Haggai 2:17-23

Haggai 2:17 (KJV)

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.

The Lord now reminds them of three of the devastating judgments that he sent upon them.  The first was blasting which is a wind that scorches, blights, or withers.  The second was mildew which would have shown up in different colors on different plants thus showing that the plant was diseased or was in the process of decaying.  Then the third judgment was that of hail which could devastate a crop in a very short time.  If anyone has ever seen a hail storm you could see the destruction immediately.  Click here for hailstorm.  Yet in spite of all these judgments the people did not even consider their ways or even inquire as to whether they were under God’s judgment for some reason.  They should have inquired and saved themselves from all these problems.

Haggai 2:18 (KJV)

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.

Since they were to consider the fact that they were under God’s judgment for not building the temple now they are to consider the realities that since they had begun work on the temple, they could now look past those judgments and see that God would begin to bless the work of their hands.  As soon as they undertook the rebuilding of the temple, the blessings of God began to flow toward them once more.  God wanted them to realize that as they suffered the judgments owing to their neglect, they can now look forward to blessing.

Haggai 2:19 (KJV)

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.

Romans 4:17 (KJV)   (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.  This verse in Romans 4:17 tells us that God calls those things which are not in existence yet as though they were.  This is the principle God is enunciating in Haggai 2:19 that as long as they continue to work toward the completion of the temple, instead of judgments on their works and crops, they could now expect the blessings of the Lord even though there is nothing yet on the trees or the vines.  From that day forward God was going to grant them a blessing on their work and crops.

Haggai 2:20 (KJV)

And again the word of the LORD came unto Haggai in the four and twentieth day of the month, saying,

The final message was given to Haggai on the same day which would have been on December 20, 520 B.C.   See Haggai 2:10.

Haggai 2:21 (KJV)

Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, I will shake the heavens and the earth;

God now gives a special message to Zerubbabel the Governor.  God will not only shake the heavens and earth with the coming of the Lord Jesus to the temple but up until that times there will also be changes of many big kingdoms in the world.  This means that God will intervene in the major political kingdoms of the world by removing one and setting up another.  There will be the Persians, Grecian, Romans, and finally the kingdom of Satan will be affected as God makes changes down through the ages setting up the world for the final judgment.

Haggai 2:22 (KJV)

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.

The message of Haggai was for the purpose of getting the people to rebuild the temple but his message ends up on a universal note.  God is going to intervene in political kingdoms that attempt to stanch the advancement of the kingdom of God in this world.  He will remove the hindrances and even the military might of the nations will not stop him.  It does not matter we are talking about chariots or missiles as both of these could never hinder the growth of the kingdom of God.  As powerful as some kingdoms and empires have become, God has brought them down.  Rome was probably the greatest of all kingdoms yet they too met their end.  In our day we saw the great Soviet Union dissolve into individual countries.  Another great change recently in 2018 the leader of North Korea Kim Jong Un stated that he will allow Christianity in North Korea which was previously closed to evangelism.  So God is at work in our time all we have to do is look around and see what is happening.

Haggai 2:23 (KJV)

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.