Haggai 2
Summary for Hag 2:1-9: 2:1-9 a Haggai’s second message assures the community that God has not forgotten his promises, made by earlier prophets, to bless and restore them (e.g., Isa 35 b; 40:1-11 c; 52:1-12 d; Jer 32:36-44 e; 33:6-26 f). 2:1 g on October 17 of that same year: This was the last day of the Festival of Tabernacles, the celebration of the summer harvest (see Lev 23:34-43 h). Hundreds of years earlier, Solomon’s Temple had been dedicated during this festival (1 Kgs 8:2 i). Haggai’s message was timed to offer the people hope and encouragement in their present distress and discouragement.2:3 j The former splendor belonged to Solomon’s Temple (1 Kgs 6:38 k), which some of the older people of Judah had seen in their youth before going into exile in Babylon. They wept when they saw the new foundation laid (Ezra 3:12-13 l), because it seemed like nothing at all by comparison.
2:4 m But now ... Be strong: This marks a shift from rebuke and challenge to encouragement and affirmation (cp. Josh 1:6-7 n).
2:5 o My Spirit remains among you: See Exod 29:46 p; Isa 63:11 q; Ezek 36:26-27 r.
• just as I promised (literally the word I cut with you): The phrase “cut a covenant” is the Hebrew idiom for making a covenant (see Gen 15:18 s; Exod 34:27 t). Haggai’s phrase, “cut a word,” is unique in the Old Testament, using language that purposefully creates a connection between his prophecy and God’s covenant relationship with his people. By making this connection, Haggai underscored the continuity of God’s actions in rescuing his people, first from Egypt and then from Babylon (see Ezek 20:33-38 u).
Summary for Hag 2:6-7: 2:6-7 v God will again shake the heavens and the earth at the coming day of judgment (see Isa 2:19-21 w; 30:28 x). The previous shaking was the judgment on Egypt at the time of the Exodus (Hag 2:21-22 y; Exod 14:31 z). The New Testament relates in just a little while to the return of Jesus Christ (Heb 12:26-27 aa). Haggai probably saw God’s ultimate judgment foreshadowed in events to take place after his time (e.g., the fall of Persia to Greece, the fall of Greece to Rome; see Dan 2:39-45 ab).
2:7 ac Treasures ... will be brought to the Temple by all the nations as tribute and homage to the God of Israel.
2:9 ad future glory: Haggai might have in mind the Messiah’s coming to his Temple (see Mal 3:1 ae). Jesus was presented in the Lord’s Temple as an infant (Luke 2:22 af), and he taught there as an adult (Luke 19:45-47 ag). Jesus, the human Word of God, is greater than the Temple (Matt 12:6 ah; see John 2:13-22 ai). Although it was recognized by only a few, Jesus’ presence in the Temple far outshone the glory in the Tabernacle at the time of Moses and in Solomon’s Temple (cp. Luke 2:29-32 aj).
• in this place I will bring peace: The priestly benediction (Num 6:24-26 ak) was pronounced as part of the Temple liturgy. In the last days, God would make a covenant of peace with Israel (Ezek 34:25 al; 37:26 am). The good result of rebuilding the Temple was a guarantee on that future peace.
Summary for Hag 2:10-19: 2:10-19 an The theme of the third message is the law’s instructions about ritual purity. These instructions were still operative. God expects his people to be holy, even as he is holy (Lev 11:44-45 ao).
2:11 ap Ask the priests: The priests’ job was to teach and interpret the law (Deut 33:10 aq; Mal 2:7-9 ar), so the message about ceremonial purity was directed to them.
2:12 as will it also become holy? This question refers to meat from a holy sacrifice and the way in which ceremonial purity and impurity could be transferred (see thematic note for Clean, Unclean, and Holy at end of chapter). Carrying the holy sacrifice—the meat set aside and prepared for the offering—rendered one’s robe holy (cp. Lev 6:18 at). This holiness, however, could not be transmitted to a third object.
2:13 au Ceremonial uncleanness is transmitted much more easily than ceremonial purity. Anyone touching a corpse became defiled and thus unclean. Anything touched by a ceremonially unclean person was also rendered impure (see Num 19:11-13 av, 22 aw). Haggai applies this in Hag 2:14 ax.
2:14 ay That is how it is with this people: Simply returning from exile to the land God promised Israel did not make the people of Judah holy. They were still unclean, since they were not obeying the instructions of God’s covenant with them. Their work and even their worship were contaminated by impurity; the ruins of the Lord’s Temple had symbolized the people’s disobedience. The rebuilding of the Temple was a tangible sign of changed hearts and renewed obedience to God’s covenant.
2:15 az Look at what was happening (see study note on 1:5): Divine blessing, whether spiritual or material, is contingent upon the obedience of God’s people (Deut 30:6-10 ba). Haggai called the people to persist in the self-examination that leads to repentance and in the fear of the Lord that his first message initiated (see Hag 1:7 bb, 12 bc).
2:17 bd Return often signifies repentance.
• you refused: The Hebrew people were stubborn and rebellious from the time of Moses (Deut 31:27 be) to the time of Jesus (Matt 17:17 bf).
• blight and mildew: What happened was the result of disobedience to God’s covenant (see Deut 28:22 bg).
2:18 bh Think about this eighteenth day of December, the day: Or On this eighteenth day of December, think about the day; literally Think about this day onward, this twenty-fourth day of the ninth month. Some believe that the phrase “this day” refers to the date of the initial clearing of rubble from the Temple site and the procuring of building materials (September 21, 520 BC; see 1:14-15 bi).
2:19 bj I am giving you a promise now while the seed is still in the barn: The promise of a bountiful crop calls attention to God’s faithfulness to his covenant people. The Temple was not yet complete, but God was promising to extend its blessings at once.
• But from this day onward I will bless you: God was gracious in responding immediately to his people’s efforts toward spiritual renewal and obedience (see Ps 111:4-5 bk).
Summary for Hag 2:20-23: 2:20-23 bl Haggai’s final message is perhaps the most important; it reestablishes the prominence of David’s descendant in Israel’s religious and political life. The dynasty of David was key to restoring the Hebrew people after the Babylonian exile (see Jer 23:5 bm; Ezek 37:24 bn). God had cursed David’s descendant, King Jehoiachin, at the time of the Exile (Jer 22:24-30 bo), but Haggai’s last message overturns that curse and reinstates the covenant with David (see 2 Sam 7:4-17 bp) as the means by which God will carry out his promises to bless and restore Israel.
2:21 bq Zerubbabel, the governor, was a descendant of David through Jehoiachin (1 Chr 3:19 br). Haggai’s affirmation thus overturns the curse on Jehoiachin (Jer 22:24-30 bs). However, Zerubbabel abruptly disappears from the biblical record. He was possibly deposed as Judean governor or even executed by King Darius, who was attempting to control his newly acquired empire. The expectations here ascribed to Zerubbabel, and his status as a descendant of David, might have made him a political threat to Darius.
2:22 bt I will overturn their chariots and riders: The prophet’s language would remind Israel of their deliverance from the Egyptian army (see Exod 15:1-21 bu). The ambiguity of the threat of God’s judgment makes it unclear whether Haggai is referring to events in the distant future or to something more immediate involving the Persian Empire (e.g., the Greek-Persian wars during the reigns of Darius I and Xerxes or the later Peloponnesian War).
2:23 bv The signet ring was a symbol of kingship. An engraved stone set in a gold or silver finger ring was used to seal or endorse official documents. The image here emphasizes the divine authority invested in Zerubbabel and assures the people of God’s continuing involvement in the political process (despite the failures of the Hebrew monarchs). The designation of Zerubbabel as the signet of the Lord no doubt rekindled expectations for the Messiah, since Zerubbabel was a descendant of King David. Yet the declaration ultimately points beyond Zerubbabel (see study note on 2:21) to one of his descendants (see Matt 1:12 bw; Luke 1:32-33 bx; 3:27 by).
Thematic note: Clean, Unclean, and Holy
The rites and regulations establishing cleanness and uncleanness were to distinguish Israel from the surrounding nations. To understand a rationale behind these regulations, one suggestion has been that unclean things are associated with death or the ground (see, e.g., Lev 21:1 bz, 11 ca; 22:8 cb). Recent studies, however, suggest the principle of “normalcy.” God is a God of order. Things that are normal in God’s order are called “clean” and are “permitted.” Abnormal things would be unfit for food or offerings and would be “unclean.” A normal land animal would be a vegetarian (see Gen 1:30 cc). A normal human body would have no infections or discharges. A normal piece of cloth would have no mildew on it. If abnormalities occurred, the animal, person, or cloth was unclean.
What is unclean is not sinful but represents a kind of unworthiness that cannot come in contact with what is holy (e.g., Lev 11:44-45 cd). If it is cleansed, it acquires the potential for holiness; it may be dedicated to God and become holy. If what is holy (such as the Sabbath) is treated like something common, God is blasphemed and the thing is profaned. If what is clean becomes unclean, it is defiled and requires cleansing. Some things, such as unclean animals, fish, or birds, remain unclean by definition and can never be cleansed, and, thus, can never become holy.
In the new covenant, things that were previously unclean have been declared clean (Acts 10:15 ce, 28 cf, 45 cg). Yet God is still a God of order (1 Cor 14:33 ch) and wants worship to be conducted in an orderly way (1 Cor 14:40 ci). While God’s grace is abundant to repentant sinners, some things are still repulsive to his holiness and should never be brought into his presence (e.g., Ananias and Sapphira’s offering; see Acts 5:1-11 cj).
Passages for Further Study
Gen 7:2 ck; Lev 11:1–15:33 cl; 21:1-23 cm; 22:3-8 cn; Num 19:1-22 co; Deut 14:1-21 cp; 21:1-9 cq; Pss 19:9 cr; 24:3-4 cs; 51:7-10 ct; Isa 52:11 cu; Matt 8:2-4 cv; John 13:10-11 cw; Acts 10:9-28 cx; Heb 9:13-15 cy, 23 cz
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