Articles
It Is Time
“Thus says the Lord of hosts, This people says, The time has not come, even the time for the house of the Lord to be rebuilt.” Then the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet, saying, “Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses while this house lies desolate?” (Haggai 1:2-4 NASB). Beyond a few references to Haggai, nothing is known with certainty about this prophet. God sent him, along with Zechariah, to stir up the Israelites, urging the completion of the temple (Ezra 5:1; 6:14). Haggai’s message was a call to action. After seventy years in captivity, and then another sixteen years of minimal activity on the temple, Haggai says: It is time! Israel needed to regroup, build the temple, and get on with the business of being God’s chosen people. While in Babylon, Israel built houses, gave their children in marriage, and engaged in business enterprises; they knew how to make progress in many areas of life (Jeremiah 29). Haggai’s message does not condemn idolatry or immorality. He simply says: Get to work!
Haggai received four oracles from Jehovah. The first oracle says Israel should have completed the task of rebuilding the temple. They had worked on their own houses, while the temple lay in ruins. Nebuchadnezzar “burned the house of the Lord, the king’s house, and all the houses of Jerusalem; even every great house he burned with fire” (2 Kings 25:9). Yes, the inhabitants of the desolated city needed houses to live in; yet their focus was on themselves rather than God. The Lord said: “Consider your ways.” “Rebuild the temple and glorify Me!” To their credit, the Jews got up and got busy (1:12).
The second oracle (2:1) delivered two months after the first, was an effort to encourage the discouraged—those who remembered the glory of Solomon’s temple. The question is: How could this refurbished temple exceed the splendor of Solomon’s house? Does Haggai anticipate Herod’s renovations (John 2:20)? Or does Haggai speak about the ultimate fulfillment of God’s plans for all people—salvation through His Son?
The third oracle (2:10) addressed a matter of the Law; inattention concerning matters clean and unclean illustrated a lackadaisical attitude toward their responsibilities of rebuilding the temple. Lethargy in one area of service translated into lethargy into other areas of service. The Lord was trying to get their attention.
The fourth oracle (2:20) promised an overthrow of God’s enemies; nations and kingdoms would lose their power—power that came from Jehovah in the first place. Zerubbabel, the Lord’s servant, was to be a signet, a sign for what the Lord intended. “As I live,” declares the Lord, “even though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were a signet ring on My right hand, yet I would pull you off” (Jeremiah 22:34). Haggai’s message unfolds the fulfillment of God’s promise of a Savior. Remember that Zerubbabel is part of the Messiah’s ancestry (Matthew 1:12; Luke 3:27). The time is here. The King is coming!
