The Rebuilding of the Second Temple: Haggai's central theme is consumed by the spiritual aspects of the Jews' commission to rebuild the Temple of Jerusalem. The book begins with the faithful prophet delivering God's rebuking message to the Jews, who had cast aside their mission to adopt a complacent spirit, which led them to prioritize supporting and comforting themselves while the Temple remained in ruins. Much of the remaining portion of the book, however, is filled with encouragement. The Lord delivers hopeful messages of blessing through Haggai to motivate the people to rebuild the Temple.
Complacency, Consideration, and Rededication: The events in the book not only applied to the Jews of the day, but also provide an important lesson to believers today. It shows how easy it is to fall into a godless, selfish, and unsatisfying season of complacent living. It also demonstrates the correct course of action to take when we fall into this attitude and the benefits of coming back to the Lord and His will for our lives.
Haggai 1:7: Thus says the Lord, "Consider your ways."
In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest: 2 "Thus says the Lord of hosts: These people say the time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the Lord.:
For a little background, after the first wave of Jews returned to Israel under the leadership of Sheshbazzar, they began to rebuild Jerusalem and its Temple. However, as seen in the fourth chapter of Ezra, adversaries that dwelled in the land during the exilic period threatened the Jews, and even convinced King Artaxerxes to write a decree that prevented the Jews from rebuilding the city walls and the Temple. Because of the strong opposition they faced, the people lost hope and gave up on their mission, thus ignoring their physical and spiritual defenses. Scholars have suggested that the Jews' period of inactivity lasted a shocking 15 years. It would later take a swift correction delivered by Haggai and Zechariah to bring the people back to the Lord and to the mission they were so careless to neglect.
3 Then the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet, 4 "Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this house [speaking of the Temple] lies in ruins? 5 Now, therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways. 6 You have sown much, and harvested little. You eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm. And he who earns wages does so to put them into a bag with holes.
In the time that they neglected God's Temple, the Jews went about their own business and rebuilt their homes. Unfortunately, they devoted much of this time beautifying them and making them cushy while they, in a sense, left the Lord as a homeless person living on the street, for they allowed His Temple to lie in ruin. Such behavior was proof that an incorrect shift of priorities and a spirit of complacency that had overtaken the people.
Unfortunately, we also are vulnerable to such behavior. For example, we can become complacent in our finances. We may aimlessly squander money left and right in a relentless pursuit of material possessions to the point that we forget to give back to the Lord in our tithes. Also, we could become complacent in our time. We may prioritize recreational activities, business endeavors, or even worldly pleasures over devoting time to the Lord, His Word, our fellow believers, and those in need. Furthermore, complacency can affect our thought patterns. Worldly fantasies and the cares of this life can keep us from taking time to devote our thoughts to the things that further our relationship and understanding of the Heavenly Father.
This is why our key verse is so crucial not only to the book of Haggai, but to our own lives as well: Haggai 1:7, "Thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways."
There are times where we need to evaluate our behavior and choices to determine if we are truly seeking and serving the Lord. Are we so busy trying to find ourselves that we neglect searching for the Lord, or ignoring others that are desperately seeking Him? Are we putting so much effort into worldly temporal achievements such as making the Dean's list or earning that employee-of-the-month award that we forget that we, as children of the Father, already have the greatest title that could ever be bestowed? Are we partaking in the temporal blessings in this life so much that we are failing to perform our responsibilities to the Lord and His Kingdom? When we feel the notion that we are drifting away from the Lord, we need to stop and remember the Lord's warning to consider our ways. Once we do this, areas of complacency and sin will come into focus through the Holy Spirit, thus allowing us to make the necessary corrections to get ourselves back on track with the Lord.
7 "Thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways. 8 Go up to the hills and bring wood and build the house, that I may take pleasure in it and that I may be glorified, says the Lord. 9 You looked for much, and behold, it came to little. And when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why? declares the Lord of hosts. Because of my house that lies in ruins, while each of you busies himself with his own house. 10 Therefore the heavens above you have withheld the dew, and the earth has withheld its produce. 11 And I have called for a drought on the land and the hills, on the grain, the new wine, the oil, on what the ground brings forth, on man and beast, and on all their labors."
Although His temple lay in ruin, the Lord was patient with His people and gave them time to turn back to Him and complete the work He called them to do. Amazingly, He gracefully gave them a long 15 years to turn back to Him. Unfortunately, because of the Jews' refusal to change their complacent attitude, the Lord had not choice but to punish His people by taking their blessings away in order to bring their focuses back on Him.
Such a fate can fall upon us, too, when we become complacent with the Lord. While the Lord will remain patient for us to return to Him from seasons of sin or complacency, He may be required to discipline us in order to correct our selfish behavior. However, He may just allow the Holy Spirit to whisper a simple, yet profoundly deep thought: "Consider your ways." Consider how we are using the life the Lord graciously gave us; consider how we are using the blessings and opportunities He has provided us; consider if our thoughts and lifestyles align with His teachings; consider if our time is being utilized in a godly manner. When we fail to do this and continue to live carnally and complacently, the Lord may give us days, months, and even years of grace to turn to Him, but if necessary, He will be forced to take away our blessings in order to return our focuses on Him.
12 Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the Lord their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the Lord their God had sent him. And the people feared the Lord. 13 Then Haggai, the messenger of the Lord, spoke to the people with the Lord's message, "I am with you, declares the Lord." 14 And the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people. And they came and worked on the house of the Lord of hosts, their God, 15 on the twenty-fourth day of the month, in the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king.
The majority of the Lord's prophets experienced rejection, unpopularity, and even persecution because their messages were typically hated by their listeners. Many of the prophets' messages pointed out the Israelites' flaws and godless behavior, which typically hardened their hearts and drove them to attacking these unfortunate bearers of bad news. History shows the Israelites to be a stiff-necked people, which is especially apparent by their constant rejection of the Lord's messages.
However, Haggai's experience was drastically different to the norm of Israel's prophets. Once the people heard him deliver the Lord's message, they responded immediately and joyfully, which enabled them to eventually finish rebuilding the Temple.
Concerning us today, when we hear the Lord speaking to us through prayer, His Word, or a pastor's sermon, how do we respond? Do we harden our hearts and cast it aside? Do we allow the message to enter one ear and then fly out the other? Do we think "Hey, that's a nice idea," but then forget about what we heard once we open the church doors? Or do we jump into action and begin applying His words to our lives? When confronted by the Lord's teachings and commands, we need to consider our ways and begin obeying Him from the start, for doing so will save us the unnecessary discipline and suffering that would result from disregarding Him.
In the seventh month, on the twenty-first day of the month, the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet: 2 "Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to all the remnant of the people, and say, 3 'Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory? How do you see it now? Is it not as nothing in your eyes? 4 Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, declares the Lord. Be strong, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land, declares the Lord. Work, for I am with you, declares the Lord of hosts, 5 according to the covenant that I made with you when you came out of Egypt. My Spirit remains in your midst. Fear not. 6 For thus says the Lord of hosts: Yet once more, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land. 7 And I will shake all nations, so that the treasures of all nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with glory, says the Lord of hosts. 8 The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares the Lord of hosts. 9 The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts. And in this place I will give peace, declares the Lord of hosts.'"
While the seemingly inferior appearance of the second Temple brought discouragement and regret upon some of the Jews, the Lord encouraged His people by promising the awesome glory of His presence to fill the new Temple. However, commentators have pointed out that these verses also seem to point to a prophecy relevant to New Testament ideologies. The events described here foreshadow the glory of the Lord and Christ in the New Jerusalem, whose presence will be the new temple in the new heaven and earth. Also, it points to the church as the Temple of the New Covenant, as all believers are indwelled by the Holy Spirit, who provides peace and comfort. These verses foreshadow the Temple transitioning from a physical building to a body of believers consisting of both Jews and Gentiles, and ultimately the presence of the Lord and the Lamb in the new heaven and earth.
Also, the Lord's messages here can also apply to us in another way. When we come out of a season of complacency or even backsliding, it can feel like we are starting our relationship with the Lord from the ground up, which can cause feelings of doubt and discouragement. We may look back at the way our lives once were and bemoan the painful regression we have experienced. Nevertheless, when we return to the Lord with a humbled and sincere heart and attitude, He will use us to the fullest as He did before. Rebounding from complacent seasons can lead to a more intimate and impassioned relationship with God that He can use to bring us even closer to Him than we were before.
10 On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet, 11 "Thus says the Lord of hosts: Ask the priests about the law: 12 'If someone carries holy meat in the fold of his garment and touches with his fold bread or stew or wine or oil or any kind of food, does it become holy?'" The priests answered and said, "No." 13 Then Haggai said, "If someone who is unclean by contact with a dead body touches any of these, does it become unclean?" The priests answered and said, "It does become unclean." 14 Then Haggai answered and said, "So is it with this people, and with this nation before me, declares the Lord, and so with every work of their hands. And what they offer there is unclean. 15 Now then, consider from this day onward. Before stone was placed upon stone in the temple of the Lord, 16 how did you fare? When one came to a heap of twenty measures, there were but ten. When one came to the wine vat to draw fifty measures, there were but twenty. 17 I struck you and all the products of your toil with blight and with mildew and with hail, yet you did not turn to me, declares the Lord. 18 Consider from this day onward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month. Since the day that the foundation of the Lord's temple was laid, consider: 19 Is the seed yet in the barn? Indeed, the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have yielded nothing. But from this day on I will bless you."
Because the temple was not rebuilt, the Israelites remained defiled because the Lord's presence was not among them. As verse 12 shows, a holy object cannot touch something to make it holy; conversely, only something that is most holy can bring holiness. Once the reconstruction of the Temple was completed, the Lord's presence could once again dwell among His people, and their offerings would once again be holy and acceptable to Him.
Also noteworthy is the Lord's command for the Jews to once again consider their ways. When they had forgotten the Temple and allowed it to remain as a ruinous corpse, the people were defiled and were denied the blessing of prosperity and were punished with drought and lack. The works of their hands were both defiled and unproductive. Conversely, when they rededicated their lives to the Lord and began anew the Temple's construction, the Lord then brought His blessings upon His people once more.
Similarly, in consideration of us today, when we fall away from the Lord's work in our lives and begin living in defiling complacency, the Lord will withhold His blessing upon our works and activities, which will leave them defiled and possibly unproductive. While we may prosper for a season, the Lord's grace period will be followed with disciplinary action that can leave us with no choice but to turn back to Him. Therefore, it is imperative that we continually consider our ways and look out for signs that indicate a complacent attitude has permeated our lives.
20 The word of the Lord came a second time to Haggai on the twenty-fourth day of the month, 21 "Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, I am about to shake the heavens and the earth, 22 and to overthrow the throne of kingdoms. I am about to destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the nations, and overthrow the chariots and their riders. And the horses and their riders shall go down, every one by the sword of his brother. 23 On that day, declares the Lord of hosts, I will take you, O Zerubbabel my servant, the son of Shealtiel, declares the Lord, and make you like a signet ring, for I have chosen you, declares the Lord of hosts."
While this passage provides little in terms of life application for us today, it does provide details pertaining to a pivotal moment for the Davidic covenant the Lord had made with the Israelites. As the covenant pertained to David's royal lineage, the kings of Judah that ruled from his line continued his legacy and were a part of the family lineage that would ultimately lead to the birth of Christ.
However, when the Babylonians brought the Jews into exile, the royal bloodline was perceived to be broken in the eyes of the Jews. This was somewhat true, as we read in Jeremiah 22:24-27 that the Lord stated that due to Judah's wickedness (especially that of King Jehoiachin), He had removed the Davidic lineage from the house of the wicked king and had, technically speaking, put His covenant on hold. Due to over a century of wicked and godless kings, the Lord had removed the blessings of royalty and rulership from David's lineage during the Babylonian exile. However, as can be seen in Jeremiah 23:1-5, the Lord preserved a remnant among the exiled Jews, in which He would raise up a righteous Branch, which is a Messianic prophesy referring to Christ.
So, in Haggai 2:20-23, the Lord reinstated the Davidic covenant by designating the current governor, Zerubbabel, as the restoration of the house of David. The symbolic imagery here between the prophesies in Jeremiah and Haggai is that Jehoiachin represented the signet ring of the covenant thrown off of the Lord's hand, while Zerubbabel is the ring being placed back on His hand, thus reestablishing the covenant with His people.
Short and surprisingly sweet, the book of Haggai offers a sobering warning, but also exciting promises and solid encouragement not only to its past audience but also to its current readers. It sees a returned Jewish remnant beginning to fall into the foolish ways of their forefathers, only to be returned to form with the disciplinary, yet loving actions of the Lord, whose grace and patience remains steadfast to even His most wayward children. Once the people made the transition from defiling complacency to repentant obedience, Haggai encouraged the people to finish the Lord's Temple by promising the beautiful glory and incredible blessings that would soon follow. Most significantly, however, is the lesson offered by the book; one that can help prevent us from falling into sinful seasons of selfish indifference and remain on-track with our relationship with the Lord: Consider your ways.
When we deviate from the Lord's will and begin to live in self-serving complacency, the Lord can patiently give us a grace period to turn back to Him. However, if we fail to make the necessary changes and still persist in our foolishness, the Lord will be forced to use disciplinary action to bring us back to Him. Fortunately, as the Lord only desires to use discipline as a last resort, He gives us this simple warning to help us avoid provoking His judgment: Consider your ways.
When we stop and take an introspective look at our lives, where we have brought them, and where they are heading, we can take note of areas that are opposed to the Lord's ways and make the necessary corrections to properly align them with His will. The Lord's call to obedience for the Jews in 520 B.C. is still calling out to His children today. It is our task to take into consideration how we live so we can successfully avoid the dangerous mentality of complacency, which will allow us to experience the awesome glory of the Lord's loving presence to the fullest.