Haggai
HAGGAI PART one
Biblical ENCYCLOPEDIA
Haggai
Boyd’s Bible Dictionary:(festive). A minor prophet. His book, fifteenth of the prophetic, exhorts the Jews to crown the work of Zerubbabel.
Concise Bible Dictionary: Scripture is silent as to the ancestors of this prophet. He stands as to date at the return from captivity, and his prophecy is mostly occupied with the house of the Lord, the temple at Jerusalem. About the year B.C. 535, by order of Cyrus, under God, the rebuilding of the temple had been begun; but in consequence of the opposition from without, and the Jews’ lack of faith as to the purpose of God in restoring them to their land, the building was stayed.
It had been lying for some fifteen years in that state when God caused Haggai to prophesy, and charge the Jews themselves with neglect of the house. God had been dealing with them in providence, withholding the fruits of the earth; but they understood it not, until the prophet bade them consider their ways. They had made excuses that the time had not yet come to build God’s house; but they were building their own houses.
The prophet bade them fetch wood and build the house, and God would take pleasure in it, though it might appear as nothing in their eyes. Zerubbabel and Joshua at once responded, and the work was commenced with energy and without permission from the heathen authorities. When asked by whose permission they were building the house, they nobly said, “We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth.” Letters were sent to Babylon by the governors of the land, and then God so ordered it that formal permission was given to continue the building. By comparing Haggai 1:1 and Haggai 1:15 it will be seen that in twenty-four days the work was resumed.
Haggai 2. There was encouragement for them, and exhortations to be strong: Jehovah was with them. They were reminded of their deliverance from Egypt, and the prophecy then goes on to the future, when God’s purpose will be fully accomplished. God is going to shake the heavens and the earth: “the desire of all nations shall come”—doubtless referring to Christ in an objective sense.
God will fill His house with glory. And then it is added (as it should read) “the latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former.” There have now been three buildings, if the one restored by Herod be counted as one, and there will be another built by the Jews in unbelief; and another, as described by Ezekiel: yet all are designated “this house,” as the first and second are called “this house” in Haggai 2:3 (compare Ezra 5:11).
The latter glory will be when Christ, “the desire of all nations,” shall come to it, and in that place He will give peace. Haggai 2:10-19 is a separate message from God, reminding the people how unclean they were, and every work of their hands; and how He had been dealing with them in discipline; yet they had not turned unto Him. But from the day of laying the foundation of Jehovah’s temple He would bless them.
Haggai 2:20-23 is still another message from God, and refers again to the future, when all nations will be shaken, and when God will take the true seed of David (here still called “Zerubbabel my servant”, a type of Christ as “the prince of the house of David”), and make Him as a signet. In contrast to the faithless Coniah, or Jeconiah, king of Judah (as a signet plucked from God’s right hand; compare Jer. 22:24), Christ is the signet on God’s right hand, to seal all His purposes touching the nations, and concerning His chosen people Israel.
Haggai PART TWO
(BIBLICAL CHARACTERS IN FREEMASONRY "JOSHUA" BY: VAN GORDEN 1980")
“A MAN IN EARNEST FINDS MEANS, OR, IF HE CANNOT FIND, CREATES THEM."
WILLIAM ELLERY CHANNING.
HAGGAI: Earnestness.
Earnestness is an intense, serious state of mind. It is zeal moderated by logic and reason. It is a serious determination to achieve a particular goal. As such, it becomes an important element in the success of any project. As Channing stated, an earnest man finds or creates a means of attaining his object. An earnest person is usually an effective person. The prophet Haggai demonstrated his earnestness and effective ness in his contribution to the rebuilding of the Temple—or, mor precisely, the building of the second Temple—in the time of Zerub- babel and Jeshua.
Haggai, whose name means "festal,” is believed to have been born in Judah before the Babylonian exile, because one passage in the Book of Haggai infers that he had seen the Temple of Solomon before its destruction by Nebuchadnezzar. This would have made him close to 80 years old at the time of his first recorded prophecy, which came at least 66 years after Nebuchadnezzar's destruction of that Temple.
It is not clear whether or not Haggai returned to Jerusalem with Zerubbabel and Jeshua. Ezra does not list him among those who participated in the first return. This is not conclusive, because he may have been overlooked or mentioned by another name. But he may have been among those who were not carried off to Babylon, or he may have returned at some time after Zerubbabel and Jeshua.
Biblical reference to Haggai begins in the second year of Darius’ reign as king of Persia (520 B.C.), when Haggai delivered a pronouncement from Jehovah to Zerubbabel and to Jeshua or Joshua, the High Priest, rebuking "this people" for their failure to rebuild the Temple and directing a resumption of the work. This call came about 15 or 16 years after the First return. Work had apparently begun on the Temple at that time, but the hostility of the people already living in the land and the concentration on personal concerns by the returned exiles had brought a suspension of work.
This brought God’s rebuke through Haggai, as well as a number of calamities, including a drought, that preceded the rebuke. Haggai's call caused a religious revival and an almost immediate resumption of work on the Temple. Under the leadership of Zerub- babel, Jeshua and Haggai, the rebuilding of the Temple resumed within three weeks. Four weeks from the start of work, the Temple began to take discernible shape.
The words of Haggai, reinforced by those of the young prophet Zechariah, encouraged the work and urged it forward. Shortly afterwards, Haggai presented his last recorded message and nothing more is heard of him. But he had done his work well. In four years, the Temple had been completed. The speed with which the work began after Hag- gai’s call, the determination with which it went forward, and the rapidity of the Temple’s construction, despite the numerous obstacles that developed, attest to the effectiveness of Haggai's efforts and the earnestness which he applied to those efforts.
In the Masonic ritual, Haggai is mentioned and quoted on several occasions, always, of course, in connection with the rebuilding of the Temple. He exemplifies the determination and earnestness of the leaders of the returned exiles, Zerubbabel and Jeshua, as well as Haggai himself. He is honored for his part in the building of this second Temple, also known as Zerubbabel's Temple.
Biblical ENCYCLOPEDIA
Haggai
Boyd’s Bible Dictionary:(festive). A minor prophet. His book, fifteenth of the prophetic, exhorts the Jews to crown the work of Zerubbabel.
Concise Bible Dictionary: Scripture is silent as to the ancestors of this prophet. He stands as to date at the return from captivity, and his prophecy is mostly occupied with the house of the Lord, the temple at Jerusalem. About the year B.C. 535, by order of Cyrus, under God, the rebuilding of the temple had been begun; but in consequence of the opposition from without, and the Jews’ lack of faith as to the purpose of God in restoring them to their land, the building was stayed.
It had been lying for some fifteen years in that state when God caused Haggai to prophesy, and charge the Jews themselves with neglect of the house. God had been dealing with them in providence, withholding the fruits of the earth; but they understood it not, until the prophet bade them consider their ways. They had made excuses that the time had not yet come to build God’s house; but they were building their own houses.
The prophet bade them fetch wood and build the house, and God would take pleasure in it, though it might appear as nothing in their eyes. Zerubbabel and Joshua at once responded, and the work was commenced with energy and without permission from the heathen authorities. When asked by whose permission they were building the house, they nobly said, “We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth.” Letters were sent to Babylon by the governors of the land, and then God so ordered it that formal permission was given to continue the building. By comparing Haggai 1:1 and Haggai 1:15 it will be seen that in twenty-four days the work was resumed.
Haggai 2. There was encouragement for them, and exhortations to be strong: Jehovah was with them. They were reminded of their deliverance from Egypt, and the prophecy then goes on to the future, when God’s purpose will be fully accomplished. God is going to shake the heavens and the earth: “the desire of all nations shall come”—doubtless referring to Christ in an objective sense.
God will fill His house with glory. And then it is added (as it should read) “the latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former.” There have now been three buildings, if the one restored by Herod be counted as one, and there will be another built by the Jews in unbelief; and another, as described by Ezekiel: yet all are designated “this house,” as the first and second are called “this house” in Haggai 2:3 (compare Ezra 5:11).
The latter glory will be when Christ, “the desire of all nations,” shall come to it, and in that place He will give peace. Haggai 2:10-19 is a separate message from God, reminding the people how unclean they were, and every work of their hands; and how He had been dealing with them in discipline; yet they had not turned unto Him. But from the day of laying the foundation of Jehovah’s temple He would bless them.
Haggai 2:20-23 is still another message from God, and refers again to the future, when all nations will be shaken, and when God will take the true seed of David (here still called “Zerubbabel my servant”, a type of Christ as “the prince of the house of David”), and make Him as a signet. In contrast to the faithless Coniah, or Jeconiah, king of Judah (as a signet plucked from God’s right hand; compare Jer. 22:24), Christ is the signet on God’s right hand, to seal all His purposes touching the nations, and concerning His chosen people Israel.
Haggai PART TWO
(BIBLICAL CHARACTERS IN FREEMASONRY "JOSHUA" BY: VAN GORDEN 1980")
“A MAN IN EARNEST FINDS MEANS, OR, IF HE CANNOT FIND, CREATES THEM."
WILLIAM ELLERY CHANNING.
HAGGAI: Earnestness.
Earnestness is an intense, serious state of mind. It is zeal moderated by logic and reason. It is a serious determination to achieve a particular goal. As such, it becomes an important element in the success of any project. As Channing stated, an earnest man finds or creates a means of attaining his object. An earnest person is usually an effective person. The prophet Haggai demonstrated his earnestness and effective ness in his contribution to the rebuilding of the Temple—or, mor precisely, the building of the second Temple—in the time of Zerub- babel and Jeshua.
Haggai, whose name means "festal,” is believed to have been born in Judah before the Babylonian exile, because one passage in the Book of Haggai infers that he had seen the Temple of Solomon before its destruction by Nebuchadnezzar. This would have made him close to 80 years old at the time of his first recorded prophecy, which came at least 66 years after Nebuchadnezzar's destruction of that Temple.
It is not clear whether or not Haggai returned to Jerusalem with Zerubbabel and Jeshua. Ezra does not list him among those who participated in the first return. This is not conclusive, because he may have been overlooked or mentioned by another name. But he may have been among those who were not carried off to Babylon, or he may have returned at some time after Zerubbabel and Jeshua.
Biblical reference to Haggai begins in the second year of Darius’ reign as king of Persia (520 B.C.), when Haggai delivered a pronouncement from Jehovah to Zerubbabel and to Jeshua or Joshua, the High Priest, rebuking "this people" for their failure to rebuild the Temple and directing a resumption of the work. This call came about 15 or 16 years after the First return. Work had apparently begun on the Temple at that time, but the hostility of the people already living in the land and the concentration on personal concerns by the returned exiles had brought a suspension of work.
This brought God’s rebuke through Haggai, as well as a number of calamities, including a drought, that preceded the rebuke. Haggai's call caused a religious revival and an almost immediate resumption of work on the Temple. Under the leadership of Zerub- babel, Jeshua and Haggai, the rebuilding of the Temple resumed within three weeks. Four weeks from the start of work, the Temple began to take discernible shape.
The words of Haggai, reinforced by those of the young prophet Zechariah, encouraged the work and urged it forward. Shortly afterwards, Haggai presented his last recorded message and nothing more is heard of him. But he had done his work well. In four years, the Temple had been completed. The speed with which the work began after Hag- gai’s call, the determination with which it went forward, and the rapidity of the Temple’s construction, despite the numerous obstacles that developed, attest to the effectiveness of Haggai's efforts and the earnestness which he applied to those efforts.
In the Masonic ritual, Haggai is mentioned and quoted on several occasions, always, of course, in connection with the rebuilding of the Temple. He exemplifies the determination and earnestness of the leaders of the returned exiles, Zerubbabel and Jeshua, as well as Haggai himself. He is honored for his part in the building of this second Temple, also known as Zerubbabel's Temple.