Lesson1-HaggaiIntroduction
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THEBOOKOFHAGGAI
Lesson1,Introduction
ThereisnowaytoproperlydiscusstheBookofHaggaiunlesswefirstunderstand
thehistoricalbackgroundofthetimes,andtorecognizethecontextthatthe
BooksofHaggaiandZechariaharecompletelytiedtogethersuchthatwhere
Haggaiends,Zechariahbeginsbothchronologicallyandhistorically.Infact,the
connectionissoclosethatsomeBiblescholarshavesurmisedeitheradirect
collaborationbetweenthewritersofHaggaiandZechariah,oreventhatboth
werewrittenbythesamepersononlyundertwodifferentnames.Ireallycan’t
commentonthatorsupportanyalternativetheorybecauseregardlessofwhat
anyscholarmightconclude,itisalwaysmostlyspeculationandnotfact.
Therefore,mypositionisthatnoevidenceofanyconcretenatureexiststhanto
recognizethebookauthorsas2legitimateProphetswhowroteseparatelyas
Goddirectedthemtodo.Mighttheyhaveknownoneanother?Ithinkitwouldbe
naïvewhenweseethestructureofbothandhowtheyapproachthemattersat
handsosimilarly,nottothinkthattheyprobablydidknoweachother.So,as
soonaswecompleteourstudyofHaggaiwewillbeginthestudyofZechariah.
IthinkmostBiblescholars,andmosthistoriansthatspecializeintheancient
NearandMiddeEast,wouldsayunequivocallythatperhapsoutsideofthe
ExodusfromEgypt,nothingshapedandaffectedthehistoricalprogressofIsrael
morethantheBabylonianExileoftheJudeansofJudahintheearly6
th
century
B.C.,andthentheirsubsequentreturn70yearslater.
AsweproceedI’lloccasionallyintroducesometermstoyouthatyoumightnot
haveheardsothatthishistoryoftheBabylonianExileandwhatfollowedwhen
someofJewsreturnedmakesmoresense.ThefirsttermIwanttointroduceis
Yehud.YehudistheactualnameofwhatwasoncecalledJudah.Yehudisnotthe
HebrewequivalentoftheEnglish-izedJudah.AlthoughinHebrewtheysound
closetothesame,Yehudisthenewnamegiventotheprovincebytheleadersof
Persia,whichessentiallyre-namedalltheterritorythatformerlywasJudahat
thetimewhenitwasanindependentnation;butnowitisaPersianprovince.
Oncemore:YehudisarenamingofJudah.I’llusethetermYehudquiteabit
becauseIwanttoconstantlykeepitinfrontofyouthataftertheirBabylon
experience,neveragainwouldtheJews(orbetterandmoreaccurately,Judeans)
Lesson1-HaggaiIntroduction
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haveanindependentnationwiththeirownnativeking,untiltheyear1948
followingWWII,eventhoughHerodtheGreatfanciedhimselfassuch.The
formerJudahnolongerbelongedtotheJews,itbelongedtoPersia,thenlaterto
theGreeks,thenlaterstilltotheRomans,thentheMuslims,thentheBritish
Empire.
Haggaiisaninterestingname,asitistakenfromtheHebrewwordchag.Chag
meansfestival;however,thetermalsorefersmorespecificallyto3ofthe7
biblicalfeastsordainedbyGodintheTorahthatrequiredallIsraelitemalesto
journeytotheTempleinJerusaleminobservanceofthose3festivals.Thus,the
senseofchagasitwasusuallyusedwasasapilgrimagefestival.Nonetheless,
chagiswhereHaggaigetshisname,anditcouldbeproperlytranslatedasthe
“festalone”.
Haggai’spropheticbookcoversawell-definedspanofonly4months,andfrom
thereZechariahtakesover.HaggaiwasprobablyborninexileupinBabylon,
unlesshewasaveryoldmanatthetimeofhiswritings,andIfindthatunlikely.
Itisinterestingtonotethatthismonumentaltimeperiodofgreattransitionfor
IsraelthatwereadofinHaggaioverlapswithwhatwereadinEzra,Nehemiah,
Esther,Malachi,andalsobrieflyoverlapswithZechariah.Thatistosaythatwe
havemuchinformationofthegoingsonfortheJewsofthe6
th
centuryB.C.that
probablyprovidesmorehistoricaldatathananyotherOldTestamenttime
period.
AlongsidethePersianbackdropitisimportantthatwerecognizetheintense
emotional,spiritual,andintellectualself-examinationoftheJewsforthecauses
ofthedisasterthatbefellthemwhenNebuchadnezzar,KingofBabylon,
determinedtoconquerJudahabout600B.C.AlreadymanyIsraelitesfromthe
formerNorthernIsraeliteKingdomofEphraimhadbeenexiledanddispersedby
AssyriathroughoutmanynewlandsinAsiascoresofyearsearlier,butnowtheir
SouthernIsraelitebrethrenthatbelongedtotheKingdomofJudahalsojoinedin
thatforced,andlatersomewhatvoluntary,dispersal.Therealityisthatonlya
smallfractionofthedescendantsofthoseJewishfamiliesthathadbeenexiled
fromJudahdecidedtoreturn.
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AlthoughitwasBabylonthatconqueredandexiledJudah,itwasPersiathat
conqueredBabylonafewdecadeslaterin539B.C.So,thelastseveralyearsthe
JewsspentinexilewasnolongerunderthethumbofaBabylonian,butrathera
Persian,king.ItisinterestingthatKingCyrusofPersia(wholedtheoverthrowof
Babylon)hadamoreprogressiveandenlightenedapproachtoempirebuilding
thandidtheBabylonians.Ratherthanconqueranationandthenexileitspeople,
Cyrussoughtpeacefulco-operationandtendedtoallowtheconqueredpeopleto
remainintactintheirsocieties.SincetheJudeanshadalreadybeeninBabylon
for50yearsbythetimePersiatookBabylon’sempireawayfromthem,mostof
theJewshadalreadybeguntoassimilateintoBabyloniancultureatvarying
degrees.Persia,however,flungopentheassimilationfloodgatesbyencouraging
theJewstojointheirsocietyasequals,andevenallowedthemtomigrateto
otherplacesoftheirchoiceintheirempire,whichtheydidinlargenumbers.
Therefore,onlyaveryfewJewshadanyinterestinmovingtoYehud,aplace
where,forthemajorityofcurrentlylivingJews,ithadneverbeentheirhomeso
inmanywaysforthemitwasforeignsoil.UpinBabylontheyhadbeguntoenjoy
someeconomicsuccessesandsoweresatisfiedtogoonlivingwhereverthey
were,andmadethefree-willdecisiontostayput.
Thatsaid,therewereseveralthousandJewsthatremaineddevotedtotheir
Hebrewfaithandtraditions,didnotwanttoadoptthewaysofgentilesand
becomeassimilatedintogentilecultures,andsotheylongedtoreturntotheir
homeland.WhathadheldtheJewstogetherforsolongintheirexilewasthatthe
Jewishleadershipmanagedtofindawaytokeepmanyoftheexilesworshipping
theirGodincommunalworshipandprayer,andbyrememberingtheircustoms
andtraditions.InBabylon,theywereallowedtomeettogetheringroups,which
wereledbylaymen,notpriests…anditwasfromthisadhoceffortthatthe
Synagogueeventuallyarose.
ThereisnoevidencethatinBabylon,orinothersoftheprovinceswhereJews
movedtoinsignificantnumbers,thattheSynagoguehadalreadybeenofficially
formedatthetimePersiagaveitsapprovalfortheJewstoreturnhomeand
rebuildtheirTempleinJerusalem.But,theseedsoftheSynagogueSystemwere
sewnbecauseaprettycleanbreakhadbynowoccurredbetweentheformer
Templepriests(whohadnoplacetooperatefromfortheprior70years,andno
Templetobeginanew,sotheirauthorityandpositionmoreorlessdisappeared),
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andthevarioushomegroupsthatwereledbyabetterandbetterorganized
bunchofgroupleaders.Therefore,itisnotverylongafterthereturnoftheJews
fromBabylonthatwefirstbegintohearoftheSynagogue,eventhoughwedon’t
finditmentionedintheOldTestament.BythetimewegettotheNewTestament
era,however,theSynagoguehadalreadybecomeanintegralpartofJewish
culture,andwascentraltothelivesofeveryHolyLandJew,asithadslowly
evolvedintoawell-orderedparallel,butseparateanddistinct,religious
organizationtotheTempleanditsLevitepriests.Synagogueshadevenbeen
establishedthroughouttheDiasporabythen,whichistheundeniableevidence
thattheSynagogueconcepthadtohavebeenestablishedformanydecades
priortoNewTestamenttimes.Myresearchsaysitcouldhavebeenasearlyas
thelate4
th
centuryB.C.
ItcanbedifficultforusasmodernWesternpeopletograsptheenormityofbeing
forcednotonlyfromourhomes,butfromourhomeland,byanenemy.As
concernstheJews,addtothattheuniqueHebrewcultureandreligiousfaiththat
wasunlikeanythingpracticedanywhereelse,soitmadetheHebrewsseemvery
strangetowherevertheyweresent.Therefore,beforewegoanyfurther,Ihave
twomoretermsI’dliketointroducetoyou.Thefirstis“exilic”.Thesecondis
“postexilic”.Thefirsttermreferstotheperiodatthebeginningofandduring
Judah’sexileinBabylon.Thesecondterm,postexilic,referstowhentheexile
wasover,andtheJewswerefreetomoveaboutastheywished,including
movingbacktotheareaoftheirformerhomelandeventhoughitnowcarrieda
differentname.TheProphetEzekielwasanexilicProphet,aswasIsaiahinthe
latterdaysofhislife.Infact,somescholarsbelievethatthesecondhalfofthe
BookofIsaiahwaswrittenbyadifferentpersonthanwrotethefirsthalf.They
callthislaterwriterSecondIsaiah.EzkielwasamongthefirstgroupofJudeans
tobedeportedfromJudahtoBabylon,andhispropheciesprovidedassurance
andhopethatsomedaytheywouldreturnandtheTemplewouldberestoredto
agrandeurevengreaterthanthatofSolomon’s.Ontheotherhand,Isaiah
(SecondIsaiahifyouacceptthatscholarlyview)helpedtheJewishpeopleto
understandthesourceof,andreasonfor,theirsufferingandloss,andeventhe
valuethatwasintheirpainiftheywouldbutbeopentoallowingsuchathought
intotheirminds.Andthereasonforitwastheirdeterminedunfaithfulnessto
Yehoveh,theirGod,andanintentionalwateringdownorevensubstitutionof
theirtraditionsandcustomsinplaceofthecommandmentsoftheLawofMoses.
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ThisfundamentallymeantamanmadechangetothemoralcodeGodhadgiven
tothemhadoccurredandtheconsequencesweremoredirethantheyevercould
haveimagined.So,eventhoughearlierProphetshadwarnedJudahtostraighten
upandflyright(warningtheydidnotheed),oncethedivinecurseofexilefell
uponJudahfortheirdisobedience,Isaiahgavemeaningtotheterrible
predicamenttheJewssuddenlyfoundthemselvesin,wheneventheirowndeep
introspectionhadfailedtouncovernotonlywhywhathappenedtothemdid
happen,butalsothatitwouldn’tlastforever.
So,theexiledJewsnowlivingwithapromiseofanewExodusintheirhearts,and
thereforeahintofoptimismforabetterfuture,CyrusofAnshan(whoactually
wasaMede)cameintopoweramongthePersiansaround560B.C.,believinghe
hadacallingtoconquerBabylon,whichhedid20yearslater.TheProphetIsaiah
tellsofGod’sapprovalofCyrusasHischoseninstrumentfordeliveringtheJews
fromtheirBabylonianoppressors.
CJB
Isaiah44:28
28
IsayofKoresh(Cyrus),'Heismyshepherd,hewilldo
everythingIwant.HewillsayofYerushalayim,"Youwillberebuilt,"andofthe
temple,"Yourfoundationwillbelaid."'"
CJB
Isaiah45:1ThussaysADONAItoKoresh,hisanointed,whoserighthandhe
hasgrasped,sothathesubduesnationsbeforehimandstripskingsoftheir
robes,sothatdoorsopeninfrontofhim,andnogatesarebarred:
AfterCyrus’sformaledictof538B.C.,inwhichhedecreedthattheJewscouldgo
backtotheirformerhomelandandrebuildtheirTemple,itwascleartotheJews
thatGod’sfavorwasfinallyreturningtothemafteryearsofHisanger,justas
EzekielandIsaiahhadprophesied.Now;thetruthisthatKingCyrusandthe
Persiansweren’tsoterriblyaltruisticasitmightseemintheirhelpingtheJews,
norinanywaydidtheythinktheywereestablishedtobringabouttheGodof
Israel’swill,asmuchastheywerepragmaticintheirprimarygoalofcreatinga
betterandmorelastingwayofrunninganempire.Asweshallsee,thePersians
hand-pickedtheHighPriestandtheJewishgovernorthatwouldruleoverthe
PersianprovinceofYehud.Theywereverywiseintheirchoices.So,Persian
policywastowintheheartsandmindsoftheconqueredpeople,andtoshow
respectfortheirnativeandtraditionalculture,thustryingtoconvincethemthat
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co-operationwiththeirPersianmasterswouldbringprosperityandagoodlife
withit.Evenso,asweproceed,keepinmindthatPersiawasapowerfulempire
withanearlyinvinciblemilitary,soanyseasonedpoliticianatthattimeknewthat
itwasprobablybettertoworkwithPersiathantoresistthem.
SometimeafterCyruswasoutofpower,DariusItookoverandhemoreorless
continuedwiththeestablished,butrecentlysidetracked,Persianpolicyofthe
leastpossibledisruptionoftheoperationoftheconquerednations,providedthat
nationcompliedwithPersiandemands.
Let’stakejustamomenttodiscusshowitisthatPersiaorganizeditsempire,as
itdoesplayaroleinthewordsoftheProphets.Theirempirewascarvedupinto
regionsthattheycalledsatrapies.Thesewererelativelylargeinsize.Each
satrapyconsistedofsomenumberofprovinces.Naturallyeachsatrapyhada
rulerwhoreportedtotheKingofPersia,andundereachsatrapyrulerwerea
numberofgovernorsoftheprovinceswithinthatparticularsatrapythatreported
tohim.ThesatrapythatYehudwaspartofwascalledEberNahara,which
translatedmeans“BeyondtheRiver”(theriverbeingtheEuphrates).
ThefirstgovernoroverYehudwasaJewnamedSheshbazzar;hepresidedover
thefirstwaveofJewishreturneesfromBabylon.Someyearslater,adifferent
governorwasinstalledtopresideoverthesecondwaveofJewishreturnees.His
namewasZerubbabel.TheHighPriest,fullyrecognizedassuchbytheJewish
religiousleadership,wasJoshuaandsoheandZerubbabelformeda
political/governingteam(ifyouwould)onbehalfofPersiatoruleoverYehud.
Backtothefirstwaveofreturnees.ThegovernorandtheHighPriestofYehud
werebesetwithseriouspoliticalproblems,andsotheirgoalofrestoringthe
Templewasmuchindoubt.VerylikelythiswasalsobecauseunderCyrus,the
satrapygoverningsystemwasnotyetfullyinplace,andsoYehudwasunableon
itsowntogetthefinancialhelpitneededtobuildthenewTemple.So,
SheshbazzarfailedinhisgreathopeofrestoringGod’sHouse.
Asameansofapplicationandmakingwhatwereadmorerealtous,itisagreat
timetopointoutthatwhiletechnologyandcommunicationwereprimitiveinthat
eraascomparedtotoday,thesamesortsofpeoples’needsandcivicdynamics
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aswehavetodaystillplayedout.Moneywasneededforprojects,andithadto
comefromsomewhere.TherebuildingoftheTemplewouldhavebeenvery
expensive.YehudhadbeenlargelydepopulatedofJews,thelandwasn’t
producingwellasaresult,andtheeconomywaspoor.So,evenifsometaxes
couldbecollectedthey’dberathermeager.Sheshbazzarcertainlyhadsufficient
autonomy,buthefacedanearlyimpossibletasktorebuildtheTempleandgetit
backintooperationwithoutenoughfunds.And,perhapsjustasimportant,the
JewishreturneesfacedtheSamaritans,amixofIsraelitesandnewlyarrived
pagans,whohadcenturiesearlierinheritedabastardizedformoftheHebrew
faithasbroughtaboutbythefirstKingoftheNorthernKingdomfollowingthe
civilwarthattoreaparttheunitedkingdomofIsraelgovernedbyDavidandthen
Solomon.ItwasKingJeroboamthatinstitutedcalfworship,ordainedhisown
priesthood,builthisowntemple,refusedtolethispeoplegotoJerusalemand
theofficialTemplethere,andessentiallyrestructuredtheTorahtosuithis
agendaandbeliefs.
TheSamaritansthattheJewsfacedastheyarrivedbackhomedidnotoffera
warmwelcome,especiallybecauseoftheseretuningJews’zealousintentionof
reinstitutingtheirbrandoftheHebrewfaiththattheyhadfollowedbeforebeing
exiled.Bothsides,ofcourse,sawtheirownbrandasthemoreauthentic,pious
andsuperior,andsonearlyimmediatelytherewereseriousclashes.
Sheshbazzarunderstoodthatthefirstthingthathadtobeaccomplishedwasto
findawaytoestablishbetterrelationsbetweentheseopposinggroups.I
mentionthisbecauseneitherHaggainorZechariahchapters1-8dealwiththis,
becausetheirtimeframerevolvesonlyaroundthesecondreturnwithZerubbabel
thenincharge.
WeshouldnotjudgeSheshbazzar’sfailure.ThoseJewswhomadetheinitial
effortstoforgeapeacebetweendisagreeingfactions,andwhosoughttobring
aboutmonumentaltaskswithouttheneededmanpower,expertise,ormoney
weredoomedfromthestartatnofaulttotheirown.Andyet,theseinitialefforts
werecriticallyneededjustasthefirstattemptstosetupcoloniesinNorth
Americafailed,butthenextoneslearnedfromthosefailuresandbuiltuponthe
structureandeffortsofthefirst,andsoachievedabettermeasureofsuccessas
eachnewwaveofcolonistsarrived.Zerubbabelbeganhisattempttogovernand
torebuildtheTemplein520B.C.KingDariushadbeenonthePersianthrone
Lesson1-HaggaiIntroduction
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about2yearsatthattimeafterhehadreplacedKingCambyseswhosereignwas
nothingbutturmoilbecausehehadreversedmanyofhispredecessors(Cyrus’s)
policiesanditcausemuchsocialupheaval.ItwasunderDariusthattheSatrapy
systemofcreatedseveralgoverningdistrictsbecamefullyestablished.This
actuallybenefitedYehudaseachSatrapywasrequiredtobringinacertain
amountoftaxesfromtheirseveralprovinces,andsoYehudcouldpartakeinthat
communalchestoftaxrevenueeventhoughtheirowninitialcontributionswere
amongthesmallest.Nowthattheyhadamorestablesourceofmoneythey
couldstarttostarttorebuilttheTemple,whichtheydid.
So,withthat,letusconstructapictureofwhatYehudlookedlikeunder
ZerubbabelbecausethatisthebackgroundandcontextforbothHaggaiand
Zechariah.ZerubbabelwasPersia’shand-pickedofficialgovernorofYehud,and
assuchwasultimatelyresponsibletotheKingofPersiatoseetoitthatthe
citizensofYehudpaidtaxesandtributetotheKing.Taxesandtributewerethe
bottomlineformostkingsofempires.It’swhytheyinvadedandconqueredin
thefirstplace.Tousemodernpoliticalterms,thereasonthatkingswanted
empireswastoextendthetaxbase,andthiswouldprovidemorerevenueforthe
rulingpowertoinstitutehisagenda.ZerubbabelwasloyaltoPersiaandseemed
tohavelittledisagreementwiththeJewsininstitutingPersia’simperialpower
overYehud.Joshua,asHighPriest,wasgiventheresourcemoneytofundthe
buildingoftheTemple,sothisactuallyaddedacivilelementofauthoritytohis
formerlyreligion-onlyauthoritysphere.Therefore,Joshuawasverypowerful,
andhetoowasloyaltoPersiasinceitwasthemthatinstalledhimasHighPriest.
WhywouldtheJewsacceptaHighPriestappointedbythePersians?Because
JoshuawasoftheproperHighPriestlineage.
InthefirstwaveofJewishreturnees,thebiblicalfeastswerereinstitutedandthe
foundationofthenewTemplewaslaid.But,theworkwashaltedbecauseof
seriousoppositionfromlocals(mainlytheSamaritans)someofwhomwanted
involvementintheprojectinorderforittobebuiltthewaytheysawfitintheir
visionofit,andotherswhodidn’twantitatall.WereadofthisintheBookof
Ezra.
CJB
Ezra4:1-5WhentheenemiesofY'hudahandBinyaminheardthatthe
peoplefromtheexilewerebuildingatempletoADONAItheGodofIsra'el,
2
they
Lesson1-HaggaiIntroduction
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approachedZ'rubavelandtheheadsoffathers'clansandsaidtothem,"Letus
buildalongwithyou;forweseekyourGod,justasyoudo;andwehavebeen
sacrificingtohimsincethetimeofEsar-HadonkingofAshur,whobroughtus
here."
3
ButZ'rubavel,Yeshuaandtherestoftheheadsoffathers'clansinIsra'el
answeredthem,"Youandwehavenothingincommonthatyoushouldjoinusin
buildingahouseforourGod.WewillbuildbyourselvesforADONAItheGodof
Isra'el,asKoreshkingofPersiaorderedustodo."
4
Thenthepeopleoftheland
begandiscouragingthepeopleofY'hudah,inordertomakethemafraidtobuild.
5
Theyalsobribedofficialstofrustratetheirplanthroughoutthelifetimeof
KoreshkingofPersiaandonintothereignofDaryaveshkingofPersia.
Afterall,forthosenowlivingintheformerJudah,thereturningJewswere
unwantedoutsiderswhocamewithanagendatorevertthelocalcultureand
religiouspracticesbacktowhatithadbeenbeforetheywereexiled.Discouraged,
thereturningJewsturnedfrombuildingtheTempleandinsteadtoprovidingfor
theirownnecessities.And,astypicallyhappenswithhumanendeavors,when
idlenessandindifferencesetin,itwouldtakeanewsituationandleaderto
providetheneededinertiastarttheballrollingagain.
ThatimpellingforceoccurredwhenasecondwaveofJewishreturneescame
someyearslaterandundertheencouragementofKingDarius.Itwasthe
propheciesofHaggaiandZechariahthatdivinelypressuredtheJewstosetaside
theirlackofconcernforGod’sHouse,andtorestarttheworkofrebuildingthe
TempleregardlessofwhattheSamaritansoranyoneelsethought.Atthispoint
IthinkitfairtoaskwhyGodwassodeterminedthattheTemplewas
reconstructed.
HaggaiandZechariahbothbroughtmessagesfromYehovehthatoffered
promisesofblessingsthatweredirectlyattachedtotherebuildingoftheTemple.
Fromthepointofviewofthese2Prophets,theTemplewastheneededvisible
proofoftheJews’zealousdedicationtoGod.Isitreallythatagrandphysical
buildingiswhatprovedtheirloveforGodinHisowneyes?Thepointofthe
TemplebeingbuiltwasthatitwascommandedintheCovenantofMoses.Itwas
themosttangible,God-ordainedsymbolofIsraelbeingaspecial,set-apart
peopleforYehoveh.ItpubliclysignaledIsrael’sagreementtotheirpledgeto
Lesson1-HaggaiIntroduction
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havetruefellowshipwithGod,andtheTemple(andbeforethat,theTabernacle
tent)waswherethisfellowshipwascommandedtooccur.
IthinkitfairtosaythattheTempleisstillnecessarytothisdayandintothe
future,andthisisespeciallyprovedbythemessageofthelast8chaptersofthe
BookofEzekiel.Thisiswherewereadinexcruciatingdetailoftheconstruction,
meaningandpurposeoftheMillennialTemplewhereChristwillsomedayreside
andruleuponHisreturn.Itwillbemoremagnificentandinspiringthanany
TempleIsraelortheJewishpeoplehaveeverattempted.But,why,ifBelievers
aresupposedtobetheliteralTemplesofGod,wouldaMillennialTemplebuilding
beneeded,especiallywhenGodintheflesh,Yeshua,willbebackonearth,ruling
fromZion?Thisseemssocontradictory.Despitetheteachingofthe
ConstantinianChurchsinceitsinception,thetruthisthatcallingYeshua’s
followers“temples”ismoreananalogyandnotmeanttobefullyliteral.The
issueisthattheTempleisavisiblereminderthattheMosaicCovenantandthe
LawsofMoses…God’scodeofmorality…remainineffectfromthemomentthey
weregivenandagreedto3300yearsago,allthewayintothepresentandthen
thefuture,untilthepresentearthanduniversepassawaytobereplacedbya
re-Creation.
CJB
Matthew5:17-18
17
"Don'tthinkthatIhavecometoabolishtheTorahorthe
Prophets.Ihavecomenottoabolishbuttocomplete.
18
Yesindeed!Itellyou
thatuntilheavenandearthpassaway,notsomuchasayudorastrokewillpass
fromtheTorah-notuntileverythingthatmusthappenhashappened.
Thisclearinstructioncoupledwithapromisecomesfromthemouthofthevery
Onewhohassavedus,andwhowillruleovertheworldinthenotdistantfuture.
But,laterinthefinalbookoftheBible,wereadthis:
CJB
Revelation21:1-5ThenIsawanewheavenandanewearth,fortheold
heavenandtheoldearthhadpassedaway,andtheseawasnolongerthere.
2
AlsoIsawtheholycity,NewYerushalayim,comingdownoutofheavenfrom
God,preparedlikeabridebeautifullydressedforherhusband.
3
Iheardaloud
voicefromthethronesay,"See!God'sSh'khinahiswithmankind,andhewill
livewiththem.Theywillbehispeople,andhehimself,God-with-them,willbe
theirGod.
4
Hewillwipeawayeverytearfromtheireyes.Therewillnolongerbe
Lesson1-HaggaiIntroduction
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anydeath;andtherewillnolongerbeanymourning,cryingorpain;becausethe
oldorderhaspassedaway."
5
ThentheOnesittingonthethronesaid,"Look!I
ammakingeverythingnew!"Alsohesaid,"Write,'Thesewordsaretrueand
trustworthy!'"
IftheTorahandtheProphetsdon’tpassawayuntilearthandtheuniversepass
away,thenneithercanthehighlyvisibleconnectingpointbetweenGodandman,
theTemple,passawayuntilthen.Certainly,therehasbeen,andcurrentlyis,
timeswhentheTempleisnon-existentduetothesinsandrebellionofthe
Israelites.But,theMillennialKingdomwillbeestablishedandexistfor1000
years(asthenameexplains)onthispresentearth,andthereforeaphysical
Templemustnecessarilybepartofit…whichEzekielchapters40–48showsthat
itis.
WereadofSolomon’sTemplebeingfilledwiththevisiblepresenceofGodupon
itscompletion(intheformofacloud)asGod’sapprovalofit,andthatHewas
indeedaccessiblethere.ThatvisiblepresenceofYehovehwasthesignthatthe
covenantbetweenHeandIsraelcontinuedunabated.Andthisisthesame
monumentalsensethatwearetounderstandGod’sinsistenceupontheJewish
returneesfromBabylongettingseriousaboutbuildinganewTempletoreplace
thedestroyedone.Withoutit,God’spresencewasdistantandnotclose.He
wantedtobeclosetoHispeople,andHispeopleneededtobeclosetoHim.
Certainly,thoseexilestakentoBabylonmusthavesensedGod’sdistancefrom
them,justasweallcansenseourownspiritualdrynessattimeswhenwehave
steppedbackfromHimforonereasonoranother.Thus,themostzealousand
devotedoftheJewishreturneeswerewillingtoriskalltoaccomplish
constructingthatnewTemple.Butatfirstthereweretoofewofthem,andtoo
manyofthefearfulandmoreself-serving,andsotheeffortcollapsed.
Further,itseemsthatbothHaggaiandZechariahrealizedthattherewasno
immediatehopefortheJewstorestoreanIsraelitemonarchy.Allhopeforthat
waspushedouttoanundefined,distantfuture.And,itismostinterestingthat
therewasnopush-backagainstthePersiandesigned,man-ordained
co-governingarrangementoverYehudbytheprovincialgovernorandtheHigh
Priest.ItseemsthatbothProphetshadaprettypragmaticunderstandingabout
theirsituation;Persiawasunquestionablyinpower,andtherewasnotevena
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glintofhopethatcouldbecontemplatedthatwouldeverallowforaHebrewking
tositonthethroneofarestoredandindependentHebrewkingdom.
WhenonereadsChristiancommentariesandjournalarticlescreatedpriorto
WWII,therearementionsoftheEndTimesApocalypse,butnearlynoneabout
theexistenceofIsraeleventhoughbiblicallythetroublesoftheworldaswenear
theEndTimesaresaidtoswirlaroundIsraellikeagalaxyswirlingaroundaBlack
Hole.WhyisthatwhentheHolyScripturessoplainlyspeakofIsrael’sprominent
roleintheEndTimesthatthevastbulkoftheChurchcouldn’tseeit?Itis
becauseIsraeldidnotexist,norhaditexisted,sincethelaterpartofthe10
th
centuryB.C.ortheearlypartofthe6
th
centuryB.C.dependingonone’s
definitionofIsrael.AnythoughtofarestoredunifiedIsraelwassofarfromthe
thoughtprocessesoftheConstantinianChurchthatitisnotthattheleadership
deniedthebiblicaltruthofEnd-TimesIsraelasmuchasitwas,andis,thatIsrael
simplywasn’tontheirradar.Israelwasamysteryandfarfromtheirthoughts.
ObviouslyitwasquitethesurprisewhenIsraelsuddenly,overnight,re-emerged
asaJewishnationin1948,buteventhenmostChristiandenominationshave
neverbeenabletofindaplaceforIsraelintheirdoctrinesandtheologyother
thantocontinuewiththeslanderousfalsitythattheConstantinianChurchhad
replacedIsrael.ThepointisthatwhenwereadHaggaiandZechariah,andwhen
weconsiderwhatthegeneralattitudeoftheJewswasatthattime,whilethere
mayhavebeenaquietunspokenhopeinthe6
th
centuryB.C.foranIsraelite
leadertosuddenlyariseandtakeontheworldandwinandrestoreIsraeltoglory,
andnextforthatleader(theoreticallyadescendantofDavid)toinstallhimselfas
King,neitherHaggainorZechariahcouldenvisionitbecauseithadbeenmore
than70yearssinceIsraelhadself-ruleandPersiawastoodominanta
superpowerforthemtoseeanyhopeofsuchaturn-aroundonthehorizon.Thus,
theirmoreimmediateandurgentgoalwastore-establishtheTempleandits
servicesandallthepriestlyfunctionsthatwentalongwithitinorderfortheJews
torestoretheirfellowshipwithGod.
Intheend,attheurgingofHaggaiandZechariah,andattheleadershipof
ZerubbabelandtheHighPriestJoshua,andwiththehelpofthePersianKing
Darius,theworkoftheTemplewascompletedinabout4½years.This
happenedinthe6
th
yearofDarius’sreign.Evenso,thisnewTemplewasNOT
filledwithGod’sglory,andthisisbecausethemostimportantitemthatwastobe
Lesson1-HaggaiIntroduction
13/14
containedwithintheTemple…thesingleobjectthatwastorestintheHolyof
Holies…theArkoftheCovenant…wasnotthere.Ithadgonemissingandits
whereaboutswereamysteryandremainamysterytothisday.SincetheArk
representednotonlythepresenceofGodandofIsrael’sfellowshipwithHim,but
alsocontainedtheTestimony,thatis,theoriginalTorahormorelikelythe
originalLawofMosessectionoftheTorah,thenhowwerethepeopletoknowthe
Torah?DidthismeantheTorahwasgoneandwouldhavetobereplacedwith
newanddifferentlawsandcommands?
Thepre-exilicProphetJeremiah…pre-exilicmeaninghewrotebeforetheJews
weredeportedtoBabylon…actuallyprophesiedaboutthisissue,eventhough
theArkhadnotyetgonemissingastheTemplestillstood.
CJB
Jeremiah31:30-32
30
"Here,thedaysarecoming,"saysADONAI,"whenI
willmakeanewcovenantwiththehouseofIsra'elandwiththehouseofY'hudah.
31
ItwillnotbelikethecovenantImadewiththeirfathersonthedayItookthem
bytheirhandandbroughtthemoutofthelandofEgypt;becausethey,fortheir
part,violatedmycovenant,eventhoughI,formypart,wasahusbandtothem,"
saysADONAI.
32
"ForthisisthecovenantIwillmakewiththehouseofIsra'el
afterthosedays,"saysADONAI:"IwillputmyTorahwithinthemandwriteiton
theirhearts;IwillbetheirGod,andtheywillbemypeople.
Whilenodoubtitisnottheonlyreasonforanewcovenantthatwouldwritethe
Torahontheheartsofthepeople,thefactthattheArkcontainingthephysical
Torahdocumentwouldsoongomissingwaslikelypartofthereasonforit.The
realityprovedtimeandagainintheBibleisthatpropheticfulfillmentshappen,
andthenhappenagainlaterinaslightlydifferentandusuallywiderscope.This
prophesiednewcovenantwastobeareassurancethattheCovenantofMoses,
alongwiththepromiseofYehovehbeingIsrael’sGodandHispeople,would
continueeventhoughtheoriginalcovenantdocumentswouldvanish.
Nonetheless,itslawsandcommandswouldcontinuetoexistbecausethevalue
ofitwasnotthescrollsitwaswrittenuponbutratherinthetruthitcontained.
TherealityisthattheTorahhadalwaysbeenintendedtolivewithintheheartsof
thepeople.And,itneedstomeanthatsamethingtous,asfollowersofYeshua.
Lesson1-HaggaiIntroduction
14/14
IwanttoconcludethisintroductiontoHaggaiwithaquoteCarolandEricMeyers
intheirCommentaryonHaggai.
“CriticshaveclaimedthatthevalueoftheBookofHaggaiistobediscerned
merelyinthemodestamountofhistoricaldetailpreservedinthetext.They
claimeitherthatthebookisdevoidofspiritualcontentandreligioussignificance
orthatHaggaifosteredanarrowandrigidexclusivenessthatsignaledthe
declineofJudaismintheSecondCommonwealthperiod.We,however,have
foundHaggaitostandsquarelyinthetraditionofhispropheticforebearsin
language,idiom,andpointofview.Atthesametime,Haggaiclearlypoints
towardafuturethatwasatfirstuncertain.Heeaseshiscountrymenoverthe
traumaofreturn,andsucceedsinrousingthemtoworkontheTemple.Thishe
doeswithrhetoricalingenuityandskill,andwithasophisticated,elevatedprose
style”.
So,fellowBelievers,aswebegininchapter1nexttime,weneedtoviewHaggai
asGod’sspokesmaninanerawhenGod’sWordtotheJewswasscarce.There
wouldbebutacouplemoreProphetstofollowhimbeforetheeraoftheProphets
cametoaclose.Haggai,andthenZechariah,chartedapathwayfortheJews,
andultimatelyforallIsrael,totransitionfromtheirwoefulconditionatthattime
coupledwithadistancefromGod’spresence,toabettertimewhengentileswho
lovedYehovehandHisSonYeshuawouldjointhemintheircovenantswithGod,
andthenfinallyintoamostgloriousextendedtimewhenGod’spresencewould
livewiththemmoretangiblythanever.