The second chapter of this book is loaded with interesting stuff. So, I wanted to put down some my thoughts on the meaning of Haggai 2. The linguistic, genealogical, and historical elements of this chapter are quite wondrous, even before you even get to the prophetic parts.
Zerubbabel – The Seed of Babylon
It’s the neat linguistic stuff that made me decide that I needed to actually write a post on the second chapter. I don’t know how I missed looking at this when exploring Haggai 1. But the meaning of Zerubbabel hooked me in Haggai 2.
Zerubbabel was the governor of Judea, and his name is phonetically contracted. In classic Hebrew form, it combines the words zer’a זרע (seed) and bavel בבל (babylon). But, morphology in Hebrew often comes with the loss of difficult to pronounce letters, like ayin ע and the other gutturals.
So, zer’abavel זרע-בבל became zerubavel זרבבל, which we translate into English as Zerubbabel. His name means the “seed of Babylon,” and he was sent to manage a province of the empire. Neat. But, his parentage is where it gets a little crazy.
Zerubbabel… Son of Who?
The writers of the Hebrew scriptures took great pains to provide genealogies for the people about whom they wrote. This cultural emphasis helps us to link together the various narratives into a more cohesive whole. The grandfather of Zerubbabel was Jeconiah, the end of the Davidian line of kings. But, there is some ambiguity over who Zerubbabel’s father was.
The Bible calls him the son of Shealtiel (or Salatiel) in every reference, but one:
‘The descendants of Jehoiakim: Jeconiah his son, Zedekiah his son; and the sons of Jeconiah, the captive: Shealtiel his son, Malchiram, Pedaiah, Shenazzar, Jekamiah, Hoshama and Nedabiah; and the sons of Pedaiah: Zerubbabel and Shimei; and the sons of Zerubbabel: Meshullam and Hananiah, and Shelomith was their sister;’ 1 Chronicles 3:16-19 ESV
So, Zerubbabel is the son of Shealtiel… or possibly the son of Pedaiah. Who was his dad? And, does it really matter? His parentage may seem like a small detail (or even a possible mistake), but Zerubbabel also appears in the New Testament. And, that’s where it gets even weirder.
Matthew and Luke each included a genealogy for Jesus. There are various theories why these genealogies do not match up. I am inclined toward the position that Luke traces the genealogy of Mary, keeping with the virgin birth, as Luke 3:23 seems to indicate that Joseph was not the father.
It is noteworthy that, apart from the Patriarchs and King David, Zerubbabel is the only person to appear in both genealogies. I’ll write more on that, later. But, his presence in the gospel genealogies gives greater significance to the question of his paternity. How could one man intersect two different family lines? How could he have two different fathers? There are several theories.
Most of them hinge on the difference between a biological and legal son in ancient Hebrew culture. If Shealtiel died childless (there are no other sons attributed to him in scripture), then his brother Pedaiah could have entered into a levirate marriage to father a legal heir.
Haggai 2:1-9
Chapter 1 in this book covers just three weeks. The first word came to Haggai on the 1st day of the 6th month. And, the people began work on the temple on the 24th day of that same month. Haggai 2 starts on the 21st day of the 7th month, less than a month after the work began:
‘In the seventh month, on the twenty-first day of the month, the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet: “Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to all the remnant of the people, and say, ‘Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory? How do you see it now? Is it not as nothing in your eyes?’ Haggai 2:1-3 ESV
We know that the effort to finish building the temple took four years. Yet, God sent word to His people while they were barely one month into the effort. These questions he challenges them with seem so discouraging.
I’ve seen it claimed in various places that the first question implies Haggai was actually among those who saw the former temple. But, despite searching, I could not find a scholarly source for the origin of this belief. The text gives no details regarding Haggai’s age. Yet, in the Pulpit Commentary, it does say “many” have thought it to be true.
It is not explicit that Haggai was among their number, but the reader can be fairly confident that there was indeed still a remnant of those who had seen the former temple. Ezra 3:12 describes the sadness that this remnant displayed when they saw the new foundation.
Sixteen years had passed, and so there were certainly fewer who could answer these questions. Still, God challenged them with these hard truths. Why would God say such a thing?
Haggai 2:3 – God Encourages His People
Matthew Henry asserts that the workers were already discouraged. Barnes contrasts the grandeur of Solomon’s temple with the second temple. I think the text supports the idea that God was meeting them where they were.
God is never afraid or unaware of your feelings. He engages with them.
His people were determined to obey. But, they were discouraged. It was beyond their ability to recreate the former glory of the temple. God knew their secret thoughts. And, so He calls them out to address them. I like the observation by A.R. Fausset that this reveals an instance where “God’s estimate of things is very different than man’s”.
God encouraged the people who were engaged in His work in Haggai 2:3. The next few verses align well with this position. God reminded them that they were not alone. He was present.
‘Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, declares the Lord . Be strong, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land, declares the Lord . Work, for I am with you, declares the Lord of hosts, according to the covenant that I made with you when you came out of Egypt. My Spirit remains in your midst. Fear not.’ Haggai 2:4-5 ESV
Haggai 2:6-9 – A Promise of God’s Provision
The New Testament contains only one direct reference to the book of Haggai, as far as I know. It appears in Hebrews 12:26, echoing this promise in Haggai 2:6. The author of Hebrews draws a parallel, using the idea that those working on the temple would benefit from the shaking, not fall victim to it. In Christ, we are similarly safe in His unshakeable kingdom.
For thus says the Lord of hosts: Yet once more, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land. And I will shake all nations, so that the treasures of all nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with glory, says the Lord of hosts. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares the Lord of hosts. The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts. And in this place I will give peace, declares the Lord of hosts.’”’ Haggai 2:6-9 ESV
God made a promise of provision to His people. He would shake heaven and earth to provide the gold and silver that was necessary to rebuild the temple. But, his promise goes beyond restoration in Haggai 2:9. He assured them that the latter glory of the temple would surpass the former.
He saw that their obedience would meet his providence to bring about something greater than they could remember or imagine. Those who are in Christ know amazing depth of this promise. And, yet we must also acknowledge that the physical dimensions of the rebuilt temple were not on par with the one built by Solomon.
This brings us to a hard truth. Life is often marked by losses: dreams, jobs, health, friends, family. The list goes on. It would be comforting to believe that everything we have lost will one day be restored, and greater than it ever was. But, God does not promise to do that.
He promises to be with us. He promises that His way is better. And, He promises that one day, we will join Him in perfect unity, community, and love. What He gives is always more than enough, even if it is not always what we want.
Haggai 2:10-14 – We Are Unclean People
As followers of Christ, the rules for ritual purity seem very confusing. Thanks be to Jesus, we live under a much less onerous system of justification. And, so passages like Haggai 2:10-14 have meaning that is often missed. Yet, there are things we can learn here about what God wants and values.
‘On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet, “Thus says the Lord of hosts: Ask the priests about the law: ‘If someone carries holy meat in the fold of his garment and touches with his fold bread or stew or wine or oil or any kind of food, does it become holy?’”
The priests answered and said, “No.” Then Haggai said, “If someone who is unclean by contact with a dead body touches any of these, does it become unclean?” The priests answered and said, “It does become unclean.” Then Haggai answered and said, “So is it with this people, and with this nation before me, declares the Lord , and so with every work of their hands. And what they offer there is unclean.’ Haggai 2:10-14 ESV
God questions the priests because they were most familiar with His law. They were supposed to know how to act before God. Well, all of us who follow Christ are members of his priesthood. And, we are called to demonstrate our love for him through obedience to what He showed us.
Yet, Haggai delivers a message from God that calls the priesthood out. They were offering sacrifices on the altar of an unfinished temple. They made their homes beautiful while the temple remained desolate. This made their offerings unclean, unwelcome to the Father.
How often do we fall prey to the same kind of thinking? We offer up subpar offerings and expect God to bless a lack of effort. God wants more than rote memorization or obligatory obedience.
Haggai 2:15-19 – From This Day Onward
We see again the imperative for God’s people to consider something. The meaning of this passage from Haggai 2:15-19 can be a bit confusing due to the language. We see multiple reminders of the consequences they have been living under. But, we also see the assurance of immediate blessing.
‘Now then, consider from this day onward. Before stone was placed upon stone in the temple of the Lord , how did you fare? When one came to a heap of twenty measures, there were but ten. When one came to the wine vat to draw fifty measures, there were but twenty. I struck you and all the products of your toil with blight and with mildew and with hail, yet you did not turn to me, declares the Lord .
Consider from this day onward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month. Since the day that the foundation of the Lord ’s temple was laid, consider: Is the seed yet in the barn? Indeed, the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have yielded nothing. But from this day on I will bless you.”’ Haggai 2:15-19 ESV
In His mercy, God frequently gives warnings and extends forgiveness before enacting the consequences of our sinful choices. But, His blessings are immediate. We see this demonstrated in the way that faith in Him results in immediate salvation, even before we truly grasp what sanctification will demand.
Haggai 2:20-23 – Zerubbabel the Signet Ring
At last, we come to the final message delivered through the prophet Haggai. Interestingly, both messages were given on the same day, but this one was intended for just Zerubbabel. God promises to make this governor of ambiguous parentage like a signet ring.
‘The word of the Lord came a second time to Haggai on the twenty-fourth day of the month, “Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, I am about to shake the heavens and the earth, and to overthrow the throne of kingdoms. I am about to destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the nations, and overthrow the chariots and their riders. And the horses and their riders shall go down, every one by the sword of his brother. On that day, declares the Lord of hosts, I will take you, O Zerubbabel my servant, the son of Shealtiel, declares the Lord, and make you like a signet ring, for I have chosen you, declares the Lord of hosts.”’ Haggai 2:20-23 ESV
The first few sentences of the final prophecy seem to echo the preceding one. God will shake the heavens and earth to accomplish his will. But, what is the meaning of Haggai 2:23? This language hearkens directly back to the judgement pronounced on Jeconiah, the grandfather of Zerubbabel. Jeremiah delivered that particular message.
‘“As I live, declares the Lord, though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, were the signet ring on my right hand, yet I would tear you off and give you into the hand of those who seek your life, into the hand of those of whom you are afraid, even into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and into the hand of the Chaldeans.’
‘Thus says the Lord : “Write this man down as childless, a man who shall not succeed in his days, for none of his offspring shall succeed in sitting on the throne of David and ruling again in Judah.”’ Jeremiah 22:24-25, 30 ESV
Surely, Zerubbabel was aware of his family history. How awkward it must have been to assume the governorship in his family’s ancestral seat of power. Did the judgement given to his grandfather loom over him?
I imagine that when Zerubbabel heard these words, it was a powerful moment. We read about the multigenerational redemption that occurred, but Zerubbabel experienced it. God was returning favored status to the line of David through him.
I wonder if he also thought the throne would be restored. It had certainly been lost. But, the throne was withheld. God kept his word. Nevertheless, something greater came from the faithful obedience of Jeconiah’s grandson.
This should not shift the balance of our understanding, as the merits of his behavior could not earn the honor God chose to bestow upon him. But, it does make it quite fitting for his name to appear in both of the genealogies for Jesus.
The latter glory would be greater than the former, indeed.
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