Read 271.) Haggai 1:1-2:23 and Zechariah 1:1-6. Coming to the end of the Old Testament we come to 2 prophets Haggai and Zechariah. It's right at about 420 BC. They each have a very powerful message from God to the returnees of Israel to their Promised Land since 539 BC. It now being 420 BC, they have badly dragged their heels. Was there ever a time when Israel was fully believing, faithful, and obedient unto the Lord? Actually, no!
Haggai is only 2 chapters, just 38 verses. What did he have to say from the Lord? First, his was a strong message to get going on rebuilding the temple unto the Lord. He told them plainly and explicitly, get going! Rebuild My House! Second, the sign of a poor harvest and a lack of food and drink tell you from Me that you need to seek Me and repent from the sinful errors of your ways! The people of Israel, who had returned unto their Promised Land had taken plenty good care of themselves, but not for the rebuilding of the temple of the Lord! Whenever an investment in much turned out to be little, that was a sign from God to turn to Him in repentance and to seek Him for his will and blessing! It had always worked this way: if the heavens withheld their necessary rain and they experienced any drought and lack of food and drink, that was a sign from Him to repent and to seek Him earnestly. His message was well received, and the people recommenced their work on the reconstruction of God's temple.
Chapter 2 contains goodly prophecy concerning Messiah and The Last Days. We read of this Zerubbabel who is in the very line of Jesus the Messiah, though he may personally have no clue of it. The message was to be diligent to continue to rebuild the temple. Verses 6 +7 speak of the coming of Messiah to a house of the Lord. This would be fulfilled when Jesus came to Herod's temple in His day. He further makes a distinction as to how difficult it is for someone or anything to be clean and holy as opposed to be being defiled and unclean and the penalty that they were experiencing. It was about how that they needed to turn to God in repentance from their wrongdoing and seek Him earnestly that they might be blessed of God. The closing verses, 20 thru 23, speak to Israel's future Tribulation and Millennium.
Zechariah 1:1-6 tells us first that his ministry commenced during Haggai's in the very same year of 520 BC, between Haggai 2:9 and 10. He opens with the same word that Haggai did; turn back unto Me, says the Lord. Though these had been those who had returned to the Promised Land, their hearts were not turned to the Lord. What did they need to do, what would happen next? It's what the Book is all about!
ForeverKingdom,
Harold F Crowell
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