A retaining wall from the Second Temple
Notice the different kinds of masonry from the wall's repeated rebuilting.
A group of Jewish pioneers left Babylon to rebuild Jerusalem and the Temple in 538 B.C. They met with fierce opposition and soon wearied of fulfilling their dreams and plans. It was 18 years later that God raised up a prophet named Haggai to help get things moving again. The Biblical record of Haggai’s ministry only covers 15 weeks, but it carried a message that stands for eternity.
Haggai means “Festive” and refers to the Biblical feast days of former years. His name was a cry to God that the days of the Feasts in Jerusalem would return. Haggai dedicated his life to seeing that the sacred Feast days would return to Israel.
In obedience to God, Haggai was a pioneer in resettling and rebuilding Jerusalem. The whole process had been fraught with danger, conflicts and work stoppages. After years of trying, the Persian government was beginning to crumble, and with it any hopes of protection for rebuilding the Jewish homeland. Those who had returned to Jerusalem had become demoralized and were filled with apathy. God’s judgment then was added to the already difficult circumstances, because the people were allowing circumstances to dictate what they should do, instead of walking in faith and obedience to God.
On September 1, 520 B.C., Haggai got up and gave his first challenge to the Israelite people, and specifically challenged the governor. The people had abandoned the process of rebuilding once their own homes had been completed. They claimed that it was not a proper time to rebuild the temple. Unfortunately, this same argument has kept Israel from obeying God for 2,000 years now.
Haggai 1:3-5 Then came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet, saying,
4 Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses, and this house lie waste?
5 Now therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.
It took three weeks for the Jewish people meet. August is a crucial time of harvest. Their harvest was not that good. What they did have, needed to be carefully processed and stored. It would have to carry them through winter until the springtime. Haggai explains the reason for the poor harvest. It was to get their attention, and to motivate them to reprioritize their lives.
Haggai 1:6-11 Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.
7 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.
8 Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the LORD.
9 Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? saith the LORD of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house.
10 Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from her fruit.
11 And I called for a drought upon the land, and upon the mountains, and upon the corn, and upon the new wine, and upon the oil, and upon that which the ground bringeth forth, and upon men, and upon cattle, and upon all the labour of the hands.
On September 24, 520 B.C., the volunteer force had assembled and was ready to work! Humanly speaking this was an impossible task. They were hungry, tired, and ill-equipped. With all the work of harvesting, organizing and enlisting leadership, formulating plans, hunting down resources; starting the work in three weeks was remarkable.
God was at work and stirred up the spirits of the leaders and people.
And the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and did work in the house of the LORD of hosts, their God (Haggai 1:14).
To gain a perspective of the sheer size of the proposal, the original Temple had taken a lifetime of preparation by King David. Once actual construction began by King Solomon, it took seven years of forced labor, and heavy taxation when the Kingdom was at its zenith. Haggai was proposing that the Temple be rebuilt by volunteers, and under the stress of an agitated international community. The band of volunteers responded, repented and rallied, and changed the course of the disasters they were experiencing.
On October 21, 520 B.C., a month after the people assembled to work, Haggai was told by God to speak to the leaders and people again, to encourage them and cause them to see the importance of their work. This was the place that the Messiah was going to visit, and it was going to be more important than the last glorious Temple.
And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts (Haggai 2:7).
On December 24, 520 B.C., Haggai was sent to instruct those faithfully laboring, to help them stay motivated, and to let them know that since they were in obedience to God in rebuilding the foundation of the Temple, he would bless them, and prosper their crops. He also had a personal message to the governor that he would be the signet to the Messiah in the Millennial Kingdom.
Sources
Photo by Garo Nalbandian. The Biblical World in Pictures; BAS Biblical World in Pictures. Biblical Archaeology Society, 2002; 2002.
Peter C. Craigie, Twelve Prophets : Volume 2, The Daily study Bible series (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2001, c1984) p. 133.
Walter A. Elwell, Evangelical Commentary on the Bible, Baker Reference Library (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Book House, 1996, c1989) Zec 1:7.
F. Charles Fencham, ed. Geoffrey Bromley. International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdman, 1988) pp. 1183-1186
Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset, A.R. Fausset, and David Brown, A Commentary, Critical and Explanatory, on the Old and New Testaments (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997). Haggai 1:1.
Andrew Knowles, The Bible Guide, 1st Augsburg books ed. (Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg, 2001) p. 390.
William MacDonald and Arthur Farstad, Believer's Bible Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1997, c1995) Zec. 1:7.
J. Vernon McGee, Thru the Bible Commentary, electronic ed. (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1997, c1981) vol. 3, p. 905. Dates source.
Henrietta C. Mears. What the Bible Is All About, (Glendale, California: G/L Publications, 1966) p. 325-328.
Allen C. Myers, The Eerdmans Bible Dictionary (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 1987) p. 453.
Earl D. Radmacher, Ronald Barclay Allen and H. Wayne House, The Nelson Study Bible: New King James Version (Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers, 1997). Zec 1:2.
James E. Smith, The Minor Prophets (Joplin, Mo.: College Press, 1992).
Ralph L. Smith, Word Biblical Commentary: Micah-Malachi, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2002) p. 148.
Spirit Filled Life Study Bible, electronic ed. (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1997, c1991)
Walvoord, John F., Roy B. Zuck, and Dallas Theological Seminary. The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1983-c1985. Vol. 1, Page 1546.
