Journal Through the Bible: Week 98 Friday

"Haggai Summons the People"
Horne, Charles, and Julius Bewer.
The Bible and Its Story: Prophets–
Gospels, Ezekiel to Matthew Family Record. Vol. 8.
New York, NY: Francis R. Niglutsch, 1909. Print.
courtesy of Faithlife: Logos Bible software

Haggai chapter 1

The last verse of Ezra chapter 4 says that the work stopped until the second year of King Darius. Notice that in the first verse of Haggai chapter 1 we are told that this was exactly when God intervened.

Does God issue any commands?

• God commanded that the people consider what they had been doing while idle from building the temple. Evidently, in the time of the work-stoppage they had concentrated upon building their own fine houses, planting fields, and doing other labors of housekeeping but God had not blessed them in their endeavors.
• God commanded the people to go to the mountain and bring wood for the building of the temple.

Does God make any promises?

• God promised that when the temple was completed He would be glorified in it. (Remember that Ezekiel had witnessed the glory departing from the first temple. God was promising that His glory would return.)
• God promised that if they continued to concentrate upon their own households and endeavors to the neglect of His house He would continue to send drought and famine upon them.
• God promised to be with the people rebuilding the temple. This was a promise to protect them from those who were opposing them.

Does this chapter teach anything about Jesus?

• The Spirit came upon Zerubbabel to do the LORD'S work. Zerubbabel was the ancestor of Jesus and he was a type of Jesus, too. Jesus also did the LORD'S work when the Spirit came upon Him.

Does this chapter teach anything about yet-future events?

• Not that I identified.