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Haggai 2
Another circumstance was the hostility of the people who now occupied the land, and the attitude of Darius toward the building of the temple was not yet known at Jerusalem. In so far as they judged by circumstances, then, there was much to depress and discourage those who feared God. (See Ezra 3:12, 13,12But many of the priests and Levites and chief of the fathers, who were ancient men, that had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice; and many shouted aloud for joy: 13So that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people: for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard afar off. (Ezra 3:12‑13) though it relates to the beginning of the work, a dozen years earlier).
Now, God is always for His people; though He may allow them to pass through circumstances painful and humbling; this is for their true and abiding blessing. His hand at times falls in discipline upon fits children, too, for we have a faithful, as well as a loving Father and the past course of Israel had not without due and repeated warnings, brought upon them their present ruin and dishonor.
There is much to make the child of God today mourn, when, considering the state of things in the days of Haggai and Zechariah, and the former glory of Israel, he turns to view the present state of God’s heavenly people, the Church, and compare it with the bright years of the beginning of Christianity. The substance of the confession of the godly Daniel (Daniel 9:3-193And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes: 4And I prayed unto the Lord my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments; 5We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments: 6Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. 7O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces, as at this day; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel, that are near, and that are far off, through all the countries whither thou hast driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against thee. 8O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee. 9To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him; 10Neither have we obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets. 11Yea, all Israel have transgressed thy law, even by departing, that they might not obey thy voice; therefore the curse is poured upon us, and the oath that is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against him. 12And he hath confirmed his words, which he spake against us, and against our judges that judged us, by bringing upon us a great evil: for under the whole heaven hath not been done as hath been done upon Jerusalem. 13As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us: yet made we not our prayer before the Lord our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand thy truth. 14Therefore hath the Lord watched upon the evil, and brought it upon us: for the Lord our God is righteous in all his works which he doeth: for we obeyed not his voice. 15And now, O Lord our God, that hast brought thy people forth out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and hast gotten thee renown, as at this day; we have sinned, we have done wickedly. 16O Lord, according to all thy righteousness, I beseech thee, let thine anger and thy fury be turned away from thy city Jerusalem, thy holy mountain: because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and thy people are become a reproach to all that are about us. 17Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant, and his supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord's sake. 18O my God, incline thine ear, and hear; open thine eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by thy name: for we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies. 19O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do; defer not, for thine own sake, O my God: for thy city and thy people are called by thy name. (Daniel 9:3‑19)) should be the language of every true-hearted saint of God today.
Verses 2, 3: His people were then to feel what had taken place, and to be humbled over it. But (verse 4) they were not to be discouraged; “Be strong, and work, for I am with you”, was the message of Jehovah to His feeble and few people, and observe, He speaks of Himself as “Jehovah of hosts”—His name of power. They had, as they are reminded (verse 5) His word and His Spirit, as in the beginning; “fear ye not!” Are these not enough for faith to go on in obedience?
And here God points onward to the day now at hand (see Hebrews 12:26, 2726Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. 27And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. (Hebrews 12:26‑27)), when He will deal with the world in righteousness, and the “Desire” of all nations —the Lord Jesus as the true and rightful Ruler—shall come. Then His house—called “this house” in verses 7 and 9, because it is His earthly dwelling- place at Jerusalem that is in view—He will fill with glory. (In verse 9 read “The latter glory of this house”).
Another word follows (verses 10-19), the burden of which is the defilement that is everywhere. The New Testament counterpart of this passage, written for the guidance of the present-day children of God, is found in 2 Timothy 2:19-2119Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. 20But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honor, and some to dishonor. 21If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work. (2 Timothy 2:19‑21). Mistaken is the notion of some to go into the world to cleanse and improve it; the inevitable result is to contract defilement from, instead of reforming it. In verses 15-19, God points to His own faithfulness to His word; have we not found Him always thus?
A last brief message closes the book (verses 20-23). It looks forward to the day of Christ’s glory as Son of David—of whom Zerubbabal was, as Israel’s ruler a type or foreshadow.
ML 07/18/1937