Minor Prophets

Haggai
GOD’S GLORY SHALL BE REVEALED
If you are a classical music lover or if you have ever
been to an Easter performance of George Frederick
Handel’s Messiah, then you may already know
something of what Haggai’s prophecy is all about.
Very early on in that magnificent oratorio the choir
announces, “The glory of the Lord shall be revealed!”
And this is followed by a powerful bass solo which
proclaims the words of Haggai 2:6-7
“For thus saith the Lord of
hosts; Yet once, it is a little while,
and I will shake the heavens,
and the earth, and the sea, and
the dry land; And I will shake
all nations, and the desire of all
nations shall come.”
Handel composed the
“Messiah” in 1741, and I’m sure
millions of people all over the
world have been to performances
from that time to this. Perhaps this could make
Haggai the most famous “minor prophet” of all. And
the Book of Haggai is only two chapters long.
Haggai wrote at the time in Israel’s history after
the northern kingdom of Israel had been defeated
and destroyed by the Assyrians and the southern
kingdom of Judah, along with its lovely city of
Jerusalem and temple, had experienced a similar
fate at the hands of the Babylonians. The people of
Judah were exiled to Babylon and lived in exile there
for seventy years until God moved the king, Cyrus,
God did not call us to
begin and then quit.
He called us because
he had good works
planned for us before
the foundation of the
world. Ephesians 2:10
to send a contingent of Jews back home to rebuild
the temple that had been destroyed. Although many
Jews had settled down and become comfortable in
Babylon, a fairly large group returned to Jerusalem to
begin work on rebuilding the temple.
When they laid the foundation, the people
celebrated and praised God for His grace and
goodness to them. But many
of the older people wept aloud
because they remembered
the glory of the former temple
and knew that it could never
be the same. Discouragement
grew as many difficulties
arose. The surrounding pagan
peoples opposed and plotted
against the Jews until their
discouragement turned into
defeat. The building was
stopped and other priorities,
such as building their own homes, took precedence
in their daily lives. The people lived for fifteen years
in an atmosphere of economic hardship. They were
apathetic and demoralized.
Have you ever been like those returned exiles?
Have you ever felt God calling you to a task but then
become discouraged and failed to finish? Perhaps
you questioned if you really heard God calling in
the first place? Or maybe you compared your work
to someone else and began to feel that yours was
inferior and God was not blessing you. Or perhaps you
quit because those around you failed to support your
efforts or even worked against you. Or maybe the
task was much more difficult than you anticipated.
Haven’t we all been tempted in some situation like
one of these? Maybe you’re facing a similar difficulty
right now. If you’ve ever been tempted to be a
quitter, God has a message for you, and it is found in
Haggai’s prophecy.
It was fifteen years after the quitters quit, that
God raised up the prophets Zechariah and Haggai
to call the people to reassess their situation and
their priorities and get back to the task of rebuilding
the temple. And, as is typical in God’s Word, the
messages to the Jews way back then are applicable to
us in the twenty-first century as well.
Haggai’s prophecy is a series of messages from
God, beginning with a challenge to the people to
take a close look at themselves and get back to
construction. Happily, this is followed by a positive
response from the people and their obedience in
taking up the challenge, even though they were
deeply discouraged. The final portion of Haggai’s
prophecy is filled with encouragement from God.
He reminds the people that He is with them and He
will judge those who have opposed and mistreated
them. He has rich blessings in store for them, and
He will keep His promise to bless the whole world
through them. It is God’s message of encouragement
in Chapter 2, verses 6 and 7 that Handel wrote into
his “Messiah”, it is the promise of the Messiah and His
coming to set all things right.
“For thus saith the Lord of hosts; Yet once, it is
a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the
earth, and the sea, and the dry land; And I will shake
all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come.”
And isn’t that where we should find our
encouragement? The “desire of all nations” has come
All things are possible
to him who believes
Mark 9:23
and He has told us, “All things are possible to him
who believes.” (Mark 9:23) God did not call us to begin
and then quit. He called us because he had good
works planned for us before the foundation of the
world. (Ephesians 2:10) He called us to be a blessing
to those around us -- a blessing which He will use to
spread His Name and His Glory throughout the world.
Who knows how far your small local influence may be
spread by the power of God and His Holy Spirit?
I hope you will read Haggai’s prophecy. Then go
see a performance of the Messiah this Easter and be
encouraged to carry on with joy where God has called
you.
24 INTRODUCTION TO MINOR PROPHETS DISCIPLERS BIBLE STUDIES 25