Haggai and Zechariah 1-11 with Gary Torian

We are nearing the end of what we call the Old Testament. The Gospels are just a few days away. Hang in there. There are only a little over three months to go. This week we will cover the short book of the prophet Haggai and the first eleven chapters of the prophet Zechariah.

Haggai

Haggai means “festal.” This leads scholars to believe that he may have been born on one of the required Jewish festival days (Unleavened Bread, Pentecost/Weeks, or Tabernacles/Booths).

In 538 B.C., a remnant of the Hebrews returned to their homeland from the Exile. By 536 B.C., the foundation for the rebuilding of the LORD’S house was completed, but work on the temple had basically come to a halt soon after that. Haggai’s four messages were delivered within a four-month period in 520 B.C., during King Darius’ second year of ruling in Persia. The messages revolve around how slow the Hebrew people have been in restoring the rest of the LORD’S house and motivation for coming to the LORD and be blessed.

The first message asks the people to reflect upon how they have been suffering loss-their harvests are small; they never have enough to eat or drink; they can never get warm enough. These are consequences of their disobedience. They are more interested in their own houses and ways than they are with the LORD’S house and ways. Haggai goes on to tell them how the LORD will bless them greatly if they were only obedient to Him.

The second message is a word of encouragement to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah. Haggai relates that the LORD is with him and the people, to be strong and work toward the completion of the temple. The LORD is about to do something great, and the “desired of all the nations” will come, and will fill my house with glory. It is believed the “desired of all nations” is none other than Jesus.

The third message continues the theme of suffering connected with their rejection of God. They may be in the holy land, but that did not make the people holy. They needed to obey the LORD, particularly in regards to rebuilding the temple.

In the last message, Haggai declares that Zerubbabel will be the LORD’S “signet ring.” A signet ring is a seal of a promise or a guarantee. Zerubbabel is the one chosen or guaranteed to bring the work on the temple and the return to the LORD to completion by the LORD’S authority.

Zechariah 1-11

Zechariah had been born in Babyon. He was among those who returned to Israel in 538 B.C. after the Exiles. Unlike Haggai, he was of the priestly family. Zechariah was apparently a young man as he began to minister to the people, overlapping the end of Haggai’s ministry by a couple of months, but Zechariah is believed to have lived and ministered into the 460s or longer.

The theme at the beginning is much like Haggai. There is the rebuke of the people for being so slow to rebuild the temple and encouragement for completing the work. Then, in 1:7, his prophecies take on an apocalyptic and eschatological tone; that is, the prophecies are couched in mysterious visions and often deal with the theme of the end times. (The Revelation of John is an example of this type of literature.) There are visions of the LORD standing against the enemies of Israel, even Satan himself. The presence of the LORD Almighty among the people in Jerusalem and Judah will be made known to all the nations, so that they will seek Him and come to entreat Him.

Themes suggesting the Messiah are found in various parts of this book, but ones that we as Christians readily interpret as concerning Jesus show up in Chapters 9-11. These include: the coming of the king “riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey” reminding us of the Triumphal Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem; this will usher in a time of peace, a reminder that Jesus is the Prince of Peace; and a betrayal for thirty pieces of silver that are thrown back into the house of the LORD, as Judas did.