Viewing Haggai through the Lens of the Hebrew Calendar: Part 1
Imagine that you are the prophet Haggai, whose name means feast or festival, and you follow the Jewish liturgical calendar. This is the first day of the first month of Elul which is a time of repentance—a Jewish season of Lent if you will. It’s the time when the you like other Israelites look backwards. You think about the sin of the golden calf as it’s this very day in history when Moses ascended Mount Sinai a third time to get a new set of commandments because he destroyed the first set in anger. As you are reflecting on this, you hear four blasts of the shofar (a ram’s horn). The first is a long, single blast that you would typically hear at a king’s coronation. Then you hear three short, wail like blasts followed be several long blasts meant to awaken the soul. Finally, there is one long blast. The shofar did the trick, and you are reflecting on not only your sin, but also the sin of your people. Your people who were in captivity for a generation are now allowed to return to their homeland, but things are not like you remember. When you were a child there was prosperity, and now there is ruin. You look towards the temple. It used to be a glorious building, but now it is only an unfinished foundation; its building project abandoned in opposition about 24 years ago. You are despondent about your people and your homeland. Then suddenly God appears to you and gives you a message! He directs you to give a message to the governor Zerubbabel, a descendant of David, and Joshua, the high priest.
Background
Our BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) class was studying the book of Haggai. Yet when we got to the end of the short book, their reflection questions didn’t make sense to me. I felt like I was missing something. Over the years, God has taught me how the Jewish calendar and feast days like Passover point to Christ. When I was reading, I noticed that Haggai calls out specific dates a lot. When I looked the dates up, each date was a significant date in the Jewish calendar!!! That combined with the fact that Haggai’s name literally means feast (as in the Feast of Passover or the Feast of Tabernacles) suggests that the dates in the book are pretty important. Therefore, in this post I’m using the Jewish calendar to help give me insight to the Book of Haggai. For example, for liturgical Christians having an angel appear with a vision on Ash Wednesday would be pretty significant. So, join with me as we explore the first chapter of Haggai through the lens of Jewish month of Elul—a season of repentance.
Blogs vs Bible Studies
As an educator I prefer Bible studies to blog posts because a Bible study forces people to think for themselves and make connections. However, a blog post has its purpose. It relays information quickly as it tends to “tell” than to “question”. If you prefer blog posts, keep reading! However, if you prefer learning through a Bible study method check out my free printable on my Haggai Bible Study Page.
Now let’s dive into Haggai! This post will be the first of three installments, so if you like this post and want to be sure to get the next two when they are published, but sure to subscribe.
Haggai 1: 1-2
“In the second year of King Darius, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jozadak,[the high priest: This is what the Lord Almighty says: “These people say, ‘The time has not yet come to rebuild the Lord’s house.’” (NIV)
Recipients of Haggai’s Message
Zerubbabel
Zerubbabel’s name means “descended from Babylon”, “seed of Babylon”, or “offspring of Babylon”. Since Israel was still under foreign rule, it had no king. Therefore, Zerubbabel was the ruler. He was officially the governor, but he being a descendant of David functioned as a king theologically not politically. He was like a king without a country.
Joshua son of Jehozadak
Joshua’s name means “Yahweh saves.” It’s the Old Testament version of Jesus’s name. Joshua son of Jehozadak was a priest in the line of Aaron (1 Chronicles 6:15). His father’s name means “Yahweh is righteous”. Just as it’s hard to be a king without a country, it’s hard to be a priest without a temple.
How Does God Identify Himself in Haggai?
The title “Lord Almighty” in the NIV (tzava or tzsba in Hebrew) is translated as “Lord Sabaoth”, “Lord of Armies”, or “Lord of Hosts” in other translations. The phrase “Lord Almighty” is used 14 times in the book of Haggai. (When anything is used in a multiple of 7 in the Bible that means it’s important.) The name “Lord of Hosts” first appears in 1 Samuel 1:3 as Hannah’s husband (the father of the prophet Samuel) travels to the tabernacle in Shiloh to worship and offer sacrifices. The title is continued to be used throughout the book of Samuel and into the prophets. The word hosts can mean heavily beings or earthly armies. It has to do with a large, organized group moving towards common purpose. The prophets use this title regularly to emphasize God’s power and might over both the spiritual and earthly realms.
Haggai 1: 2b-6
“These people say, ‘The time has not yet come to rebuild the Lord’s house.’” Then the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai: “Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?” Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.” (NIV)
Background
This prophecy takes place in 520 B.C. during the time of Ezra. In 538 B.C. the Jews were allowed to return to their homeland after about 70 years in captivity. They started rebuilding the temple in 536 B.C., but in 526 their enemies opposed them, and they stopped the work. The foundation of the second temple was laid but remained unfinished for the last 6 years.
The Problem
The people quit in the face of opposition. Instead, they focused on their own comfort. They built themselves luxurious houses. Because of their misplaced priorities, they had no food! This contrasts to David’s attitude about the temple in 2 Samuel 7 and what Jesus called us to do in Matthew 6: 21.
“[David] said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent.”
2 Samuel 7: 2, NIV
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Matthew 6: 21, NIV
Haggai 1: 7-8
““Thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways. Go up to the hills and bring wood and build the house, that I may take pleasure in it and that I may be glorified, says the Lord.” (ESV)
Old Testament Connections
Moses
Remember this vision was given to Haggai on the first of the Jewish month of Elul. According to Jewish tradition, this is the same date that Moses went up the mountain of Sinai (for the third time) to get a second set of commandments because the first set were broken on account of the sin of the golden calf. It was during this trip that Moses saw God’s glory (Exodus 33: 12-23). You can imagine that Haggai being a devout follower of God, had all of these associations (sin, repentance, mountain, and God’s glory) in his mind as he was getting these visions.
Isaac
When I was reading this story, it struck me how similar it was to the story of the binding of Isaac in Genesis 22. Both stories involve going up a mountain and a test of obedience. Both involve wood and the wood was a significant part of the test. They are both about the Lord’s provision as the text says, “So Abraham called the name of that place, ‘The Lord will provide’, as it is said to this day, ‘On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.’” (Genesis 22, 14, ESV). It’s also about obedience and correctly placed priorities. Abraham prioritized God over his son, and the people in Haggai’s time needed to prioritize God’s house over their own interests. Moreover, the exact spot where Abraham sacrificed Isaac is the exact spot where Solomon’s temple was built!!!! (1 Chronicles 21: 27-22: 1 and 2 Chronicles 3:1)
Themes of the First Vision
One Way to Find Themes in Hebrew Scriptures: Chiasms
At one time in my life, I was a language arts teacher for middle schoolers. When teaching them how to write a paragraph (especially for state testing), we taught them a five-paragraph format with an introductory paragraph, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Also, we stated that in each paragraph there should be a main idea (typically but not always in the first sentence) and three supporting sentences. Hebrew is not like that. It uses different literary structures such as the chiastic structure where the main idea is in the center. It could look something like this, although there are many variations:
- A (idea 1)
- B (idea 2)
- C (main idea)
- B’ (idea 2)
- B (idea 2)
- A’ (idea 1)
Chaism in Haggai
Here is one example of the way Haggai 1 can form a chiasm. The theme of the passage is the center of the chiasm. Look closely. What is the theme of the vision?
- A: Cause: “Thus says the Lord of hosts: These people say the time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the Lord.” (verse 2)
- B: “Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins?” (verse 4)
- C: “Now, therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways.” (verse 5)
- D: “You have sown much, and harvested little. You eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm. And he who earns wages does so to put them into a bag with holes.” (verse 6)
- E: “Thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways. Go up to the hills and bring wood and build the house, that I may take pleasure in it and that I may be glorified, says the Lord.” (verses 7-8)
- D’: “You looked for much, and behold, it came to little. And when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why?” (verse 9a)
- D: “You have sown much, and harvested little. You eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm. And he who earns wages does so to put them into a bag with holes.” (verse 6)
- C’: “declares the Lord of hosts.” (verse 9)
- C: “Now, therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways.” (verse 5)
- B’: “My house lies in ruins, while each of you is busy with his own house.” (verse 9b)
- B: “Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins?” (verse 4)
- A’: Effect: “Therefore the heavens above you have withheld the dew, and the earth has withheld its produce. And I have called for a drought on the land and the hills, on the grain, the new wine, the oil, on what the ground brings forth, on man and beast, and on all their labors.” (verses 10-11)
God’s Glory
What does God mean when He says that he will be glorified? We know that when Solomon built the temple in 1 Kings 8: 10-11 that the cloud and the glory of the Lord filled the temple.
The word for glory in Hebrew is “kabod.” Here is the definition from Strong’s Concordance:
glory, honour, glorious, abundance
- abundance, riches
- honour, splendour, glory
- honour, dignity
- honour, reputation
- honour, reverence, glory
- glory
However, it literally means weight.
Remember the clouds are where God resides. God was in the Shekinah Cloud of Glory that protected the Israelites in the wilderness. In the tabernacle and in Solomon’s temple, God was not in the ark, but in the cloud above the atonement cover (mercy seat) of the ark. (See verses Leviticus 16: 2; Exodus 16: 10; Exodus 19: 9-16; Exodus 24: 16-18; Exodus 33: 10; Exodus 34:5; Exodus 40: 34-38; Leviticus 16: 13; 2 Chronicles 5: 13; Psalm 97: 2; and Ezekiel 1: 4.) This is called the Shekinah Cloud of Glory, which is Hebrew for “one who dwells.” It is used in Jewish literature. Here is an example in the Jewish Targum (Aramaic translation of the Torah) in Exodus 25: 8. “And they shall make a Sanctuary to My Name, that My Shekinah may dwell among them.”
God’s Pleasure
What does it mean for God to take pleasure in his new temple? The Hebrew word for pleasure is “ratsah.” According to Strong’s Dictionary it means to be pleased with, to satisfy a debt, to approve, delight, enjoy, etc. The Bible first uses the word “ratsah “in Genesis 33: 10 when Jacob reunited with Esau: “’No, please!’ said Jacob. ‘If I have found favor in your eyes, accept this gift from me. For to see your face is like seeing the face of God, now that you have received me favorably.'” (NIV). Think about it. God was so angry at Israel that he allowed them to be deported into captivity and allowed the Babylonians to destroy his temple, where He physically dwelt on Earth. But now God is saying that a change is possible. If they build this temple, He will be pleased with them and bring back His glory which means they can once again be intimate with Him.
Reflection Questions
Do you feel like God takes pleasure or delights in you? Why or why not? How does Zephaniah 3: 17 encourage you?
“The Lord your God is with you,
the Mighty Warrior who saves.
He will take great delight in you;
in his love he will no longer rebuke you,
but will rejoice over you with singing.” (NIV)
Haggai 1: 9-11
“You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?” declares the Lord Almighty. “Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with your own house. Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops. I called for a drought on the fields and the mountains, on the grain, the new wine, the olive oil and everything else the ground produces, on people and livestock, and on all the labor of your hands.” (NIV)
Misplaced Priorities
Why were God’s people struggling? Because they had misplaced priorities. They were thinking of themselves first and God second. We can contrast that to David’s heart in 2 Samuel 7: 2 “[David] said to Nathan the prophet, ‘Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent.’” We are called to place God first as it says in the Ten Commandments, “Thou shalt have no other god before me.” That includes ourselves or our possessions. As Jesus sates in Matthew 6: 21 “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Reflection Questions
Where are your priorities? Do you prioritize God first and everything else second. Or do you prioritize you family, job, sleep, or even material comfort over God? Is God calling you like the people in Haggai to readjust your priorities?
Haggai 1: 12-15
“Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and the whole remnant of the people obeyed the voice of the Lord their God and the message of the prophet Haggai, because the Lord their God had sent him. And the people feared the Lord. Then Haggai, the Lord’s messenger, gave this message of the Lord to the people: “I am with you,” declares the Lord. So the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of the whole remnant of the people. They came and began to work on the house of the Lord Almighty, their God,on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month in the second year of King Darius.” (NIV)
Empowered by the Spirit
Haggai’s message was effective. Joshua, Zerubbabel, and the people obeyed God. But they did not do it of their own accord. Instead, God had to rouse or awake their spirits, for we can do nothing of our own accord. Only through the Holy Spirit do we have the power to obey God. For John 6: 44 says, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day.” Not only does God empower us but He is with us. His spirit abides within us. We don’t have to be afraid to do what He is calling us to do, for He is WITH us!!!!
The 25th of Elul
According to Haggai, they start preparing to build the temple on Elul 24th. According to Jewish teaching, the very next day (the 25th of Elul) marks the first day of creation when God said, “Let there be light?” (Genesis 1: 3, NIV) This is the same day when Nehemiah finished building the wall around Jerusalem (Nehemiah 6: 15). Reflecting on this, it’s almost as if once they started working, God’s light was now able to shine on them and the surrounding nations once again.
Reflection Questions
- What is the Holy Spirit rousing you to do in your life?
- How does God’s promise of being with us encourage you to obey Him?
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References
- Elul 25 and the Date of Creation
- אלול – Elul and Selichot
- Strong’s Hebrew: 2216. זְרֻבָּבֶל (Zerubbabel) — Zerubbabelzzz
- Strong’s Hebrew: 3087. יְהוֹצָדָק (Yehotsadaq) — Jehozadak
- Haggai 1:1-2:9* | BIBLICAL CHIASM EXCHANGE
- Elul אֱלוּל – The Month of Teshuvah and Return Part One | United Israel
- The Two Miracles of Hanukkah | My Jewish Learning
- The Prophetic Hints to the Holiday of Hanukkah – The Israel Bible
- The Story and Prophetic Patterns of Hanukkah – BNEY YOSEF NORTH AMERICA
- Hebrew Word Study – A Pledge – Ha’erabon – Chaim Bentorah
- The Biblical Building Blocks of Chanukah – TheTorah.com
- Sukkot, the Temple and the Messianic Controversy – TheTorah.com
- 13 Elul Facts Every Jew Should Know – Chabad.org
- A Jewish Lent? The Month of Elul – Jews for Jesus
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