harassment by the Samaritans has declined, they are using the need to build houses for themselves and their families and providing food and clothing for themselves and their families as an excuse for not restoring the temple.

These people did not say they would not restore the temple. Like many Christians today, they did not say they would not obey the will of the Lord. They said this was not a convenient time to do it. We often hear professing Christians or those who know they need to turn from their sinful ways and sinful deeds use time as an excuse for not doing what they know and admit they should be doing.

The word of the Lord speaking to Zerubbabel and Joshua through Haggai implies as the civil leader and religious leader they were not doing what they should be doing, that is setting an example for their people, even if they do not follow it. Those who are leaders in the church need to set a proper example for those that come under their care. Parents should set a proper example for their children. Why should the children attend church services if those who hold positions in the church find something more important to do on Sunday morning, Sunday night and Wednesday night or whatever other night is set aside for the worship of the Lord and the fellowship of the family of God? Why should children attend church when their parents attend when it is convenient for them? Serving the Lord demands sacrifice and sacrifices. The harvest fields of the Lord often lack laborers because the laborers put off working in His fields because it is not a convenient time.

There is a natural tendency in the human nature to misinterpret God’s will for our lives. We often fail to see the opposition we face when we are called into the service of the Lord is a test of our faith.

Listen closely to what the Lord is saying to these people and what He has to say to us when we put self ahead of Him. You say it is not time to build My house, My kingdom. But it is the time to build your houses, plant your crops, tend your flocks, vineyards, do your thing. What is even more shameful, you are using the gifts that were given to Me to build My house, to build your houses, buy seed, and food.

Evaluate what you are doing. Compare what you are doing and what you are not doing. Consider this, what have you gained by seeking to satisfy your desires over My desires. Where are you? What you are doing and what are the results?

Verse six - “You have sown much, but harvest little; you eat, but there is not enough to be satisfied; You drink, but there is not enough to become drunk; you put on clothing, but no one is warm enough; and he who earns, earns wages to put into a purse with holes.”

You have not prospered seeking self-satisfaction. You thought you could escape poverty by not restoring the temple and keeping the resources that have been given to you to be used to restore the temple and spend them on what you thought would bring you comfort and happiness. Instead of cheating the Lord, you have been cheating yourself. Crop failure has dragged you deeper into poverty. What you earn you are unable to keep because the cost of living is constantly increasing. The word of the Lord through Haggai is saying, “Compare what you have done and what you are suffering.

It is important to remember there are those who suffer because someone or some group has done something to cause the suffering or has not done something that would have prevented the suffering. I believe there were a few faithful who were trying to restore the temple. But their progress was hindered by the actions of those who should have been working alongside them.

This people were neglecting the restoration of the temple. They are misusing the gifts that were given for the restoration of the temple. Did they prosper? No. What have they gained? Nothing. Are they better off than they were in Babylon? No.

The cedar wood that was purchased for the restoration of the temple from Lebanon (Ezra 3:7) you used to build your houses. Now the wood must be replaced. The Lord will not stir up the spirit of the king of Persia or the neighbors as He did when the proclamation was sent through out the land requiring the people to give gifts of silver and gold and a free will offering to the captives that were returning to Judea and Jerusalem. Now they must provide the material to restore the temple. They are told:

In verse nine to eleven, we find the judgments for neglecting the restoration of the temple. The Lord will not send the nation into captivity again. He will not bring a foreign enemy against them. He will deal with them. They will sow much and what they sow will produced little. They were expecting a harvest that would meet their needs, be able to sell some of the harvest, and save some of it.

Our expectations from what we do are often frustrated when they are the highest. We expect a great return from our labors and the return is nowhere near, what we expect. They were asking themselves why they were in this economic situation. The Lord was displeased with what they were doing and He was sending a wakeup call. Their situation was not merely a matter of chance. The One who controls the clouds shut them up and withheld the dew and rain. He turned the heavens into brass and the earth iron. What grain broke through the iron like ground and promised a plentiful crop was parched by the rays of the sun and withered away. Not only did the Lord withhold the dew and rain He ordered the weather to be extremely hot. The scorching heat burned up the fruits of the vine and trees. Nothing is more beneficial than the heat of the sun. If its heat is permitted to go out of control, the benefits are lost.

The drought the Lord called for was universal and its effects were felt by every creature on the earth and in the air above the earth. There was no grass in the pasturelands for the cattle and sheep. The extreme heat had a deadly effect upon the elderly and children. It drove the patience of men and women beyond their control. It brought disease upon the cattle and sheep and they died. The drought caused a shortage of food and fur and wool used to make clothing.

The drought was a warning to those who provoke the Lord. There comes a time when His blessing are withheld and His judgments are poured out on the land. We may try to candy coat the message the word of the Lord through Haggai has sent to Zerubbabel, Joshua, and the people of Judah and Jerusalem, but the truth is clearly revealed in this first of four messages the word of the Lord delivered through Haggai. Disobedience results in punishment.

Verse twelve - Then Zerubbabel...and Joshua...with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the Lord and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the Lord their God had sent him. And the people showed reverence for the Lord.” All those who heard the word of the Lord through Haggai received it in the love it was sent to them and were convicted by it. Zerubbabel, the governor who had been useful in the service of the Lord did not plead his past merits as grounds to ignore the message. He accepted the reproofs for his past mistakes and failure to obey the commands of the Lord. Joshua the high priest, whose responsibility it was to teach the people was willing to be taught and instructed. The remnant of the people bowed before the Lord and accepted the yoke that was placed upon their neck. The Lord said, “go work in my vineyard (temple) and they said we go.” They not only said we go, they had said that before and did not go. Instead of delaying, they went immediately.

The people Haggai delivered this message to looked up to him as the Lord’s messenger and the message he delivered was the Lord’s message and not the words of a man. What they heard was the word of Almighty God and they obeyed the words of Haggai.

When we listen to what the ministers of the Lord say, we must be aware of who has sent them, receive them for His sake, and not honor the messenger. Someone speaking for the Lord was something new to these people. There has not been a messenger sent from heaven in their midst for many years. Now that there was one they paid attention to what he had to say. They were not like their fathers who did not listen to or heed the words of the prophet and misused them.

Sometimes it is a good thing when good preaching is missing. It creates a desire in the heart to hear good preaching. Too often in this present age men and women want to hear only what makes them feel good and does not violate their comfort zone. The words Haggai was given to deliver to civil leader, the religious leader, and the remnant of the people did not make them feel good. It violated their comfort zone and they were able to see themselves as the Lord sees them. What they saw stirred up their spirits and they turned from whom they were to what the Lord wanted them to be. They applied themselves as vigorously to the task the Lord had given them, according to their capabilities or abilities.

The consideration of the Lord’s sovereign dominion in the world, His providence, and His relationship with His people by His grace should stir up our spirits to obey Him and advance the interest of His kingdom among men to the utmost of our power.

Haggai brought the message from the Lord on the first day of the sixth month and on the twenty-fourth of the same month, a little over three weeks later they were busy restoring the temple. Their return to the restoration of the temple revealed their shame for neglecting the restoration of the Lord’s house and they were determined to no longer delay. They set about the work of restoring the temple while they were still under conviction.

In chapter two, we have three messages from the word of the Lord by Haggai to Zerubbabel, Joshua, and the remnant of the people for their encouragement in restoring the temple. They are told the temple they are building will in respect to the spiritual will exceed that of Solomon’s temple. In the second message, Haggai will assure Zerubbabel, Joshua, and the remnant of the people though their sin in delaying the restoration of the temple had a negative effect on their lives, now that they are restoring the temple the Lord will bless them and give success in what they are doing. In the third message, Haggai assures Zerubbabel that as a reward for his pious zeal and activity, he will be a favorite of heaven and one of the ancestors of Messiah the Prince whose kingdom will be set in the ruins of all opposing powers.

Verse one - three - “On the twenty-first day of the seventh month,” the last day of the feast of Tabernacles, “the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet saying, speak now to Zerubbabel....and to Joshua....and to the remnant of the people saying, ‘Who is left among you who saw this temple in its former glory? And how do you see it now? Does it not seem to you like nothing in comparison?”

It is possible there were among the workers restoring the temple men who saw Solomon’s temple in all its glory. They had to admit there would be no comparison between the restored temple and the temple dedicated by Solomon some four hundred and forty years earlier at the feast of Tabernacles (1st King 8:2). A similar comparison was made when the foundation of the temple was laid about 15 years earlier (Ezra 3:8-13).

When comparisons are made we need to remember God’s view of what we do is not the same as man’s view (Zechariah 8:6; 1st Samuel 16:7). We need to remember when we do something that is pleasing in the sight of God our pride will not let us be satisfied with what we have accomplished unless it meets the standards of those whose abilities exceed ours. This comparison can have a discouraging effect. The Lord through Haggai tells Zerubbabel, Joshua, and all the people of the land:

It is true; from the viewpoint of man, Zerubbabel’s temple will be inferior to Solomon’s temple. But Zerubbabel and Joshua must not let this discourage them. If they are discouraged, it will affect the attitude of the people who are doing their best to restore the temple. We may think our best is not enough, but our best is all the Lord asks of us. If those who are overseeing the restoration project have a good attitude about the project, the worker will have a good attitude. The encouragement needed in the restoration of the temple, in doing the will of the Lord is the advice given to Zerubbabel:

The Lord of hosts made this same promise in chapter one verse thirteen. The presence of the Lord overcomes fears, disappointments, and discouragement. When we are in the dark days of life it is the presence of the Lord that turns the night into day. The people who were restoring the temple had hundreds opposing them, but they had the Lord of hosts with them. He will fight for them and intercede for them. If the Lord is for us, who can be against us? The extent of the presence of the Lord is revealed in verse five.

Zerubbabel, Joshua, and the remnant of the people have nothing to fear. They have the Lord of hosts on their side, His Spirit is abiding in their midst, and He will keep the promises He made when Israel came out of Egypt. Although the Lord has punished them for their transgressions the promises He made when they came out of Egypt were not nullified. The Lord dwells among His people by His Spirit, even though His Spirit is often grieved and provoked to withdraw from them for a season, He is now with them. It was the Spirit of the Lord of hosts that stirred up their spirits to come out of Babylon (Ezra 1:5). It was the Spirit of the Lord of hosts that stirred up the spirits of the people to resume the restoration of the temple (Haggai 1:14). Although the Lord is going to “Once more...shake the heavens and earth, the sea...and the dry land” Zerubbabel, Joshua, and the people have nothing to fear. The Lord is going to do what He did when He brought His people out of Egypt.

The Lord of hosts is going to do what He did when He brought them out of Egypt to Mount Sinai where He shook the heavens and earth with thunder, lightning and earthquakes. This shall be done again when at the sufferings of Christ, the sun will be darkened, the veil of the temple torn into from top to bottom, the earth will shake and rocks split. Tombs will be opened and many of the saints who have fallen asleep (died) will be raised from their sleep and coming out of the tombs after the resurrection of Christ and will enter Jerusalem and appear to many (Matthew 27:51-53).

This may be a reference to Zerubbabel’s temple and the additions made to it by Herod and the peace the Son will make with the Father on the cross or the peace Christ will bring to the world at His second coming. This is why the people must not be discouraged because this temple will lack the gold, silver, and precious stones that were in Solomon’s temple. These were a symbol of the glory that will come to this temple.

Who owns all the riches of this world? He allows us to use them. He becomes very upset when we misuse them. God does not need gold and silver to adorn His temple. When gold and silver are used to adorn God’s temple the builders are using what is God’s. David admitted this when he and his princes offered vast sums of gold and silver for the building of the temple. He said, “all things come from You, and from Your hand we have given You...all this abundance that we have provided to build You a house for Your holy name, it is from Your hand, and all is Yours” 1st Chronicles 29:14,16).

If we have gold and silver, we must serve and honor God with them, for they are His. He has given them to us for our use, but they remain His. If we do not have gold and silver and we serve and honor God with what we have He will accept us. God does not need our gold and silver, it is already His. He wants our love and what we offer Him is a reflection of that love. The Lord of hosts is telling the people who are giving their best to the Lord, if He wants gold, silver, and precious stones adoring His house He will provide them.

The Jews admitted something was missing from the temple, the fire from heaven, the ark, the Urim and Thummim, and the Schechinah. If these are missing how can this temple exceed Solomon’s temple, the presence of the Messiah, the Son of God will be in it. Here the glory of the Lord of hosts was found in the temple when He was twelve years old. Years later, He will teach and perform miracles in the temple area. He will drive out those who were making His Father’s house a den of thieves.

It was necessary the temple be restored because here was where the Messiah would come. When He was rejected, the Romans destroyed the temple. From the departure of the Messiah to the present there has been no peace in Judah and Jerusalem. But the Lord of hosts said He will establish peace in this place. Who will establish peace in this place? The nations of the world, how can they establish peace in this place when they cannot establish peace among themselves? The One who will establish an everlasting peace in this place is the promised Messiah, our Lord Jesus Christ.

Verse ten - “On the twenty-fourth of the ninth month in the second year of Darius,” Haggai received the second of three messages from the Lord. This message was given to Haggai when the people were working on the restoration of the temple. There were workers whose hearts and hands were unclean. Haggai is sent to the priests for a ruling on the law dealing with the difference between the clean and unclean. He asks the priests two questions.

Although Haggai is, a prophet ordained by the Lord, his ministry is speaking to the people for the Lord and give directions concerning the duties to be performed by the civil and religious leaders and all the people in the land. It was the duty of the priest to speak to the Lord on behalf of the people, teach the people the general meanings of the ordinances of the Lord and to give them general rules for the observances of the ordinances of the Lord. It is possible Haggai was sent to the priests so that out of their mouths he might judge both the acts of the priests as well as the people whose hearts and hands were unclean.

The priests’ answer to Haggai’s question was “No” (v. 12). The rule is, if a man has meat meant for a sacrifice touches other things they will not be made holy. Even though the garment is made a dedicated thing it is not to be put to a common use till it had been washed in the holy place (Levities 6:27). But it cannot transmit holiness to other things.

Verse thirteen - “Then Haggai said, ‘If one who is unclean from a corpse touches any of these, will the latter become unclean?’ And the priests answered and said, ‘It will become unclean.’”

The touching of a corpse made a person ceremonial unclean. Whatever a ceremonial unclean person touches becomes unclean (Numbers 19:22). These rules clearly state pollution is easier transmitted than holiness. It is important people realize living good moral lifestyles is not the way to find favor in God’s eyes. They may find favor in the eyes of men. Finding favor in the eyes of the Lord requires a clean heart and hands. Dwelling on the unclean of this life will defile the heart. Touching the unclean things of this life will defile them. Therefore, it is important they keep at a distance from it. When we come into the presence of the Lord, we must have a clean heart and clean hands. The holy eyes of the Lord cannot look on unclean things or tolerate them.

The Lord does not call the people and nation His people and nation. They were unworthy to be called His. They thought their offering sacrifices on the altar would sanctify them and excuse their neglect to build the temple and remove the curse that the neglect has brought upon them. The Lord said their contempt of God’s temple would bring pollution upon their common enjoyments and their sacrifices. Though they work hard, building the temple and offer costly sacrifices on the altar this will not sanctify their meat and drink. They will find no comfort in the works of their hands. The impurity of the heart and life make what good a person does unclean and an abomination to the Lord. The reason for the drought and famine was the neglect of restoring the temple. Now that they have returned to the restoring of the temple Haggai tells them:

Verses fifteen and sixteen - “Consider from this day onward: before one stone was placed on another in the temple of the Lord, from that time when one came to a grain heap of twenty measures, there would be only ten; and one came to the wine vat to draw fifty measures there would be only twenty.”

Haggai tells the people to retrace the past and compare what evils came upon them before they began the work of laying the temple upon the foundation that was built when the exiles first came to Jerusalem. Now that they have begun the restoration of the temple, the Lord will bless them. They have suffered the consequence of disobedience now they will enjoy the blessing of obedience. They must be careful not to fall into the indifference that brought the judgment of the Lord upon them.

While the people were ignoring the restoration of the temple it was foolishness to think the Lord would take care of them. When the Lord was not doing what the people thought He should be doing and what He promised He would do it should have been a sign they were out of step with the Lord. These people were like many people today. Either they do not see the hand of the Lord in the situation they are in or they do not see their disobedience as the source of the situation. This is why Haggai told the people to consider their ways. They need to see when they neglected the restoration of the temple they moved backward.

Now that they are working to restore the temple they will find they will move toward the Lord and not away from Him and He will bless them. When people begin to change their ways the Lord will bless instead of punishing. As they move closer to the Lord, they will find a remarkable change to the better in all their affairs.

The seed is in the barn, it has not been sown. There are no buds on the fruit trees. There is no fruit on the vines. There is no evidence this crop will be better than the previous crops. However, the Lord says, “From this day I will bless you.” This will be the best day of your life. On this day you can mark it as the return of your prosperity. You shall recover all your losses. The Lord does not wait to the time of harvest to tell the people they will have a good return on what they have planted and the trees and vines will produce. He tells them in advance.

This word from the word of the Lord is directed particularly to Zerubbabel, who has thoughts in his head far beyond those of the common people. They are concerned about their grain fields and vineyards. Zerubbabel is concerned about the community and its interests, about the neighboring nations, the revolutions of their governments, and the few and weak exiles and how the predicted changes will effect them. How can he protect his people? He has no army. The Lord tells Haggai to “Go to him and tell him it shall be well with him and his people. He will hear of great commotions in the nations. He must not let this surprise him. This universal unrest is to be expected in a world that is like a sea and a wheel, constantly moving and sometimes in a special turbulence. In these instances, the proud oppressors will be broken and brought down. It will not happen through the efforts or strength of man. The Lord said:

Verse twenty-two - “I will overthrow the thrones of kingdoms of the nations; and I will overthrow the chariots and their riders, and the horses and their riders will go down, everyone by the sword of another.” The Lord will stir-up the hearts of the leaders of the nations and He will use them to bring each other down. The Babylonian Empire was a great kingdom of the earth; it was overthrown brought down by the Persians, who will also be brought down. The strength of these kingdoms will be destroyed and only one will remain standing, the kingdom of the Lord.

The kingdoms of this world trust in chariots and mounted warriors, but they shall be overthrown and will not be able to attack the people of God. They will not escape the judgments of the Lord. This seems to be a reference to Christ’s victory over the powers of darkness, His overthrow of Satan’s kingdom. The throne of kingdoms is a reference to the throne of the god of this world. It will be taken from him. In addition, Christ shall put down all the opposing rule, principality, and power.