Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev20090308.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Haggai: Calling God's People To Correct Temporal Values
Part II: Calling God's People To Service In Hope Of Future Blessings Over Current Discouragement
(Haggai 2:1-9)
  1. Introduction
    1. Discouragement can so diffuse one's motivation that he ceases to trust and serve God for blessings.
    2. God addressed Israel's great discouragement in Haggai 2:1-9 with instructions for us today (as follows):
  2. Calling God's People To Service In Hope Of Future Blessings Over Current Discouragement.
    1. The returned exiles were discouraged for several reasons as Haggai gave them his Haggai 2:1-9 message:
      1. The people were discouraged since their efforts seemed to be so incompetent compare to other efforts:
        1. We know from Haggai 2:3 in light of Ezra 3:8-13 that in the second month of the same year that the message in Haggai 2:1-9 was spoken, elderly Jews who had seen Solomon's past great temple had sown seeds of discouragement in the returned exiles when they had wept over the current temple's ruined state! (Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, 1978 ed., ftn. to Haggai 2:3)
        2. This discouragement had festered for five months until Haggai 2:1-9 was spoken, spawning feelings of incompetence among the exiles over trying to rebuild a very "inferior" temple, Hag. 1:7-8; 2:2-3.
      2. The people were discouraged since a recent feast day had exposed their lack of blessing due to past sin:
        1. The date of the Haggai 2:1-9 message was the 21st of the 7th month (2:1), the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles that usually celebrated God's harvest bounty, Ibid., ftn. to Hag. 2:1 (Lev. 23:39-44).
        2. However, for their having failed to use their material resources for the temple reconstruction, God had hindered their harvests, diminishing their cause for joy at the current feast day, Haggai 1:9-11.
      3. The people were discouraged since the many feast days of that 7th month, including "the weekly Sabbaths, the Feast of Trumpets on the first day, the Day of Atonement on the 10th, and the Feast of Booths (or Tabernacles) from Tishri 15 to 12, with Tishri 22 also being a rest day (Lev. 23)" had interrupted their work, making it hard for them to want to return to it, Bib. Kno. Com., O. T., p. 1541.
      4. Finally, "the laborious task of cleaning up 60 years of rubble" further drained their motivation, Ibid.
    2. Accordingly, God addressed Israel's discouragement in the uplifting message of Haggai 2:1-9 (as follows):
      1. God told Haggai to speak to the leaders of Israel, their governor, Zerubbabel, and their High Priest, Joshua, indicating that the attitude of the leaders set the tone for overcoming discouragement! (2:1-2)
      2. The Lord then revealed He knew of the lament of the elderly mourners who had contrasted the temple's current poor state to Solomon's temple, and of its discouraging effects on the workers, Haggai 2:3.
      3. To counter this discouragement, God promised He was with them in their effort, so, even if they did not have skilled workmen as Solomon had, God would make their work effective, Haggai 2:4.
      4. God also reminded the returned exiles that just as He had been with them as a people when they left Egypt as a nation of slaves, He was now with them to make their end glorious just as He had caused their forefathers as a nation of fresh out of Egypt to become glorious by Solomon's era, Haggai 2:5.
      5. Indeed, God promised one day to shake the heavens, earth, sea and dry land, causing the wealth ("desire" is a collective noun, meaning desirable things, or treasures), Ibid., p. 1542) of all the nations to be brought and to glorify this latter temple with gold and silver, Haggai 2:6-8. [Note: this contrasts with God's spoiling just the nation Egypt for Israel in the Exodus! cf. Genesis 15:14; Exodus 12:35-36]
      6. Thus, the glory of the latter temple would be greater than the temple the elderly so badly missed, 2:3, 9.
      7. Indeed, God would provide peace, full spiritual blessings in the messianic temple opposite the lesser blessings of Solomon's era, peace that would end laments like the elderly had expressed, Haggai 3:9c!
Lesson Application: In applying God's message to the returned exiles, may we handle the temptation to be discouraged in trying to do God's assignments by (1) recalling that God is with us as we do His will to make our seemingly meager efforts effective (Haggai 2:4), (2) that the God Who brought Israel from slavery in Egypt in the Exodus to the glories of Solomon's kingdom is just as able to advance us and our works for His glory as He did for ancient Israel (Haggai 2:5) and (3) by trusting that God can do so much more for us in the future than He has done for us before (Haggai 2:6-9b), (4) including giving us greater spiritual blessings than He has ever before provided (Haggai 2:9c).