Haggai 2:6-The Reason Why the Remnant of Judah Must Not Fear

Haggai 2:1 On the twenty-first day of the seventh month, the Lord spoke again through the prophet Haggai: 2 “Ask the following questions to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, the high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak, and the remnant of the people: 3 ‘Who among you survivors saw the former splendor of this temple? How does it look to you now? Isn’t it nothing by comparison? 4 Even so, take heart, Zerubbabel,’ says the Lord. ‘Take heart, Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and all you citizens of the land,’ says the Lord, ‘and begin to work. For I am with you,’ says the Lord who rules over all. 5 Do not fear, because I made a promise to your ancestors when they left Egypt, and my spirit even now testifies to you.’ Haggai 6 Moreover, the Lord who rules over all says: ‘In just a little while I will once again shake the sky and the earth, the sea and the dry ground.’” (NET)

In our study of Haggai 2:4, we noted that this verse contains four commands which the Lord, the God of Israel issued to Zerubbabel, Joshua and all the citizens of the kingdom of Judah through the prophet Haggai.

The first required that Zerubbabel be strong while the second required that Joshua, the high priest, Jehozadak’s son be strong as well.

The third required that each and every one of the citizens possessing the land, i.e. the citizens of Judah be strong and the fourth is an inference from the first three and required that Zerubbabel, Joshua and all the citizens of Judah work to complete the rebuilding of the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem.

The fourth is followed by a causal clause which presents the reason why Zerubbabel, Joshua and all the citizens of Judah must obey this fourth command and asserts that the Lord was with each and every one of them.

Then, in Haggai 2:5, the Lord elaborates on this promise to be with the citizens of the remnant of the kingdom of Judah while they completed the work of rebuilding the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem.

It begins with a relative pronoun clause which asserts that the Lord’s promise to the remnant of Judah to be with them corresponds to His promise to the Exodus generation when they departed Egypt.

The Lord’s promise to the Exodus generation to be in their presence is recorded in Exodus 33:1-17.

Now, the relative pronoun clause in Haggai 2:5 is followed by a statement which asserts that the Lord’s Spirit stood in the midst of each one of the citizens of the remnant of the kingdom of Judah while they completed rebuilding His temple in Jerusalem after they departed from their captivity in Babylon.

This statement corresponds to the Lord’s promise to the Exodus generation to be in their presence when they departed from their captivity in Egypt.

So therefore, the Lord’s first two assertions in Haggai 2:5 are drawing on the golden calf rebellion and aftermath which are recorded in Exodus 32-34.

These two assertions in Haggai 2:5 are designed to encourage the remnant of Judah by reminding them that His promise to have His Spirit dwell in their midst corresponds to the same promise He made to the Exodus generation after the golden calf rebellion.

The Lord promised the Exodus generation that His Spirit would dwell in their midst despite the fact that they rebelled against Him by worshipping the golden calf.

In the same way, the Lord promised the remnant of Judah that His Spirit would dwell in their midst despite the fact that they rebelled against Him by committing idolatry as well which resulted in their deportation to Babylon for seventy years.

Haggai 2:5 comes to an end with the Lord solemnly issuing the citizens of the remnant of the kingdom of Judah a prohibition, which required that the citizens of the remnant of the kingdom of Judah not enter into the state of fear as they completed the work of rebuilding the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem.

A comparison of Haggai 2:4 with 2:5 makes clear that the citizens of the remnant of the kingdom of Judah must not be afraid of anyone or anything while they completed the work of rebuilding the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem since He was in their presence to protect them and give them success in this task.

This remnant’s greatest fear were the nations which surrounded them.

This leads us to Haggai 2:6-7 which assert that the Lord who rules over the armies will not only shake the stellar universe, the earth’s atmosphere, and its various bodies of water and dry land but also these nations.

Thus, this remnant need not fear these nations because the Lord will intervene on their behalf by judging these nations.

Haggai 2:6 is composed of a causal clause which contains an emphatic declarative statement which is prophetic since it presents the reason for the Lord’s previous solemn command at the end of Haggai 2:5, which required the remnant of Judah to not enter into the state of fear as they completed the work rebuilding His temple.

Haggai 2:6 asserts that the Lord who rules over the armies will once again in a little cause the earth’s atmosphere, the stellar universe, the earth and its various bodies of water and the dry land to shake.

Now, notice that once again, in Haggai 2:6 that the prophet Haggai employs the proper noun yhwh (Yahweh) “Lord,” which is the covenant-keeping personal name of God and is used here in connection with His covenant relationship with the Jewish people.

This is significant since this term is emphasizing the covenant relationship that the kingdom of Judah had with the Lord.

This word is emphasizing the “immanency” of the Lord meaning that He involves Himself in and concerns Himself with and intervenes in the affairs of the citizens of the kingdom of Judah.

Here in Haggai 2:6, the Lord asserts that He is about to intervene on behalf of His covenant people, the remnant of Judah by causing the earth’s atmosphere, the stellar universe, the earth itself and its various bodies of water and dry land to shake.

Also, as was the case in Haggai 1:2, 5, 7, 9, 14 and 2:4, we have the expression the yhwh ṣĕbāʾôt (יְהוָ֥ה צְבָא֖וֹת), “the Lord ruling over the armies” here in Haggai 2:6.

The term “armies” (ṣābāʾ) pertains in this context to a military congregation as a large fighting or combat unit and denotes a large organized body of armed personnel trained for war especially on land.

These armies refer to both human and angelic armies because we are speaking in the context of God.

Therefore, this expression “the Lord ruling over the armies” is speaking of the God of Israel’s sovereignty over all creation and every creation, both human and angelic beings.

This expression also emphasizes the divine origin of the statement here in Haggai 2:6 and it would also be a reminder to this remnant of Judah that the God of Israel was in control and not the human rulers on the earth who might be hindering this rebuilding project or preventing them from performing this task.

If the God of Israel is the Lord ruling over the angelic and human armies, then this remnant has no excuse for not rebuilding the Lord’s temple.

If the God of Israel wants this remnant to rebuild His temple, they should waste no time in doing so since no one will be able to stop this task from being accomplished if God is sovereign and ruling over human and angelic armies and rulers.

So therefore, this expression is designed to encourage the remnant of Judah to complete the task of rebuilding His temple in Jerusalem and reassure them of His presence as they completed this task.

Now, the Lord’s assertion here in Haggai 2:6 that once again, in a little while, He indeed is about to cause the stellar universe, the earth’s atmosphere, the earth itself and its various bodies of water and dry land to shake implies the Lord has done this before.

The context would indicate that He did this previously for the Exodus generation since Haggai 2:5 asserts that the Lord’s promise to the remnant of Judah to be with them corresponds to His promise to the Exodus generation when they departed Egypt.

Therefore, the Lord shook the stellar universe, the earth’s atmosphere, the earth itself and its various bodies of water and dry land on behalf of the Exodus generation when He judged Egypt and He also did this when He gave the Law to Israel on Mount Sinai.

This prophetic statement in Haggai 2:6 will be fulfilled during the last three and a half years of the seventieth week of Daniel and the Second Advent of Jesus Christ, which terminates this week.

This is indicated by the statement in Haggai 2:7, which asserts that the Lord will shake up all the nations and subsequently, they will offer their treasures to Him, then He will fill His temple with glory.

This prophetic statement in Haggai 2:6 has never taken place in history but the Old Testament Scriptures and the book Revelation make clear that this will take place at Jesus Christ’s Second Advent.

The statement in Haggai 2:7 that the nations will offer their treasures to the Lord and He will fill His temple with glory will be fulfilled during Jesus Christ’s millennial reign will immediately follows His Second Advent.

The writer of Hebrews quotes Haggai 2:6 in Hebrews 12:26.

In Hebrews 11:26-29, the writer of Hebrews is teaching that those who are in union with Jesus Christ possess an unshakeable kingdom that will endure God’s judgments against all of creation and mankind and every living thing during the tribulation portion of the seventieth week of Daniel.

Therefore, in Haggai 2:6, the Lord is telling the remnant of Judah that they must not be afraid because of what He will do during the last three and a half years of the seventieth week of Daniel and the Second Advent of Jesus Christ which terminates this week.

The implication is that they must not be afraid because He is sovereign over all of creation and is omnipotent.

The shaking of the stellar universe, the earth’s atmosphere, the earth itself and its various bodies of water and dry land would require the exercise of divine omnipotence and a person who is sovereign over all of creation.