Glory to God! The Lord has been good to us throughout the past week as He has always been in our life. His loving kindness and faithfulness towards us is beyond all measure as there is no limit to it. We must be grateful to God for His faithfulness to us and, in response, we must praise His holy name for He is great and most worthy of our praise (Psalm 96:1-4). The Lord honored us and gave us a very specific passage from the prophecies of prophet Haggai (2:6-9; mentioned above) for the Scripture for the Week meditation. This passage was originally given to the people of Jerusalem/Judah through prophet Haggai. As we read the Scripture, especially the books of Ezra and Haggai, we can understand that prophet Haggai ministered among the people of Jerusalem/Judah, which included the remnant who survived Babylonian captivity and remained in Jerusalem/Judah (2 Kings 25:12; Jeremiah 39:10; 40:7; 52:16) and the captives who returned to Jerusalem from Babylon after seventy years of captivity upon the decree made by Cyrus king of Persia (2 Chronicles 36:22-23; Ezra 1:1-11). Before (and during) the captivity of Judah by the Babylonians, prophet Jeremiah prophesied that the Jewish captives who would be taken to Babylon by king Nebuchadnezzar would return to Jerusalem/Judah after seventy years of captivity in Babylon (Jeremiah 25:11; 29:10-11; Daniel 9:2). In light of Jeremiah’s prophecy, when the seventy years were up, upon God’s command, Cyrus king of Persia allowed the Jewish remnant to return to Jerusalem/Judah and gave them a specific command to rebuild the temple/house of God in Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 36:22-23 and Ezra 1:1-11; 2:64-70).

According to Haggai 1:1, prophet Haggai received the prophetical message from the Lord during the second year of king Darius. Prophet Haggai received four different messages from the Lord in order to encourage and strengthen the people of God, and they are:

1. 1. 1. the first message he received from the Lord was to encourage and invite the people of Jerusalem/Judah to restart the stopped construction work of the temple (the house) of God in Jerusalem and finish it (1:1-15);
      2. the second message from the Lord was about God’s promise of greater glory to the latter temple than the former temple because some of the people who saw the former temple felt that the glory of the latter temple will be lesser than the glory of the former temple (2:1-9);
      3. the third message from the Lord was an invitation to live an obedient and consecrated life before the Holy God (2:10-19);
      4. the fourth message from the Lord prophet Haggai received was the promise of the establishment of the greatest ever future Kingdom, greater than the powerful and influential nations on earth; and a part of this message was the prophetic significance of the God’s signet ring in connection with Zerubbabel governor of Judah (2:20-23).

Before we go any further with our meditation, we need to understand the context of the passage we chose for our meditation, that is Haggai 2:6-9. Although we have discussed several times in our previous meditations the context of the Old Testament passages, particularly about God’s covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and their descendants known as the Israelites; and the disobedience of the Israelites against the God of Israel, and God’s judgement upon the Israelites who had forsaken the Lord, as well as the nations who did evil in the sight of the Lord. Regarding the Israelites, God chose them to be His people out of all the people on earth and increased them in number and gave them a land/nation of their own and blessed them (Genesis 12:1-3). Despite all of God’s blessings upon them, they rebelled against Him and His purpose. Due to their unfaithfulness to the God of their fathers, there was division among the people, and thus, the nation of Israel was divided into two parts known as the Northern Kingdom, which came to be known as the nation of Israel; and the Southern Kingdom, which came to be known as the nation of Judah (1 Kings 11:11-13; 29-39; 12:12-20). Even after the separation, both these nations – the nation of Israel as well as the nation of Judah, continued to sin against the God of their fathers. As a result, the Northern Kingdom Israel fell in the hands of Shalmaneser king of Assyria who invaded Israel and sent the Israelites into captivity during the reign of Hoshea son of Elah (2 Kings 17:1-6), and the Southern Kingdom Judah fell in the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon who captured the land and sent the people into captivity (2 Kings 25:1-21). However, the Lord foretold, through His servant Jeremiah, that Judah’s captivity will last for seventy years and then He will bring them back to their own land, that is, Jerusalem/Judah (Jeremiah 25:11; 29:10; Daniel 9:2; 2 Chronicles 36:22-23; Ezra 1:1-11; 2:64-70). For the fulfillment of this promise to the people of Judah, God raised up the Medo-Persian empire which invaded the Babylonian empire and marked the end of Babylonian rule. The first batch of the Jewish captives from Babylon were released by Cyrus king of Persia as the fulfillment of the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah (2 Chronicles 36:20-23; Jeremiah 25:11; 29:10; Daniel 9:2). The total number of the Jewish remnant which returned to Jerusalem/Judah upon the proclamation of Cyrus king of Persia in company with Zerubbabel, Joshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum and Baanahwere was 42,360, besides their 7,337 male and female slaves; and they also had 200 male and female singers (Ezra 2:1-3, 64-65).

As the Lord commanded, Cyrus king of Persia granted permission for the Jewish remnant to return to Jerusalem/Judah, whose primary responsibility was to build the temple (the house) of the Lord in Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 36:23; Ezra 1:2-3, 5b). Within few months of their arrival at Jerusalem, Joshua son of Jozadak and his fellow priests and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and his associates built the altar of the God of Israel and sacrificed burnt offerings on it and celebrated the Festival of Tabernacles, as it is stated in the book of Ezra:

When the seventh month came and the Israelites had settled in their towns, the people assembled together as one in Jerusalem. 2 Then Joshua son of Jozadak and his fellow priests and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and his associates began to build the altar of the God of Israel to sacrifice burnt offerings on it, in accordance with what is written in the Law of Moses the man of God. 3 Despite their fear of the peoples around them, they built the altar on its foundation and sacrificed burnt offerings on it to the Lord, both the morning and evening sacrifices. 4 Then in accordance with what is written, they celebrated the Festival of Tabernacles with the required number of burnt offerings prescribed for each day (Ezra 3:1-4)

In another few months after their arrival at Jerusalem, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jozadak, and the rest of the people, including the priests, the Levites and all who had returned from the captivity to Jerusalem, began the work of the house of God in Jerusalem (Ezra 3:8-9). The Jewish remnant who witnessed the laying of the foundation of the house of the Lord praised the God Israel with great shout for His faithfulness to them (Ezra 3:10-11). However, many of the older priests and Levites and family heads, who had seen the former temple, wept aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid (Ezra 3:12), thinking that the glory of the former temple was much greater than the glory of the temple they were about to build. As the construction of the temple of the Lord progressed with the help of the Lord, the enemy of Judah and Benjamin opposed the work and placed a complaint against it to king Artaxerxes and upon the king’s command the work on the house of God in Jerusalem came to a standstill until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia (Ezra 4:1-24).

Due to the opposition, the disrupted construction work of the house of God remained almost forgotten and the people of Jerusalem and Judah (the remnant) began to focus on taking care of their personal interests rather than building the house of God in Jerusalem. When the Lord saw the situation, the Lord spoke through Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the prophet to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them, to start the stopped rebuilding of the house of God in Jerusalem (Ezra 5:1). Prophet Haggai prophesied to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest during the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia (Haggai 1:1) that:

2 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “These people say, ‘The time has not yet come to rebuild the Lord’s house.’” 3 Then the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai: 4 “Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?”(Haggai 1:2-4)

In the course of time, as the people of Jerusalem/Judah continued ignoring the halted construction work, God warned the people of Jerusalem about neglecting the work on the house of God through prophet Haggai, and showed them the consequences of their actions:

5 Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. 6 You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it” (Haggai 1:5-6)

When God saw that the halted rebuilding of the temple of God was continuing and the remnant who had come from their captivity were not serious about finishing the God-given task of rebuilding the temple of God in Jerusalem, God continued to speak through prophet Haggai to focus on building the temple of God in Jerusalem:

7 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. 8 Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build my house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored,” says the Lord. 9 “You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?” declares the Lord Almighty. “Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with your own house. 10 Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops. 11 I called for a drought on the fields and the mountains, on the grain, the new wine, the olive oil and everything else the ground produces, on people and livestock, and on all the labor of your hands” (Haggai 1:7-11)

As the people of Jerusalem/Judah heard the message from the Lord through prophet Haggai, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Joshua son of Jozadak and the people with them obeyed God’s command and they, with the help of the God of Israel and the support of God’s prophets Haggai and Zechariah, restarted the work of rebuilding the temple of God in Jerusalem (Haggai 1:13-15 [also refer to: Ezra 5:2]). Again, the rebuilding activities got disrupted by a different group of people and a letter from Tattenai, governor of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai and their associates, the officials of Trans-Euphrates, was sent to King Darius (Ezra 5:3-17). However, upon the special instruction of Darius king of Persia, the rebuilding activities did not stop as the enemies expected, rather the king commanded that it be carried out diligently (Ezra 6:1-15).

The Lord God Almighty helped the remnant who came from Babylon to Jerusalem/Judah complete the rebuilding of the temple/house of God at Jerusalem under the leadership of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest and the elders of the people on the third day of the month Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius:

14 So the elders of the Jews continued to build and prosper under the preaching of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah, a descendant of Iddo. They finished building the temple according to the command of the God of Israel and the decrees of Cyrus, Darius and Artaxerxes, kings of Persia. 15 The temple was completed on the third day of the month Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius (Ezra 6:14-15)

Following the completion of the rebuilding of the temple/house of God in Jerusalem, they celebrated the dedication of the house of God with joy, as it is mentioned in Ezra 6:16-18,

16. Then the people of Israel—the priests, the Levites and the rest of the exiles—celebrated the dedication of the house of God with joy. 17. For the dedication of this house of God they offered a hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred male lambs and, as a sin offering for all Israel, twelve male goats, one for each of the tribes of Israel. 18. And they installed the priests in their divisions and the Levites in their groups for the service of God at Jerusalem, according to what is written in the Book of Moses.

The God of Israel, who chose them to be His people through the covenant He made with their ancestors (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob), promised His continuous presence and blessings upon His covenanted people (Haggai 2:1-5). God also foretold, through prophet Haggai, God’s plans of bringing judgment upon the nations, and regarding the establishment of the perpetual Kingdom of God through Messiah (the desire of all nations), and promised that the future glory of the present house will be greater than the glory of the former house:

6. “This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. 7. I will shake all nations, and what is desired by all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the Lord Almighty. 8. ‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the Lord Almighty. 9. ‘The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the Lord Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the Lord Almighty” (Haggai 2:6-9)

The author of Hebrews (12:25-29) quoted the prophecies of prophet Haggai (Haggai 2:6-9) regarding God’s plan to shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land once again:

25 See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven? 26 At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” 27 The words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain. 28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, 29 for our “God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:25-29)

It is not just prophet Haggai who prophesied regarding the Lord’s plan to shake the heavens, the earth, the sea, and the dry land and everything in it (Haggai 2:6-9), but several of the Old Testament prophets foretold it as well, for instance: prophet Isaiah (13:13), prophet Joel (3:15-21).

In light of all that we have just mentioned above, Apostle Paul wrote about the importance of doing the right things in our lives as the followers of Christ. Whatever we accomplish or build on this earth using worldly resources and for worldly purposes will be burned in the fire when it goes through the test of fire. However, whatever we accomplish/build will survive the test of fire if we use the God-given resources and accomplish/build for an eternal purpose.

10 By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13 their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. 14 If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. 15 If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames (1 Corinthians 3:10-15)

When God shakes the earth once more, the Lord God Almighty through His anointed One, the Messiah, will bring down the nations and destroy their strongholds, as the Lord spoke through prophet Haggai: … I am going to shake the heavens and the earth. 22 I will overturn royal thrones and shatter the power of the foreign kingdoms. I will overthrow chariots and their drivers; horses and their riders will fall, each by the sword of his brother (Haggai 2:21-22). In addition, prophet Haggai prophesied to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, the governor Judah, that the Lord will make him like His signet ring because the Lord has chosen him to be one and gave him a place of dignity, honor, and authority in the sight of all. God’s signet ring signifies the authorization of God’s favor and authority. Prophet Jeremiah noted that the Lord had taken off a signet ring, which was king Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim (Jeremiah 22:24), one of the great grandsons of king David, and again made Zerubbabel one of the great, great grandsons of king David like His signet ring. Ultimately, the Son of God who would come as the Messiah in the line of Zerubbabel (Matthew 1:12-13) with the name Jesus (Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:28-33) would be God’s signet ring and will rule perpetually in the perpetual Kingdom of God as the Lord of lords and King of kings (Deuteronomy 10:17; Daniel 2:47; Matthew 28:18; 1 Timothy 6:15; Revelation 17:14; 19:16). Prophet Isaiah prophesied that

6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this (Isaiah 9:6-7)

Dear friends in the Lord, as we meditate upon the Scripture that God has given us from the prophecies of Haggai (2:6-9), let us know that we are called to do the ministry that is entrusted to us individually or collectively. Jesus said: As long us it is day, we must do the works of Him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work  (John 9:4). Apostle Paul wrote to the believers in Philippi that For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order fulfill His good purpose (Philippines 2:13). Though the Jewish remnant who returned to Jerusalem neglected the rebuilding of the temple/house of God in Jerusalem for a while due to the opposition of their enemies, when God spoke to them repeatedly through prophet Haggai, they listened to God’s message and obeyed it fully. As a result, they completed the work of rebuilding the temple/house of God in Jerusalem and dedicated it for the glory of God (Ezra 6:14-18). Therefore, let us prioritize the things we are called to do and focus on completing the tasks that we have already started. Since we live in the last days, this is not the time to delay any work that the Lord has entrusted to us to finish. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will reward us according to our deeds. Let us pray to God to strengthen us to fulfill His purpose in and through our lives.

May the Lord God Almighty bless us all! Amen!