Sermon Cloud

à 3^rd Oracle

¹⁰ On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came by Haggai the prophet, ¹¹ "Thus says the LORD of hosts: Ask the priests about the law: ¹² 'If someone carries holy meat in the fold of his garment and touches with his fold bread or stew or wine or oil or any kind of food, does it become holy?'" The priests answered and said, "No." ¹³ Then Haggai said, "If someone who is unclean by contact with a dead body touches any of these, does it become unclean?" The priests answered and said, "It does become unclean." ¹⁴ Then Haggai answered and said, "So is it with this people, and with this nation before me, declares the LORD, and so with every work of their hands. And what they offer there is unclean. ¹⁵ Now then, consider from this day onward. Before stone was placed upon stone in the temple of the LORD, ¹⁶ how did you fare? When one came to a heap of twenty measures, there were but ten. When one came to the wine vat to draw fifty measures, there were but twenty. ¹⁷ I struck you and all the products of your toil with blight and with mildew and with hail, yet you did not turn to me, declares the LORD. ¹⁸ Consider from this day onward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month. Since the day that the foundation of the LORD's temple was laid, consider: ¹⁹ Is the seed yet in the barn? Indeed, the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have yielded nothing. But from this day on I will bless you."

à  Haggai has motivated the people to build again.  This is good.  But there is a problem.  And it is the chief problem of Israel’s worship, and therefore, it is our chief problem as well, so we must listen!

--> The problem is identified with a discussion about ceremonial cleanliness:  If a priest in his service touches something – does it purify the item simply by his touch – NO; not an inadvertent touch – things were only purified through specific ceremonies. 

à If a priest in his duty touches something UNCLEAN – does he become unclean?  YES!  The service of a priest is subject to disqualification by not maintaining standards of purity.  What does this all mean?

à THIS:  Will God be pleased with religious devotion if the one providing the service is not pure?  In other words:  Is God pleased with our religious activities if during the rest of our time, we are living hypocritically, living selfishly, living in a way that denies that we care about purity before God?  IS God looking for religious acts of devotion, or is he looking for devotion that produces religion acts? Even when church is not in session?

à Somehow, Haggai picks up that the renewed work on the temple, though commanded by God, is not accompanied with a true love of God and neighbor with daily thoughts, words, and deeds.

à  We don’t need God right now, telling the remnant words like he spoke through Isaiah:  I hate your temple building because you sacrifice to build this structure; but everywhere else, you neglect my law, you take advantage of the weak, you do not defend the poor, you break my covenants of faithfulness – I am not pleased with the buildings of un-believers!

à Reminds me of the scene from the Godfather (sorry mom) Where this Mafia member is having his children baptized.  And during the service, as he is renouncing the kingdom of Satan in order to bring his children into the Kingdom of Christ through baptism – how is the scene juxtaposed?  As he is making verbal confessions to live for Christ, we see flashes to scenes where he has sent hit squads to execute his rivals!  And the conclusion is rather obvious – this man is cursing himself by professing one thing with his lips while showing that his heart is really so far from God! Damnation will come to the one who mock covenant vows!  So God is not interested in people building, or donating to, or appearing righteous at church if they DO NOT truly desire God’s glory in their life, and depend upon Christ’s work for them!

à  Haggai reminds them again that he has warned them about God striking their crops; but after this warning passage and discipline – to his elect people who are truly his remnant, he will say again:  “From this day on I will bless you!”

²⁰ The word of the LORD came a second time to Haggai on the twenty-fourth day of the month, ²¹ "Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, I am about to shake the heavens and the earth, ²² and to overthrow the throne of kingdoms. I am about to destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the nations, and overthrow the chariots and their riders. And the horses and their riders shall go down, every one by the sword of his brother. ²³ On that day, declares the LORD of hosts, I will take you, O Zerubbabel my servant, the son of Shealtiel, declares the LORD, and make you like a signet ring, for I have chosen you, declares the LORD of hosts."

à The fourth and final oracle of Haggai is the identification of Zerubbabel, the descendant of King David, who is serving as governor.  We see Haggai flirting again with apocalyptic language about the heavens and the earth shaking.  This is a glimmer of what we will soon be covering in Zechariah’s text.

à But again, we all know the Jewish eschatological hope – that current days of trouble – the troubles from neighbors and foreign powers dictating their lives will come upon them; but one day, the Lord will send his Messiah to gather for people for judgment and salvation, afterward, the fullness of the hope of Israel will be ushered in with God himself dwelling in their midst.

à Here, Zerubbabel is being identified with that Messianic figure.  Just as Moses gathered the Israelites and the Egyptians at the shore of the Red Sea, only to save the Israelites and judge the Egyptians, so will the servant Zerubabbel become the “Messiah Designate,” to judge nations and to bear the ring of God’s power.

à The illusion to the ring has cultural/Biblical importance (SS) but I like what one commentator did when tracing the lineage of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew and Luke.  We spent a long time in our PPK series indicating the importance of Zerubabbel – but the fact that each lineage connects in the person of Zerubabbel, he is regarded as the one who connects both Joseph’s line and Mary’s line back to the promises reserved for a son of David to always sit upon the throne of God.  Zerubabbel is the ring that ties both family trees together!

à The throne of earthly kingdoms will be destroyed, but THE throne, promised to David, promised to Solomon, and now Zerubabbel, will finally have seated upon it, the person of Jesus Christ! And this throne and kingdom will never be shaken, and will be the most glorious expression of the weight and power of God!

FUTURE GLORY – Pure religion – Dependence upon the true Messiah!