HAGGAI 2
Three messages are presented in this chapter.
Be strong! (1–9). The times were hard, the people were poor, and the leaders were discouraged. (Was there ever an easy building program?) The restored temple would be nothing like the temple of Solomon, and the people were wondering, “Is it really worth it all?” They did not realize that the Lord of glory Himself would minister in this temple! Beware that golden memories do not rob you of present opportunities.
Be clean! (10–19). The priests could not share holiness, but they could spread sin. The people had been defiled, and God could not bless them; but now they had returned to the Lord, and He promised them His blessing.
Be encouraged! (20–23). This was addressed to their governor who is a type of the Lord Jesus Christ. In the latter days, God will overthrow the gentile powers and restore David’s line, to which Zerubbabel belonged (
Your part in God’s kingdom today is not insignificant or unimportant, no matter how it appears to you. Be encouraged and keep working!
“Whereas the house of God today is no longer material but spiritual, the material is still a very real symbol of the spiritual. When the Church of God in any place in any locality is careless about the material place of assembly, the place of its worship and its work, it is a sign and evidence that its life is at a low ebb.”
G. Campbell Morgan