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TEXT: Haggai 2:1-9
SUBJECT: Exposition of Haggai #3
Tonight brings us to Haggai's third sermon, preached in the "second year of King Darius, the seventh month, and on the twenty-first day". His earlier efforts had been crowned with some success. In the first, he blisters the people for their pious sloth and covetousness. They all wanted to rebuild the Temple (or, so they said), but "the time has not come, the time that the LORD's House should be built". But the LORD knew better: "Is it time for you to dwell in your panelled houses, and this temple to lie in ruins?" He asked. They were suffering, you see, from the modern disease of "backward priorities", putting God and His cause high on their lists of things to do--but not at the top! Duly censured, they were moved to repentance, and began the sacred work they were called to do.
This brings us to Haggai's second sermon, and a welcome relief it was. On the day that they repented and went back to work, the prophet brought good news from heaven: "I am with you, says the LORD". He had pardoned their sins, changed their hearts, and would now approve of what they were doing and help them to keep up the good work.
And so the people are working hard on the LORD's house, and some progress is being made. But then, another obstacle appears--one that threatens to ruin the whole project.
It is pointed out "in the seventh month, on the twenty-first day". (This is nearly one month after the work had commenced). And, it was addressed to the whole nation: its political leader, Zerubabbel; its religious guide, Joshua; and the population at large, here called "the remnant of the people".
The prophecy answers the question found on every old man's lips: "Who is left among you who saw this temple in its former glory? And how do you see it now? In comparison with it, is this not in your eyes as nothing?"
The question is a bit muddled, isn't it? Perhaps it would be clearer if put in modern terminology: "We saw Solomon's temple and it was fabulous! But this thing is a pile of junk!"
Now, what effect do you suppose this had? It must have been mighty disheartening. These people were working their fingers to the bone and giving much out of deep poverty--and now the old men come along and tell them: "You're pouring your money down a rat hole!" "Your efforts are pathetic and the result of your work will be an embarrassment to the nation and its God". "Give it up!"
But God answers the venerable critics in vv.4ff. He counsels Zerubabbel, Joshua, and the people to:
1.Disregard the old men's counsel. "Now be strong...says the LORD of Hosts, and work...do not fear". The old-timers were the voice of caution: "Wait till the nation gets back on its feet; wait till we regain our former empire; wait till we can do it right" they advised. But God said otherwise: "Be strong and work". Urgency in the LORD's work is often sacrificed on the altar of prudence. But I don't see why we can't have both. Zeal without knowledge is dangerous, to be sure. But so is knowledge without zeal. Let Paul have the final word: "It is good to be zealous in a good thing always".
2.Remember God's merciful presence. "I am with you, says the LORD of Hosts, according to the word that I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt, so My Spirit remains among you..." The Covenant He speaks of here, is obviously Mosaic. And it can be summarized as follows: "Do this and live". Or, to put it more fully, "As long as you obey Me, I will be your God; protect you from your enemies and bless your labors." In building the Temple, they were doing God's will, and therefore, might expect His blessing.
3.Look forward to a bright future. "The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former, says the LORD of Hosts, v.9.
This must have been a shocking revelation. The old men had seen the Temple in all its majesty. And the Bible had described it in splendid detail. Now, it was self-evident, that this newer version was vastly inferior to the original. Think about it:
1.The First contained the Ark of the Covenant, which held Israel's most sacred articles: the Ten Commandments, a bowl of manna, and Aaron's rod that budded. But the Ark was lost forever.
2.The First also possessed the Shekinah, the visible glory of God's presence. But it, too was lost and never occupied the Second Temple.
3.The Urim and Thummin, i.e., the sacred vest that would give God's answer to hard questions was also nowhere to be found.
4.And, in general, the outward splendor of the First Temple became "the joy of the whole earth". But the new place was stripped of its gold and silver, its Lebanese lumber, its colossal unhewn stones, and more. All that remained was a plain little building, with nothing to catch the eye or fire the imagination.
But "God cannot lie". Thus, in some way or other, the Temple that these men were working on, would be superior to Solomon's architectural masterpiece. But how could these be?
VV.6-7 tell us: "Thus says the LORD of Hosts, `Once more (it is a little while) I will shake heaven and earth, the sea and the dry land; and I will shake all nations, and the Desire of All Nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, says the LORD of Hosts".
Christians have translated and interpreted these verses in several ways:
1.The NASB renders v.7: "and I will shake all the nations; and they will come with the wealth of all nations; and I will fill this House with glory". This seems to fit the context, but leaves disturbing questions, e.g.:
a.Was it ever fulfilled? It is true that Herod refurbished the Temple beautifully. But could his work have equalled (no less succeeded) Solomon's? I don't think so. For he lacked the former's all-around genius and his unlimited funds, too.
b.How could Gentile wealth (be it ever so great) compensate the loss of the Ark, the Ten Commandments, the golden pot of manna, the rod that budded, and the Shekinah glory?
c.Was wealth the Temple's true glory?
d.And so, this first option, though textually attractive, leaves me historically and theologically unconvinced.
2.The same basic translation is sometimes spiritualized. And it comes to mean something like this: the Temple represents the Church and its wealth stands for, either the riches brought into the Church or the Elect who are God's "peculiar treasure". But this destroys the whole point of Haggai's sermon!
a.The contrast is between the First Temple (Solomon's) and the Second Temple (this one)--and not the third! (which could be the Church).
b.Why work on this building if it has no objective meaning? Why not spend the same time in praying for the Church's arrival and prosperity?
3.And so I take the traditional and unscientific interpretation. The Desire of All Nations is a person: Jesus Christ. And here's why I think so:
a.He literally came into this very same building, whereas riches (either mineral or human) did not.
b.A parallel Scripture encourages this view, Malachi 3:1: Behold, I send my messenger and he will prepare the way for me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to His temple, even the Messenger of the Covenant in whom you delight. Behold, He is coming, says the LORD of Hosts".
c.It fulfills the prophecy as nothing else can. By bringing in the Desire of All nations, God would thereby make "the glory of this latter temple greater than the former...and "in this place, give peace".
1.What could top the glory of God that came down into the First Temple, that so filled it that the priests had to evacuate the place? Only the arrival of God Himself. "And we beheld His glory, the glory of the only-begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth".
2.Where else, but in Christ, does God "give peace"? Peter spoke of "the word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ".
If the previous sermon was encouraging: "I am with you, says the LORD of Hosts", how much more is this one? It, too promises a Divine presence, but this time in the literal Person of His Son, Jesus; Emmanuel, "God with us".
Christ then, is called "The Desire of All Nations". This does not mean, of course, "the desire itself", but "its object". Christ, in other words, is and ought to be the fulfilment of everyone's desire. Everyone wants to find peace and purpose in life--but only He provides it. No one else. "There is no other name under heaven, given among men, whereby we must be saved".
And so, I urge everyone to look at his life and find its dissatisfactions, its discontents, its lack of fulfillments, and the like, and meet them--every last one of them--in Christ, who is "the Desire of all nations".
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