Haggai is one of the post-exilic prophets. His book contains three discourses, all of which were written during the second year of Darius the Great. Darius was the third of the rulers of the Medo-Persia Empire. What Cyrus the Great had won and what his son Cambyses had extended, Darius took and secured and administered.

The historical background for Haggai’s prophecy is given in the book of Ezra.

This was the period after the exile. Some of the Jews had returned to the land with Zerubbabel and had begun to rebuild their land and the Temple. But then opposition reared its ugly head and the people became discouraged. The work of rebuilding the Temple was abandoned and the Temple stood where it was in an incomplete mode.

Then God moved in a special way through two of His prophets to encourage the people to resume the work. Haggai was one of those prophets.

Each of these sermons can be considered separately.

Twice in this section Haggai calls for the people to consider your ways -- literally, "Set your heart" (1:5; 1:7).

1. The people had a problem with priorities: Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses while this house lies desolate? (1:4).

It is easy to understand how they could fall into this sort of thinking. We do it all the time. That means Haggai’s message can be applied to us today. Where are your priorities? Is the building of the Lord’s house and the Lord’s kingdom first place in your life?

2. The people were experiencing a dissatisfaction: You have sown much, but harvest little; you eat, but there is not enough to be satisfied; you drink, but there is not enough to become drunk; you put on clothing, but no one is warm enough; and he who earns, earns wages to put into a purse with holes (1:6).

There is a corollary between what you give to God and what you enjoy from God. I'm not saying that if you give God fifty dollars you will automatically get a hundred dollars. But I am saying that there is a satisfaction to be found in making the Lord a priority in your life.

We are fond of saying that the chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. Let me suggest that these are not two separate ends. When we enjoy God we do glorify Him and we are only bringing Him proper glory when we are enjoying Him.

3. The people were more concerned with their own comforts than with the glory of the Lord: "Go up to the mountains, bring wood and rebuild the temple, that I may be pleased with it and be glorified," says the LORD (1:8).

What is the answer to such a situation? It is given in verse 12. It is the fear of the Lord: And the people showed reverence for the LORD (1:12b).

It is not merely that the Lord gives satisfaction to us; rather our satisfaction is to be found in the very act of bringing reverence and worship to the Lord. It is that for which we were created and we find satisfaction in doing and accomplishing that for which we were created.

Haggai lived in a day of past glory. The Temple was being rebuilt, but it fell far short of the glory of the former Temple. The people who were working on its rebuilding could not help but to compare it to Solomon’s Temple and note that it did not measure up to the original.

It is hard to continue in faithfulness when you can’t see the results. This chapter is written to combat that kind of discouragement.

• You can be encouraged by the Peace of God: "The latter glory of this house will be greater than the former," says the LORD of hosts, "and in this place I shall give peace," declares the LORD of hosts (2:9).

Haggai presents a riddle in this sermon. The riddle asks the question: "How does something that is unclean produce that which is clean?" The answer is obvious. It isn’t possible.

This had direct application to that day when it came to the rebuilding of the Temple. The people were seeking to build an outward edifice of holiness, but they had not yet dealt with the inner sin in their own lives.

This question points us to the gospel. It is in Christ that we find the answer to the riddle. God has produced in Him the means by which we can be made clean.

Notice the closing promise of this book. It is that Zerubbabel would be made like a signet ring. A signet ring had a special use:

• It served as a person’s legal signature
• It validated royal authority when used to seal a document
• It was a guarantee of a future promise.

This is a significant promise, for it is the overturning of a curse that had been made back in the book of Jeremiah.

The blessings of God had been taken away in the days of Coniah, but now there is a promise of their restoration under Zerubbabel. The promise is that Zerubbabel would be "like a signet ring."

Where do you put a signet ring? On your right hand (see Jeremiah 22:24). That is where we find Jesus -- He is seated at the right hand of God. He is the fulfillment of this promise. He is the descendant of Zerubbabel who would be the signet ring of God.

The name Zechariah means "Yahweh remembers." It is a fitting name for a prophet who comes on the scene after the Babylonian Captivity to remind God's people that He has not forgotten His promises.

There is an interesting correlation between the book of Revelation and the first six chapters of Zechariah. The symbolism that is found in Zechariah is echoed in the book of Revelation.

The book of Zechariah can be divided into three major parts.

• Visions (1-6)
• Sermons (7-8)
• Burdens (9-14)

Zechariah writes in a day of return. Since the days of Cyrus the Great, the Jews who lived in Captivity had been permitted to return to the land. But only a very small percentage had chosen to do so.

It had gotten comfortable in Babylon. I can see how that can happen. We tend to get comfortable where we are and, before long, it is harder and harder to get out of our "comfort zone."

But the problem of which Zechariah speaks is not a matter of physical location as much as it is one of spiritual location. He does not chastise them for not having returned to the land -- he chastises them for not having returned to the Lord.

Zechariah sees a vision of four horsemen. They will be seen again at the end of this chapter and again in chapter 6. The horses are identified by their color.

Notice that all three passages identify these four horsemen/chariots as being sent out by the Lord and from His throne. They are heavenly messengers who go out to do heaven's bidding.

In this case, they go out to patrol the earth and they return to report that the earth is at peace and rest. This report elicits a response:

The angel says in effect, "Wait a minute, Lord! These nations that are at peace and rest are the same ones that gloried and delighted in the fall of Jerusalem. Aren't you going to do anything about that?" In answer to that query, the Lord replies:

This is reminiscent of the vision of Amos who saw a plumb line that was set against the city as a sign of judgment. This time, a man is out to measure the city of Jerusalem to see its dimensions. He is told that Jerusalem is going to be so big that walls will not be able to contain her.

This is a promise, not so much of the literal city, but of the heavenly city. God is our wall and our fortress and our deliverer.

This truth had some practical ramifications for Zechariah's day.

Zechariah is told that those nations who had been involved in the plundering of Judah in the Babylonian Captivity would themselves be plundered. The reason for this is because the Lord has a special covenant relationship with Israel -- she is the apple (literally the pupil) of His eye.

This was fulfilled in the coming of Jesus. He is the One in whom the Lord came to Israel to dwell in the midst of His people. It was following His death and burial and resurrection and ascension that the nations were gathered to join themselves to the Lord.

Joshua is a symbol for the people of God. Like them, he is pictured as having been accused by Satan, but then God moves in and takes away his dirty robes and replaces them with clean, white robes.

We are confronted by a stone on which are seven eyes. The seven eyes points to the sevenfold manifestation of the Spirit of God (Revelation 5:6 and Isaiah 11:2).

But what is the stone? I think it is the same stone that was introduced earlier in the Scriptures. It is the Stone that the builders rejected (Psalm 118:22). It is the tested stone of Isaiah 28:16. It is a reference to the One on whom would be the Spirit of the Lord.

That brings us to the inscription. I'm not absolutely certain what is the inscription. But I'm reminded of something the Lord said to Isaiah, "Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands" (Isaiah 49:16).

What are the marks on the palms of the hands of Jesus? They are the marks of His love for us.

There was another inscription that was brought to mind whenever you spoke of the priesthood.

• Exodus 28:36 - You shall also make a plate of pure gold and shall engrave on it, like the engravings of a seal, 'Holy to the LORD.'
• Exodus 39:30 - And they made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold, and inscribed it like the engravings of a signet, "Holy to the LORD."
• Zechariah 14:20 - In that day there will be inscribed on the bells of the horses, "HOLY TO THE LORD." And the cooking pots in the LORD'S house will be like the bowls before the altar.

The Exodus passages seem relevant considering these were articles worn by the priests who were mediators at that time between God and Israel.

It is at the cross that these two concepts of God's holiness and God's love find their meeting. God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that we might be made holy.

The next vision involves a lampstand of gold. This was as familiar a sight to Zechariah as a vision of stars and stripes would be to an American. It is Temple-language. There was in the original Tabernacle a golden lampstand with seven spouts, each holding a lamp.

In addition to the lampstand, Zechariah sees two olive trees. One is on either side of the lampstand. If he recognizes the lampstand as a familiar figure, he does NOT recognize the meaning of the olive trees. How do we know this? Because he says so.

Notice the answer. It is an answer that points initially to Zerubbabel. Who is Zerubbabel? He is the leader and representative of those who have returned to the land.

However, we are not to take this to mean that it was Zerubbabel's power or prestige that is in view here, for it is 'not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' says the LORD of hosts (4:6).

Zechariah hears the reply, but he still is not entirely certain what is meant by the reply. So he repeats the question:

Who are the two olive branches of the vision? They are the two anointed ones. Which two anointed ones are mentioned in Zechariah's prophecy?

• Zerubbabel the civil leader
• Joshua the high priest

These two symbols represent the leaders who represent the people of God. I believe this gives us a clue who the same two symbols represent when we come to see them in the book of Revelation -- they represent the people of God.

There is a lesson here. It is that as go the leaders, so will go the people. This means that leaders have a great responsibility to trust in the Lord.

There are several striking Messianic prophecies to be found within the latter chapters of the book of Zechariah.

There have been several different interpretations given to this passage, depending upon which millennial view is held.

1. The Historic View.

2. A View to the Church.

3. The Futurist View.

The Hebrew word Malachi literally means, "My messenger." It is not entirely clear from the context of the book if this was to be taken as a title or the name of a prophet.

Many of the prophets that we have seen give an exact dating of their prophecies. Malachi does not. We can see, however, that the concerns raised by Malachi are those which were issues during the ministries of Ezra and Nehemiah. Neither Ezra nor Nehemiah make reference to Malachi even though Malachi was likely a contemporary with them.

The book of Malachi can be outlined in two major points:

• God's love for Israel and her unfaithful response (1-2)
• The Day of the Lord and the purging of Israel (3-4)

The book is made up of a series of statements and corresponding questions between God and the people of Israel.

A closer examination of the book reveals that it is chiastic in design.

It is not that Jacob was a better man than Esau. Jacob was actually something of a scoundrel. He was a cheat and a trickster. His name literally meant "heel-grabber" and translated to something akin to our colloquial phrase when we describe one who is pulling my leg.

Jacob was shown the favor of God, not because he earned or deserved that favor, but merely as a manifestation of the unmerited grace of God.

God says, "I loved you when you were unlovable. You therefore ought to respond in gratitude and thanksgiving."

There is a lesson here about the grace of God. Grace properly understood does not lead to licentious living. A true understanding and application of God's grace is a motivation for godly living.

To understand the issue of divorce and how it had come about, we have to go back to the book of Ezra to see the first two migrations back to the land. Because of the long, hard journey, there had evidently been more young men to make the journey than there had been young women.

Many more of the Jews remained in Mesopotamia and still other Jewish communities were growing up in Egypt and in other parts of the world.

If you are a young man who has returned to the land and you desire to take a wife and there is a distinct shortage of marriageable women to be found among the Jews, then where do you turn? They began to take wives from among the non-Jewish peoples.

Alarmed at this situation, Ezra goes to pray to the Lord. He prays a prayer of repentance. While he is praying, someone makes a suggestion.

Ezra comes out from the house of prayer, hears the decision and agrees with it. As bad as divorce was, Ezra concluded that it was much worse to bring a curse on the covenant community. The motion had been made, it was seconded and put to a vote.

There was a very small dissenting vote. Were the minority right or wrong? The Bible does not say. It is uncommon to see a dissenting vote in the Bible. Do you remember the last one previous to this? It was in the days of Joshua and Caleb. Everyone else wanted to abandon the proposal to enter the Promised Land. Only two people disagreed.

There is a lesson here. There are times when the minority vote is correct. They might not be seen to be correct until much later. That is okay. You be sure to be faithful, even if you are in the minority.

We are not told here who was right and who was wrong. But we ARE told that this issue had lasting repercussions. It is entirely possible that people now were using the issue of past practice as an excuse to dissolve their marriages.

The same thing is taking place in the church today. If statistics are correct, the church in America has reached the point where divorce statistics have nearly caught up with those of the pagans. We need to model holy marriages before the world.

Throughout the prophets, we have seen promise after promise that the Lord is going to come. But here we are told of the coming of one who would precede the coming of the Lord. It is the MESSENGER - the "Malachi" of God.

The duty of this messenger would be to clear the way before the Lord. He would be a forerunner. He would get the people ready to meet the Lord.

They would meet Him when He comes suddenly to His temple. We can recall the vividness of the description with which the Gospels describe the entrance of Jesus into the Temple. Coins clatter. Tables are overturned. A whiplash cracks. The Lord has come suddenly to His Temple.

What does this mean when it says that the Lord has wings?

The phrase translated "in his wings" also carries the idea of "corners" or an "outer edge." It is often used this way to speak of literal wings (Genesis 1:21; 7:14; Exodus 19:4; 25:20; 37:9; Leviticus 1:17). But it can also be used to speak of the "corners" of a person’s robe. These outer corners of the robe came to be known as a person’s "wings."

• In 1 Samuel 24:4 we read that David arose and cut off the edge of Saul's robe secretly
• Deuteronomy 22:12 "You shall make yourself tassels on the four corners of your garment with which you cover yourself.
• Deuteronomy 22:30 "A man shall not take his father's wife so that he shall not uncover his father's skirt."
• Ruth 3:9 - And he said, "Who are you?" And she answered, "I am Ruth your maid. So spread your covering over your maid, for you are a close relative."

In what way is there healing in the Lord’s wings? One significant fulfillment of this prophecy is to be found in Matthew 9:20 where a woman who had been suffering from a hemorrhage for twelve years, came up behind Jesus and touched the fringe of His cloak. Do you see it? She touched His WINGS and in them she found healing.