HAGGAI LESSON 2
We will begin this lesson in Haggai 2:1 "In the seventh [month],
in the one and twentieth [day] of the month, came the word of the LORD
by the prophet Haggai, saying,"
This is about the same month as our September, or October. The
21st would be the last of the feast of tabernacles. The harvest took
place at this time. Leviticus 23:34 "Speak unto the children of
Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month [shall be] the
feast of tabernacles [for] seven days unto the LORD." Harvest time
was, generally, a time of great joy.
Haggai 2:2 "Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel,
governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest,
and to the residue of the people, saying,"
This is a separate message from that in chapter 1. Again, this
message is to the governor, high priest, and to the people. Matthew
1:12 "And after they were brought to Babylon, Jechonias begat
Salathiel; and Salathiel begat Zorobabel;"
Haggai 2:3 "Who [is] left among you that saw this house in her
first glory? and how do ye see it now? [is it] not in your eyes in
comparison of it as nothing?"
The magnificent temple in Solomon's time was far above anything
else in the world at that time. The wealth in silver and gold in the
temple was like the wealth of an entire country today. The wood used
was the cedar of Lebanon. These people, who had been in captivity,
could not amass such great wealth. It would have been unusual for
anyone living to have seen it, because it had been destroyed about 70
years before. It is possible, some very old person could have lived
during that time. We do know that in the work of the foundation, some
of the older people wept at this new foundation. It appears, they were
saddened by the fact, they could not build the wonderful temple that
Solomon had built.
Haggai 2:4 "Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith the LORD; and
be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest; and be strong,
all ye people of the land, saith the LORD, and work: for I [am] with
you, saith the LORD of hosts:"
This is encouragement from God. God is not worried about the
expensive items of the temple. God is more interested in their hearts
desiring to build the temple. God is pleased with their effort. God is
with them, and will help them. They have shown faith in God by
starting the construction. All He asks is their loyalty, and their
love. He does not need, or want, wealth. Everything on, and in, the
earth belongs to Him already. God's approval gives them strength to go
on.
Haggai 2:5 "[According to] the word that I covenanted with you
when ye came out of Egypt, so my spirit remaineth among you: fear ye
not."
"Exodus 29:46 And they shall know that I [am] the LORD their God,
that brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, that I may dwell
among them: I [am] the LORD their God." If they were faithful and
kept the commandments of God, God would bless them abundantly. If they
did not obey God, then curses would come upon them. The building of
this temple showed they wanted God to be their God. He will bless them
for their love of Him. He will be their God, and dwell with them. The
following Scripture is what God wanted all along. Revelation 21:3 "And
I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of
God [is] with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his
people, and God himself shall be with them, [and be] their God."
Haggai 2:6 "For thus saith the LORD of hosts; Yet once, it [is] a
little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the
sea, and the dry [land];"
I believe the Scripture above has jumped over, until the time
when Jesus will destroy the evil of all nations, and He will reign in
Jerusalem as King. Just before Jesus sets up His kingdom, there will
be a terrible calamity upon the earth. Matthew 24:29 "Immediately
after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the
moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven,
and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:" In God's time table
of all of eternity, it was but a little time.
Haggai 2:7 "And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all
nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the
LORD of hosts."
The temple in Jerusalem will be restored to its greatness at that
time. The nations of the world had been worshipping false gods. God
will shake them to the point, they will give up the worship of false
gods that cannot help them. Luke 21:10 "Then said he unto them, Nation
shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:" Luke 21:11
"And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and
pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from
heaven." Read the rest of this chapter in Luke to get the full
impact. They will turn to the One, True, Living God who can help them.
The glory of God will rest in the temple in Jerusalem. God wins the
victory over the entire world system. Jesus will reign as King of
kings.
Haggai 2:8 "The silver [is] mine, and the gold [is] mine, saith
the LORD of hosts."
Everything we know belongs to God. "Silver" spiritually means
redemption, and "gold" means the purity of God. From the physical and
the spiritual standpoint, silver and gold belong to God.
Haggai 2:9 "The glory of this latter house shall be greater than
of the former, saith the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give
peace, saith the LORD of hosts."
This is saying, that the latter house will be more glorious than
the one Solomon had built. One greater than Solomon will reign, Jesus
Christ. Jesus is the King of peace, and He brings perfect peace to all
the earth. II Thessalonians 3:16 "Now the Lord of peace himself give
you peace always by all means. The Lord [be] with you all." The glory
of the Lord filled Solomon's temple, when he dedicated it to God.
The glory that will be in this temple, is the continual presence of
the Lord Jesus Christ.
Haggai 2:10 "In the four and twentieth [day] of the ninth
[month], in the second year of Darius, came the word of the LORD by
Haggai the prophet, saying,"
This is 2 months and 3 days later than the last message. It is 3
months after they began to build on the temple. God is, now, giving
Haggai a new message to speak.
Haggai 2:11 "Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Ask now the priests
[concerning] the law, saying,"
One of the things the priests did, was instruct the people in the
law. To instruct the law, they must be very familiar with the law.
This is the LORD sending Haggai to ask the priest the question.
Haggai 2:12 "If one bear holy flesh in the skirt of his garment,
and with his skirt do touch bread, or pottage, or wine, or oil, or any
meat, shall it be holy? And the priests answered and said, No."
This has to do with passing on holiness. The priest, in this
case, possessed the holiness in himself, but it did not mean that he
could pass it on to someone else. This is like being saved. The person
who is saved becomes a child of God. That does not mean that their
children will necessarily be saved. The child of the saved one must go
to God for himself. Each person has to receive directly from God
himself. Just because you are a Christian, does not mean you
automatically save those around you. You may touch them, as this
garment did these other elements. To receive God's holiness for
themselves, they must reach out and touch God. The holiness of the
nation could not pass to others around them, just by contact.
Haggai 2:13 "Then said Haggai, If [one that is] unclean by a dead
body touch any of these, shall it be unclean? And the priests answered
and said, It shall be unclean."
This seems like a contradiction, but it is not. Whatever
uncleanness the nation had, would affect all the people. They had been
disobedient to God, when they did not build the temple.
Haggai 2:14 "Then answered Haggai, and said, So [is] this people,
and so [is] this nation before me, saith the LORD; and so [is] every
work of their hands; and that which they offer there [is] unclean."
The people were not pleasing to God, when they did not build the
temple. The crops, they planted during that time of disobedience,
would not produce. God would not bless them in their disobedience.
They got about half the amount of production out of their crops that
they would have, had they been building the temple. As far as God was
concerned, they were unclean, because they had not sought God first.
To obey God is better than sacrifice. Their crops would not produce,
until they obeyed God.
Haggai 2:15 "And now, I pray you, consider from this day and
upward, from before a stone was laid upon a stone in the temple of the
LORD:"
From the moment the first stone was placed toward building the
temple, their crops would be blessed. God blesses them, because they
have begun, in obedience to Him, to build the temple. God would not
multiply the crop that was produced in their disobedience, but would
bless their next crop, since they are now obedient.
Haggai 2:16 "Since those [days] were, when [one] came to an heap
of twenty [measures], there were [but] ten: when [one] came to the
pressfat for to draw out fifty [vessels] out of the press, there were
[but] twenty."
This is speaking of the production of their crops before they
began the temple. They had not been cut off completely, but they had
not been blessed. They had barely enough to make it. Their crops
produced no more than half what they had anticipated. This is
chastisement from God.
Haggai 2:17 "I smote you with blasting and with mildew and with
hail in all the labours of your hands; yet ye [turned] not to me,
saith the LORD."
All of the problems they had, originated with God. He was trying
to get them to repent, and obey His commands. He was trying to make
them realize their error.
Haggai 2:18 "Consider now from this day and upward, from the four
and twentieth day of the ninth [month, even] from the day that the
foundation of the LORD'S temple was laid, consider [it]."
He wants them to take special note of the day, they began work on
the temple. From that moment on, God would bless them in everything
they did. They would not feel the blessings for awhile, but the
blessings began on that day. Crops take a while to produce. Their next
crop would be bountiful. He wants them to remember the blessings came
with their obedience to Him. He says it more than once, to impress on
them the connection between obedience to Him, and their being blessed.
Haggai 2:19 "Is the seed yet in the barn? yea, as yet the vine,
and the fig tree, and the pomegranate, and the olive tree, hath not
brought forth: from this day will I bless [you]."
It is as if, God blesses each seed. It would be as if some super
growth product had been applied. It had. It was called blessings from
God.
Haggai 2:20 "And again the word of the LORD came unto Haggai in
the four and twentieth [day] of the month, saying,"
This is another separate time, when God spoke through Haggai.
This is on the same day as the last, but with a separate message.
Haggai 2:21 'Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, I
will shake the heavens and the earth;"
This message is for Zerubbabel personally. We see that it is not
a world power that God is speaking of shaking the heavens and earth,
but of Himself. Isaiah 13:13 "Therefore I will shake the heavens, and
the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of
hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger."
Haggai 2:22 "And I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms, and I
will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the heathen; and I will
overthrow the chariots, and those that ride in them; and the horses
and their riders shall come down, every one by the sword of his
brother."
God was showing Zerubbabel, that even though some country
actually attacks, it is the finger of God in operation. God uses
countries to carry out His wishes. They are but pawns in His hand.
Mark 13:8 "For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against
kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there
shall be famines and troubles: these [are] the beginnings of sorrows."
Hebrews 12:26 "Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath
promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also
heaven." God is all powerful. He is control of everything and
everyone. God will cleanse the earth by destroying the heathen nations
that are opposed to God and His people.
Haggai 2:23 "In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, will I take
thee, O Zerubbabel, my servant, the son of Shealtiel, saith the LORD,
and will make thee as a signet: for I have chosen thee, saith the LORD
of hosts."
Zerubbabel is dedicated to the service of God. His signet seals
him as having power and authority from God. God appreciated the trust
and faithfulness Zerubbabel had shown in building the temple. God
gives him the signet to show His trust in him. The signet ring was the
power of attorney to use the authority of the One who gave it. In
this, Zerubbabel was a type and shadow of Christ. God gave Christ the
signet of being His Right Hand.
Haggai 2 Questions
1. The 21st day of the seventh month would cover what feast?
2. Quote Leviticus chapter 23 verse 34.
3. Who was Zerubbabel's father?
4. ___________ was governor of Judah.
5. What question was asked in verse 3?
6. How much wealth was in the tabernacle Solomon built?
7. Why would it have been unusual for anyone to be living, that had
seen the temple Solomon built?
8. Why were the people building the temple so sad?
9. What would make them strong?
10. What is God more interested in, than putting great wealth into the
temple?
11. God is pleased with their _________.
12. Quote Exodus chapter 29 verse 46.
13. What was the condition placed on them to receive God's blessing?
14. Quote Revelation chapter 21 verse 3.
15. What time does the author believe verse 6 is speaking of?
16. Quote Matthew chapter 24 verse 29.
17. When had the temple in Jerusalem been filled with God's glory?
18. In the 21 chapter of Luke, what are some signs of the end?
19. Who can help them?
20. Who will reign as King of kings?
21. What does "silver" mean?
22. What temple is verse 9 speaking of?
23. What is the glory that will be in the latter temple?
24. Who was asked about the law?
25. Verse 12 has to do with passing on _________.
26. Why was their work unclean?
27. When did God begin to bless them in their work?
28. What percentage had their production been off?
29. Why had the hail and mildew come to their crops?
30. Who was the last message addressed to?
31. Quote Isaiah chapter 13 verse 13.
32. Quote Mark chapter 13 verse 8.
33. How will God cleanse the earth?
34. What does God giving Zerubbabel the signet mean?
35. He is a type and shadow of whom?
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