Kraig Josiah Rice
Devotional Bible Commentary On
written by
Kraig J. Rice
www.7-star-admiral.com
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TABLE OF CONTENTS 1) An Introduction to this Bible book of Haggai2) Chapter One 3) Chapter Two |
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TABLE OF CONTENTS 1) An Introduction to this Bible book of Haggai2) Chapter One 3) Chapter Two |
Who wrote this book?
What are some things that we know about Haggai?
When and where was this book written?
Why was this book written?
What was the historical setting in those days when this book was written?
But Satan had a plan he was working on. He had brought a foreign army and had conquered God's
chosen people (the Israelites). He had made them slaves for 70 years. But God raised up Cyrus and allowed the Israelites
to go back to Israel. After the death of Cyrus, Satan struck with the weapon of persecution
to stop them from building God's temple for 15 years.
By hurting God's people Satan was indirectly hurting God. God intervened and had them finish
building His temple. God won this victory over Satan.
God stated in advance through the prophet Isaiah that Cyrus would do this.
This prophecy of the coming of Cyrus was given about 150 years before Cyrus was born.
Here is the prophecy:
The 70 years of slavery in Babylon was over with and a remnant of the Israelites returned
once again to Israel to begin life all over again.
There was a neglect for God and His will. The people were more concerned about building
their own houses than for building God's house (the temple). There was drought,
major unemployment, crime, and much economic stress. But the time of their
national trial was over and things were going to start turning around for them
"There is a time for everything, a season for every activity under heaven.
A time to tear down and a time to rebuild"
The Bible book of Haggai only has two chapters:
The theme of this book:
So, what was the problem of Israel in the days of Haggai? Matthew Henry stated in his commentary:
Have you ever felt like God was mad at you? Well, this is how those folks felt. Why?
The Lord was concerned and admonished them to repent. It's the same message that He
has for each of us today.
With good leadership and encouraging preaching those folks under Haggai rose to the occasion
and did accomplish something for God with their lives. Some time later, the Apostle
John in the New Testament addressed this same issue to the Church at Ephesus.
Some folks in this church had left their first love for God. The Lord was concerned
and admonished them to repent. Let's not ever take God for granted and neglect our
proper worship for Him nor the reading of His word. Let's not forsake church
attendance or good works in His name. Let's stay on fire for God!
God the Holy Spirit stirred them up immediately. Previously, they wanted their own
selfish ways but God refused to bless them. Then they repented and did God's will and
they were blessed by God for it.
The ministry of Haggai:
One main lesson for us from this Bible book is: "Let's Build for God!"
"The future glory of this Temple will be greater than its past glory, says the Lord
Almighty. And in this place I will bring peace. I, the Lord Almighty, have spoken!"
"At that time the prophets Haggai and Zechariah son of Iddo prophesied in the name
of the God of Israel to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem. Zerubbabel son of
Shealtiel and Jeshua son of Jehozadak responded by beginning the task of rebuilding
the Temple of God in Jerusalem. And the prophets of God were with them and helped them"
"So the Jewish leaders continued their work, and they were greatly encouraged by
the preaching of the prophets Haggai and Zechariah son of Iddo. The Temple was
finally finished, as had been commanded by the God of Israel and decreed by Cyrus,
Darius, and Artaxerxes, the kings of Persia. The Temple was completed on
March 12, during the sixth year of King Darius's reign.
The Temple of God was then dedicated with great joy by the people of Israel, the
priests, the Levites, and the rest of the people who had returned from exile"
"So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and steady, always enthusiastic about
the Lord's work, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless"
The Lord sent this message to Haggai on December 18:
Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he
It is important for people to have a vision for God- to have a goal to work for and achieve
for His purposes and His glory. This kind of vision will bring unity with a common purpose
when everyone pulls together. And everyone can celebrate when this vision or goal is accomplished.
"I sent blight and mildew and hail to destroy all the produce of your labor. Yet,
even so, you refused to return to Me," says the Lord.
The verses of Haggai 2:10-23 contain some important principles. Let's take a look at a few of them:
1) God can change His mind any time that He wants to
2) Peace and prosperity are blessings from God
3) All the world's wealth including it's silver and gold belong to God
4) The unclean always defiles the clean
Is this principle of the unclean defiling the clean taught anywhere in the New Testament?
Yes. Let's take a look at this scripture:
"Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has
righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?"
There are all kinds of relationships- relationships in the military, relationships at
work, relationships with neighbors, government relationships, and/or relationships at
other places not mentioned here. One main relationship is the marriage relationship.
The Greek word for "unequally" is heterozugeo. It means "to associate discordantly."
It also means "to yoke up differently" or "unequally yoke together with." Back in Old Testament
days a farmer plowed his ground by yoking two oxen together, so they plowed a straight
furrow. They pulled together. God wants a true believer in Christ to marry another true believer
in Christ. If a true believer violates God's scriptures and marries an unbeliever (all
unbelievers belong to Satan) then it is like a donkey being yoked to an ox. They are
unequally yoked and will plow a crooked furrow because they are pulling against one another.
This is NOT God's will.
I am a true Christian and I do not care what you have to say, preacher, I am going to marry
my unsaved fiance anyways. I will pull my fiance up and get that person saved.
Well, that's a noble goal but since it is against God's will, I wouldn't do it if I were you.
Why? Because there is one thing that you are not taking into account. That one thing is
depravity. It is easier for them to pull you down than for you to pull them up. I have seen
this mistake made far too many times, and do you want to know what usually happens?
Pretty soon the true believer starts making compromises, stops reading the Bible, church
attendance suffers, tithes money does not get paid, and there is a slow steady progression
into unbelief. And unbelief shows itself in numerous acts of rebellion against God.
I do not want you to go through that and I pray that you will always make your decisions
based on God's word because it is through His word that He speaks to us. My suggestion is
that you get your fiance saved before the marriage takes place.
The sin of omission:
"A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.
Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side.
But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion.
So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, "Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you."
So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?"
And he said, "He who showed mercy on him." Then Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise"
So, let us get involved and do God's will. Let us not commit the sin of omission.
The expression "bring peace" or "give peace" can be translated as
"bless." How is this relevant? God will bless them in His house that they
will build for Him. How many times have you or I entered into a church house and felt
the sweet Holy Spirit's presence there? Just to rest there in spiritual peace for
awhile is such a blessing. Since God is the greatest treasure in the universe then
it is a wonderful thing when He blesses us with Himself.
What is our present duty? Do not commit the sin of neglecting God and His work. Do not
let your heart depart from God. Be strong and work for Him. "God is
with you" is one permanent message in this book. Go forth now and work for
Him and be strong and God will bless you.
Some additional scriptures to study:
Haggai, an Old Testament prophet, wrote this Bible book named after him. His Hebrew
name "Haggay" means Festive One or Feast of Jehovah.
We don't know how old Haggai was.
It is believed that he was born in the nation of Babylon
during the exile when the Israelites spent 70 years in slavery in Babylon. It is
believed that he came to Jerusalem with Zerubbabel. He had a friend who also
prophesied at the same time- his name was Zechariah. On the other hand he might have been
born somewhere in Israel before the deportation and was an old man when he returned to his
home country and began preaching.
This book was written in Jerusalem around 520 B.C.
The Israelites at that time needed to be preached to, warned, and then encouraged to rebuild
the temple of God in Jerusalem.
In 2 Kings chapters 24 and 25 we read that the Israelites had been defeated by the
Babylonians, the Jewish temple had been destroyed, and most of the people had been transported
to Babylon as slaves. The time period on this was 606-586 B.C. After the Israelites has spent
70 years as slaves in Babylonia, a decree from King Cyrus of Persia allowed the Israelites
to permanently go back home to Israel. Many thousands of Israelites moved back to Israel.
This decree was issued in 536 B.C.
"I will raise up Cyrus to fulfill my righteous purpose, and I will guide all his actions.
He will restore my city and free my captive people- and not for a reward! I, the LORD
Almighty, have spoken!"
(Isaiah 45:13).
(Zechariah 8:9-13). The returning remnant of folks from Babylon to Israel had the fear
of the Lord. Two other prophets returned to Jerusalem along with Haggai. One was Malachi
and the other was Zechariah. Haggai believed in getting down to business and doing the
work that needed to be done. He was much like a New Testament Barnabus- an encourager.
(Ecclesiastes 3:1 and 3b).
1) Chapter 1:1-11 God commands that His temple be rebuilt
Chapter 1:12-15 Obedience to God's Call
2) Chapter 2:1-9 The future glory of God's New Temple
Chapter 2:10-19 God's blessings are promised for obedience to Him
Chapter 2:20-23 Some promises for Zerubbabel
Jesus Christ is portrayed as the Desire of All Nations.
Why is Christ the Desire of All Nations? Haggai 2:7 reveals this to us.
In reference to this scripture, the Masoretic Hebrew text shows the word "desire"
(hemdath) to be feminine singular with a plural verb. Therefore, it is proper to
translate it as "the Desire of All Nations" shall come- making this passage of
scripture a messianic passage. And what does that imply? It means that the Jewish
Messiah, Jesus Christ, is the Desire of All Nations because only through Him can the nations
of the world be blessed with righteousness and peace. Each nation that turns to
Christ now will inherit spiritual blessings, but this passage of scripture will find its
total fulfillment during the milennial reign of Christ.
"As soon as they came up out of captivity they set up an altar for sacrifice,
and within a year after laid the foundations of their temple
(Ezra 3:10). They then seemed very forward in it, and it was likely enough that the work would be done
suddenly; but, being served with a prohibition some time after from the Persian
court, and charged not to go on with it, they not only yielded to the force,
when they were actually under it, which might be excused, but afterwards, when
the violence of the opposition had abated, they continued very indifferent to
it, had no spirit nor courage to set about it again, but seemed glad that they
had a pretence to let it stand still. Though those who are employed for God may
be driven off from their work by a storm, yet they must return to it as soon as
the storm is over. These Jews did not do so, but continued loitering until they
were afresh reminded of their duty."
In Haggai 1:1-7 we read that God was disappointed with them- and their scarsity of
crops proved this. They built their own houses but not God's house. Those folks were
spiritually lazy and had left their zeal for God. It appears that they put themselves
first and God last. This was not right. How did it work out for them? God put them through a trial.
How about each of us? God should always be first in our life. If not, God may put a trial in our life to get our attention just
like He did to those folks. God has not changed:
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
(Hebrews 13:8).
Haggai prophesied for 4 months. He preached 4 messages between August and
December of 520 B.C. His main goal was to persuade a discouraged nation to
fire up it's relationship with God by rebuilding God's temple. Haggai was successful in his efforts.
Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Jeshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and
the whole remnant of God's people obeyed the message from the Lord their God.
It had been delivered by the prophet Haggai, whom the Lord their God had sent,
and the people worshiped the Lord in earnest. Then Haggai, the Lord's messenger,
gave the people this message from the Lord:
"I AM with you,"
says the Lord! So the Lord sparked the enthusiasm of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel,
governor of Judah, Jeshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the whole remnant of
God's people. They came and began their work on the house of the Lord Almighty, their God"
(Haggai 1:12-14).
(Haggai 2:9).
(Ezra 5:1-2).
(Ezra 6:14-16).
(1 Corinthians 15:58).
"Tell Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah, that I AM about to shake the heavens
and the earth. I will overthrow royal thrones, destroying the power of foreign
kingdoms. I will overturn their chariots and charioteers. The horses will fall,
and their riders will kill each other. But when this happens, says the Lord
Almighty, I will honor you, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, My servant. I will treat
you like a signet ring on My finger, says the Lord, for I have specially chosen
you. I, the Lord Almighty, have spoken!"
A signet ring was a sign of authority. This shows God's authority that He delegated.
God may elect any individual He wants to for His glory, love, worship, and service
(Haggai 2:20-23).
(Proverbs 29:18).
(Haggai 2:17). Sometimes God allows suffering in order to get the attention of some folks
to turn them from focusing on themselves to focusing on God. Then they can turn to
Him in repentance and forsake their sins. But sometimes this effort doesn't always work out
in the right timing when one is dealing with human beings who have free will. This does not
mean that God makes mistakes, rather, it means that there are choices and variables of
actions that can take place due to mankind's free will.
(Haggai 2:17-19).
(Haggai 2:9).
(Haggai 2:8).
(Haggai 2:10-23). What does that mean? It's a question of holiness versus unholiness.
Holiness is not infectious but unholiness is infectious. God convicted the Israelites of
their sins. He did this by showing them that they were impure- God the Holy Spirit is very
good about convicting people of their sins. Because of their unconfessed sins and impurity,
their prayers for God's blessings were not granted. Their own sins and guilt were tearing
them apart. But God started blessing them after they repented and started doing His will
(by rebuilding His temple). How many times have you and I sinned and felt guilty? His
blessings seemed to stop and fellowship with Him seemed to come to an end. But then we
repented. God seemed to change His mind after we made things right with others and with
God. Then He started blessing us again. This is very similar of what happened here during
those days.
(2 Corinthians 6:14).
The Israelites were told by God to rebuild His temple but they ignored Him and did their
own thing. If one neglects God and His will and is indifferent and disobedient to God then that
person has become (what we call) cold in their soul. Their spiritual fire of
obedience and service has gone out. If each of us lets this happen then we are
guilty of the sin of omission- knowing to do right but not doing it. Then God may
deal with each of us to:
"consider your ways." This sin may bring each of us spiritual scarcity
as it brought those folks physical scarcity. Is there any further teaching in the New
Testament that verifies the sin of omission? Yes.
In the story of the good samaritan a priest and a Levite commited the sin of omission:
Let us look at what Jesus said:
(Luke 10:30-37).
2 Chronicles 36:11-23; Ezra 1:2, 1:7, 1:8, 3:7
Celebrate Christ's Resurrection
36. Zephaniah Commentary
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As of August 5, 2011