Through the Bible - Haggai
July 19, 2008 · Pastor Miles DeBenedictis
In this teaching
The book of Haggai addresses the remnant of Israel who, after returning from 70 years of Babylonian exile, had grown discouraged and abandoned the rebuilding of God's temple to focus on their own paneled houses. Through the prophet Haggai, God corrects their misplaced priorities, encourages the discouraged leaders Zerubbabel and Joshua, and promises blessing and greater glory in the latter house, ultimately fulfilled in the coming of Christ.
- Haggai prophesied alongside Zechariah in 520 BC to the 50,000 committed Jews who returned from Babylon to rebuild Jerusalem under Zerubbabel and the high priest Joshua.
- The people had laid the temple's foundation 18 years earlier but stopped the work out of discouragement, devoting themselves instead to building their own houses—exchanging idolatry for materialism.
- God revealed their physical hardships (drought, lack, futility) had a spiritual root: their wrong priorities while His house lay in waste.
- When the people obeyed and resumed the work, blessing did not come overnight, because a lifetime of disobedience takes time to reverse—clean cannot make the unclean clean.
- The promise that "the desire of all nations shall come" and that the latter house's glory would surpass the former points to Jesus, who filled the temple with God's glory.
- The enduring application: seek first the kingdom of God, sow to the Spirit, and do not grow weary in well-doing, for in due season you will reap.
Then the prophets, Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied unto the Jews that were in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, even unto them. () > > In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, in the first day of the month, came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet unto Zerubbabel... and to Joshua... the high priest, saying... Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses, and this house lie waste? ()
When God's people grow discouraged and let His work sit in ruins, He calls them to consider their ways, right their priorities, and trust that obedience reaps blessing in due season.
A Small but Powerful Book
The book of Haggai has only two chapters, making it the second smallest book in the Old Testament—the first being Obadiah. Obadiah spoke powerfully about God's judgment upon the flesh, our carnal sin nature, which is never to be revived or restored. Nearly every one of the major and minor prophets speaks of God's judgment, but also of restoration—how He brings a remnant from the ashes, beauty from ashes, the oil of joy for the garment of heaviness.
As we come to Haggai, God once again wants to speak to His people. Before we get into the verses, we must understand the setting: this comes after Israel had been exiled for 70 years in Babylon.
The Historical Setting
When we went through the historical books, we saw how Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came and carried Israel away into exile because of their sin. They had failed to follow God's law for over 400 years, and so they spent 70 years in captivity. Then Babylon was overthrown by the Medo-Persian Empire, which you can read about in Daniel and Ezekiel.
After that, a king arose who had been prophesied by name some 200 years before he was born. In and 45, God named this king: Cyrus. Cyrus gave the children of Israel the opportunity to return to the promised land and rebuild Jerusalem, just as God said He would allow.
When they were led into captivity, we estimate that about 200,000 people went, but only 50,000 returned. Many stayed in Babylon, content to dwell outside the promised land—much like the two and a half tribes in the book of Joshua. But this committed group of 50,000 came back to rebuild the city. You can read their story especially in Ezra and Nehemiah.
Haggai and Zechariah
Haggai and Zechariah lived and ministered together. tells us they prophesied together to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem. Haggai's name appears again in , both times alongside Zechariah.
gives us the exact temporal marker—we could put a pen on the timeline of history and know exactly when this prophecy took place. It begins in September of 520 BC, during the reign of Darius, king of the Medo-Persian Empire, the same Darius mentioned in Daniel. The Bible is historical. These things really took place, and God wants to speak to us through His dealings in history. As Paul tells us in , all these things happened as examples and were written for our instruction.
Zerubbabel and the Line of the Messiah
The returning remnant was led primarily by Zerubbabel, the governor of the region, who was from the line of David. This is important because in and , Zerubbabel's name appears in the line of the Messiah—it is through him that Christ ultimately came. Interestingly, the two genealogies of Jesus differ; one comes through Mary, the other through Joseph. But both share a common ancestor, first in King David, and second in Zerubbabel.
God had a specific word for this man, because in the context of what was going on, he had become discouraged. Have you ever been in that place—a little discouraged in the work of the Lord, or in the work God is doing in and through you? Zerubbabel was in that situation.
A Discouraged Remnant
When these committed Jews got back to the land, did they find everything easy? Absolutely not. It was a difficult work. By the time we reach Haggai, this is 18 years after they first returned, and in 18 years they have gotten very little done. They went back to rebuild the temple, and all they had accomplished was laying the foundation.
You may remember from Ezra that when they laid that foundation, a group of old men stood watching and began to cry. They said it just wasn't the same—not as beautiful as Solomon's temple. The young men shouted with joy, but the older group stood with tears, saying, "It's just not like the old days."
Don't we hear that constantly in the church today? We keep talking about the Jesus Movement of the late 60s and early 70s, "Oh, what the Lord did back then." It's almost like looking back to the first temple and saying the glory of the Lord was 20 years ago—or, as these men said, 60 years ago. They got discouraged by the task in front of them. And often we find ourselves in that very same place.
When Discouragement Stops the Work
So the work stopped. Isn't that what often happens in our lives? When we get discouraged, we stop doing the work God has called us to. I meet people time and again who commit to serving in children's ministry or men's ministry, and within the first three to six months they are met with some discouragement—trouble at home, trouble at work—and their immediate reaction is, "I've got to stop serving. There's too much going on." That is exactly what the enemy wants. He always seeks to discourage you from the work God has set before you.
We saw it in Nehemiah—he came with the king's authority to rebuild the walls, and immediately enemies came to stop and discourage the work. But Nehemiah pressed through. Here, before Nehemiah, the people are discouraged, and God must speak to them.
From Idolatry to Materialism
Why did God send His people into Babylon in the first place? Their major sin was idolatry. They were an idolatrous people when they went in. Babylon was the center of pagan idolatry—it's almost as if God said, "You want idols? I'll give you idols until they flow out your nose." And they grew tired of idolatry there.
But when they returned, something had changed. They came out as a materialistic people, focused on things. That became their idol. They no longer bowed to golden statues, but they became merchants—rich, materialistic. From that time until today, Israel has been a merchant people focused on things. They came back to Jerusalem, got discouraged in God's work, and turned their focus upon themselves.
"Consider Your Ways"
Notice who God first speaks to in —not the people directly, but the governor Zerubbabel and the high priest Joshua, the leaders. Throughout Scripture, the leaders are meant to seek the Lord, hear from Him, and lead the nation.
The people were saying, "The time has not come to build the LORD's house." There was confusion over when the 70 years began—when they were first carried away, or 18 years later when the temple was destroyed. So they reasoned it was not yet time. But God says "this people"—not "my people"—implying the time had come. The proof was that they were already in the promised land; He had brought them back.
Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses, and this house lie waste? ()
For 18 years the house of the Lord lay in ruin, but they had been building their own houses—the word implies they had more than one, perhaps a house in the city and one in the country. They added kitchens, second levels, fine countertops, hired the big contractors. But they weren't focused on the Lord's work; they were focused on themselves.
The Drought Had a Cause
Now therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways. Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes. ()
They had inflation in that day too. They worked hard to get ahead but never had enough. Everything they tried fell flat. This was exactly the judgment God had warned of in , and exactly what He spoke through Micah ()—you'll plant but never have enough, build houses but not live in them. These were the curses, not the blessings. The people might have assumed everything was fine because they were in the promised land, but their physical problems had a spiritual foundation. We need to recognize that the physical things we experience in this life always have some spiritual background.
Consider your ways. Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the LORD. ()
Notice the promise: it doesn't need to be more beautiful than the first one. It just needs to be built. If they build it, God will take pleasure and be glorified. It had nothing to do with grandeur and everything to do with their commitment to His work.
Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? saith the LORD of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house. ()
God wasn't condemning them for owning nice houses. The problem was that they focused on their houses while His lay in waste. So He called for a drought—not only of water, but upon the corn, the new wine, the oil, the cattle, and all the labor of their hands.
The People Obey
Then Zerubbabel... and Joshua... the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the LORD their God... And the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel... and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and did work in the house of the LORD of hosts, their God, in the four and twentieth day of the sixth month. (, 14–15)
God's word was immediately received, and the people got to work. The message came on the first day of the sixth month; by the twenty-fourth day, just a few weeks later, the work had begun. They righted their wrong priorities. And along with the command came the promise: "I am with you, saith the LORD."
Encouraging the Discouraged Again
But it didn't last long. In the seventh month, on the twenty-first day—only about a month later—the word of the Lord came again, because they had become discouraged once more.
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 same discouragers showed up again, as they always do, saying, "It just doesn't look like it once did." Solomon's temple had silver and gold in such abundance that silver was like stones. Compared to that, the people looked at their work and called it nothing. So the Lord encouraged them a second time:
Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel... and be strong, O Joshua... and be strong, all ye people of the land... and work: for I am with you, saith the LORD of hosts. ()
The Desire of All Nations
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; 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. ()
Who is the desire of all nations? Jesus. God says, "I am going to shake the world"—and He shook it by bringing His only begotten Son. Wherever the name of Jesus goes, the world shakes. The entirety of Western civilization is founded upon the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. This shaking still continues, and it will grow far more intense when He comes a second time.
Does the temple they were building remain today? No—it was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD. But before it was destroyed, God filled it with glory through the coming of Jesus Christ. He is the invisible revealed; in Him we beheld the glory of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth (). When Jesus entered that temple, it was filled with the glory of the Lord like no temple before it.
The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts. The glory of this latter house shall be greater than that of the former... and in this place will I give peace, saith the LORD of hosts. ()
This was not about Herod's later restoration. When the disciples admired the temple's stones, Jesus said not one would be left upon another (). It had nothing to do with the building. The greater glory was the Prince of Peace who came to that temple, and the peace He gives.
Clean Cannot Make Unclean Clean
After two more months, the word came again (). Once more the people had grown discouraged, because the blessing had not come immediately. So Haggai posed a question to the priests, whose role was to explain the law—just as we do here: read the word, then give its sense, line upon line, precept upon precept.
If one bear holy flesh in the skirt of his garment, and with his skirt do touch bread... shall it be holy? And the priests answered and said, No. ()
If you carry something holy and it touches something unclean, will it make the unclean clean? No. But the reverse is true—if an unclean person touches something clean, the clean becomes unclean. Bring a well child into a sick child's room and the well child gets sick, not the other way around.
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 thought, "We started building the temple, so everything should immediately get better." But three months later they were still struggling and discouraged again. Haven't you been there? I've ministered to many who say, "You told me if I did this my marriage would get better—I did it, and it hasn't, so I quit." We're tempted just as Israel was.
But you have lived for 20 years in rebellion, neglecting the things of God. Don't think one day will fix everything. You spent a lifetime sowing to the flesh; now you reap its corruption. You've finally begun pulling weeds and planting the good seed of God's word, but change takes time.
Worship From an Unclean Heart
If we are walking in sin, even our worship becomes unclean to the Lord. If you come in on a Sunday after walking in the flesh all week, satisfying its desires, simply showing up to worship will not automatically make things better. You dirty the worship—taking something clean and defiling it.
This is exactly what God told Israel in Isaiah 1:
Hear the word of the LORD, ye rulers of Sodom... To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me?... Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me... your appointed feasts my soul hateth... when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood. ()
They had the temple, the priesthood, the law, daily sacrifices morning and noon and evening, every feast observed. Yet God said, "Although I commanded you to do this, I don't want it, because you do it from wicked, unclean hearts." That kind of thing doesn't change in a single night.
"From This Day Will I Bless You"
Consider now from this day and upward, from before a stone was laid upon a stone in the temple of the LORD... I smote you with blasting and with mildew and with hail in all the labours of your hands; yet ye turned not unto me, saith the LORD. (, 17)
God reminds them: there was a time when twenty measures yielded only ten, when fifty vessels of wine yielded only twenty, because He had brought a drought. But now:
Consider now from this day and upward, from the four and twentieth day of the ninth month... from this day will I bless you. ()
Why? Because they obeyed. They had laid the foundation and begun to build. They didn't see the blessing of obedience the next day, but God says, "I will bless you, because you have set your heart to finish the work I called you to."
A Signet Ring
And again the word of the LORD came unto Haggai... Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, I will shake the heavens and the earth... In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, will I take thee, O Zerubbabel, my servant... and will make thee as a signet: for I have chosen thee, saith the LORD of hosts. ()
Because Zerubbabel heeded God's word and led the people rightly, God made him like a signet ring—chosen. Chosen for what? Read and , and you'll find Zerubbabel's name in the genealogy of the coming Messiah. He obeyed the voice of the Lord. As Andrew Murray wrote years ago, there are blessings in obedience.
Sow to the Spirit
It may not happen immediately, but as we sow to the Spirit, we reap everlasting life. Sow to the flesh, and you reap corruption and destruction—many of you experienced that in your former life before walking with the Lord. But sow to the Spirit and you reap eternal life. And if it doesn't happen immediately, that's all right: "Let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not" ().
The basic application of Haggai is this: God speaks to a people with wrong priorities. You've been focused on building your wealth, your house, your life. But if you really want your life to prosper, build His kingdom and His house. It's the same word God gave Joshua before entering the promised land—meditate on My word day and night, and you will make your way prosperous. And it's the same word Jesus gives in the Sermon on the Mount:
Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. ()
Don't worry about what you'll wear or eat or where you'll sleep—after all these things the Gentiles seek. You have a heavenly Father who knows your needs. Seek first His kingdom, and all these things will be taken care of.
Do the One Thing in Front of You
These people were discouraged and about to faint. They looked at the past and said the former glory was greater; God said He would do a new work greater than they could imagine. They looked around and said it wasn't working as Haggai promised; God said, "Keep walking in obedience. Sow to the Spirit, and you shall reap everlasting life." In all our discouragements, our Lord is there to encourage us once again with His word.
There is much in shambles in each of our lives. You look at how you may have messed things up—just like Nehemiah, who climbed over rubble and saw nothing but ruin and said, "This place is destroyed." But God says, "That's okay. Just do the one thing right in front of you." In Nehemiah's day, every person built the wall in front of their own house, and in 52 days the whole wall was built. So focus on the one thing God has set before you tonight. Do that one thing in obedience, and the word of God promises you will reap the kingdom and eternal life.
Closing Prayer
God, I thank You for the testimony, the word of the prophet Haggai. Lord, his name means festival, and if we follow You in obedience, we will experience the joy of the spring feasts, the fall feasts, the joy of the harvest, as we set ourselves to the work before us. Yes, maybe we've been discouraged by things going on around us, or by great obstacles in front of us—but Lord, You are the One who tears down those things. So I pray tonight that You would stir our hearts to seek You, to obey what You have shown us, to do the task right in front of us. Pour out a blessing upon this group, upon those committed to rightly dividing Your word, just as You said in Haggai 2: "From this day will I bless you." May we see and experience that blessing in our lives as we draw near to You, knowing You have promised to draw near to us. We praise You and thank You for Your word. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
Scripture in this teaching
15Passages opened in this message
Related teachings
12Other messages that open the same passages