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Haggai 2:1-23...

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Haggai Chapter 2

The Builders Encouraged to the Work by Promise of Greater Glory; God's promise to Zerubbabel He encourages the people to the work,

2 I1In the seventh month, in the one and twentieth day of the month, came the word of the Lord by the prophet Haggai, saying,

2Speak 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,

3 Ezr 3:12; Zec 4:10 3Who 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? by promise of greater glory to the second temple than was in the first.

4 Rom 8:31; Mar 16:20; Hag 1:13; 1 Sam 16:18; Exo 3:12; Zec 8:9 4Yet 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:

5 Zec 4:6; Isa 63:11; Neh 9:20; Exo 29:45-46 5According to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, so my spirit remaineth among you: fear ye not.

6 Heb 12:26; Isa 34:4; Jer 4:26 6For 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;

7 Psa 24:7; Mal 3:1; Deu 18:15; Gen 3:16 7And 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.

8The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the Lord of hosts.

9 Luk 2:14; Isa 9:6; Psa 85:8-9; Luk 11:31 9The 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. In the type of holy things and unclean he shows their sins hindered the work.

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,

11 Lev 10:10; Deu 33:10 11Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Ask now the priests concerning the law, saying,

12If 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.

13 Num 19:11 13Then 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.

14 Tit 1:15 14Then 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.

15 Hag 1:5 15And 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:

16Since 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.

17 Amo 4:8-11; Amo 4:6; Jer 5:3; 1 Kin 8:37 17I 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.

18 Zec 8:9 18Consider 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.

19Is 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. God's promise to Zerubbabel.

20¶And again the word of the Lord came unto Haggai in the four and twentieth day of the month, saying,

21 Eze 21:27; Heb 12:26 21Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, I will shake the heavens and the earth;

22 Mic 5:10; Mat 24:7; Dan 2:44 22And 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.

23 SS 8:6; Jer 22:24; Jer 22:24 23In 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.

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Introduction to Haggai
by John MacArthur

Title

The prophecy bears the name of its author. Because his name means “festal one,” it is suggested that Haggai was born on a feast day. Haggai is the second shortest book in the OT (Obadiah is shorter) and is quoted by the NT once (cf. Heb 12:26).

Author and Date

Little is known about Haggai apart from this short prophecy. He is mentioned briefly in Ezra 5:1 and 6:14, on both occasions in conjunction with the prophet Zechariah. The lists of refugees in Ezra mention nothing of Haggai; there are no indications of his parentage or tribal ancestry. Nor does history provide any record of his occupation. He is the only person in the OT with the name, although similar names occur (cf. Gen 46:16; Num 26:15; 2 Sam. 3:4; 1 Chr 6:30). Furthermore, Hag 2:3 may suggest that he too had seen the glory of Solomon’s temple before it was destroyed, making him at least 70 years of age when writing his prophecy. There is no ambiguity or controversy about the date of the prophecy. The occasion of each of his 4 prophecies is clearly specified (Hag 1:1; 2:1; 2:10; 2:20), occurring within a 4 month span of time in the second year (ca 520 B.C.) of Persian king Darius Hystaspes (ca 521-486 B.C.). Haggai most likely had returned to Jerusalem from Babylon with Zerubbabel 18 years earlier in 538 B.C.

Background and Setting

In 538 B.C., as a result of the proclamation of Cyrus the Persian (cf. Ezra 1:1-4), Israel was allowed to return from Babylon to her homeland under the civil leadership of Zerubbabel and the spiritual guidance of Joshua the High-Priest (cf. Ezra 3:2). About 50,000 Jews returned. In 536 B.C., they began to rebuild the temple (cf. Ezra 3:1-4:5) but opposition from neighbors and indifference by the Jews caused the work to be abandoned (cf. Ezra 4:1-24). Sixteen years later Haggai and Zechariah were commissioned by the Lord to stir up the people to 1) not only rebuild the temple, but also to 2) reorder their spiritual priorities (cf. Ezra 5:1-6:22). As a result, the temple was completed 4 years later (ca 516 B.C.; cf. Ezra 6:15).

Historical and Theological Themes

The primary theme is the rebuilding of God’s temple, which had been lying in ruins since its destruction by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 B.C. By means of 5 messages from the Lord, Haggai exhorted the people to renew their efforts to build the house of the Lord. He motivated them by noting that the drought and crop failures were caused by misplaced spiritual priorities (Hag 1:9-11). But to Haggai, the rebuilding of the temple was not an end in itself. The temple represented God’s dwelling place, His manifest presence with His chosen people. The destruction of the temple by Nebuchadnezzar followed the departure of God’s dwelling glory (cf. Ezek 8-11); to the prophet, the rebuilding of the temple invited the return of God’s presence to their midst. Using the historical situation as a springboard, Haggai reveled in the supreme glory of the ultimate messianic temple yet to come (Hag 2:7), encouraging them with the promise of even greater peace (Hag 2:9), prosperity (Hag 2:19), divine rulership (Hag 2:21,22), and national blessing (Hag 2:23) during the Millennium.

Interpretive Challenges

The most prominent interpretive ambiguity within the prophecy is the phrase “the Desire of All Nations” (Hag 2:7). Although many translations exist, there are essentially only two interpretations. Pointing to “The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine” (Hag 2:8), as well as to Is 60:5 and Zech 14:14, some contend that it refers to Jerusalem, to which the wealth of other nations will be brought during the Millennium (cf. Is 60:11; 61:6). It seems preferable, however, to see a reference here to the Messiah, a Deliverer for whom all the nations ultimately long. Not only is this interpretation supported by the ancient rabbis and the early church, the mention of “glory” in the latter part of the verse suggests a personal reference to the Messiah (cf. Is 40:5; 60:1; Luke 2:32).

Outline and Chronology

	Year	Month	Day
I. Rebuke for Disobedience (Hag 1:1-11)	2	6	1
II. Remnant Responds and Rebuilds (Hag 1:12-15)	2	6	24
III. Return of God’s Glory (Hag 2:1-9)	2	7	21
IV. Religious Questions ( 2:10-19)	2	9	24
V. Reign of the Lord (Hag 2:20-23)	2	9	24

Introduction to Haggai
by John MacArthur

Title

Author and Date

Background and Setting

Historical and Theological Themes

Interpretive Challenges

Outline and Chronology

Outline of Haggai
by John MacArthur

The 1440 Agenda

Remembering Marcy

Study Bible

Introduction to Haggaiby John MacArthur

Title

Author and Date

Background and Setting

Historical and Theological Themes

Interpretive Challenges

Outline and Chronology

Outline of Haggaiby John MacArthur

Books of the Bible

Chapters in Haggai

The 1440 Agenda

Introduction to Haggai
by John MacArthur

Outline of Haggai
by John MacArthur