Read Haggai 2
2 1 on the twenty-first day of the seventh month, the word of the Lordcame through the prophet Haggai: 2 “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, 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.’
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 housewith 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.”
Blessings for a Defiled People
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.’”
Zerubbabel the Lord’s Signet Ring
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.
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.”
Go Deeper
We saw in the previous chapter a message to the people to consider their ways. The Lord had called them to be faithful to complete the building of the Temple, but they had moved God’s command to the bottom of their to-do list. Instead, they had prioritized their own agenda and decided to make for themselves luxurious paneled houses while the Lord’s house was in ruins. They had been blinded by their own comfort, preferences, and sinful desires. However, the people heard this message through the prophet Haggai and responded. This rebuke produced revival. They obeyed the Lord, feared Him, and got to work! Haggai 1 ended by telling us that the Lord stirred up the spirit of the people, and they began work on the house of the Lord (1:14).
In Haggai 2, we see an encouragement and a blessing. Through the prophet Haggai, God told the people, “Be strong, all you people of the land,’ declares the Lord, ‘and work. For I am with you” (v. 4). The Lord repeats the phrase “be strong” multiple times. This task of building the temple was a mighty one and the people were feeling discouraged. This temple was less glorious than the previous, however it was just a preview of what was to come. There’s a reminder here for them to be strong, knowing that they couldn’t do what the Lord was calling them to do on their own strength. The hardships they are going through would be worth it. The Lord continues saying, “This is what I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt. And my Spirit remains among you. Do not fear” (v. 5). God repeats a promise He made back in Exodus that His presence will be with them always.
There are many promises that the Lord makes to His people in this chapter. In verses 6-9, God explains why the temple is worth rebuilding. God tells the people, “I will shake all nations, and what is desired by all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory” (v. 7). This is a key verse in the prophecy. Scholars have differing views on what the “desire of all nations” means, but most would attribute this to the return of Christ. He is the desire of the nations, whether they know it or not. God has set eternity in the hearts of man and there is a universal longing for hope and restoration, that is only found in Christ. We are commissioned with the great task of sharing the hope of salvation to all peoples of the earth.
The Lord encourages them that the “glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house” (v. 9). This house is the temple of God. When Jesus returns, He will fulfill what this prophecy is referring to. The greater glory will come when every nation, tribe, people, and tongue will join Israel in the worship of the Lord. The best is yet to come for the people of God, and the best is yet to come for us. We have a hope that is like an anchor, firm and secure (Hebrews 6:19). We are heirs to a kingdom that cannot be shaken (Hebrews 12:28). We can be strong today in what the Lord has called us to do, because we know how the story ends. Jesus Christ, the desire of the nations, will one day return and reign forever.
Questions
- What is the Lord calling you to reprioritize in your own life? Is there an area in your life where you are placing your own comfort over obedience to the Lord?
- What is something you are trying to do on your own strength? What does it look like to rely on the strength of the Lord?
- God’s desire is that all nations would know and worship Him. He has commissioned us to be His witnesses to all the ends of the earth. What does it look like for you to be a part of making the gospel known amongst all peoples?
Keep Digging
To learn more about the phrase “the desired of all nations” mentioned in verse 7, check out this article from GotQuestions.org!
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2 thoughts on “Haggai 2”
Whatever God asks of us, we can rest assured that it is for our good and his glory. Just stepping into obedience will seem contrary to our human nature, but having courage to do the work he’s called us to do will reap rewards. We are never alone on this journey, no matter how treacherous the path may be, his spirit is in us. Ephesians 1:4-6 says, “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.“ He equips us to partner with him to change the world; it’s amazing that of all the ways he could have chosen, he chose people to do his work. This should highly motivate us to open our heart and hands to the One who has chosen us. Will we be part of the faithful band of believers who step up and say, “Here am I send me”?
Wow there is a lot of meat in these 2 chapters. My biggest take away was that God’s work suffered while man pursued his own pleasure, still today. We are wasting God’s blessings to/for us by putting ourselves first. I also noted that the dates were very precise, Weirsbe gave some insight on that. The Jews of this time were big on the law and exactness of details so this all played into what was happening (WOW God!!) Put God first in your life, believe God’s promises, honor and obey God by keeping up the good work of Zerubbababel. He was chosen by God, as we are to work together to build God’s “temple”. We are to be a light, live in God’s strength, live in God’s power through His Holy Spirit. He is leading us!
“Sin is contagious, righteousness is not!” John MacArthur
God thank You for dramatic grace. Thank You for Your strength in me through Your Holy Spirit. God help me to not seek You for just blessings but that I want to KNOW YOU more deeply and itimatley! Show me how to bless people or what I need to do to not pursue my own pleasure but Your will in Jesus name amen
WOOHOO!!!