The Book of Haggai -
Introduction
On the plains of
Moab, prior to Israel entering the Promised Land Moses delivered to
the people a series of messages that may be considered the
constitution for the theocracy of Israel once she was established in
the land. The people were facing war, temptations, and a new,
settled way of life under the unproved leadership of Joshua. Moses’
congregation was the survivals of the forty years wandering in the
wilderness. They had not experienced the deliverance from the hand
of the enemy at the Red Sea or the giving of the law at Sinai.
Moses warned the
people when they enter and settle in the Promised Land they must not
add to or take away from the commandments and statues of the Lord.
If they obeyed the commands and statues of the Lord, they will
prosper in the offspring of their bodies, of their beasts, and in
the produce of the ground. God will open His good storehouse and
give rain to the land in its season. They will be the head and not
the tail. If they do not keep the commandments and statues of the
Lord, they will suffer internal calamites, such as death, despair,
disease, and decline, external judgments, such as defeat by their
enemies.
When the
Israelites entered The Promised Land under the leadership of Joshua,
they were undefeatable. The reason they were undefeatable, their God
was with them. They were His chosen people and He would lead them to
victory. Following their settling in the land, they became corrupt
in the structure of their society and in their obedience to God.
They did not heed the words of Moses. The Lord then left them to the
mercy of their enemies who showed them no mercy.
Israel’s
problems escalated following the death of King Solomon. The tribes
of Israel split into two kingdoms, Israel with their capital in
Samaria and Judah with their capital in Jerusalem.
The northern
kingdom of Israel, whose fall to the Assyrians in 722 b.c. fulfilled
the first part of Moses’ prediction of captivity in Deuteronomy 28,
was the first to go into captivity. God allowed His chosen people to
be conquered and deported from the Promised Land because they turned
their back on Him and ignored the warnings that He sent to them
through His prophets, including Elijah and Elisha.
The southern
kingdom of Judah lasted a little longer, about 200 years.
The southern
kingdom, Judah, was captured and the people taken into captivity by
the Babylonians. The siege of Jerusalem began in 605 b.c. In 605 and
597 the leading Judean citizens, including Daniel and Ezekiel were
deported to Babylon.
On the seventh
day of the fifth month, in the nineteenth year of the reign of King
Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan the captain of the
guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, entered Jerusalem; he
ordered the burning of the temple, the king’s house, all the houses
in Jerusalem, and breaking down of the wall around Jerusalem. Those
who survived the siege of Jerusalem and the deserters who had
deserted to the king of Babylon were carried away into exile (2
Kings 25:8).
In Babylon, the
captives were unable to worship their God because the temple was the
only place of formal worship. They built synagogues where they could
hear the reading of the Law and informally worship their God.
Cyrus, after the
defeat of Babylon by the Persians, issued a decree in 538 b.c.
allowing the captives to return to Judah and Jerusalem. He furnished
the materials needed to restore the temple (2nd Chronicles 36:23;
Ezra 4:6). The brazen altar was rebuilt, offering of sacrifices was
resumed and the foundation for the restoration of the temple was
laid.
When the
Samaritans’ offer to help in the restoration of the temple was
rejected they began a series of organized, planned actions against
the restoration of the temple, including an injunction that was
issued by Artaxerxes (Ezra 4:7-23). When Darius came to the throne
of Persia in 521BC he confirmed Cyrus’ decree and overturned the
injunction. Instead of resuming the restoration of the temple, the
people claimed this was not the right time to restore the temple.
Their claim was based on the prediction the people would spend
seventy years in captivity. According to the date they were using
for the beginning of the seventy years, the date the temple was
destroyed by the Babylonians, two years remained to be fulfilled.
In the second
year of Darius’ reign, Haggai and Zechariah were sent by the Lord to
minister to the people and their leaders. Their mission was to
encourage the people to resume the restoration of the temple that
had been dormant for about fifteen years.
Haggai, whose
name means "festive," began his ministry two months prior to
Zechariah’s ministry. He addressed the issue of the restoration of
the temple, Zechariah; whose name means "Jehovah remembers"
addressed the spiritual condition of the people. His mission was to
lead the people into a complete spiritual renewal through faith in
the Lord. In his message to the people, he addresses the nature of
God’s Law and the promises of the Lord. Both Haggai and Zechariah
point to the coming of the Messiah.
Malachi, whose
name means "my messenger," prophesied during the time when the wall
of Jerusalem was being rebuilt. He called the people to a
recommitment of themselves to the Lord and the following of His Law.
The people’s failure to pay tithes to the Lord was condemned by both
Nehemiah and Malachi (Nehemiah 13:10-14; Malachi 3:8-10). Malachi
leaves us with the feeling there is more to come. The Lord still has
promises to fulfill on behalf of His people.
We might ask
ourselves, what is it the Lord is revealing to us in the messages
Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi took to the captives that returned to
Judah and Jerusalem. In each of these messages there is a comparison
made between the captives and their past generation. In these
messages, there are examples of lifestyles and commitment to the
Lord and His plan for mankind as well as indifference. Today there
are Christians who are making the same mistakes these captives made
when they returned to Judah and Jerusalem. The captives were letting
self and the enemy control their lifestyles and commitment to the
Lord. When it
is convenient for them, they will restore the temple. When the
opposition and hindrances to the restoration of the temple ceases
and the demands of life are met, then there will be time to finish
the restoration of the temple.
There are many
parallels between ancient Israel and the nations of today. The ways
in which they are in many ways identical is found in (2 Timothy
3:1-7).
The wealth of
the powerful nations of this century and their great military power
will not protect them. Those who turn from God He can break as He
did ancient Israel. Like ancient Israel their destruction will not
come from foreign invaders, although God does and will use foreign
invaders as instruments of punishment, their destruction will come
from within, as it did with ancient Israel.
In the midst of
destruction, there is good news. It is never too late to turn to
God. He will always forgive and protect those who truly repent.
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