Haggai

Haggai is pretty cool because it deals with Deuteronomy 28. The books starts out with Yahweh telling His people that they need to rebuild the temple. They stopped the rebuilding to build their own houses, but almost twenty years had passed since then and they still had not rebuilt the temple. What's intriguing is that God connects it to their terrible "luck" lately. They have had sown much and harvested little. They never have enough. God tells them to "consider their ways." Basically in 5-6 and 9-11 God is telling them that He has been cursing their work because they have not rebuilt His temple. This is one of the curses for disobedience in Deuteronomy 28.

What happens next is crazy and it is the only time I have seen it in these minor prophets. The people obey. Zerubbabel and the rest of the people obey Haggai's word and fear Yahweh (1:12). And by God's grace (1:14) they began to work.

At the start of chapter 2, it gives a picture that the old people are disappointed. They saw the temple that Solomon build and this one pales in comparison. But God addresses the problem. He tells them to be strong, according to the covenant He made with them when He brought them out of Egypt. Then He promises that the latter glory of this temple will be greater than that of the former (2:9). That latter temple that He is referring to is Jesus. That's what it seems like to me though. I suppose it could mean the temple that Ezekiel had visions of that is still to come, but Jesus's words in Matthew 12 make me think that He means Himself to be that temple.

Chapter 2:10-19 is a cool passage because it is showing Yahweh turning back His curse from them. And then verses 20-23 are words to Zerubbabel promising that he (meaning Jesus) will be Yahweh's signet ring. We can assume that He is not meaning Zerubbabel directly, but his line, which is the line of David.

It is pretty awesome to see these images of Christ given way back, over 500 years before He came.

All for His glory,

Mitchell