Welcome to Episode 7!
Today we’re diving into Haggai chapter 2. We’ll start by reading verses 1-9
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 dZerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to dJoshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to all the remnant of the people, and say, 3 e‘Who is left among you who saw this house fin its former glory? How do you see it now? gIs it not as nothing in your eyes? 4 Yet now hbe strong, O dZerubbabel, declares the LORD. hBe strong, O dJoshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest. hBe strong, all you people of the land, declares the LORD. iWork, for jI am with you, declares the LORD of hosts, 5 kaccording to the covenant that I made with you when you came out of Egypt. lMy Spirit remains in your midst. mFear not. 6 For thus says the LORD of hosts: nYet once more, in a little while, oI 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 pI will fill this house with glory, says the LORD of hosts. 8 qThe silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares the LORD of hosts. 9 rThe latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the LORD of hosts. And sin this place I will give peace, declares the LORD of hosts.’”
Chapter 2 begins with another specific date, citing this new prophecy from Haggai just about a month after the people began work on the temple. God instructs Haggai to approach the leadership once again, in Zerubbabbel and Joshua, as well as the remnant of the people.
God has some questions
, “who remembers the old temple?
the former glory of Solomon’s temple?”
Now, take a look at the temple before you, and let me ask you, how do you see it?
Let’s take a moment to imagine ourselves in the Israelite’s shoes. The older among the group can remember Solomon’s temple with it’s cedar and gold, silver, bronze, linen, and scarlet. They can remember the crowds of people, the priestly garments, the smell of sacrificial fire in the air. They remember how the large temple gleamed on top of the hill, it’s artifacts intricately pointing to the one true God.
God invites them to remember the sights, sounds, and smells of the former glory of the temple. The one designed by David and built by Solomon, the richest king in Israel’s history. It was opulent, splendid, impressive.
And then God asks them to clear away the picture from their memory and stare at the temple they are building now.
God answers for them, “isn’t it just like nothing to your eyes.”
What a let down. What a disappointment. They don’t have the resources of King Solomon. They don’t have the work force of a thriving nation. They’re just a band of exiled people, trying to re-settle their war-torn land. Their temple is unimpressive by every standard. A step down, for sure, from Solomon’s temple.
They are tasked with a great thing, but unequipped to recreate the once opulent structure. Compared to the former temple, it’s nothing. Not even worth comparing.
I think he natural human reaction when we know what we’re doing won’t even compare to what’s already been done is to quit. Perhaps that’s what’s at stake here too, in the Israelite’s hearts. Because God has a word of encouragement for them. Though their work looks like nothing compared to the former glory, he urges them to be strong.
In fact, he repeats “be strong” 3 times, specifically to the different people he has addressed throughout the book of Haggai. Be strong Zerubbabel. Be strong Joshua. Be strong you remnant of the people.
This phrase “be strong” appears often in the Old Testament. It’s meaning, is of course, be strong, bur perhaps more indicative of it’s meaning is the translation “take courage”. This phrase means to hold steady, to tie fast, to bind strongly. God is telling the leadership and the people to hang tight to the original plan.
Though this looks unimpressive, though the tendency might be to walk away like they did once already, to pause work and wait until resources and supplies increased, God encourages them to continue in strength.
God says be strong, and work. Don’t stop, don’t quit, don’t give up now.
And here’s the encouragement he offers them: for I am with you,
Remember in the last episode we said that this line was the thesis, the main idea of the whole book of Haggai? Well, here it appears again. I am with you is the motivation God gives for the Israelites to continue working in courage and strength, even though what they’re building seems like nothing.
Then, God brings up the covenant that he made with the Israelites when they came out of Egypt. This line beckons us all the way back to Exodus when the Israelites camped at the base of Mt. Sinai where God gave them the 10 commandments and the very first instructions for the tabernacle. A place for God to dwell among his people. The Sinai covenant God made with Israel is: I will dwell among the people of Israel and will be their God.
This covenant, had been broken countless times by the people since that moment in Exodus. They sinned against God, breaking his commands. They worshipped lifeless idols. They refused to listen to God’s leaders and prophets. Their sins led them to captivity in Babylon. Though they were utterly unfaithful to the covenant God made with them at Sinai, God remained faithful.
He never stopped keeping the covenant he made with his people. Though they endured punishment, God preserved a remnant. And this covenant keeping God brings all of this to mind to the very remnant he saved: he remembers his covenant and is faithful to it. This is God’s encouragement to the people to persevere: he isn’t going anywhere.
My spirit remains in your midst, fear not.
What a powerful line. It tells us a couple of things. First, the people are still operating in obedience and the fear of God, even though their work seems unimpressive. While we often think following God looks like an exciting adventure filled with open doors, peace, and increased opportunities, Haggai reminds us that sometimes following God looks unimpressive. Sometimes it looks like nothing compared to what we once were, to what others have accomplished, to what’s around us.
And that unimpressive work can make us feel like God isn’t blessing us. That maybe we’re not doing what we were meant to do.
I love that God is so clear here. Yes, your work is so unimpressive. Yes, it’s nothing like it once was. But listen, keep going. Hold fast. Because I am with you. I promised I would be your God and I’m keeping that promise. My spirit is with you.
What more encouragement could we need to continue our assignments?
And yet, if we’re really honest, we might find that we worship the assignment more than the assigner. It’s easy to do when following God. The perversion is that we want to build something so great so much that we forget that true satisfaction comes from God with us. It’s that simple. Regardless of the impressiveness or effectiveness of our work.
This line, “my spirit remains in your midst, fear not”, is significant also for the way it reminds us again that the work of the people isn’t by their own power, but by the power of the spirit.
Zechariah describes it this way in Zechariah 4:6:
Then he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to lZerubbabel: mNot by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts.
God reminded Zerubbabel that the work to rebuild wasn’t in strength or influence but only by the power of the Spirit of God.
I’ve found that this is a timeless reminder, one that must remain on repeat in my own heart. I am so prone to forget it. Like a rubber band, I snap back to my fleshy default that every accomplishment is earned out of grit, hard work, and a little natural talent. I thrive in taking on hard things because it proves I am strong.
And yet, Zerubbabel and the remnant’s story reminds us that its in our weakness where true strength thrives. It’s in acknowledging that what we build can be unimpressive. That nothing in us is mighty enough. Nothing about us is powerful enough. But the spirit with us - that’s enough.
After this encouragement to the people, God gives a prophecy to call them out of their former thinking and point them toward future thinking.
He describes how in a little while, he will shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and dry land so that all the treasures of the nations shall come in and God will fill the house with glory. God will plunder the earth and bring the riches into his temple. Imagine the opulence God is describing. Far more than the resources of David or Solomon which were limited to a kingdom, God’s resources span creation.
He reiterates: the silver his his, the gold is his. He owns it all.
What the Israelites are building looks unimpressive, but why should God be concerned about what seems small when all of the riches of the earth are his?
We find this idea expressed again in Zechariah 4:8
Zechariah 4:8
“The hands of lZerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also rcomplete it. sThen you will know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you. 10 tFor whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice, and shall see uthe plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel.
God didn’t despise the small beginnings of the remnant of his people. Neither should we despise the small beginnings of our work in obedience to him. God doesn’t need to be impressed by us. That’s not the point. How could we ever impressive him? Rather, he wants our obedience, our hearts. Just as he asked for the Israelite’s obedience.
Because we often don’t realize why or how our obedience matters until we can see the big picture.
God gives the Israelites the big picture their small steps of obedience are working toward in Verse 9”: the latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former. And in this place I will give peace.
What’s to come is better than what was. And in this place there will no longer be sacrifices burned before God to make atonement for sins. There will no longer be priests and altars, incense and the Holy of Holies. Rather, in the very temple that seems unimpressive as they build it, God will make a way for peace between a holy God and his creation.
And this peace is a person. One who will fulfill the law and finalize the sacrificial system with his own death. The perfect lamb. The prince of peace.
A few hundred years after the Israelites will complete their work on this unimpressive temple, a young boy from Nazareth will be found teaching there. And a few years later, a grown man with a band of followers will make bold claims, teach with authority, and walk across the very same foundation this remnant now lays. Jesus is the great glory that will fill the temple. Greater than David or Solomon. Greater than gold or cedar, fine linen, silver, and bronze.
Wow, isn’t God faithful?
The future glory glory is greater. That’s true for the christian today, too, no matter what we’re building on earth, it can’t compare with the glory, the joy, the love, the understanding, the hope that’s coming in eternity.
As we wrap things up today, let’s answer our three questions together.
What does this passage tell us about God? I am reminded in today’s reading that God is a covenantal God, meaning he keeps his promises. Though I am often faithless, he remains faithful. I wonder, what does this passage tell YOU about God?
What did this mean to the original audience?
Though their work looks unimpressive, even meaningless, like nothing, it has unseen value. What they are building seems small, but it’s an investment in something greater.
How does this change how I view myself and God?
Sometimes obedience isn’t about the initial pay off. Following God in assignment doesn’t always look glamorous. I might be tempted to quit. But if God has called me to it, then it has purpose. I often have to reassess my expectations and lay them before the God who can see the big picture when I can only see what’s right in front of me.
I wonder, how does this change how YOU view yourself and God?
Ok, just to wrap up, let’s list a few short takeaways from our time together:
- God is faithful when we are faithless.
- Our work doesn’t have to be impressive to be important.
- We work best not in our strength but in the spirit.
If you’re listening and you’re in a place where what’s behind you looks so much better than where you stand right now, be encouraged and don’t give up. Take courage, God is with you.