Haggai 1:6 Bags With Holes

According to J.F.B. the word "Darius" was a term common to Persian kings (like "Pharaoh"in Egypt and "Caesar" in Rome). The root word Darh in the cuneiform inscription at Persepolis means "to preserve" – and could mean Conservator or as Herodotus (the historian) has it Coercer. The king is Cyrus and according to Ezra 1:1 was he whom Jehovah "stirred up" to return the Jews to Israel after the Babylonian Captivity. (See also II Chron.36:22).

The "captivity" actually ended in 536 B.C. the date given here is the date of the resumption of the building and is the second year of Darius Vatablus in the 6^th month of the Jewish year. Sheshbazzar, the prince of Judah (Ezra 1:8) is the same as Zerubbabel his Hebrew name meaning one born in Babylon so that we have the ruler (they had no Hebrew king) along with the prophet Haggai and the high priest Joshua (Jeshua - Ezra 2:2), all working together to get the job done.

The people were "dragging their heels" so to speak and it was the prophet’s job to give them God’s message that He wanted it done! Typical of the fact that God’s blessing of His Old Testament people was material, as soon as they responded to the message of Haggai and obeyed Jehovah’s voice, "in fear before the LORD," His message came to them of His presence and hence His blessing, "I am with you" (v.13).

What a great picture we get in v.6 of what happens when we fail to honor the Lord in our stewardship. "Bags with holes." Though this may have a material application to the Church dispensation as those who refuse to tithe might do well to consider, only eternity will reveal what blessings we may have forfeited because our bags were full of holes of failed obedience when we might have been experiencing His holy fulness. Unfortunately I think I see this in our own assembly. 

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Haggai 2:9 In This Place - Peace

We are told by Ezra (3:33) that the sight of this temple caused conflicting emotions. Among "the priests and the Levites and chief of the fathers" there were some ancient men who had seen the glory of Solomon’s temple. Some wept with a loud voice and many shouted for joy.

It is interesting that Jehovah said of this second temple that its glory would be greater than that of the earlier days. There are three ways of looking at this. There are some who make the point that the reason God could say "the glory of this latter house shall be greater that the former" is because the temple of Jesus’ day (restored by Herod) saw the glory of Jesus displayed there as He walked its courts, taught in its precincts and purged it of hypocrisy. It is suggested that the Jews who refused to acknowledge Him as the Messiah are faced with a profound problem by this text for how else was the glory of the latter temple greater?

Of course, the temple of our day is the Church (Eph.2:21&22) and "in this place" He has given peace (v.9). The outward things such as silver and gold are not the important ornaments of the bride of Christ, but the inner virtues of the king’s daughter are what make her "glorious" (Ps.45:13).

Reference to "The Desire of all nations" if it be as most think, a reference to the Messiah, is spoken of as filling the house with His glory. – He is hated and despised by all nations until the day He reigns from Jerusalem but when He gets through shaking them during the tribulation they will be ready to change their tune.

In that day Zerubbabal, a type of Christ will be as a signet on Jehovah’s right hand. It is by this that we have been sealed for eternity. Praise the Lord!