BEMA Episode Link: 67: Haggai — Build!
Episode Length: 23:07
Published Date: Thu, 22 Mar 2018 01:00:00 -0700
Session 2
About this episode:

Marty Solomon and Brent Billings read through the prophecy of Haggai and find that the real issues rarely change—past, present, or future.

Discussion Video for BEMA 67

Transcript for BEMA 67

Notes

*Note: The following notes are handwritten by me, Adam, and I reserve the right to be wrong.

  • We’ve reviewed the following prophets in the Remnant: 4 Isaiah, Ezra, Nehemiah.
  • Haggai shows up during the same time trying to rebuild after exile.
  • This is centered in Jerusalem and mentions rebuilding God’s temple.
  • Zerubabel gets some help from a couple prophetic friends.
  • Haggai and Zechariah
  • Haggai’s ministry begins and lasts for a short period of time. 9 months if we date - it correctly.
  • The prophet is brief and easy to read.
  • The message of Haggai: it’s time to get up and build God’s house.
    • Why does God want a house now when he didn’t before?
      • This is more about the heart of God’s people than it is about his house.
      • With David, his motivation was that he built a house for himself and God lived in a - simple tent. God’s people in Haggai’s time had no motivation. They’re fine - rebuilding their own houses but nothing for God.
    • How is your behavior working out for you? You’re eating but never full, etc.
      • Question if something is missing.
    • God calls back on Deuteronomy in a sense.
      • Remember who you are.
      • Remember what you’ve been asked to do.
      • Maybe if you pursue God’s agenda and do the things asked of you, you will be filled.
    • Zerubabel and Haggai do their work and it seems that the people are making progress.
    • The Spirit of the Lord motivates the people and work begins.
    • About one month into the job, God shows you to point out that the job is weighing on - the people.
      • The rebuilding of Solomon’s people limps along.
    • There are hints of Joshua. “Be strong!”
    • God “is going to shake things up”
      • The glory of the second house is going to be greater than the second house.
      • We aren’t talking about the glory of the physical house but more about the presence - of God.
      • When we read “Says the Lord”… “Says the Lord”, is that similar to “And the Lord - said” indicating a span of time between God speaking and the previous time he spoke?
      • Marty isn’t knowledgeable enough, at the time of the recording, to comment on - whether that kind of device in prophetic narrative carries the same meaning as it - did in Genesis.
  • A few months later, ch 2:10, consecrated things touching unconsecrated things does - not make the unconsecrated things consecrated, however, unconsecrated or unclean - things do make consecrating things unclean.
    • According to Leviticut, it is much easier to transfer impurity and uncleanliness - than it is to transfer cleanliness.
    • It takes so much more work to remain clean than it is to be unclean and sinful.
  • God then promises to take his people and the work they’re doing somewhere.
    • We’re going to do something in the world that is promising and redemptive.
  • Final thoughts
    • The message of Haggai is yet another prophet that continues to speak to us today (in 2018). He speaks about priorities and whether we are more concerned about our own agendas or with God’s. He speaks to us about what truly matters. How nice our churches are? The letters that come after our names? Our vanity? God is still able to dwell in even the humblest of temples, in fact he seems to prefer it. A swing back and connection to David when God preferred his tent to the new building that he and Solomon built. At the beginning of the episode, we asked if what they’re doing ran in opposition to David and Solomon’s story but what we find is that even though their house for God will only be a fraction of the glory of what David and Solomon put together. Even still, God says he’ll do even greater things with this pathetic rebuilt, humble temple than the glorious temple that Solomon built. If we continue to walk the path well, God is going to work through those things and dwell in those humble temples.

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