Biblical Commentary

INVESTIGATION
When the Babylonians conquered Judah and its capital, Jerusalem, one of their first acts was to burn down the Temple of the Lord. For several decades, God’s covenant people were scattered throughout the Middle East. A significant number of Jews were exiled to Babylon, while others were taken to various villages in the region. The Babylonians left some of the poorest Jews in Jerusalem to work the land. With its Temple destroyed, its walls demolished, and the majority of its population dispersed, the once great city of Jerusalem languished.

The Jews desperately needed restoration after years in exile. When Cyrus, king of Persia, opened the door for them to return to Jerusalem, they recognized how difficult restoring the city and the Temple would be. Although the Jews began the massive Temple restoration project with enthusiasm, their opponents mounted a successful effort to frustrate their plans. Soon the restoration project came to a grinding halt.

The Temple was the dwelling place of God’s presence among His people. Restoring the Temple was not simply a practical act. It was highly symbolic. The people were in need of serious spiritual restoration. They had repeatedly broken their covenant with God and suffered dire consequences because of their disobedience. However, God once again reached out to them, promising to help restore the Temple and reaffirming His covenant with them.

IMPORTANCE
This passage of Scripture is important for students because it powerfully shows The Future is in God’s Hands. In verse six, Haggai says “in a little while” the Lord will shake the heavens and the earth. Most scholars see this as a foretelling of Christ. Verse nine speaks of future glory and verse 10 of future peace. The Lord was assuring His people in their time of need that He was indeed in control of the present as well asthe future. We can take hold of the same promise: God has a plan for the future that finds fruition in the perfect redemption of all believers.

This passage also touches on the Essential Truths People are God’s Treasure and Jesus is God and Savior.

INTERPRETATION
Haggai 2:1 Haggai delivered his message from the Lord on October 17, 520 B.C. (Hag. 1:1). This day was significant to the Jews because it was the final day of the Feast of Tabernacles, the weeklong celebration of the summer harvest (Lev. 23:33–43). The people probably did not feel like celebrating, though, because the Lord had sent a drought that had doomed the grain, grapes, and olives that were staples of the Jewish diet (Hag. 1:11). A failed harvest was a common curse for disobedience (Deut. 28:38–39). This particular drought was a judgment from God because His people had failed to complete the restoration of the Temple that had been destroyed by the Babylonians. The foundation had been laid 17 years earlier (Ezra 3:7–11), but in the face of opposition (Ezra 4:1–4) the Jews had turned their attention from rebuilding the Temple to reconstructing their own homes (Hag. 1:9) (Taylor and Clendenen, 2004).

Haggai 2:2 The Lord instructed Haggai to deliver His message to Judah’s two most important leaders, each of whom had significant genealogical connections. As the Persian-appointed governor of Judah, Zerubbabel was the top political official of the region. He was a descendant of Jehoiachin (1 Chron. 3:17), a king from the Davidic line who reigned for only three months before being taken into captivity by Nebuchadnezzar (2 Chron. 36:9–10). Joshua, the high priest, was Judah’s highest-ranking religious leader. He was the son of Jehozadak (Hag. 1:1), the priest who was sent into exile by Nebuchadnezzar and whose lineage could be traced back to Aaron (1 Chron. 6:3–15). With their connections to Israelite royalty and the Levitical priesthood, Zerubbabel and Joshua were significant links to Israel’s pre-exile past.

Haggai 2:3 The unfinished structure that was supposed to be the house of God bore little resemblance to the Temple that had originally been constructed by Solomon (1 Kings 6:1–38). Ironically, Solomon dedicated the Temple during the Feast of Tabernacles (1 Kings 8:1–21). For the Jews who gathered to celebrate the same Feast after the exile, the sight of the bare foundation of Zerubbabel’s Temple was symbolic of the corporate spiritual failure of God’s covenant people.

Sixty-six years had passed since Solomon’s Temple had been burned, so only the oldest of the exiles could remember the former glory of the house of God. While the exiles may have begun the restoration with high hopes, they could not help but admit that the result was lacking once the foundation of the Temple had been rebuilt. In fact, when the foundation stone had been laid, many people wept aloud as they remembered the glory of the former Temple (Ezra 3:12–13).

Since the Temple represented God’s presence among His people, its restoration was a necessary first step for the spiritual restoration of God’s people. Restoration was important not only for theological reasons, but also for political and economic purposes. The Temple bound the people together with a shared political identity, and Judean citizens had access to its courts. The Temple also functioned as the society’s bank, since a large percentage of the Judean economy passed through the Temple in the form of tithes and offerings. The Jews needed to restore the Temple in order to rebuild their society after the Babylonian exile (Life and Times Historical Reference Bible, 1997).

Haggai 2:4 The Lord’s words of encouragement were reminiscent of the words He had spoken to His people in the past. As Joshua prepared to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land after the death of Moses, the Lord urged him to be strong and reassured him of His ongoing presence (Josh. 1:4–5). Interestingly, David employed similar language when he charged his son Solomon with building the first Temple (1 Chron. 28:20).

Haggai 2:5 God’s continued presence with His people was part of His covenant with them. He reassured Moses of His presence even after the Israelites had rebelled and worshiped the golden calf (Ex. 33:14). The Lord put His Spirit on the 70 elders who would help Moses lead the Israelites (Num. 11:16–17). In this verse, God reminded His covenant people that His Spirit remained with them despite their rebellious past. The people may have failed to carry out their covenant responsibilities, but God had not.

The Hebrew word that is translated as “remains” in this verse also means “standing.” As the people contemplated God’s Spirit standing among them, they may have recalled how God’s Spirit stood before their ancestors in the form of a pillar of cloud by day and fire by night to guide them during the exodus (Ex. 13:21–22).

Haggai 2:6–8 Haggai announced the coming day of the Lord’s judgment. The image of God shaking the heavens, earth, sea, and dry land would have reminded the Jews of two incidents from the exodus: the parting of the Red Sea (Ex. 14:21–22) and the giving of the Law on Mount Sinai (Ex. 19:18–19).

God’s promise to shake the nations would be fulfilled in several timeframes. First, God intended to use the pagan nations to supply the financial resources necessary to restore the Temple. The prophet Isaiah also envisioned such a time (Isa. 60:5–7). This came to pass when King Darius discovered a decree written by Cyrus that stated the Temple was to be rebuilt and the costs were to be funded by the royal treasury (Ezra 6:3–5). Darius then issued his own decree, ordering the worker’s expenses to be paid from the royal treasury so that the restoration of the Temple could be completed (Ezra 6:8). Haggai 2:6–8 also foreshadowed the fall of the Persian Empire to Alexander the Great. Finally, this passage pointed toward God’s judgment in the end times. The writer of Hebrews quoted this verse as he anticipated the second coming of Christ (Heb. 12:26–29).

The phrase “the desired of all nations will come” is the subject of dispute, since some scholars believe the words point to the Messiah while others do not.

Haggai 2:9 God’s glory is a manifestation of His divine presence. When Moses confirmed the covenant with God on Mount Sinai, the glory of the Lord settled on the mountain, appearing to the Israelites as a consuming fire (Ex. 24:15–17). After Moses completed the work of setting up the tabernacle, the glory of the Lord filled the place (Ex. 40:35).

A literal reading of the first part of this verse is “Great will be the glory of this house the latter.” The best translation is “Great will be the latter glory of this house,” with emphasis on God’s presence. Thus, the later presence of God in the Temple would be greater than the earlier. Years later, Joseph and Mary would bring the young Messiah to be dedicated at this same Temple (Luke 2:21–32).

IMPLICATIONS
The Jews had failed to obey the covenant and had been judged accordingly. Later, God returned them to their homeland, just as He had promised. Yet even then they failed to restore His house. Still, God’s presence was among them. God’s love for His people had not faded. The people would reaffirm the covenant by resuming the work of God and restoring the Temple. And God would restore them to a right relationship with Him.

Jesus instructed His disciples to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness; then everything else would fall into place (Matt. 6:33). Today’s passage from Haggai makes the same point. As God’s people, we are called to do God’s work. We should be strong because we know God’s presence is with us, just as He was with His people in Haggai’s day and in Moses’ day. Even when we sin, He is waiting for us to return to Him and rejoin Him in building His Kingdom.

Are you ready to reaffirm your covenant with God? Are you ready to enthusiastically serve Him? Thank God for His forgiveness. Praise Him for His presence. Praise Him for always wanting to restore us. Challenge your students to renew their commitment to walking with God.

 

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