Haggai 1 Commentary
After the exile to Babylon: Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,… and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah. This is part of the lineage of the LORD Jesus Christ as presented to us in the gospel of Matthew.
Haggai’s work can be placed somewhere after the exile. The LORD’s people are coming back home. The scattering is ended; restoration commences. The 70 years of captivity have ended. Expectations are high!
In the middle of it all is Zerubbabel, the man mentioned in the lineage of the LORD Jesus Christ. The temple must be rebuilt. It signals the start of an important phase in Israel’s history.
We can read this book with our eyes focused on the promised restoration of Israel. It doesn’t happen until Zerubabbel builds the temple of the LORD. It doesn’t happen until the real builder of the temple of the LORD shows up. Zerubbabel is a placeholder; the Son would build the temple of the LORD in three days!
The New Testament tells us that we are the temples of the Holy Spirit. Without this temple, “You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.”
The scripture defines life without the rule of the Holy Spirit within an individual. The bank account leaks! It simply never works!
What is the point of this book? That you become serious and build your life for God’s coming?
No. The preacher must know better. “So the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of the whole remnant of the people. They came and began to work on the house of the Lord Almighty, their God. Verse 14.
Let God stir up your spirit! Salvation is never an initiative of man! How we pray that the LORD stirs up the spirits of many!
More resources visit http://www.lovingscripture.com
LOVING SCRIPTURE 