Haggai

Haggai is the first of the post-captivity prophets. His prophecy consists of five messages received over the space of four months. Each message is dated relative to the second year of Darius the king. Though God had permitted a remnant of Judah to return to Jerusalem, the former relationship had not been restored. There was no throne; a Gentile ruled over the land; things were both physically and spiritually in a state of ruin. The people who had returned to the land with such joy and energy, having laid the foundation of the temple, had become discouraged.
God in His wonderful love and grace had permitted a remnant to return to Jerusalem. How quickly this had been forgotten. There was tranquility enough to build their own houses. Faith was not required for this and the world offered no resistance (Hag. 1:44Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses, and this house lie waste? (Haggai 1:4)). When faith is lacking, circumstances and our own will dictate our doings—“The time is not come, the time that the LORD’s house should be built” (Hag. 1:22Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that the Lord's house should be built. (Haggai 1:2)). In neglecting the Lord’s house, they had really neglected the Lord, and as a result discipline had to come in—such too is God’s heart in love (Hag. 1:5-115Now therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways. 6Ye 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. 7Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways. 8Go 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. 9Ye 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. 10Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from her fruit. 11And I called for a drought upon the land, and upon the mountains, and upon the corn, and upon the new wine, and upon the oil, and upon that which the ground bringeth forth, and upon men, and upon cattle, and upon all the labor of the hands. (Haggai 1:5‑11)). Though things were difficult, the Lord was still with them (Hag. 1:1313Then spake Haggai the Lord's messenger in the Lord's message unto the people, saying, I am with you, saith the Lord. (Haggai 1:13)). Stirred up by the message, the work resumed (Hag. 1:1414And the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, 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, (Haggai 1:14)).
The building that they were erecting was nothing in comparison to the former temple, and this too was a source of discouragement (Ezra 3:1212But many of the priests and Levites and chief of the fathers, who were ancient men, that had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice; and many shouted aloud for joy: (Ezra 3:12); Hag. 2:1-91In 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, 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? 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: 5According to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, so my spirit remaineth among you: fear ye not. 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; 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. 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. (Haggai 2:1‑9)). Yet faith in the day of ruin is not pretentious and acknowledges the state of things. This was not that bright day when they were brought up out of the land of Egypt—but the same Lord was with them (Hag. 2:55According to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, so my spirit remaineth among you: fear ye not. (Haggai 2:5)). A day is coming when the latter glory of the house—still the same house in the eye of God—will exceed the former (Hag. 2:99The 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. (Haggai 2:9) JND). This cannot happen until the present state of the world has been addressed, not just Israel, but all the nations. “The heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land” must all be shaken before there can be peace. (Hag. 2:66For 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; (Haggai 2:6)).
The fourth prophecy states the simple principle (the priests understood it) that the unclean defiles the holy (Hag. 2:10-1910In 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, 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. 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. 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. 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. 17I smote you with blasting and with mildew and with hail in all the labors of your hands; yet ye turned not to me, saith the Lord. 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. (Haggai 2:10‑19)). They were unclean and the work of their hands was unclean (Hag. 2:1414Then 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. (Haggai 2:14)). The present work did not change that. God alone is holy and cannot be defiled, and it is only when God is admitted in our lives—which He desires in response to His discipline—that blessing can flow (Hag. 2:1919Is 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. (Haggai 2:19)).
The fifth and final message addresses itself to Zerubbabel, the leader of those that returned and a descendant of David (Matt. 1:1212And after they were brought to Babylon, Jechonias begat Salathiel; and Salathiel begat Zorobabel; (Matthew 1:12)). With the shaking of the nations, God will establish His throne in the true seed of David, Christ, the Lord’s anointed. “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” (Hag. 2:2323In 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. (Haggai 2:23)).