There’s a special movie (replaying  on Netflix) that I enjoy replaying and replaying segments, “Monuments Men”, 2014 with George Clooney, Bill Murray, John Goodman. This movie is about finding and restoration of art and possessions in World War II, it has amazing experiences for those portrayed. I appreciate the experiences are only 90 to 100 years ago, but we don’t hear about these things much anymore, there is much to reach and teach younger generations. There’s a remnant left to rediscover. The story is true with some movie magic thrown in. It seems war movies like this could teach so much about valuing treasures and especially people. It’s clearly, sadly, a broken world then and now…

The last part of prophet Haggai is God’s reminder to the priests of the era that God’s people are defiled by not having a temple and examples of dedication and sacrifice. The people need true repentance. The people are essentially not living in remembrance of the times the temple was built, 500 years prior by Solomon, and of how God blessed them and will bless them again when they show dedication. These people live 500 years before Jesus comes. They are the remnant that God has remembered and wants. 

This is also a lesson for us to return to God, to be building our lives on the Rock, the firm foundation of Jesus, and the knowledge that He came and will come again. The dedication of the temple is of our lives to Him. The new temple also to come is for the healing of the nations. God will bring a remnant of His Promised people back, and bless them. He will bless ALL who turn to Him and repent. Of course the ultimate blessing will be extraction from the brokenness of the world into God’s Kingdom. 

This short book Haggai contains a lot of good treasured knowledge about God and His Plan – with warnings about not listening, similar to the warnings given to Solomon by God at the start of the temple building 500 years prior: “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”  From 2nd Chronicles 

May we continue to remember the repentance to God for not listening and following and trusting  and ask for restoration.

Amen 

The 5 minute Bible Project video on YouTube is really good at explaining this chapter in time: 

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Haggai 2:10-23

Blessings for a Defiled People

On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Haggai: “This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Ask the priests what the law says: If someone carries consecrated meat in the fold of their garment, and that fold touches some bread or stew, some wine, olive oil or other food, does it become consecrated?’”

The priests answered, “No.”

Then Haggai said, “If a person defiled by contact with a dead body touches one of these things, does it become defiled?”

“Yes,” the priests replied, “it becomes defiled.”

Then Haggai said, “‘So it is with this people and this nation in my sight,’ declares the Lord. ‘Whatever they do and whatever they offer there is defiled.

“‘Now give careful thought to this from this day on—consider how things were before one stone was laid on another in the Lord’s temple. When anyone came to a heap of twenty measures, there were only ten. When anyone went to a wine vat to draw fifty measures, there were only twenty. I struck all the work of your hands with blight, mildew and hail, yet you did not return to me,’ declares the Lord. ‘From this day on, from this twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, give careful thought to the day when the foundation of the Lord’s temple was laid. Give careful thought: Is there yet any seed left in the barn? Until now, the vine and the fig tree, the pomegranate and the olive tree have not borne fruit.

“‘From this day on I will bless you.’”

Zerubbabel the Lord’s Signet Ring

The word of the Lord came to Haggai a second time on the twenty-fourth day of the month: “Tell Zerubbabel governor of Judah that I am going to shake the heavens and the earth. I will overturn royal thrones and shatter the power of the foreign kingdoms. I will overthrow chariots and their drivers; horses and their riders will fall, each by the sword of his brother.

“‘On that day,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘I will take you, my servant Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will make you like my signet ring, for I have chosen you,’ declares the Lord Almighty.”

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From 2 Chronicles 7:11-22

Thus Solomon finished the house of the Lord, and the king’s house: and all that came into Solomon’s heart to make in the house of the Lord, and in his own house, he prosperously effected.

And the Lord appeared to Solomon by night, and said unto him, I have heard thy prayer, and have chosen this place to myself for an house of sacrifice.

If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people;

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place. 

For now have I chosen and sanctified this house, that my name may be there for ever: and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually.

And as for thee, if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, and do according to all that I have commanded thee, and shalt observe my statutes and my judgments; Then will I stablish the throne of thy kingdom, according as I have covenanted with David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man to be ruler in Israel.

But if ye turn away, and forsake my statutes and my commandments, which I have set before you, and shall go and serve other gods, and worship them;

Then will I pluck them up by the roots out of my land which I have given them; and this house, which I have sanctified for my name, will I cast out of my sight, and will make it to be a proverb and a byword among all nations.

And this house, which is high, shall be an astonishment to every one that passeth by it; so that he shall say, Why hath the Lord done thus unto this land, and unto this house?

And it shall be answered, Because they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, which brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, and laid hold on other gods, and worshipped them, and served them: therefore hath he brought all this evil upon them.