Haggai 2

The Coming Glory of God’s House

¹On the twenty-first day of the seventh month, the word of Yahweh came through Haggai the prophet, saying: ²“Speak to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and also to the remnant of the people. Ask them, ³‘Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Does it not appear to you like nothing in comparison?’

• HAG 2:1[NOTE]THE SEVENTH MONTH. October 17, 520 BC, the last day of the Feast of Booths. Solomon had dedicated the first temple at this same feast, 1 Kings 8:2.
• HAG 2:3[NOTE]LIKE NOTHING. Some old men had seen Solomon's temple, burned 66 years earlier. When the foundation was laid they wept, Ezra 3:12. See Why Did the Old Men Weep?, Ezra, and The Temple, 1 Kings.

⁴But now be strong, O Zerubbabel,

declares Yahweh.

Be strong, O Joshua son of Jehozadak,

the high priest.

And be strong, all you people of the land,

declares Yahweh.

Work! For I am with you,

declares Yahweh of Hosts.

• HAG 2:4[NOTABLE]To discouraged builders with a small temple, God gives three commands, be strong, work, do not be afraid, and one reason: I am with you.

⁵This is the promise I made to you

when you came out of Egypt.

And My Spirit remains among you;

do not be afraid.”

• HAG 2:5[NOTE]MY SPIRIT REMAINS. God's Spirit went with Israel out of Egypt, Isaiah 63:11. He was still with them.

⁶For this is what Yahweh of Hosts says:

“Once more, in a little while,

I will shake the heavens and the earth,

the sea and the dry land.

• HAG 2:6[PROPHECY]God would shake heaven, earth and all nations, and their treasures would come to fill His house with glory → STILL TO COMEMEDIUM
• HAG 2:6[QUOTED]Quoted in the New Testament → HEB 12:26
• HAG 2:6[NOTE]ONCE MORE. Hebrews 12:26 to 27 quotes this verse about the final shaking of heaven and earth, so it prints in italics.

⁷I will shake all the nations,

and they will come with all their treasures,

and I will fill this house with glory,

says Yahweh of Hosts.

• HAG 2:7[TEXT]TREASURES OR DESIRE. The Hebrew chemdat means the desirable thing or treasure. The KJV says the desire of all nations shall come, and many read it as the Messiah. See What Is the Desire of All Nations?

⁸The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine,

declares Yahweh of Hosts.

⁹The latter glory of this house

will be greater than the former,

says Yahweh of Hosts.

And in this place I will provide peace,

declares Yahweh of Hosts.”

• HAG 2:9[PROPHECY]The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former → LK 2:27-32; LK 19:47MEDIUM
• HAG 2:9[NOTE]GREATER GLORY. Jesus was brought to this temple as a baby and taught in it. See Was the Second Temple Greater?

Blessings for a Defiled People

¹⁰On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of Yahweh came to Haggai the prophet, saying, ¹¹“This is what Yahweh of Hosts says: ‘Ask the priests for a ruling. ¹²If a man carries consecrated meat in the fold of his garment, and it touches bread, stew, wine, oil, or any other food, does that item become holy?’”

• HAG 2:11[NOTE]A QUIZ FOR THE PRIESTS. Teaching clean and unclean was the priests' job, Leviticus 10:10 to 11.

“No,” replied the priests.

• HAG 2:12[NOTE]HOLY DOES NOT RUB OFF. Holy meat makes holy only what it touches directly, Leviticus 6:27. It does not pass along to a second thing.

¹³So Haggai asked, “If one who is defiled by contact with a corpse touches any of these, does it become defiled?”

“Yes, it becomes defiled,” the priests answered.

• HAG 2:13[NOTE]UNCLEAN DOES. A corpse made a person unclean, and whatever he touched became unclean, Numbers 19:22. Haggai's own question, so it prints black.

¹⁴Then Haggai replied, “So it is with this people and this nation before Me, declares Yahweh, and so it is with every work of their hands; whatever they offer there is defiled.

• HAG 2:14[NOTE]SO IT IS WITH THIS PEOPLE. An altar and a holy place could not make the people holy. A people who ignored God made even their offerings unclean.

¹⁵Now set your hearts from this day forward: Before one stone was placed on another in the temple of Yahweh, ¹⁶from that time, when one came expecting a heap of ten bushels of grain, there were but five. When one came to the winepress to draw out 275 gallons, there were but 110. ¹⁷I struck you—all the work of your hands—with blight, mildew, and hail, but you did not turn to Me, declares Yahweh.

• HAG 2:16[NOTE]HALF THE HARVEST. The Hebrew gives only the numbers, twenty and ten, fifty and twenty.

¹⁸Set your hearts from this day forward—from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, the day the foundation of Yahweh’s temple was laid—set your hearts: ¹⁹Is there still seed in the barn? The vine, the fig, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have not yet yielded fruit. But from this day on, I will bless you.”

• HAG 2:18[NOTE]FROM THIS DAY. December 18, 520 BC. From that day on, God promised to bless them.

Zerubbabel Yahweh’s Signet Ring

²⁰For the second time that day, the twenty-fourth day of the month, the word of Yahweh came to Haggai, saying, ²¹“Tell Zerubbabel governor of Judah that I am about to shake the heavens and the earth:

• HAG 2:21[PROPHECY]God would shake heaven and earth and overturn the thrones of the nations → STILL TO COMEMEDIUM

²²I will overturn royal thrones

and destroy the power

of the kingdoms of the nations.

I will overturn chariots and their riders;

horses and their riders will fall,

each by the sword of his brother.

²³On that day,

declares Yahweh of Hosts,

I will take you, My servant,

Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel,

declares Yahweh,

and I will make you like My signet ring,

for I have chosen you,

declares Yahweh of Hosts.”

• HAG 2:23[FORESHADOW]God would make Zerubbabel like His signet ring → MT 1:12-16; LK 3:27MEDIUM
• HAG 2:23[NOTE]MY SIGNET RING. God pulled the ring off Zerubbabel's grandfather Jehoiachin, Jeremiah 22:24. Here it goes back on.