Lessons From Ezra – Lesson 5
In Ezra and then in Haggai and in the beginning of Zechariah we notice something different. The scripture will say in the 2nd year of Darius the king in the 6th month or the 7th month or the 9th month.
Why? God did not have a quota to fill on the number of words to have in the book. He did not say I am a little short so I will just add this for filler. The reason is so that we could make note of the timing of all of this. This is for our learning.
We know that they are under man’s orders to stop building the temple. God sends Haggai with a couple of messages.
Haggai 1:1 in the 2nd year of Darius the king in the 6th month in the 1st day Haggai first comes to give God’s Word. By the 24th they choose to obey God and not man.
Hag 1:14 And the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and did work in the house of the LORD of hosts, their God,
Hag 1:15 In the four and twentieth day of the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king.
By the 24th of the same month, the people made their decision and are stirred up and working. In just over 3 weeks they go from obeying man to obeying God and God is protecting them so they can do the work. God said He was pleased with that.
When the people made that choice they moved a step closer to God.
Psa_73:28 But it is good for me to draw near to God:
Jas_4:8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.
So just under 1 month later God gives another message thru Haggai.
Hag 2:1 In the seventh month, in the one and twentieth day of the month, came the word of the LORD by the prophet Haggai, saying,
It was an encouraging message about how God was going to give the smaller temple more glory than the large one. And in that message God also said.
Hag 2:4 Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith the LORD; and be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest; and be strong, all ye people of the land, saith the LORD, and work: for I am with you, saith the LORD of hosts:
Encouragement to be strong and a promise that God is with them.
They took a step closer to God and God responded with encouragement and more of the Word of God and assurance that He is with them.
God speaks to them in the 6th month, they respond and take a step toward God. God responds in the 7th month with encouragement.
In the 8th month God sends Zechariah with a very short message.
Point 1 God has been sore displeased with your fathers.
Point 2 Turn to me and I will turn to you.
Zec 1:3 Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye unto me, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the LORD of hosts.
Point 3 be not like your fathers.
Point 4 in the end your fathers said the Lord has dealt with us according to our ways and according to our doings.
Here we start to learn that all is actually not well. Did the people choose obeying God over man? Yes. Is God pleased with that? Yes. Did God respond with encouragement to them for making that choice? Yes.
Is God blessing them with protection so they can obey Him? Yes.
Does God’s blessing in that one area mean that you are 100 percent right with Him in all areas? No. People get this wrong all the time. They will take the fact that God sent a blessing their way or the fact that God sent them some encouragement for something, as proof that they are all good with God in all areas.
I have seen individuals make this mistake and I have seen churches make this mistake. They will have a good Sunday and all the bills are paid and they are supporting missionaries and they have some blessings. So they will say we are good with God. But wait, they give zero to the poor, will not lift a finger to help the fatherless, and are not following the Word of God in a dozen other things like going and teaching.
Blessings in response to doing some things right does not mean that you are 100 percent on track. That is not the way it works. If someone had to be 100 percent right with God before he ever received any blessings or encouragement then no one would ever receive anything from God.
We saw this same principal several times in the 7 letters that Jesus wrote to the 7 churches. He would start by listing the things that He is pleased with and then He would say however, I have somewhat against thee.
And then Jesus would do a wonderful thing. Offer them a chance to just fix it. Just come back to me on those things.
Those churches that were off, no doubt thought they were ok. They did not seek God on the things they were off on. God did the initial step. That is the way it works. We see that all over the word of God. Jesus moved first to write the seven letters. When Adam and Eve sinned it was God who moved first and sought them. When Cain sinned it was God that sought him out.
We see it in the parable of the sower that Jesus taught. The seed was the word of God and God sends a sower to cast out the seed. God makes first contact. The ground is the hearts of men. The seed is cast on all soils. If it is bad soil, the heart does not take a step toward God. And God lets the seed be choked out or carried away.
The good soil responds to the seed and God does a work.
God always makes the first step. We see that here in Haggai. God sent Haggai first, the people responded and took a step toward God. God blesses and encourages.
Then God sends Zechariah with a message to not be like their fathers and to turn to Him and He will turn to them. A way of saying you draw closer to me and I will draw closer to you.
This is in the 8th month. In the 9th month God sends Haggai again with another message.
This is another principal. God gives things to you at the rate that you can handle them. One step closer to God prepares you for the next step closer. You take one step in faith and watch God work and that increases your faith and helps you take another step.
You learn something from the Word of God and think about that and get to where you understand that and then you are ready to learn some more. So one month later they get another message.
Hag 2:10 In the four and twentieth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet, saying,
Hag 2:11 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Ask now the priests concerning the law, saying,
Hag 2:12 If one bear holy flesh in the skirt of his garment, and with his skirt do touch bread, or pottage, or wine, or oil, or any meat, shall it be holy? And the priests answered and said, No.
Hag 2:13 Then said Haggai, If one that is unclean by a dead body touch any of these, shall it be unclean? And the priests answered and said, It shall be unclean.
This goes back to Exodus and Leviticus where God gave them all the instructions on all of the sacrifices and ceremonies. And in all of that there were rules given on what was clean and what was unclean.
When you have a large group of people and they did, In Leviticus in the millions, then someone is going to die every single day. Someone has to deal with the body. Someone has to pick it up and wrap it and go bury it.
If a dead body is left for days it gets well nasty and it can spread disease. Obviously God did not want that. So He did not say let the body alone while the Passover feast is going on. No the body has to be dealt with. So the rule was that someone deals with the dead body. Get it taken care of and then they could celebrate the Passover one month later.
The Passover was celebrating life. God passing over judgment when He sees the blood. All of it was a picture of Jesus and what He would do on the cross. Jesus gives life. Eternal life. That is a 180 from death and sin. We all die because we are all born sinners.
Jesus is a total separation from death and sin. So God put these rules in place to keep death away from the celebration and types and figures of Jesus and His sinlessness and the eternal life He gives.
They all knew the rule. So when asked they said no. If someone touched a dead body, then what they touch is unclean.
Now here it comes. This is like when Nathan said to David thou art the man.
Hag 2:14 Then answered Haggai, and said, So is this people, and so is this nation before me, saith the LORD; and so is every work of their hands; and that which they offer there is unclean.
So is God going to just strike us down. No remember the last message they just got one month ago. God tells them turn to me and I will turn to you. And don’t be like your fathers. God in advance has given them encouragement to make the right choice. They have been prepared for this.
God wants them to draw closer to Him so that He can draw closer to them. But God will not walk in the darkness. If they want to walk closer to God then they must move to the light.
That means that they must be told that they are walking in darkness.
But are they not serving God and building the Temple even though man told them not to. And is not God pleased with that. Yes they are and Yes He is. However, that good that they are doing does not make the bad that they are doing ok.
God is asking them to take the next step. Move forward. Take another step toward God.
Psa_73:28 But it is good for me to draw near to God:
Jas_4:8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.
What God is asking them to do is admit their errors and change. And always remember when God asks things like this that it is always out of Love and it is always done with our best in mind.
God then reminds them of their situation and that there are consequences for their sin.
Hag 2:15 And now, I pray you, consider from this day and upward, from before a stone was laid upon a stone in the temple of the LORD:
Hag 2:16 Since those days were, when one came to an heap of twenty measures, there were but ten: when one came to the pressfat for to draw out fifty vessels out of the press, there were but twenty.
Hag 2:17 I smote you with blasting and with mildew and with hail in all the labours of your hands; yet ye turned not to me, saith the LORD.
Hag 2:18 Consider now from this day and upward, from the four and twentieth day of the ninth month, even from the day that the foundation of the LORD’S temple was laid, consider it.
Hag 2:19 Is the seed yet in the barn? yea, as yet the vine, and the fig tree, and the pomegranate, and the olive tree, hath not brought forth: from this day will I bless you.
The promises of God in those days to those people were attached to that land and to their obedience. Because of those rules that God laid down to them in Exodus and Due. God cannot bless the land and let it be a land of milk and honey if they are doing bad and breaking the rules.
So they have some blessings. They are being allowed to serve God by building the temple and God is protecting them while they do it. But the fruit of the land is not being blessed. They have other sins that they need to deal with.
And don’t you just love the last 6 words of Haggai’s message. I mean this is great. God ends with encouragement and a promise. From this day will I bless you.
One month before Zechariah’s message said your father’s were evil and don’t be like your fathers
Now Haggai comes a month later and in no uncertain terms tells them that they are doing bad things and they are so bad that God is not accepting your worship.
In effect they are being told that their hearts are like their fathers.
I mean that is really bad. That is hard to hear. They need to hear it or they will not change. God knows that it is hard to hear. He made man. He knows all. And God ends with some encouragement to help them make the right choice.
And then God on the same day sends Haggai with a wonderful encouraging promise to Zerubbabel the governor.
Zerubbabel Chosen as a Signet
Hag 2:20 And again the word of the LORD came unto Haggai in the four and twentieth day of the month, saying,
Hag 2:21 Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, I will shake the heavens and the earth;
Hag 2:22 And I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms, and I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the heathen; and I will overthrow the chariots, and those that ride in them; and the horses and their riders shall come down, every one by the sword of his brother.
Hag 2:23 In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, will I take thee, O Zerubbabel, my servant, the son of Shealtiel, saith the LORD, and will make thee as a signet: for I have chosen thee, saith the LORD of hosts.
Zerubbabel is the man in charge. He is the governor. The enemy that is commanding that they do not build the temple has him in their sites. God has just told the people that they are like their fathers and that their worship is not accepted by God.
Zerubbabel hears this of course along with everyone else. And then here comes Haggai the prophet of God that just delivered that message, he is walking straight to me.
I can imagine the things that might come to your mind as you see him walking with purpose straight to you. He just did the same thing that Nathan did to David, you are the man. Haggai just did that to the people. And here he comes.
And then Haggai starts to speak. And this is a way different message than what was just delivered. God is going to take care of our enemies.
God says Zerubbabel you are my servant. I will make thee as a signet. A signet is a seal that is used by kings to seal letters and decrees.
God says Zerubbabel I have chosen you. What a reassuring message. I believe it was just what Zerubbabel needed to hear right then.
Things are going to be ok. I am going to use you and I have chosen you. That God is working.
And of course the people would all hear it as well. God has every right to ask His people to clean up their act. And of course honoring that request is for the best. And we see once again that at the same time that God is blessing for one good thing you are doing, other blessings are being withheld because of the wrong that you are doing.
We also see the patience of God and His longsuffering and how He works with His children to get them to keep taking steps closer to Him. He tells them they are off track, and at the same time gives some encouragement and promises to help them make the right choice. God truly loves His people and wants what is best for them and keeps patiently working on them.