Sermon Tone Analysis

Andrew Hodge                                                                                               3rd November 2006

 

 

 

Old Testament Survey OTE 113

 

 

Seminar 22

 

 

Haggai

 

 

Jensen, Irving L. /Jensen’s Survey of the Old Testament /1978, Moody Press, Chicago pp 453-461; /Haggai/; /Libronix/

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/Discuss the historical background for the preaching of Haggai:/

/            /Haggai is a prophet approved by God (Ezra 5:1) and is termed His ‘messenger’ or angel (Haggai 1:13).

In concert with Zechariah, their prophesying is effective in getting the Temple rebuilt by 516 BC (Ezra 6:14).

This is all in accordance with the Lord’s working through His people and the Persian Kings Cyrus, Darius and Artaxerxes (Ezra 6:14) - see below.

An interpretation of Ezra 5:1 is that there were *only* these two prophets present to prod Israel~/Judah into action at this time.

Hebrew parents’ names for their children have the knack of prediction of character or role in a number of OT families.

This observation could be applied to Haggai which means “festive” from the root word for “feast” in connection with sacrificial worship at the Temple.

Jensen points out (p 456 footnote 4 quoting J. McIlmoyle /The New Bible Commentary /p 743) that “Haggai was one of the few prophets who had the inexpressible pleasure of seeing the fruits of his message ripen before his very eyes” ie that the festive occasions required by God and contingent on having a Temple building in Jerusalem, could be resumed.

This is an assumption because Haggai’s prophecies were delivered over a very short time span, well before the Temple was actually complete.

It is remarkable that Haggai’s parents were given such clear foresight in naming their son during a time of exile from Jerusalem and, under Babylonian control, presumably with no good prospect of ever returning home, let alone having a Temple to worship at.

Haggai’s prophetic ministry begins in 520 BC (almost simultaneously with Zechariah’s - Jensen Chart 57 pp 220-221) when the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem had been stalled for 14 years.

It is assumed that Haggai was born in Babylon and returned to Canaan with the first contingent of exiles under Zerubbabel in 536 BC.

He is not specifically listed with those who came out of Babylon in Ezra Ch 2.

It is not known how old he was when he began his prophetic ministry, nor whether he was accompanied by his parents, or whether he had any other family.

He presumably spoke Aramaic, the common language used by the exiles in Babylonia, but his book is written in Hebrew, which obviously he was fully conversant with.

It is therefore assumed that when Haggai wrote his book, the majority of his readers would have been able fully comprehend Hebrew.

It appears that by Nehemiah’s time about 100 years later, only some Jews understood Hebrew and others did not (Nehemiah 8:1-8).

It is perhaps possible that Haggai’s view of the future of Israel was influenced by the teaching of Ezekiel, also in exile.

“Because Ezekiel had drawn the blueprint for the future kingdom of God.

It would be a nationalistic, political kingdom of all the tribes of Israel with a temple at its center in Jerusalem.”[1]

Note the emphasis on all twelve tribes, not just the last-taken, Judah.

Haggai did not see that the Temple  “would eventually be replaced with a cross, and the ring with a crown of thorns.”[2]

The ‘ring’ (see Jeremiah 22:24) is a reference to Zerubbabel in Haggai 2:21-23 as an ancestor of the Messiah.

The commencement of Haggai’s ministry is clearly established in 1:1 “the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, in the first day of the month”.

This is said to be “August 29th 520 BC and construction resumed three weeks later on September 21, 520 b.c.

(Hag 1:15).

In October of that same year Zechariah delivered his first message.”

[3]

            There are three other specific times of prophecy in 2:1, 2:10 and 2:20.

Jensen states (p 456) that all of these were in the same year (6th, 7th and 9th [twice] months of the year 520 BC).

Jensen shows that Haggai’s ministry continues until 505 BC (Chart 57 pp 220-221) but his recorded prophecies - which were effective in achieving their object - lasted only fifteen weeks in 520 BC.

The Temple was completed in 516 BC - this is not mentioned in Haggai’s book.

It might therefore be assumed that the book was written before the Temple was finished; it is not impossible that Haggai’s ministry carried on until some later date but there is little data to support this.

The third movement of captives from Jerusalem to Babylon plus the razing of the Temple occur in 586 BC.

Perhaps incidentally (?) the time taken for the Temple to be rebuilt (586 to 516 BC) is 70 years (cf Jeremiah 25:11, 12, 29:10).

Commencement of this important task was initiated under Cyrus, a Persian King, who successfully invaded Babylonia in 539 BC, killing Belshazzar the Chaldean King in Babylon on the very same night he was prophesised to die by Daniel at Belshazzar’s profane feast.

Cyrus then becomes the ruler of the known world.

Daniel probably lived to see the very end of the captivity and would have rejoiced very much, realising at the same time that he was too old to make the trip back home.

Nevertheless, his job had been most successfully completed.

The young Haggai was therefore the contemporary of Daniel and possibly also of Ezekiel.

Jensen says that “the Jews in exile are not subject to Cyrus” (p 456) which is unusual in that although Cyrus did not personally conquer Canaan, the victor would normally take all the spoils of the vanquished.

One commentator suggested that Cyrus realised that it was difficult to keep the peace in exiled subjugated nations and he instituted a programme of sending them all back home.

In my view, scripture indicates that Cyrus paid particular and benevolent attention only to Israel.

In any event, God used Cyrus to initiate and support the return of those Jews who felt impelled to go, terming him His ‘shepherd’ (Isaiah 44:28) and His ‘anointed’ (Isaiah 45:1).

Cyrus issued the decree to return in 538 BC and about 50,000 of the ~~2 million Jews in exile make the trip.

Those who remained behind and were otherwise capable of making the trip, were comfortable enough where they were to be unconcerned that their God-ordained pattern of worship was paralysed, energisable only by return to God’s earthly place of residence and reconstruction of His home.

Jensen’s comment (p 459) that “There was no higher spiritual experience for a Jew in Haggai’s time than by faith to let God as Lord dwell personally in his heart” is inappropriate even given the supporting verses in Acts and Isaiah 66:1-2, but it is not difficult to apply this as a rationalisation for those who stayed in exile.

I can imagine that the individual Jew *would *feel a temporary closer relationship with God after having complied with the spirit of the Law in offering an appropriate Temple sacrifice for sin or thanksgiving, but this OT situation is a far cry from “dwell personally in his heart”.

There were significant hardships in Canaan in making a go of things especially in terms of barrenness of the land and the poor crop yields.

Much of the substantial wealth brought by the returnees would have been dissipated in just getting by.

Haggai makes sure that the people know that this is on account of their rebellion against God (2:17).

The Lord was using these trials to point out to His nation that their focus should be on Him and not on themselves.

The substantial sacrifice offered on Temple completion suggests that there had already been an economic turn around (Ezra 6:17) as promised (Haggai 2:19).

The foundations of the Temple are laid, on the ruins of the Temple of Solomon, between 536 and 534 BC and the work then stops, the final straw being harassment from the local Samaritans appealing to Cyrus’ successors Cambyses and Smerdis.

Not only were the crops and the politics difficult, but the Jews themselves had come from a country where there was no Temple or sacrifice, no free access to the Word of God, and where the presumed commencement of the system of synagogue worship was used to replace the Godly pattern.

Haggai also roundly chastises them for building their own houses with what little resources they had, rather than focusing on the Lord’s house, and thereby suffering the consequences of withdrawal of the Lord’s blessing on their agricultural efforts (Haggai 1:4-6, etc).

He emphasises ‘first things first’.

Darius I (Hystaspes) takes the Persian throne in about 522 BC and gives permission for the Temple to be finished from 520 BC.

Why? - see below.

There is therefore a 14 year gap in which Haggai in Jerusalem does nothing (recorded at least) to get the Jews out of the attitude of “its all too much”, to the outlook of “God before everything”.

Why?

            Darius’ initial insecurity made him want to curry favour with the Jews, spurred on by Zerubbabel drawing his attention to Cyrus’ original decree (and the Law of the Medes and Persians may not be changed).

Darius orders Tatnai, the local Persian satrap covering Canaan, “not to interfere with the work on the temple (6:6–7).

Further, Darius ordered that the royal provincial treasury pay for the building expenses, as well as for the necessary sacrifices—young bulls, rams, and lambs for a burnt offering to the God of heaven, and wheat, salt, wine, and anointing oil; “according to the appointment of the priests, which are at Jerusalem, let it be given to them day by day without fail” (Ezra 6:9).

It seems that Darius continued Cyrus’ custom of allowing nations in the empire to worship their native gods, that “they may ... pray for the life of the king, and of his sons” (Ezra 6:10).

Anyone who disobeyed this order was warned of severe penalties: destruction of his house and execution (6:1).”[4]

With such generous and welcome support, proving that God *had* used Cyrus as the nation’s ‘redeemer’, the repatriates in Jerusalem took heart, turned toward the Lord, and the Temple was finished 4 years later.

Wherever possible, the original conception of Moses in terms of Temple furniture and function was followed, as did Solomon.

The walls of the city become a separate future issue, under Ezra and Nehemiah.

Zerubbabel’s Temple has two great distinctions.

First it was a house that although not as full of physical splendour as Solomon’s, would still be filled with the glory of God (Haggai 2:7).

This is not described as happening within OT times, but is said to have been fulfilled by the presence of the Messiah Himself 5 centuries later (Luke 2:32).

Second, this Temple building lasted from 516 BC to 70 AD, although much was contributed by Herod the Great in expansion, refurbishing and maintenance from 20 BC (to 63 AD.

Herod died in 4 BC but the work was thought to be sufficiently politically advantageous as to be continued by his successors).

The so-called Herod’s Temple only lasts 7 years after it was finished, perhaps deserving destruction on account of its primary contributor.

/Show the uniqueness of Haggai’s message compared to the other prophets:/

/            /“The book of Haggai is written in third person prose.

Stylistically, this separates Haggai from most of the other prophetic books.”[5]

“That is not to say, however, that Haggai is devoid of literary technique.

Many literary devices are found throughout the text, giving it a unique style somewhere between simple narrative and poetry.”[6]

The structure of the book is simple and clear, divided up by the four time signatures for the utterance of the four ‘oracles’ - 1:1, 2:1, 2:10, 2:20 - each division accompanied by a statement of the authority of the Lord.

In the first oracle God reproaches His people for not rebuilding the Temple, the second is the people’s rapid response.

The third explains that the uncleanness of the people has caused their lack of blessing, and the fourth assures the continuation of the Davidic line through Zerubbabel.

There is therefore a parallel pattern “where one and three tend toward indictment, and two and four assure hope and the blessings of God.”[7]

The keywords are ‘consider’, ‘word of the Lord’, ‘Lord of hosts’, ‘house’ and ‘glory’, the key verse 1:8: “Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the LORD” (Jensen Chart 115 p 460).

In common with many other prophetic books, Haggai quotes other works (1:6 cf Deuteronomy 28:38-40; 2:17 cf Deut 28:22; 2:4 cf Joshua 1:9; 1:13 and 2:4 “I am with you” cf Exodus 3:12 etc)  and is itself quoted by others (2:6 cf Hebrews 12:26,   ? with multiple fulfillments).

/Describe how God carried out His plan through teamwork:/

/            /To bring His people back to the land, God first worked with one man, Zerubbabel, who brought 50,000 with him.

Initially, there was a common purpose and common labour, but external circumstances caused the individuals to focus on themselves instead of the bigger picture that God wanted, and the teamwork fell apart.

God was patient for 14 years.

He then raised up a team of two - Haggai and Zechariah, whose God-empowered preaching refocussed the people on the necessity - for their own good - of getting back into the team and working together for the right goals.

Nowhere is this better illustrated than in the book of Nehemiah where one man formed a team to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem at a rate which astonished their enemies.

In each instance, those who entered their team did so recognising that the individual who had brought them together was acting on behalf of God and therefore recognising his authority as such.

The perfect team does not require dictatorship by one of the members since all act toward the common goal within their recognised roles.

God’s plan only works well when each member of an assembled team focuses on Him, rather than on any individual.

If this is correct, then a local Church can only be considered a team when the role of Pastor is reduced to that of one of the ordinary team members.