"On every page of the God-breathed writings are many thoughts that stretch out like long, clear arms of light across the darkness, discovering things otherwise hidden and illuminating wider areas than those of the immediate context. They are searchlights. I have selected one in each chapter of Scripture, for at least one central thought in every chapter should arrest the mind and affect the life," wrote G. Campbell Morgan, a skilled, wise, warm-hearted Bible teacher who conducted a classic 3-year study called Life Applications from Every Chapter of the Bible. Here is the fruit of that research—summarized, illustrated, and amplified with useful details—on all 66 books of the Bible.
DEUTERONOMY, JOSHUA, JUDGES, RUTH,
1 JOHN, 2 JOHN, 3 JOHN, JUDE, REVELATION
Haggai 1:4 "Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this House lies in ruins?" Haggai dates events in his prophecy by a Gentile dynasty, not by the Jewish kings and patriarchs. That is because God allowed the Jewish nations of Israel and then Judah to be taken into captivity by the conquering empires of Assyria and Babylon. A remnant was restored to Jerusalem from captivity, but was still subject to Gentile powers. In Haggai's 2 chapters we have 4 messages, each carefully dated. They have one goal: motivating the people and their leaders to finish building the new Temple or House of God, later known as Zerubbabel's Temple. In his work Haggai was helped by the prophet Zechariah, and they were successful since the Temple project was finally completed after several years of delay. In the first message here, Haggai gives a stirring call to arise and build, combating the spiritual laziness and wrong priorities that stopped the building project. The people said they were waiting for the right time to finish building the Temple, but they weren't waiting for the right time to build their own well-appointed houses—they got right to it. Shouldn't they do the same for God? Action is the outcome of desire. To desire the House of the Lord is to build it. The leaders and people both immediately perceived the good sense of Haggai's preaching and got right to work.
Haggai 2:9 "The latter glory of this House shall be greater than the former." In this chapter are 3 messages, all called forth by moods of the people that threatened to prevent their accomplishing the great Temple work. The first message from the last chapter aroused them, and under the leader of Zerubbabel the governor and Joshua the high priest, they started well. After about 7 weeks came the Feast of Tabernacles with its necessary cessation of work. During that period they were assailed by the sighs of those who moaned over the new Temple's lack of splendor compared with Solomon's Temple, which was destroyed by the Babylonians. Such lamentation tended to dishearten them so the Lord through Haggai told them something much more wonderful would happen at this Temple: the "Desire of All Nations" (verse 7), the Messiah, the Savior of the Nations, would personally come there. It is futile to judge the value of God-appointed tasks by the appearance of the times in which they are done. If they are indeed appointed by Him is enough for us to know. God is always moving towards the higher, grander, and nobler until He has wrought out the final perfection of His will. |
| How Haggai (around 520 to 505 B.C.) relates to other prophetic writings and historical events. |
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