Hope for a New Day

                                                                  Sunday School lesson                                       

Lesson: Haggai 2:20-23; Zechariah 4:5-14
                                                                                                 
Golden Text: “Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6).

I.  INTRODUCTION.  Biblical prophecy isn’t only about the future.  God doesn’t tell us about the future through prophecy just to satisfy our curiosity about what is going to happen.  He tells us about the future so that we can live better in the present.  The two prophets, Haggai and Zechariah prophesied at the same time (see Ezra 5:1).  Near the end of the Captivity when King Cyrus ruled Persia which had conquered the Babylonians, God prompted him to send many of the Israelites back to their homeland to do two things: reestablish worship by rebuilding the temple, and to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.  As they attempted to rebuild the temple, they faced opposition.  As the Lord so often does in times of crisis, He sent His servants to speak to His people.  This week’s lesson contains prophetic messages to the returning exiles from Haggai and Zachariah.  If the people were going to have any hope for the future, they needed to listen to God’s servants and put into practice what they were commanded to do.

II. A FURTURE FOR ZERUBBABEL (Haggai 2:20-23).  Last week’s lesson ended with the people finally committing to obey God and continuing to rebuild the temple by first re-laying the foundation (see Haggai 2:18).  As a result, God said that from that day forward He would bless them (see Haggai 2:19).  This week’s lesson is a continuation of the passages from last week.  The first portion of our lesson reveals the fourth message given by Haggai to the people of Judah (see Haggai 1:1; 2:1, 10).
A. The message to Zerubbabel (Haggai 2:20-21).
1. (vs. 20).  This verse says “ And again the word of the Lord came unto Haggai in the four and twentieth day of the month, saying.”  The term “again” indicates that this was the fourth time that “the word of the Lord came unto Haggai.”  This fourth message came to Haggai on the same day as the third one which was “the four and twentieth day of the month” or the 24^th day of Chisleu, which was the ninth month on the Hebrew calendar (see Haggai 2:10).
2. (vs. 21).  The message begins in this verse as Haggai is told to “ Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, I will shake the heavens and the earth.”  This fourth message was addressed directly to “Zerubbabel, governor of Judah.”  As mentioned in the previous lesson, as governor, Zerubbabel was the civil or political leader in Judah, appointed to that position by King Cyrus (see Ezra 1:1-5; 2:1-2).  As a leader of God’s people, Zerubbabel had the responsibility of overseeing the rebuilding of the temple.  Just as the people would need encouragement to rebuild God’s house, Zerubbabel would also need encouragement to lead them in that effort.The Lord began His message of encouragement to Zerubbabel by declaring “I will shake the heavens and the earth.”  This refers to a future day of judgment that will no doubt begin with the Great Tribulation.  God gives more information about this time of shaking in the next verse.
B. Zerubbabel chosen by God (Haggai 2:22-23). 
1. (vs. 22).  Still speaking of the shaking of the world that He will do, God in this verse says “And I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms, and I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the heathen; and I will overthrow the chariots, and those that ride in them; and the horses and their riders shall come down, every one by the sword of his brother.”   This verse describes how some of the destruction will take place at the battle of Armageddon following the Great Tribulation (see Zechariah 14:1-3, 13; Ezekiel 38: 21-23; Revelation 16:14-16; 19:11-21).  At that time, God will destroy the “thrones of kingdoms” and the “strength (or power) of the kingdoms of the heathen (the unbelieving Gentile nations).”  In other words, all world leaders and their armies shall be overthrown.  The phrase “every one by the sword of his brother” means that when the nations of the world come together to oppose God and His plans for mankind, they will be completely destroyed and end up killing each other.  Note:  Armageddon is the Greek word for the Valley of Meggido, and is found only in Revelation16:16.  Armageddon is the ancient hill and valley of Meggido west of the Jordan in the plain of Jezreel between Samaria and Galilee.  It’s the site of the final battle of this age where the armies of the beast and false prophet will be destroyed by Christ’s descending to earth in glory (see Revelation 19:11, 15, 19, 21).  No opposition will stand against Jesus Christ.
2. (vs. 23).  This verse says “In that day, saith the Lord of hosts, will I take thee, O Zerubbabel, my servant, the son of Shealtiel, saith the Lord, and will make thee as a signet: for I have chosen thee, saith the Lord of hosts.”  God stated that as the “Lord of hosts” or Lord of armies, He chose Zerubbabel and made him to be like “a signet.”  This was a ring used to guarantee the authority or authenticity of a document.  It was a seal that served as a signature when pressed in soft wax on a written document.  God was reaffirming and guaranteeing the promise of a Messiah through David’s line (see Matthew 1:12).  For Zerubbabel, knowing the future would help him live in the present and finish God’s work. The phrase “In that day” refers to the future messianic kingdom when God’s promise to make Zerubbabel “a signet” will be fulfilled in Jesus, the Supreme Authority and Ruler of the world.
III. THE INFLUENCE OF ZERUBBABEL (Zechariah 4:5-10 ).  As previously mentioned, Zachariah and Haggai both ministered to the remnant that returned from the Babylonian Captivity (see Ezra 5:1).  While Haggai’s ministry was one of rebuke and encouragement, Zechariah’s ministry was one of hope and encouragement.  Zachariah was given eight visions and chapter 4 contains the fifth vision.  With the fourth vision in chapter 3, Zachariah encouraged Joshua, the high priest and with the fifth vision which covers the next portion of our lesson, he encourages Zerubbabel the governor of Judah.  This fifth vision began with an angel arousing Zechariah as one would wake a man from sleep (see Zechariah 4:1).  The angel then asked Zechariah what he saw.  The prophet replied that he saw “a candlestick all of gold” and went on to describe what else he saw in verses 2-3.  After describing the vision, Zachariah asked the angel what was the meaning of it all (see Zechariah 4:4).  This is where the next portion of our lesson begins.
A. A question for Zechariah (Zechariah 4:5).  This verse says, “Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord.”  After describing what he saw in the vision, and asking the angel what did it all mean, the angel asked Zechariah “Knowest thou not what these be?  The angel’s question implies surprise that Zechariah needed an explanation of what he saw.  Therefore, this question could be read as “Don’t you know what these things mean?”  The prophet didn’t know what it all meant so he replied “No, my lord.” 
B. A word for Zerubbabel (Zechariah 4:6-7).  
1. (vs. 6).  This verse says “Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.”  Here, the angel clearly stated that this “word” or vision from the Lord was specifically for Zerubbabel who as the overseer of the rebuilding of the temple needed encouragement.  When Solomon built the first temple, he had an army of workers available (see I Kings 5:13-18; II Chronicles 2:2, 17-18).  There were only about fifty-thousand people who returned to Judah with Zerubbabel from Captivity (see Ezra 2:1-2, 64-65).  When compared to the human resources Solomon had the resources available to Zerubbabel seemed quite inadequate.  So, to encourage Zerubbabel the Lord’s word to him was “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.”  Just as the oil was constantly supplied to the lampstand to give light in Zechariah’s vision without any human help, in the same manner the temple would not be completed by human effort alone.  This is what the Lord meant by “Not by might, nor by power.”  God’s work couldn’t be accomplished by the political, military, intellectual, moral, physical, or social strength of men.  The Lord said His will would be accomplished “by my spirit.”  God’s Spirit would do the work through the people.  The word “spirit” here should be capitalized since it refers to the Holy Spirit.  Through Haggai God had earlier reminded Israel “My spirit remaineth among you” (see Haggai 2:5).  Oil is a symbol of the Holy Spirit in Scripture (see I Samuel 16:13; Isaiah 61:1) and now the olive oil supplied to the lampstand from the two olive trees in Zechariah’s vision was teaching the same truth, that God would be with Zerubbabel as he led the people in rebuilding the temple.  Note:  The constant and abundant flow of oil in the vision, representing the Holy Spirit, confirms that Zerubbabel would successfully complete the work of the temple through an abundant supply of God’s Spirit not in the power or might of men.
2. (vs. 7).  In this verse, using figurative language, the Lord revealed what the Spirit’s power would do for Zerubbabel as He said “Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it.”  The phrase “O great mountain” refers to the seemingly insurmountable difficulties Zerubbabel and the Jews were facing.  Many of the difficulties were caused by their neighboring enemies (see Ezra 5:3).  However, the opposition and obstacles would not prevail for God said “before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain.”  In other words, the seemingly formidable “mountain” or opposition would be flattened, making the way clear for the temple to be completed.  It’s ironic that those who oppose God’s work, who seem so formidable because of their power, really have no power except what’s given to them by our Divine Ruler (see Proverbs 21:1).  Once God’s Spirit has removed all obstacles, God said that Zerubbabel “shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it.”  This pictures Zerubbabel, the governor bringing the final stone, here called the “headstone,” to the temple so that it can be set in its proper place.  Great joy would accompany this act as seen in the word “shoutings.”   This refers to wild shouts and cheers to celebrate the completion of God’s house.  The people would be shouting or crying “Grace, grace unto it.”  The word “it” may refer simply to the final stone being laid, but more likely refers to the completed temple.  The term “Grace” can be understood here in two ways.  One is the desire that the grace of God should rest on His house.  The other is to take “grace” to mean gracefulness, expressing the idea, “What grace or beauty it has!”  Either interpretation would be appropriate.
C. A completed work by Zerubbabel (Zechariah 4:8-10).
1. (vs. 8).  In this verse Zechariah continued to say “Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying.”  This statement introduces what the Lord said next.
2. (vs. 9).  The next word from God in this verse was “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it; and thou shalt know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto you.”  The Lord now plainly promised that just as Zerubbabel had supervised the laying of the foundation of the temple, so “his hands shall also finish it.”  This declaration stressed that the completion of the temple was certain to happen.  The same person who had laid the foundation would also with his own hands finish the structure.  In other words, the laying of the headstone by Zerubbabel (see verse 7) would be the finishing touch to the temple reconstruction.  This had to be great encouragement to Zerubbabel and the workers who may have thought that they wouldn’t live to see the fruits of their labors.  Once the temple was completed, the Lord said “thou shalt know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto you.”  This means that God, through His Spirit would use Zerubbabel to build the temple, but God Himself would receive the glory.  Whenever the Holy Spirit works, we must be sure that God gets the glory.
3. (vs. 10).  Zechariah continues to say in this verse “For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the Lord, which run to and fro through the whole earth.”  The prophet was asking a rhetorical question when he said “For who hath despised the day of small things?”  There may have been some who would think that since this temple was not as great as Solomon’s was, their work was a small thing.  However, like us they needed to realize something.  There are days and times when what we do for the Lord seems unimportant, but those same days and times are important in God’s plans.  If we have “despised” or scorned such times and considered them unprofitable, we would be making a great mistake.  Note:  Many of the older Jews were disheartened when they realized this new temple wouldn’t match the size and splendor of Solomon’s temple.  Bigger and more beautiful isn’t always better.  What we do for God may seem small and insignificant at the time, but God delights in what is right not necessarily what is big.  We should begin where we are and do what we can and leave the results to God. We should never despise small things or accomplishments because God often starts a great work in a small way.  God loves to use events and persons that others despise or downplay in order to demonstrate His power through them (see I Corinthians 1:25-29).  This verse went on to say “for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven.”  The term “plummet” refers to a plum line which is a device used by builders to get perfect right angles for construction.  The presence of the “plummet” in Zerubbabel’s hand would cause the people to rejoice along with God because it showed that Zerubbabel was busy overseeing the construction.  The phrase “those seven” is explained as “the eyes of the Lord, which run to and fro through the whole earth.”  In Scripture, the number “seven” indicates completeness or perfection.  Therefore the seven eyes of the Lord refer to how He perfectly sees everything.  The fact that His eyes, which is an anthropomorphism (which means using human qualities to describe God), roam all over the earth, reveals that He has the whole earth in view at all times. 
IV. THE POSITION OF ZERUBBABEL AND JOSHUA (Zechariah 4:11-14)      
A. Zechariah’s question about the two olive trees (Zechariah 4:11-12). 
1. (vs. 11).  In this verse Zechariah says “Then answered I, and said unto him, What are these two olive trees upon the right side of the candlestick and upon the left side thereof?”  In our commentary on verse 5, we noted what Zechariah saw in the vision from verses 1-3.  In his description of the vision, among other things, Zechariah said that he saw two olive trees.  This was the one feature of his vision that he had questions about.  In verse 3 he asked the question “What are these my lord?” which appeared to be a question about the whole vision.  Now in this verse, still not sure what the two trees represented, Zechariah asked the angel a specific question: “What are these two olive trees upon the right side of the candlestick and upon the left side thereof?”  Before the angel could answer, in the next verse Zechariah asked another question that was connected to this one hoping to gain more insight into what he saw.
2. (vs. 12).  Here we have the additional question that Zechariah asked in order to get more information.  This verse says “And I answered again, and said unto him, What be these two olive branches which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oil out of themselves?”  In essence, Zechariah was asking about the two branches from the two olive trees that were dripping oil through two golden pipes into the bowl that fed the lights on the lampstand.  He wanted more information probably because he sensed that this vision had a significant message for Zerubbabel and he wanted as much understanding of it as the angel could provide.
B. An explanation about the two olive trees (Zechariah 4:13-14).
1. (vs. 13).  This verse says “And he answered me and said, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord.”  The angel responded to Zechariah’s question in verse 12 the same way he had before (see verse 5): “Knowest thou not what these be?”  In other words, again the angel was asking “Don’t you know what these are?”  The words “what these be” most likely refer to the two trees and the two branches feeding oil into the bowl above the lampstand (see verse 12).  In response to the angel’s question, Zechariah answered “No, my lord” just as he had before (see verse 5).
2. (vs. 14).  Our final verse says “Then said he, These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth.”  The phrase “These are the two anointed ones” refers to the two branches from the two trees that supplied the oil to the lampstand.  They represent the two people who are “anointed” or set aside to “stand by the Lord of the whole earth.”  The expression “stand by” implies doing service and waiting on one’s master.  Simply put, the explanation given to Zechariah by the angel was that the two branches refer to the anointing of priests and kings.  In Zechariah’s day, the two men fulfilling this capacity were Zerubbabel, the political governor (Israel had no king) and Joshua, the high priest.  According to the vision, these two men were the “two anointed ones, that stand by (or serve) the Lord of the whole earth” by bringing God’s benefits to the struggling Jewish remnant.  As the  anointed ones for Israel at this time, Zerubbabel and Joshua represent the offices of king and priest that are combined in the Messiah, Jesus Christ (see Psalms 110:1-4; Zechariah 6:12-13; Hebrews 5:6: 6:20).    
       
V. Conclusion.  Many people believe that to survive in this world a person must be tough, strong, unbending and harsh.  But God says “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit.”  The key words are “by my Spirit.”  It’s only through God’s Spirit that anything of lasting value is accomplished.  The returned exiles were indeed weak, harassed by their enemies, tired, discouraged, and poor.  But actually they had God on their side!  As we live for God, let’s determine not to trust in our own strength or abilities.  Instead, let’s hope for a new day and depend on God and work in the power of the Holy Spirit.

 







 

 

 

Live Pure Lives

                                                                Sunday School Lesson                                            

Lesson: Haggai 2:10-19                                                                                                 
Golden Text: “Is the seed yet in the barn? yea, as yet the vine, and the fig tree, and the pomegranate, and the olive tree, hath not brought forth: from this day will I bless you” (Haggai 2:19).

I.  INTRODUCTION.  Living a pure life is a command from God that He will help us keep if we are willing.  In our previous lessons from Haggai, the children of Israel had become very materialistic and were not obeying the Lord by rebuilding His house.  Once they decided to obey and began to rebuild the temple, the Lord also began to bless them and give them what they lacked.  God’s greatest desire for His children is not success or happiness, but that we be like Him, holy and pure in all we do (see I Peter 1:15-16).
II. DEFILED PEOPLE (Haggai 2:10-14).  Last week’s lesson ended with Haggai 2:9 as God promised His people that the temple they were now starting to rebuild would have greater glory than the first one built by Solomon.  He also promised that it would be a place of peace.  The Lord made this promise to encourage those to build who thought the second temple would not measure up to the first.
A. Questions for the priests (Haggai 2:10-11). 
1. (vs. 10).  Our first verse says “In the four and twentieth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the Lord by Haggai the prophet, saying.”  This was Haggai’s third message (see Haggai 1:3-11; 2:1-9) to the remnant of Jews who had returned from Captivity to rebuild the temple.  This third message was given “In the four and twentieth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius.”  This was about two months after the second message (see Haggai 2:1).  The “ninth month” was “Chisleu” on the Hebrew calendar.  This would correspond to our November-December. 
2. (vs. 11).  Haggai continued to say in this verse “Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Ask now the priests concerning the law, saying.”  Haggai was directed to ask the priests some questions because the issues God was about to present in His message through the porphet had to do with the Mosaic Law.  The questions Haggai was about to ask involved the differences between holy and unholy things, and clean and unclean things (see Leviticus chapter 11).  The priests were experts in this area.
B. The effects of contact (Haggai 2:12-13).
1. (vs. 12).  The first question in this verse was “If one bear holy flesh in the skirt of his garment, and with his skirt do touch bread, or pottage, or wine, or oil, or any meat, shall it be holy? And the priests answered and said, No.”  This first question illustrates that holiness, or for the Jews, ceremonial purity cannot be transferred from one person to another.  The phrase “If one bear holy flesh in the skirt of his garment” presents an example of a man carrying “holy flesh” or meat to be used as a sacrifice, which made it sanctified or holy.  The word “holy” like sanctification means to set apart for God’s use.  The exact meaning of the term “skirt” like many ancient items of clothing is unknown, but most Bible translations used the term “fold.”  However, the New American Standard Bible (NASB) says that the word “skirt” literally means “wing,” a reference to the arm.  This may be the best translation since the man in the illustration is carrying the holy meat or sacrifice.  The question continued “and with his skirt do touch bread, or pottage, or wine, or oil, or any meat, shall it be holy.”  In other words, if the man’s skirt where he is carrying the holy meat touches other items like bread, stew, wine, olive oil, or any other meat, will these items become holy also?  The priests answered no.  That was the correct answer.  Holiness cannot rub off onto other things or persons.  A husband or wife can be holy, but that holiness will not rub off on the one who is not holy or even the children.  Each person has to become holy before God in his or her own right (see I Peter 1:15-16: I Peter 2:9).  By application, this illustration means that no person can be saved simply because someone else in the family is saved.  Each of us has to make our own decision whether or not to receive Jesus as Lord and Saviour.  Each individual determines his or her own eternal destination based on the decision they make regarding the Saviour, Jesus Christ.
2. (vs. 13).  Haggai asks a second question in this verse. “Then said Haggai, If one that is unclean by a dead body touch any of these, shall it be unclean? And the priests answered and said, it shall be unclean.”  The second question illustrated that for the Israelites ceremonial impurity or defilement could be transferred from one person to another. This question to the priests was “If one that is unclean by a dead body touch any of these, shall it be unclean?”  In other words, if a person who is “unclean” or defiled by touching a dead body (see Leviticus 22:4-6) touches the same items mentioned in the previous verse, would those items also be unclean or defiled?  The priests again answered correctly: “it shall be unclean.”  Those who touch unclean things will become unclean also (see Numbers 19:16, 22).  For sure, holiness cannot rub off on other people but just as sure, holiness can be affected by un-holiness.  The law gives a list of things that were unclean for the people of Israel, who were a holy people (see Exodus 19:5-6).  These unclean things were said to make any person who comes in contact with them unclean, or defiled (see Leviticus 11:24-26).  Note:  These two questions and the correct answers given by the priests speak of our sanctification or purity.  In Scripture the word “sanctify” means to set apart for God’s use.  When applied to this lesson, sanctification, or cleanliness of life is not and cannot be transferred from one person to another.  However, defilement can be transferred from one to another.  For those not familiar with Old Testament ritual and ceremonies dealing with defilement or contamination, a modern illustration may be helpful.  Let's say that a very healthy person walked into a room full of sick people, would his health heal everyone in the room? No, it wouldn't! It’s more likely that the healthy person would get sick too.  On the other hand, could one sick person walk into a room of healthy people and suddenly become well?  Of course not!  In fact the healthy people might get sick.  Simply put, just keeping company with a Christian won’t make you clean.  But for sure, if you hang around trash you’ll get dirty.  Beware of the company you keep (see I Samuel 8:4-9; II Corinthians 6:14-17)!  The old saying is true, "if you lie down with dogs you'll gt up with fleas."  C. The application for Judah (Haggai 2:14).  This verse says “Then answered Haggai, and said, So is this people, and so is this nation before me, saith the Lord; and so is every work of their hands; and that which they offer there is unclean.”  Here the Lord was reminding His people of their behavior before they decided to obey Him and continue the work on the temple.  The word “So” used three times identifies the Israelites with the two illustrations previously given.  They had been religious in “every work of their hands” and in the offerings they gave toward the temple, but their hearts were not right with God because they had stopped the work on the temple.  All their offerings and sacrifices may have been holy, but that didn’t make the one giving the offerings holy.  In fact, since the people were disobedient, all their offerings and sacrifices meant nothing.  Their disobedient hearts defiled them making their service to God and their worship unclean.  The people’s sin caused their sacrifices to be ineffectual, and their good works and offerings couldn’t make them clean.  Simply put, sin is contagious, righteousness is not (see I Samuel 15:22; Hosea 6:6).  Note:  The people working on the temple couldn’t impart any holiness to it, but they could defile it by their sins.  Not only was it important that they do God’s work by completing the temple, but it was also important that they do His work with hearts that were pure and devoted to Him.
III. BLESSED EFFORTS (Haggai 2:15-19)    
A. A need to consider (Haggai 2:15).  This verse says “And now, I pray you, consider from this day and upward, from before a stone was laid upon a stone in the temple of the Lord.”   The phrase “I pray you, consider from this day and upward” means that Haggai was urging the people to give some thought to what he was about to say to them from that day forward.  They were to think about the time “before a stone was laid upon a stone in the temple of the Lord.”  In other words, they were to think back and consider how things were at the beginning of the rebuilding process before any stones had been laid.
B. The “before” effects (Haggai 2:16-17).  
1. (vs. 16).  In this verse, the people are told what they needed to consider and think about.  It says “Since those days were, when one came to an heap of twenty measures, there were but ten: when one came to the pressfat for to draw out fifty vessels out of the press, there were but twenty.”  The Lord reminded them of what things were like before they continued working on the temple.  The phrase, “Since those days were” refers to the day they stopped the rebuilding of the temple up to the present time when they resumed the construction.  The people were in a bad situation as a result of their disobedience to God’s will, which was rebuilding the temple.  The situation was so bad that “when one came to an heap of twenty measures, there were but ten.”  This means that the harvests never measured up to what they hoped for.  They planted enough grain to reap a “heap” or stack of twenty measures, but instead they only got ten.  They only reaped 50 % of what they planned for which caused great poverty.  In addition “when one came to the pressfat for to draw out fifty vessels out of the press, there were but twenty.”  The “pressfat” was a large tub in which juice is pressed from grapes in order to make wine (see Judges 6:11; Nehemiah 13:15; Isaiah 5:2; Matthew 21:33).  When anyone came to the winepress to get fifty vessels full of juice to make the wine, they only got twenty vessels, a reduction of 60%.  This caused great disappointment to say the least.  Both grain and wine were a large part of Israel’s economy and the Jews’ diet: so when both of these articles were reduced by such large amounts, the people suffered tremendously.  Talk about a Great Depression: they had one!
2. (vs. 17).  In this verse God continued to say “I smote you with blasting and with mildew and with hail in all the labours of your hands; yet ye turned not to me, saith the Lord.”  The Lord not only brought economic disaster but He also said “I smote you with blasting and with mildew and with hail in all the labours of your hands.”  The term “blasting” refers to the withering of plants caused by a hot, dry wind (see Amos 4:9).  This word is often translated as “blight” (see Haggai 2:17 in the NIV) which is a reference to diseases that attack grain.  The term “mildew” refers to a fungus that attacked the crops in Israel during damp weather.  Of course, “hail” refers to lumps or pellets of ice.  God said that He brought these conditions upon “all the labours of your hands” meaning everything that they worked to produce didn't produce as expected.  God was displeased that they put themselves before Him, so they suffered greatly.  After all these things happened to His people, God went on to say “yet ye turned not to me.”  The Lord wanted His people to realize that these things didn’t happen to them as a result of natural causes, but by His control of those causes.  He was trying to get their attention to refocus on what He wanted them to do: obey and rebuild His house.  Note:  Our God is the same “yesterday, today and forever” (see Hebrews 13:8) so we should understand that what was happening to Israel because of their hardness of heart could also happen to us.  We see the same kind of hardness of heart in people today.  It just may be that the fires, floods, ice storms, droughts, tornadoes and many other things that we are experiencing are happening because we continue to ignore God.
C. The “after” effects (Haggai 2:18-19).
1. (vs. 18).  In this verse Haggai says “Consider now from this day and upward, from the four and twentieth day of the ninth month, even from the day that the foundation of the Lord's temple was laid, consider it.”  The phrase “Consider now from this day and upward” refers to the time that they restarted working on the temple going forward.  The people were to think about the change in direction their lives were taking as a result of obeying God and continuing the work on God’s house.  They were to think about how things had improved for them beginning with the very day the message was given which was “the four and twentieth day of the ninth month, even from the day that the foundation of the Lord's temple was laid.”  This was the 24th day of the Hebrew month of “Chisleu” (see the commentary on verse 1).  It was also the day that the people re-laid the temple foundation.  The original foundation was laid under Ezra after the first group or captives returned to Judah in 538 B.C. (see Ezra 3:8-10).  That means it had been at least 16 years since they stopped the work on the temple.  Therefore the foundation needed repairs as well.  Now that the people were obeying God and rebuilding His house, they would experience blessing as we shall see in the next verse.
2. (vs. 19).  In order to get the people to really think about going from disaster to blessing, in this verse the Lord asked “Is the seed yet in the barn? yea, as yet the vine, and the fig tree, and the pomegranate, and the olive tree, hath not brought forth: from this day will I bless you.”  The question “Is the seed yet in the barn?” required a “no” answer, because up to this point the people had only seen a decrease in what they reaped from their crops.  God also said “yea, as yet the vine, and the fig tree, and the pomegranate, and the olive tree, hath not brought forth.”  In addition to the crops being limited, God also said “yea” or yes even the vines, the fig trees, the pomegranate trees and the olive trees had not produced what they expected.  The point the Lord was making to His people was that the difficult economic disasters they suffered all happened during the time they were disobedient to His will.  But now that they had committed to obey the Lord and finish the temple, things would be different.  Instead of more disasters, they would receive God’s blessings. 
               
V. Conclusion.  Our lesson for this week is very clear: If we are not willing to live pure and obedient lives as God directs, we can’t expect His blessings on our lives.  We may even experience God’s discipline.  He may limit our successes and/or send other difficulties.  Every aspect of our lives must be in subjection to His will, and we have the Holy Ghost to guide us.  The Lord wants to lead us in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake (see Psalms 23), so we must trust Him and obey Him in order to see His mighty hand act positively on our behalf (see James 4:10).

 







 

Trust God's Promises

                                                               Sunday School Lesson

                                            

Lesson: ;Haggai 1:12; 2:1-9
                                                                                                 
Golden Text: “The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the Lord of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the Lord of hosts” (Haggai 2:9).

I.  INTRODUCTION.  In last week’s lesson we saw how God was deliberately causing problems for the Israelites who had returned from Captivity.  They were allowed to return home to rebuild the temple, but after laying the foundation and facing opposition from their neighbors they stopped working.  Of course this displeased the Lord and as a result of their disobedience in completing the temple, they had no economic success.  In this week’s lesson, Haggai continues to give God’s message to the people through their leaders.  However, this time instead of rebuking them for disobedience, he encouraged God’s people to finish the temple.  They now understood that God was causing all their problems in order to draw them back to Him.

II. ANOTHER MESSAGE (Haggai 1:12; 2:1-2).  Haggai 1:13-15 is not a part of this week’s text, but should be mentioned in order to get a better understand of this week’s lesson.  God’s message of rebuke given to the people through Haggai in the previous lesson had produced the desired results.  Both the leaders and the people considered their behavior of disobedience and joined hands together to build the temple (see Haggai 1:13-14).  We are told that they began to rebuild the temple “In the four and twentieth day of the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king” (see Haggai 1:15) which would have been 24 days after Haggai gave his first message to the people (see Haggai 1:1).

A. Obedience to the first message (Haggai 1:12).  This verse says “Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the Lord their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the Lord their God had sent him, and the people did fear before the Lord.”  As mentioned in the previous lesson, “Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Josedech” were the civil and religious leaders in Judah after the return from Captivity.  “Zerubbabel” was the governor of Judah (see Haggai 1:1) and “Joshua” was the high priest, being a descendent of “Josedech” who was the high priest when the Captivity took place.  These two leaders along with “all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the Lord their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet.”  This simply means that everyone who had returned to Judah obeyed what the Lord said through Haggai, that it was time to build God’s house.  The phrase “as the Lord their God had sent him” reveals that the people fully accepted Haggai as God’s prophet who spoke for Him.  Their obedience was also seen in the fact that “the people did fear before the Lord.”  The people’s obedience and fear for the Lord showed an attitude of awe and reverence toward Him.  The Lord then assured the people that He was with them (see Haggai 1:13) and this encouraged them to get to work (see Haggai 1:14).  Note:  God’s people could’ve continued to rebel and refuse to obey God’s Word as we sometimes do.  They could’ve said this was just the opinion of the prophet and not worth the time or effort to go along with what he said.  But to their credit, they “obeyed the voice of the Lord their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet.”  Whenever the Word is presented to us it’s wise to deliberately bring ourselves under its authority.  We don’t have to worry that we will be misled or deceived because the Holy Spirit will guide us as we listen (see John 9:13).

B. The beginning of the second message (Haggai 2:1-2).
1. (vs. 1).  This verse says “In the seventh month, in the one and twentieth day of the month, came the word of the Lord by the prophet Haggai, saying.”  This second message from God through Haggai came almost a month after the people restarted the building project. The “seventh month” was “Tishri” which corresponds to our September-October.  The “one and twentieth day” was the 21^st and was the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles (see Leviticus 23:39-44).  We are not told if this feast was observed at this time or not.  Not all of Jewish religious life had been re-established at this point in time.
2. (vs. 2).  The second message began here as God said to Haggai “Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and to the residue of the people, saying.”  The prophet was directed to speak to “Zerubbabel,…governor of Judah and to Joshua… the high priest, and to the residue of the people.”  The term “residue” means remnant and refers to all the Jewish people who had returned from the Captivity.iii
III. ANOTHER CHALLENGE (Haggai 2:3-5) 
A. A disappointing comparison (Haggai 2:3).  This verse says “Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory? and how do ye see it now? is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing?”  Knowing the thoughts of the elderly Jews who had seen the glory and greatness of Solomon’s Temple, the Lord asked “Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory?”  In other words God was asking how many people were still around who had seen the first temple, the one that Solomon built.  Solomon’s temple was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C.  It was now 520 B.C. about 66 years later, so there were probably some elderly Jews still living who remembered the temple “in her first glory.”  The second question God asked regarding the temple in its unfinished state was “and how do ye see it now?”  He wanted the people to take a good look at what was being built at that moment.  What did they think about what had been done so far?  The final question God asked was “is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing?”  God was asking those who had seen the first temple in all of its glory to compare it with what had been done so far with the current temple.  If they did compare the two, they would conclude that this temple they were rebuilding was “as nothing” meaning it couldn’t compare in any way to the first one which was Solomon’s temple.
B. A strong encouragement (Haggai 2:4-5).  
1. (vs. 4).  In this verse Haggai said “Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith the Lord; and be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest; and be strong, all ye people of the land, saith the Lord, and work: for I am with you, saith the Lord of hosts.”  The words “Yet now” introduces the point God wanted to make through the comparison of the two temples.  In spite of what might be an inferior structure, the people were not to stop working.  The Lord encouraged the leaders “Zerubbabel, and Joshua” as well as “all ye people of the land” to “be strong.”  God encouraged His people by assuring them of His presence.  He said “for I am with you.” The presence of God made all the difference in the world.  When they were disobedient they couldn’t expect this kind of assurance.  But now they had corrected their priorities by putting God first, and therefore He would bless them with His presence.  God could urge them to “be strong” because “the Lord of hosts (or armies)” was with them.  This is a reference to God’s almighty power to accomplish His own pleasure.  As “the Lord of hosts (or armies)” God is surrounded by His armies of heavenly power and might indicating that the Lord is able to gather all His armies of angels, saints, and sinners to fulfill His purposes and help His people (see Psalms 46:7-11).  After encouraging the people to be strong three times, God also commanded them to “work” or to do it, meaning to complete the temple.  David had said a similar thing to Solomon before the building of the first temple (see I Chronicles 28:10, 20).  Even though it appeared that the new temple would be a lesser structure than the first one, the people would be doing what God wanted and that was the most important thing
2. (vs. 5).  To further give the remnant good reason to believe God’s Word regarding His presence, in this verse the Lord said “According to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, so my spirit remaineth among you: fear ye not.”  God was saying that the people could trust His promise to be with them based on His commitment to the covenant He made with Israel when they came out of Egypt.  The covenant God referred to was made at Mt. Sinai when He claimed the nation of Israel as His people (see Exodus 6:7; 19:5-6; 29:45-46).  Even though as a nation God’s people repeatedly disobeyed Him, the covenant still held up and God could say “so my spirit remaineth among you.”  Since the Holy Spirit was present to give the people strength for the task of completing the temple, the Lord could also say to this remnant “fear ye not.”  They didn’t have to fear hostile neighbors who had hindered the work earlier (see Ezra 4:1-5, 17-24) nor the Persian Empire.  Likewise today, Christians need to trust God’s promise that He will never leave us or forsake us (see Hebrews 13:5).  Therefore, we don’t have to be afraid of anything or anyone (see Psalms 91:4-9; 118:6; Hebrews 13:6). 
IV. A PROMISE OF GLORY (Haggai 2:6-9)      
A. God will send glory (Haggai 2:6-7). 
1. (vs. 6).  This verse says “For thus saith the Lord of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land.”  God’s statement here was also given to encourage the people to complete the temple.  Again, Haggai makes it plain that this prophecy was from “the Lord of hosts” or the Lord of armies.  The phrase “Yet once, it is a little while” does not refer to an event that will happen soon in Haggai’s day.  It refers to an event that will take place, but the actual timing could be in the distant future.  However, the timing is always according to God’s eternal plan (See II Peter 3:8).  The Lord describes this event He is referring to in terms of an earthquake for He will “shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land.”  In other words, the time is coming when God will shake up the heaven and earth, the sea and dry land, and all the nations of the world.  This is a reference to a yet future time of judgment to begin after the Great Tribulation (see Matthew 24:29-30; Mark 13:24-27; Luke 21:25-27).          
2. (vs. 7).  In this verse God again says “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.”  The Lord reiterated His previous statement that He will “shake all nations.”  As we mentioned in the commentary on verse 6, this refers to a future event when the Lord returns in judgment following the Great Tribulation.  The phrase “and the desire of all nations shall come” is most likely a reference to the coming of the Messiah to set up His kingdom.  However, it can also refer to His first coming which could also be seen as a shaking of all nations (see Acts 17:1-6).  Again, as “the Lord of hosts” God also said that He will “fill this house with glory.”  This no doubt is a reference to Christ’s first coming.  His appearance in the temple at that time filled it with glory that the first temple never knew for God Himself was there in the flesh (see Luke 2:27; John 1:14).  Note:  These words from God were meant to encourage the Jews to continue the work of the temple by assuring them that the Lord, who is the God of nations, would in a short period of time (but in His own time) show His infinite power and bring about the overturning of world powers in preparation for the setting up of the Messiah’s millennial kingdom.  
B. God will send greater glory (Haggai 2:8-9).
1. (vs. 8).  In this verse Haggai continued to say “The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the Lord of hosts.”  God was saying that even if the people didn’t have the wealth needed to build a grand temple like Solomon’s, He did.  The Lord had all the silver and gold required, so the people didn’t need to be discouraged about that.  Note:  God wanted the temple built and He had all the resources necessary even silver and gold.  But what God needed was willing hands.  God has chosen to do His work through people.  He provides the resources, but willing hands must do the work.  Every believer needs to ask themselves this question: Are my hands available for God’s work in this world?      
2. (vs. 9).  In our final verse God went on to say through Haggai “The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the Lord of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the Lord of hosts.”  Again speaking as “the Lord of hosts” who has the power and might to accomplish His purposes and keep His promises, God first said “The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former.”  This second temple is often referred to as Zerubbabel’s temple because he was one of the leaders in the rebuilding project.  This was the same Temple that went through major remodeling under King Herod.  This temple truly did receive greater glory than Solomon’s temple because Jesus visited it many times.  This never happened to the first temple.  The phrase “and in this place will I give peace” is another reference to the greater glory of the second temple because it experienced the presence of the “Prince of Peace” (see Isaiah 9:6).  Note:  It’s important to note that Zerubbabel’s temple, remodeled by Herod was destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D., so Haggai’s prophecy about this second temple will ultimately be fulfilled by the future millennial temple.  For the Jews, rebuilding the temple was a spiritual work that would end with God’s future plan of the millennium.    
                         
V. Conclusion.  In this week’s lesson God promised His people that He would be with them as they continued to rebuild the temple.  They had no reason to be afraid.  God has promised never to leave us nor forsake us (see Hebrews 13:5).  Knowing this will empower us to do His will and lead to a successful spiritual life.  In the Person of the Holy Spirit, God will be with us forever.  We don’t need to fear outward circumstances or inner doubts because we can trust God’s promises.