The Book of Haggai was written just after the Israelites returned from being in exile in Babylon. The Israelites in Babylon had suffered much, brought on by the evil and stubborn ways of their forefathers.
The Babylonians had besieged Jerusalem taking most of the Israelites captive and taking them back to their homeland where they would live for 70 years before Cyrus (Ezra 1) being guided by God would allow them to return to their chosen land. God needed to bring the exile upon the nation for them to turn back and worship Him. The nation who had turned back to God, would be very open hearted and sensitive to all that had happened, now back in the land, when God challenges them to their responsibility, they listen and heartily respond to what God has to say. God was very ready when they responded to His voice and obey Him; God was quick to say (Haggai 1:13 and Haggai 2:4) “I am with you,”
Hear in the book of Haggai God says to the Israelites now living back in Canaan, Israel as we know it today, you are leading very selfish lives living in palatial homes yet the House of God lies in ruin. Haggai is just two chapters we read in Haggai 1:1 In the second year of King Darius, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest:
2:This is what the LORD Almighty says: "These people say, `The time has not yet come for the LORD'S house to be built.' "
3:Then the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai:
4:"Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your panelled houses, while this house remains a ruin?"
5:Now this is what the LORD Almighty says: "Give careful thought to your ways.
6:You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it."
7:This is what the LORD Almighty says: "Give careful thought to your ways.
8:Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build the house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honoured," says the LORD.
9:"You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?" declares the LORD Almighty. "Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with his own house.
10:Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops.
11:I called for a drought on the fields and the mountains, on the grain, the new wine, the oil and whatever the ground produces, on men and cattle, and on the labour of your hands."
12 Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and the whole remnant of the people obeyed the voice of the Lord their God and the message of the prophet Haggai, because the Lord their God had sent him. And the people feared the Lord.
13 Then Haggai, the Lord’s messenger, gave this message of the Lord to the people: “I am with you,” declares the Lord.14 So the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of the whole remnant of the people. They came and began to work on the house of the Lord Almighty, their God, 15 on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month. The Promised Glory of the New House In the second year of King Darius,
Haggai 2 - 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,[a] 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? 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.’
Here in Haggai 2:6 to 9 God reveals to Haggai some profound truths regarding what will happen at the end of the age. It reads - 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.”
Here in Haggai 2:10 to 19 God is reminding the Israelites when rebuilding the House of the Lord that if they do not behave in a Godly manner they will defile the work, the work will be impoverished it will not prosper, but if they continue to uphold the law and obey the Lord they will know God’s Blessings in their lives. Reference verse 19 - “From this day on I will bless you.’”
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.
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.’”
Here in Haggai 2:20 to 23 God reveals His plans at the End of the Ages - 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.
Here in Haggai 2:20 to 23 God is telling his people that they symbolically like Zerubbabel as well as all Gods people down through the centuries will be recognised and rewarded for being faithful to their God. It reads - 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.”
What lessons can we glean from the book of Haggai
We can understand a little of what the Israelites were feeling at this time, having suffered under the hand of the Babylonian empire for 70 years. David says in Psalm 34:17-19 - 17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. 18 The Lord is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.19 The righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all;
We have to visualise how the people of Israel felt, who while back in Babylon heard the good news that by a change of heart through God Cyrus king of Persia had wholeheartedly encouraged the Israelites to return to their cherished land (Ezra 1). After a very long journey back to their home land eager to rebuild the House of God, the intimidation from the waring nations about were sufficient to dishearten them to the extent they give up the rebuild (Ezra 4). In exchange they decide with all the precious skills they have they would start to build their own palatial homes, resulting with no outside intimidation from their enemies. God did not let them go free, they suffered impoverishment over their crops, feeling very dissatisfied. God said to them a number times over their failures “Give careful thought to your ways. Whenever we seek wholeheartedly to do a work of God, Satan will be at our heels seeking to thwart the work, we have to stand strong. God spoke to Joshua at the commencement of his mission to lead the children of Israel back into the Promised Land, facing great warriors and giants said “Be strong and very courageous”. We need to be strong for the work God gives us to do.
Israel responded by returning to rebuild the House of God. The people did turn their hearts, and when the people responded, God says twice in Haggai 1:13 and Haggai 2:4 “I am with you,” Jesus said when He gave us the great commission to go and make disciples of all nations, He said in Matthew 28:20 - And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” In 2 chronicles 20:15 God said: “Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s. We are Gods servants He is at the head, we just have to trust and obey.
The Israelites were returning to their own land, to begin a new life in worshipping and serving their God. It began by them rebuilding the Alter which sat in the Holy of Holies, holding the Ten Commandments, then the rebuilding of the Temple (Ezra 3) and finally rebuilding the walls (Nehemiah 3). With the responsibility we have of carrying out the great commission, or when we or others have had to turn back to God we have to apply the same three principles in the same order as Israel did under the leadership of Ezra and Nehemiah. First we have to build the Alter, the Alter which is the centre where God dwelt. We are the Temple of the Holy Spirit we need to allow God to be the Alter in the centre of every part of our lives. But we also need a wall of Gods protection to ward off the temptations and cunning devises of Satan, as Paul reminds us in Ephesians 6:10 to 17 - 10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armour of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
In Haggai 2: 7 and 8 God gives an insight into His plans for what is going to happen in the Last Days: which reads - ‘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. Also in the New testament we read in Hebrews 12:25-28 - 25 See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven?
26 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.”
27 The words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain.
28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe,
29 for our “God is a consuming fire.”
These very words are being fulfilled in our time; God is most certainly shaking the nations. There was a world financial crash in 2008, more recently large institutions have had their unhealthy behaviour uncovered, and barbaric religious groups are infiltrating societies all around the globe. We read in Job 12: 22 - He reveals the deep things of darkness and brings utter darkness into the light. 23 He makes nations great, and destroys them; he enlarges nations, and disperses them.
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