2 Tim 2:15 "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."
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WHAT IS HAGGAI ALL ABOUT?
SEP 22
Haggai 1-2
Memorise Haggai 2:4 "Be strong… and work: for I am with you"
WHAT IS HAGGAI ALL ABOUT?
TThe last three prophets, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi, are known as the ‘post-exilic’ prophets, meaning that they were the prophets who ministered in Israel after they had returned from the exile in Babylon. They preached in Israel in the time of Zerubbabel, Ezra and Nehemiah mainly to encourage them in their service to the Lord, and to rebuke them when they went wayward.
Haggai and Zechariah were contemporaries who returned together with Zerubabbel in the first return in 536 B.C (Ezra 1-6). Their messages are both clearly dated, and are also given mention of in the book of Ezra (Ezra 5-6). Together with Zerubbabel and Jeshua the high priests, they served as the leaders and spiritual guides to the Jews returning from the exile. Therefore, in order to understand Haggai and Zechariah well, it is important to know what happens in Ezra 1-6 to understand the context.
Haggai’s main purpose was to call the people into action, to put God first, and stop their procrastination. When they first returned, the people of Israel sought the Lord, and laid the foundations of the temple to much fanfare and celebration (Ezra 3). They were genuinely pleased to see that the temple of the Lord was to be built in Jerusalem once again. However, they were soon faced with opposition of various kinds (Ezra 4), and as a result, the work stopped for more than 15 years. It is at this moment that Haggai stepped in to command the people to return to the work! God’s message to them was to "be strong, and work: for I am with you" (Haggai 2:4). They were rebuked for their spiritual apathy, and commanded to consider their ways and return to the Lord. The encouragement to them in Haggai 2 was that though the glory of this present temple paled in comparison to the magnificent temple that Solomon had built, nonetheless its glory will be far greater, for the Lord Jesus Christ would come and walk in the midst of it. Thus they were to cleanse their hands and engage in the work, and God would bless them.
It is heartening to note that the ministry of Haggai did bear fruits, for we read in Ezra 5-6 that after their preaching, the people really did rise up to build the house of God, and completed it in 4 years!
Thought: Do I need to be goaded into action for the Lord?
Prayer: Lord help me to be strong, and do the work!
Posted in Teens RPG
Haggai 1-2
Memorise Haggai 2:4 "Be strong… and work: for I am with you"
WHAT IS HAGGAI ALL ABOUT?
TThe last three prophets, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi, are known as the ‘post-exilic’ prophets, meaning that they were the prophets who ministered in Israel after they had returned from the exile in Babylon. They preached in Israel in the time of Zerubbabel, Ezra and Nehemiah mainly to encourage them in their service to the Lord, and to rebuke them when they went wayward.
Haggai and Zechariah were contemporaries who returned together with Zerubabbel in the first return in 536 B.C (Ezra 1-6). Their messages are both clearly dated, and are also given mention of in the book of Ezra (Ezra 5-6). Together with Zerubbabel and Jeshua the high priests, they served as the leaders and spiritual guides to the Jews returning from the exile. Therefore, in order to understand Haggai and Zechariah well, it is important to know what happens in Ezra 1-6 to understand the context.
Haggai’s main purpose was to call the people into action, to put God first, and stop their procrastination. When they first returned, the people of Israel sought the Lord, and laid the foundations of the temple to much fanfare and celebration (Ezra 3). They were genuinely pleased to see that the temple of the Lord was to be built in Jerusalem once again. However, they were soon faced with opposition of various kinds (Ezra 4), and as a result, the work stopped for more than 15 years. It is at this moment that Haggai stepped in to command the people to return to the work! God’s message to them was to "be strong, and work: for I am with you" (Haggai 2:4). They were rebuked for their spiritual apathy, and commanded to consider their ways and return to the Lord. The encouragement to them in Haggai 2 was that though the glory of this present temple paled in comparison to the magnificent temple that Solomon had built, nonetheless its glory will be far greater, for the Lord Jesus Christ would come and walk in the midst of it. Thus they were to cleanse their hands and engage in the work, and God would bless them.
It is heartening to note that the ministry of Haggai did bear fruits, for we read in Ezra 5-6 that after their preaching, the people really did rise up to build the house of God, and completed it in 4 years!
Thought: Do I need to be goaded into action for the Lord?
Prayer: Lord help me to be strong, and do the work!
Posted in Teens RPG