Journey Through Haggai
There seems to be a lot of weeping when you read through the Old Testament prophets. And yet, there is a prophet whose name means ‘festive’ — literally, his name means ‘celebration.’ And there is a celebration in the book. We now begin our journey through Haggai. Let us examine this little book and see what there was to celebrate in Haggai’s life and ministry.
Listen: Journeying through Haggai
Overview of Haggai
Haggai was one of the few prophets who actually saw the fruit of his ministry. He has been called the “Successful Prophet” by some. However, success is not determined by results; it is determined by obedience. God’s servants leave the results with the Master. If you have been faithful to the Lord, whether you see the fruit of it or not, God will honor you for that.
Haggai was one of the last three writing prophets. Haggai is the first of the post-exile Minor Prophets. At the time of its writing, the nation had just come out of Babylonian captivity. Haggai returned with Zerubbabel in the first return (recorded in the Book of Ezra). Haggai 1:1 tells us this is in the second year of Darius (the emperor who followed Cyrus). Remember, the Jews were sent home during the reign of King Cyrus in direct fulfillment of Jeremiah’s prophecy (see 2 Chronicles 36:22-Ezra 1:4 and Jeremiah 25:12; 29:1-23).
Haggia was the companion to Zechariah. Both of these men concentrated on the restoration of the temple. The last three historical books and the last three prophetic books go together. Study them together. Specifically, Haggai should be studied alongside Ezra, because Haggai saw the people return and watched the building process commence.
The Devil Wants You to Quit
Though the remnant returned from captivity, there was still opposition. Friend, getting right with God is not the end of the battle. As a matter of fact, the devil will fight you harder than ever, and that is what happened to the returning Jews.
Upon their return, they started working on the temple. Immediately, a group of Samaritans opposed them. So, they stopped building.
That is what the devil wants you to do. Stop. Just quit. Just give up on it. That is exactly what happened for 14 years. Not a hammer was swung. Not a stone was set. Nothing was done. The foundation of the temple has been laid, but now it is grown over with moss, and weeds are growing up through cracks. It is just sitting there. It is incomplete. Oh, so many believers have started their spiritual construction, but they have stopped. They have gotten detoured, delayed, or discouraged somewhere along the way.
Four Sermons in Haggai
It is in that context that God raises up the prophet Haggai with four sermons in four months. The Word of the Lord comes to Haggai, and he preaches four sermons. Each one of them is dated for us. Each sermon targets a different problem. You can read them in Haggai chapters one and two.
- In his first sermon (Haggai 1:1-15), Haggai preached on the danger of waiting when we should be working. They were waiting for a sign to build. He said, You don’t need a sign, you need to obey God.
- Haggai’s second sermon (Haggai 2:1-9) explained the danger of lamenting the past and missing the present. They were sorrowing over the destruction of the past temple. God said, Build a new one. It was G. Campbell Morgan who said, “It is impossible to unlock the present with the rusty key of the past.” Many people are bogged down in their past and miss the present. Keep in mind what is at hand and what is ahead.
- The third sermon he preached (Haggai 2:10-19) described the danger of seeing only the material and neglecting the supernatural. They could see the work that needed to be done, but they missed the fact that God had resources that would help them get it done. The Lord was behind all of this.
- The fourth sermon (Haggai 2:20-23) warned against the danger of recognizing who is against us and forgetting who is for us. They were concentrating on the opposition and forgetting that “greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4).
That sounds like a pretty good sermon series for “Great Sermons in the Book of Haggai.” In fact, they are timely for us today.
Key Verse of Haggai
The key verse of the book is found in Haggai 1:8, where the Bible says, “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.” That is it — build the house.
You have not been called on to build the temple, but what is God calling on you to build today?
- What in your own life needs to be built up?
- What in your home needs to be built up?
- What in the work of the Lord needs to be built up?
Three Lessons of Haggai 1:8
God says, “I have a building project for you. I have something I want you to do for me.” We learn three great lessons in this one verse.
The Priority of the Work of God
First, we learn something about the priority of the work of God. These people were living in their own houses. Oh, they finished their houses — they just did not finish God’s house. The priority is this: you take care of what God has given you to do, and God will take care of you. Don’t concentrate on your needs first. Concentrate on His command. Jesus said it this way in Matthew 6:33, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”The priority of the work of God. Do not quit. Keep on in service to Him.
The Principle of the Work of God
Second, there is the principle of the work of God. What is it? If the work of God is going to be done, somebody has to do it. He said, “I want you to go up. I want you to bring wood. I want you to go to the mountain, get the resources, and build the house.”
Remember, if you take care of what God has given you to do, God will meet your needs. You do not have to wonder if God is going to do His part. He always does His part, but we must do ours. So many people today are sitting around waiting on God to do something for them. All the while, God is waiting on them. Maybe God is waiting on us to take the next step of obedience, so that He can bless and guide us. That is the principle of the work of God.
The Purpose of the Work of God
Third, there is the purpose of the work of God. What is His purpose? His glory and His pleasure. It is not about accomplishing something for us or making a name for ourselves.
Listen to God’s closing promise in Haggai 1:8, “and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the LORD.” Friend, God deserves to be pleased today. God deserves to be glorified today. He wants His work to move forward. Build the house.
The Glory of the Temple
One beautiful aspect of this book is its concentration on the temple. Haggai prophesied that one day “the desire of all nations shall come” (Haggai 2:7). The desire of all nations is the Lord Jesus Christ. He came. And the Bible says in this book that the glory of this latter house would be greater than the former house. The temple built was nothing like Solomon’s Temple as far as glory and splendor. There was no comparison, and they understood that.
So how could God say that the glory of the latter house would be greater than the glory of the former house? Because it was the same temple that Christ Himself walked through. God in the flesh would stand in this temple and preach the gospel of peace. This was the temple that God would visit not only in spirit but in flesh.
When we begin to obey God, when we build the house, when we do what God has told us to do, God says, “I will show up. I will do what only I can do.” I will make it greater than what any man could achieve.
Zerubbabel in the Line of the Messiah
Did you know that Zerubbabel is actually in the Messianic line? He is at the very center of the Messianic line (Matthew 1:13). All of the Old Testament serves as a pointer. It leads not to a thing, but to a Person – the Messiah, Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus came, and as surely as He came the first time, He is coming the second time. When He comes again, I want Him to find me busy working for Him, doing the work that He left me here to do.
A Closing Thought
Let us close this journey through Haggai with this one personal question — only you can answer it. Answer it between you and God. What is the thing God has given you to do? What is the thing the Holy Spirit has prompted you to take action on? Whatever it is, stop sitting around waiting for Him to do something else. Stop waiting on a sign from God. Get up and build the house.
We have a 10-day Bible Plan on Haggai, God’s Construction Zone. Engage with this plan by clicking HERE.
Related Article: 5 Ways to Get More Out of Your Bible Reading
LISTEN: Full Audio Series on Haggai
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