Haggai 2:2-6 – Be Bold and Work

Hag 2:2

1. On October 17, 520 B.C., a month after the temple construction had begun, Haggai receives another message.

Hag 2:4

1. It was 70 years between the destruction of the first temple and the dedication of the second temple, so there were still some elders left who had seen the beautiful and stately Temple of Solomon.
   1. Of these, Ezra 3:12 says that they “wept aloud when they saw the foundation of this house being laid.”
   2. Many of those who were around when the revival was at its height here in Sweden may weep when they compare it to what they see today, but it is never good or edifying to compare the new things God is doing today with the old things God did in the past. The important thing is to obey God and do what he has commanded and let the temple be filled with God’s glory once again.
   3. What makes the temple beautiful and magnificent is not the gold and silver, but the glory of God.

Hag 2:5

1. When David gave his son Solomon instructions to build God’s temple, he gave almost exactly the same words, “Be strong and courageous and go to work. Do not be afraid or dismayed! For the LORD God, my God, will be with you.” (1 Chronicles 28:20).
2. The pattern is clear:
   1. God commissions the remnant of his people, is with his people, and stirs up a zeal in his people.
   2. God’s people listen to God’s word, are bold and work.

Hag 2:6

1. Just as God was with his people when they came out of Egypt and eventually built the first temple in Jerusalem, so God is with his people now that they have come out of Babylon and are building the second temple.
2. When God’s people look back at past promises and see that they have been fulfilled, it is easier to believe in future promises as well.