Haggai 2 - ESV - Bible Reading / Study Notes

Haggai 2

The Coming Glory of the Temple

2:1 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.’”

Blessings for a Defiled People

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.¹ Before stone was placed upon stone in the temple of the LORD, 16 how did you fare? When² 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.”

Zerubbabel Chosen as a Signet

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 a³ signet ring, for I have chosen you, declares the LORD of hosts.”

Footnotes

[1] 2:15 Or backward; also verse 18
[2] 2:16 Probable reading (compare Septuagint); Hebrew Lord, since they were. When
[3] 2:23 Hebrew the

Commentary

v1-2: The next message follows 33 days after 1.12-15.

v3: Those who saw Solomon's temple, Ezra 2.12-13; yet in comparison the new temple is "like nothing," yet God will bless and give even greater glory (v9).

Older men and women amongst the Jews had seen the temple in Jerusalem, although many returning had been born in exile.

v4: The new message, "Be strong." Once we know God's presence, we then need His strength so that we might serve Him. It is through His strength that the work he has given us can be completed. For a similar threefold style, see Ps 115.9-11.

v5: The promises made centuries before are still honoured. God is faithful, and His Spirit is among His people, so they need not fear.

v6-7: God's power to shake the heavens and the earth, and to shake all the nations. Through this shaking He will give great glory to the new temple. While God's work is sometimes gentle, it is also sometimes more violent.

v8: The Jews received silver and gold for their return journey; Ezra 1.6-11; yet all this belongs to God.

v9: The temple to be a place of peace; is this then the temple of Ezekiel's vision, in which Christ will walk. Heb 12.26-27l it is difficult to see that these verses have been fulfilled.

The greater glory is tied up ultimately with God Himself, rather than the building.

v10-14: A different message; to do with religion; the people and the nation are unclean, and that contamination is passed on (through reference to the law), such that their work and their offerings are also unclean. They are unclean before God, without any right to stand before Him, for they are defiled; yet God has great blessing for them; such is His grace.

Notice that they are skilled in the details of the law, but neglect the weightier matters of faith and power; 2 Tim 3.7.

v15: Consider carefully from this day forward.

Ezek 24.1-2; the day Nebuchadnezzar started his final siege against Jerusalem (Jer 52.4), and Ezekiel had already been in exile for 9 years. 70 years later is Haggai's "this day" (520 B.C.). From this day the desolation of Jerusalem is ended, and blessing would once more fall.

v16-17: The Lord has struck with blight and mildew, as in 1.6, for the Lord struck them. Yet they did not turn back to Him.

v18-19: The day picked out, when the foundation of the temple is laid, not when it is completed.

v20-23: A closing promise for Zerubbabel; he has a personal blessing, Matt 1.12, for his line later produced the Messiah.

On a wider matter, heavens and earth will be shaken, and great powers overthrown, yet God has blessing for His people.