Haggai & Zechariah's Christmas Spectacular!

(ESV):

(ESV):

בְּ

In the seventh month, on the twenty-first day of the month, the word of the LORD came by the hand of Haggai the prophet: 2 “Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to all the remnant of the people, and say, 3 ‘Who is left among you who saw this house fin its former glory? How do you see it now? Is it not as nothing in your eyes? 4 Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, declares the LORD. Be strong, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land, declares the LORD. Work, for I am with you, declares the LORD of hosts, 5 according to the covenant that I made with you when you came out of Egypt. My Spirit remains in your midst. Fear not. 6 For thus says the LORD of hosts: Yet once more, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land. 7 And I will shake all nations, so that the treasures of all nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with glory, says the LORD of hosts. 8 The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares the LORD of hosts. 9 The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the LORD of hosts. And in this place I will give peace, declares the LORD of hosts’ ” (emphasis mine).

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), .

Historical Background:

Historical Background

Haggai really needs to be read in conjunction with Zechariah and Ezra, since the three books work together to tell the story of the first stage of Judah’s return from exile.

Haggai itself is comprised of four precisely dated sermons preached over the course of four months in Jerusalem during the year 520 B.C.

His name, Chaggy, means something like “Festive”, or “Born on a Feast Day” or “Party Guy”. He was most likely born during a religious celebration, such as the Feast of Tabernacles, and named after that fact. It would be something like a baby born on December 25th being named Christmas. Think of that old rack ballad (or whatever it was), “Born on the 4th of July” if that was the guy’s actual name!

*His name, Chaggy, means something like “Festive”, or “Party Guy”. He was most likely born during a religious celebration, such as the Feast of Tabernacles, and named after that fact. It would be something like a baby born on December 25th being named Christmas.

It’s intriguing then that his first two sermons both took place during religious festivals.

*I

The first day of the sixth month (Elul, so August 29th, but more importantly the first day of any month) would mark a New Moon Celebration (). It should be easy for us Pentecostals to picture the scene. In the middle of an exuberant worship service the prophet stands up to deliver a message from God.

The twenty-first day of the seventh month (Tishri, or October 17th, and the occasion of our text) was the final day of the Feast of Tabernacles

Both the third and fourth sermons took place on the twenty fourth day of the ninth month (Kislev, or December 18th). This does not correspond directly with any festival, but there may be more to it than meets the eye.

All our biographical information about the must take the form of educated guesses, since Scripture says nothing about him personally that is not connected directly with the message he preached. Nevertheless it is possible to reconstruct a portrait even if it is a caricature and inaccurate in some detail.

We’ll suggest today that Haggai was himself quite old at the time of his ministry in 520 B.C., to the tune of 70 or even 80 years.

We’ll suggest today that Haggai was himself quite old at the time of his ministry in 520 B.C., to the tune of 70 or even 80 years. He had never faced exile himself, but grew up as part of the small, lonely group who remained in the land. His single-minded passion was for the restoration of the LORD’s House! It seems likely that he died shortly after his inspirational preaching to the returned exiles. If so, he never saw with his own eyes the fruit of his labor, but he can be credited with faithfully ministering nonetheless, and indeed with setting off the spark that would culminate in the completed Second Temple.

He had never faced exile himself, but grew up as part of the small, lonely group who remained in the land. His single-minded passion was for the restoration of the LORD’s House!

It seems likely that he died shortly after his inspirational preaching to the returned exiles. If so, he never saw with his own eyes the fruit of his labor, but he can be credited with faithfully ministering nonetheless, and indeed with setting off the spark that would culminate in the completed Second Temple.

Of course, the returnees eagerly began the work, but were soon beset by obstacles. Not only did they face the expected problems of reestablishing an infrastructure in the land to support their population (cf. ), but Ezra tells us “the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah and made them afraid to build and bribed counselors against them to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia” (, ).

Haggai’s Message

Haggai’s message is directed to the community recently returned from exile. After decades forced to live in a foreign land far from home, enduring the mean-spirited taunts of their enemies (cf. ) a staggering miracle has taken place, a thing never witnessed in world history before: The people are allowed to return home with a mandate to (re)build the LORD’s temple!

Of course, the returnees eagerly began the work, but were soon beset by obstacles. Not only did they face the expected problems of reestablishing an infrastructure in the land to support their population (cf. ), but Ezra tells us “the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah and made them afraid to build and bribed counselors against them to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia” (, ). Additionally, they had not the wealth of Solomon, so there was little prospect of the rebuilt temple reaching anything near the grandeur of what it once was. In fact, the very old men and women—those old enough to remember how things once were (septuagenarians or more)—were broken hearted even while the youths were ecstatic, because they realized what had been lost. As Ezra records, “But many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers’ houses, old men who had seen the first house, wept with a loud voice when they saw the foundation of this house being laid, though many shouted aloud for joy so that the people could not distinguish the sound of the joyful shout from the sound of the people’s weeping, for the people shouted with a great shout, and the sound was heard far away.” (, ). Discouragement and the cares of this life curtailed the effort until it came to a complete standstill.

A History of the Glory of the LORD:

Into this fray stepped Haggai, a man hitherto unknown to history.

We’ll suggest today that Haggai was himself quite old at the time of his ministry in 520 B.C., to the tune of 70 or even 80 years. He had never faced exile himself, but grew up as part of the small, lonely group who remained in the land. His single-minded passion was for the restoration of the LORD’s House! It seems likely that he died shortly after his inspirational preaching to the returned exiles. If so, he never saw with his own eyes the fruit of his labor, but he can be credited with faithfully ministering nonetheless, and indeed with setting off the spark that would culminate in the completed Second Temple.

In his initial message at the New Moon Celebration of Aug. 29, 520 B.C., he challenged the people’s priorities. They were mapping out their own concerns, but Haggai asked them to see Heaven’s perspective: “Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins?” (). The irony is that they were looking after their own needs to their detriment. The more they sought their own good, the less good they experienced in their lives (cf. , ). They were living through a self-made famine. It’s as though Heaven cried out even then, “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and all these other things will be given to you as well!” (cf. )

This message was very well received such that three weeks later, on Sep. 21, 520 B.C., the work on the temple resumed ().

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), .

In his follow up message at the Feast of Tabernacles on Oct. 17, 520 B.C., Haggai challenged the people’s pessimism. Given their general lack of resources, both financial and human, how could this effort turn out to be anything more than lackluster? What was lost was lost, right?

But God is a master of the art of resurrection, taking dead dreams, dashed hopes, and lost potential, only to produce living realities even greater than that which was lost in the first place. Therefore, the prophet could somehow announce, “The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former…(). However,

Critical Question:

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016),

When was this ever fulfilled in world history? The building of the temple was indeed finished in only a few short years. But the splendour of Solomon’s temple was a thing to behold. Some might argue that this was achieved much later when Herod renovated the temple and expanded it, but even then it is doubtful that the magnificence of the place could compare to what it had once been in the days of Solomon.

Moreover, the original Hebrew language of Haggai’s prophecy, carries with it a very big problem for anyone seeking a time when the Second Temple surpassed the first in glory. To understand the issue we must take a....

Brief History of God’s Glory

Brief History of God’s Glory

God’s Glory on the Mountain:

In the covenant between YHWH and Israel is ratified by blood, then in , the glory of God covers the mountain.

God’s Glory in the Tabernacle:

The majority of is about the preparation of the tabernacle which would for a while be the place of God’s habitation. When the tabernacle was complete says, “Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.”

God Glory in the Temple:

In David opines living in his own luxurious palace while the presence of God remained confined to a tent. In a remarkable turn of events, God promised to build David a house (i.e., a dynasty), because of David’s desire to build God a house (). Now in the fulness of God’s plan it was Solomon who would build the LORD’s temple (, ). After the ark was brought into that temple, the glory of the LORD visibly descended as a cloud (, as it had previously at Sinai and at the tabernacle). See also .

**The key phrase we want to catch in all these instances is the Hebrew כְּבֹוד־יְהוָה or Kavod Yahweh. This is literally translated “glory of the Lord” but it seems to carry something ominous, something scary and frightful about it. It is the devouring smokey fire of His presence, or the the crashing thunderstorm of his habitation. **

**The key phrase we want to catch in all these instances is the Hebrew כְּבֹוד־יְהוָה or Kavod Yahweh. This is literally translated “glory of the Lord” but it seems to carry something ominous, something scary and frightful about it. It is the devouring smokey fire of His presence, or the the crashing thunderstorm of his habitation.

—This may be the true idea behind the “cool of the day” in : God was approaching in a storm!

—We must not become so comfortable with our easy-going grandfatherly, western version of God that we outright domesticate Him. As Lewis warns his readers in the Chronicles of Narnia, Aslan is distinctly not a tame lion!

Alas for God’s Glory:

An event early in Israel’s history foreshadows horrible things that would later transpire. In pitched battle against the Philistines, Israel is soundly defeated losing 30,000 soldiers, the Ark of God is captured, and the priests Hophni and Phineas are killed. Furthermore, when the high priest, Eli, learns about these events he falls over backward in his chair, breaking his neck. When Phineas’ widow hears about all this while giving birth, “She named the boy Ichabod, saying, “The Glory has departed from Israel”—because of the capture of the ark of God and the deaths of her father-in-law and her husband" (). She said this because of the loss of the Ark.

—Solomon’s temple was destroyed and the population was deported to Babylon.

Much later, Jerusalem was overrun by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 B.C., Solomon’s temple was destroyed, the Ark was again lost, this time (seemingly) permanently, and the population was deported

to Babylon. All at once Judah lost her temple, her land, her children, and her cultural heritage. The glory of God was indeed departed.

God’s Greater, More Spectacular Glory:

In 539 B.C. the Persian King Cyrus conquered Babylon, after which he fulfilled prophecy in staggering fashion by allowing the Jews to return to their homeland (538 B.C., cf. ), where as we’ve seen the Temple was eventually rebuilt. However, there is no evidence that the glory of God—that wondrous, terrifying, storm of the presence of God—which was there on the mountain, and in the tabernacle, and at the temple was ever manifest in Second Temple. Did prophecy fail? Moreover...

What Does Any of This Have to do with Christmas?

Let’s address both questions at the same time, since the answers flow together.

“But many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers’ houses, old men who had seen the first house, wept with a loud voice when they saw the foundation of this house being laid, though many shouted aloud for joy...” (Ezra 3:12)

First a minor but interesting observation: Haggai preaches four sermons on three particular days, the first being a New Moon Celebration, and the second being the final day of the Feast of Tabernacles. The last two sermons were preached on the 24th day of the 9th month (Kislev, or December 18th).

While this date does not mark any specific festival on the Jewish calendar it is tantalizingly intriguing that the 25th day of Kislev, or the very next day, would eventually mark the beginning of the Festival of Lights, otherwise known as Hanukkah.

Furthermore, the substance of those final two sermons preached on December 18th, 520 B.C. were essentially divine promises of blessing and promotion. The LORD spoke through his prophet: “Consider from this day onward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month. . . . from this day on iI will bless you” (). So, then, on December 18th, on the eve of what would eventually be Hanukkah and the Christmas season, the prophet comes announcing gifts from God to his children.

So on December 18th the prophet comes announcing gifts from God to his children. Christmas-y enough for you?

Perhaps you this think is a stretch. Indeed if I stopped here it would be. But we still must answer our primary exegetical question. Did prophecy fail? In this instance did the Word of God somehow return void? Of course, not!

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), . So on December 18th the prophet comes announcing gifts from God to his children. Christmas-y enough for you?

So when was glory of the latter house ever greater than the visible, manifest, smokey, glory of the first house? Turn in your Bible over to . In this passage we find a young couple bringing a newborn infant into the Temple in Jerusalem, the very same temple that Haggai prophesied about. There they encounter an old man named Simeon, ushered into the temple himself by the Spirit of God. He takes Jesus into his arms and speaks out prophetically. Let’s listen carefully to what Simeon says, “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentile, and for glory to your people Israel” (, emphasis added).

Lord, now you are letting your servant5 depart ein peace,

On that day, during that original Christmas season, the glory of God entered the temple as it never had before, because God Himself, incarnate entered the temple, visible not as a dense smoke or fog, but as a human being arriving in this world to meet the needs of man!

faccording to your word;

30  for gmy eyes have seen your hsalvation

31  ithat you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,

32  ja light for revelation to the Gentiles,

and for glory to your people Israel.”

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), .