Ezra 5:1 , Haggai 1:1-2:9, Zechariah 1:1-6
“Then the prophets, Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied unto the Jews that were in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, even unto them.” (Ezra 1:1)
After Ahasuerus’ death, around 522 BC, Darius was able to seize the throne. God sent his prophets to get the people back to work on his temple.
“In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, in the first day of the month, came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet unto Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that the LORD'S house should be built.” (Haggai 1:1-2)
Because of the opposition and the court order by Ahasuerus, construction on the temple had stopped and the people had decided that it was not the time to build it, just as many today decide opposition means God is not in a certain calling.
“Then came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet, saying, Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your ceiled houses, and this house lie waste? Now therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways. Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.
Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways. Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the LORD.
Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? saith the LORD of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house. Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from her fruit. And I called for a drought upon the land, and upon the mountains, and upon the corn, and upon the new wine, and upon the oil, and upon that which the ground bringeth forth, and upon men, and upon cattle, and upon all the labour of the hands.” (Haggai 1:3-11)
After stopping work on the temple the Jews had focused on building their homes and businesses. Unfortunately, their work had not been very effective. They had expected great blessings, but were not seeing them happen. God stressed that the reason was that they had put their own desires ahead of God. This had caused a drought and the crops didn’t grow, leaving them just barely getting by.
God stated that if they would stop focusing on themselves and go to mountains to cut timber to build the temple, he would bleased by their putting him first. A month after the first prophecy, God sent another message by Haggai.
“In the seventh month, in the one and twentieth day of the month, came the word of the LORD by the prophet Haggai, saying, Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and to the residue of the people, saying, Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory? and how do ye see it now? is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing? Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith the LORD; and be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest; and be strong, all ye people of the land, saith the LORD, and work: for I am with you, saith the LORD of hosts: According to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, so my spirit remaineth among you: fear ye not.
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 I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts. The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the LORD of hosts.” (Haggai 2:1-9)
In this second prophecy, God reminded some of the old people who had been taken in when Jerusalem was destroyed about fifteen when Babylon invaded Jerusalem the third time what Jerusalem had been like at the time. The temple was just partially restored, and the city looked like downtown Detroit when it declared bankruptcy.
God encouraged the Zerubbabel, the governor, and Joshua, the high priest to step out by faith and do what they had come to Jerusalem to do, rebuilding the temple and reestablishing worshiping God. He was still the same God that had originally brought them out of Egypt, and they did not need to fear or hesitate because of the opposition.
He was still in control of the world, and would bring the Messiah at the proper time, and Judge the world as he had promised. If they would obey him, the temple they would build would have an even greater impact than the original one.
“In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the LORD unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying, The LORD hath been sore displeased with your fathers. Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye unto me, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the LORD of hosts.
Be ye not as your fathers, unto whom the former prophets have cried, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye now from your evil ways, and from your evil doings: but they did not hear, nor hearken unto me, saith the LORD. Your fathers, where are they? and the prophets, do they live for ever?
But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not take hold of your fathers? and they returned and said, Like as the LORD of hosts thought to do unto us, according to our ways, and according to our doings, so hath he dealt with us.” (Zechariah 1:1-6)
A month after Haggai’s second prophecy, Zechariah reminded the people that they had been taken captives because of their ancestor’s sin. Their ancestors were dead however, and they could not blame what was happening at this time on them. They could either listen to God and be blessed, or they could be like their ancestors and be punished.
He asked them if what they were experiencing wasn’t just like what God had promised, and they acknowledged that it was.
Several months of prophecy would be required before the people were finally ready to take action and go ahead in spite of the court order.
“Then the prophets, Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied unto the Jews that were in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, even unto them.” (Ezra 1:1)
After Ahasuerus’ death, around 522 BC, Darius was able to seize the throne. God sent his prophets to get the people back to work on his temple.
“In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, in the first day of the month, came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet unto Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that the LORD'S house should be built.” (Haggai 1:1-2)
Because of the opposition and the court order by Ahasuerus, construction on the temple had stopped and the people had decided that it was not the time to build it, just as many today decide opposition means God is not in a certain calling.
“Then came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet, saying, Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your ceiled houses, and this house lie waste? Now therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways. Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.
Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways. Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the LORD.
Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? saith the LORD of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house. Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from her fruit. And I called for a drought upon the land, and upon the mountains, and upon the corn, and upon the new wine, and upon the oil, and upon that which the ground bringeth forth, and upon men, and upon cattle, and upon all the labour of the hands.” (Haggai 1:3-11)
After stopping work on the temple the Jews had focused on building their homes and businesses. Unfortunately, their work had not been very effective. They had expected great blessings, but were not seeing them happen. God stressed that the reason was that they had put their own desires ahead of God. This had caused a drought and the crops didn’t grow, leaving them just barely getting by.
God stated that if they would stop focusing on themselves and go to mountains to cut timber to build the temple, he would bleased by their putting him first. A month after the first prophecy, God sent another message by Haggai.
“In the seventh month, in the one and twentieth day of the month, came the word of the LORD by the prophet Haggai, saying, Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and to the residue of the people, saying, Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory? and how do ye see it now? is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing? Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith the LORD; and be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest; and be strong, all ye people of the land, saith the LORD, and work: for I am with you, saith the LORD of hosts: According to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, so my spirit remaineth among you: fear ye not.
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 I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts. The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the LORD of hosts.” (Haggai 2:1-9)
In this second prophecy, God reminded some of the old people who had been taken in when Jerusalem was destroyed about fifteen when Babylon invaded Jerusalem the third time what Jerusalem had been like at the time. The temple was just partially restored, and the city looked like downtown Detroit when it declared bankruptcy.
God encouraged the Zerubbabel, the governor, and Joshua, the high priest to step out by faith and do what they had come to Jerusalem to do, rebuilding the temple and reestablishing worshiping God. He was still the same God that had originally brought them out of Egypt, and they did not need to fear or hesitate because of the opposition.
He was still in control of the world, and would bring the Messiah at the proper time, and Judge the world as he had promised. If they would obey him, the temple they would build would have an even greater impact than the original one.
“In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the LORD unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying, The LORD hath been sore displeased with your fathers. Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye unto me, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the LORD of hosts.
Be ye not as your fathers, unto whom the former prophets have cried, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye now from your evil ways, and from your evil doings: but they did not hear, nor hearken unto me, saith the LORD. Your fathers, where are they? and the prophets, do they live for ever?
But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not take hold of your fathers? and they returned and said, Like as the LORD of hosts thought to do unto us, according to our ways, and according to our doings, so hath he dealt with us.” (Zechariah 1:1-6)
A month after Haggai’s second prophecy, Zechariah reminded the people that they had been taken captives because of their ancestor’s sin. Their ancestors were dead however, and they could not blame what was happening at this time on them. They could either listen to God and be blessed, or they could be like their ancestors and be punished.
He asked them if what they were experiencing wasn’t just like what God had promised, and they acknowledged that it was.
Several months of prophecy would be required before the people were finally ready to take action and go ahead in spite of the court order.
Sorry, I made a mistake and skipped over these passages. They should have been immediately after the post, The Feast Of Purim Instituted.
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