1 Route 66 Understanding Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi Dr. Stephen Rummage, Senior Pastor Bell Shoals Baptist Church October 19, 2016 Countdown to Christ (OT Chronology) Abraham in Canaan 2000 BC Birth of Moses 1525 BC Exodus from Egypt 1445 BC Conquest of Canaan 1405 BC King David s Reign 1011-971 BC Divided Kingdom 931 BC Fall of Northern Kingdom 722 BC Fall of Jerusalem 586 BC Babylonian Exile 586-538 BC Return from Exile 536 BC Temple Rebuilt 516 BC Walls of Jerusalem Rebuilt 444 BC Haggai Time: 520 BC Structure: Four Sermons Theme: Finishing God s Temple Structure of Haggai Sermon 1: Putting self ahead of the Lord. (Haggai 1:1-15) Sermon 2: Looking back instead of looking ahead. (Haggai 2:1-9) Sermon 3: Failing to confess our sins. (Haggai 2:10-19) Sermon 4: Missing God s blessings through unbelief. (Haggai 2:20-23) Zechariah Time 520-518 BC Structure: A Series of Visions Theme: God s Future Plan for the Jews Structure of Zechariah 1. Eight Visions of Encouragement (Zechariah 1-6:8) 2. Crowning the Priest-King -- A Picture of Jesus (Zechariah 6:9-15) 3. Two Questions About Fasts (Zechariah 7-8) 4. Two Oracles of Enlightenment (Zechariah 9-14)
2 Malachi Time: 450-400 BC Structure: Messages of Correction and Rebuke Theme: Sins of the Priests and the People Structure of Malachi 1. They doubted God s love. (Malachi 1:1-5) 2. They despised God s name. (Malachi 1:6-14) 3. They defiled God s covenant. (Malachi 2:1-17) 4. They disobeyed God s Word. (Malachi 3:1-15) A New Day for God's People Malachi 3:16-4:6 Malachi 4:2 (ESV) But for you who fear My name, the Sun of Righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. 1. God Will Remember His People Malachi 3:16 (ESV) Then those who feared the Lord spoke with one another. The Lord paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before Him of those who feared the Lord and esteemed His name. 2. God Will Reward His People Malachi 3:17 (ESV) They shall be Mine, says the Lord of hosts, in the day when I make up My treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him. 3. God Will Recognize His People Malachi 3:18 (ESV) Then once more you shall see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him. 4. God Will Rescue His People Malachi 4:1 (ESV) For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. Malachi 4:2 (ESV) But for you who fear My name, the Sun of Righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall.
3 Malachi 4:3 (ESV) And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the Lord of hosts. 5. God Will Revive His People Malachi 4:4 (ESV) Remember the law of My servant Moses, the statutes and rules that I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel. Malachi 4:5 (ESV) Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. Malachi 4:6 (ESV) And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.
Meaning: Haggi means my feast Author: Haggai Audience: The Jewish Nation after Babylonian exile Date of Writing: 520 BC Understanding Haggai Theme: To awaken the lazy people and encourage them to finish God s temple. Key Verses: Haggai 2:18-19 Structure of Haggai Sermon 1: Putting self ahead of the Lord. (Haggai 1:1-15) Sermon 2: Looking back instead of looking ahead. (Haggai 2:1-9) Sermon 3: Failing to confess our sins. (Haggai 2:10-19) Sermon 4: Missing God s blessings through unbelief. (Haggai 2:20-23) Haggai is composed of four sermons, each one delivered on a specific date. Each message points out a particular sin that will keep us from accomplishing God s will and finishing His work. Historical Setting When some of the Israelites returned from the Babylonian captivity beginning in 538 BC, they determined to restore the worship of God to its rightful place at the center of their lives. They planned to build a new temple in Jerusalem (see Ezra 1). Sadly, however, their resolve seems to have vanished shortly after their arrival in Jerusalem. They built an altar on the original temple site and later laid the foundations for the new temple. But when enemies who lived in the vicinity applied pressure, the Persian king ordered the work on the temple to cease. A later emperor of Persia, Darius I, lifted the restrictions that had been placed on the rebuilding of the temple and told them to proceed. But even when the barriers were lifted, the people lapsed into spiritual lethargy. They were not the idolaters that their ancestors had been, but they had lost their early passion for the worship of the living God. They explained their behavior by advancing the time-honored excuse of procrastination: it just doesn't seem to be the right time (see 1:2). When Haggai confronted the people, he addressed the problems of his day: the infertility of the land and the hard economic times (1:6). But he did not blame these problems on poor fiscal planning. Instead, he exhorted the people to focus on their spiritual condition. They were focusing on insignificant matters like the decoration of their homes, while every day they ignored God s temple lying in ruins. The temple was more than a building. It was the site of the people s meeting with the living God, the symbol of the abiding presence of the Creator of the universe. If the people ignored the physical ruin of the temple, they were ignoring the spiritual wreckage in their souls as well. Zerubbabel the governor and Joshua the high priest, along with the people of God, responded quickly to the message of Haggai (1:12). Three weeks after Haggai gave his first message, they began their work on the temple (520 BC). Anticipating a positive response, Haggai came with another message. This was a simple one, but it had profound implications: Haggai assured them that the Lord was with them (1:13). This was the same message that Moses had brought to the Israelites in Egypt (Ex 3:8). Indeed this would be the name of the coming Messiah - Immanuel, God with us (Is. 7:14). When the people chose to make God the center of their lives, the Lord could Himself remain in their midst even without a physical building. Source: The Nelson study Bible: New King James Version. Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers. 1997.
Meaning: Zechariah means Jehovah remembers Author: Zechariah Audience: Judah Date of Writing: 520-518 BC Theme: To unveil God s future plans for the Jews. Key Verses: Zechariah 1:14-17 Understanding Zechariah Structure of Zechariah I. Eight visions of encouragement (Zech. 1-6:8) a. The Rider - God has not forgotten Jerusalem b. The Craftsman - God will destroy Jerusalem s enemies c. The Surveyor - Jerusalem will be restored d. Joshua the high priest - A cleansed nation e. The Candlestick God s power enables them f. The Flying Scroll - Sin will be judged in the land g. The Woman - Wickedness carried to Babylon h. The War Chariots - God controls the nations II. Crowning the Priest-King - A picture of Jesus (Zech. 6:9-15) III. Two Questions About Fasts (Zech. 7-8) IV. Two Oracles of Enlightenment (Zech. 9-14) a. The First Oracle (Zech. 9-11) i. The conquest of Alexander the Great ii. The coming of the Messiah iii. The victories of the Maccabees iv. The coming of the Messiah v. The conquest of Rome vi. The coming of the Messiah vii. The coming of the Antichrist b. The Second Oracle (Zech. 12-14) i. Israel in the Tribulation ii. The return of Christ iii. Battle of Armageddon iv. The return of Christ c. Establishment of the Kingdom (Zech. 14:8-21)
The Parables of Zechariah A parable is a truth wrapped in a memorable story or word picture. It could be fictional, dramatized, or the result of a vision. Jesus gave much of His teaching through parables. So did several of the OT prophets, including Zechariah. He saw eight visions that can be understood much like parables. The man and Horses among the Myrtle Trees (Zech. 1:8-17) Indicated that the Lord would again be merciful to Jerusalem. The Four Horns and the Four Craftsmen (Zech. 1:18-20) Showed that the Babylonians and others who scattered Judah would be cast out. The Man with a Measuring Line (Zech. 2:1, 2) Promised that God would be a protective wall of fire around Jerusalem. The Cleansing of Joshua s Garments (Zech. 3:1-10) Illustrated that the redemptive work that God would do for his people. The Golden Lampstand and Olive Trees (Zech. 4:1-14) Symbolized the way in which the Lord was going to empower His people by the Holy Spirit. The Flying Scroll (Zech. 5:1-4) Indicated that dishonesty is cursed. The Woman in the Basket (Zech. 5:5-11) Illustrated the removal of wickedness. The Four Chariots (Zech. 6:1-8) Revealed that the spirits of heaven would execute judgment on the whole earth. Source: Nelson s new illustrated Bible commentary. Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers. 1999.
Meaning: Malachi means my messenger Author: Malachi Audience: Judah Date of Writing: 450-400 BC Understanding Malachi Theme: Malachi points out the sins of the priests and the people. Key Verses: Malachi 4:1-6 Structure of Malachi I. They doubted God s love (Malachi 1:1-5) II. They despised God s name (Malachi 1:6-14) III. They defiled God s covenant (Malachi 2:1-17) IV. They disobeyed God s Word (Malachi 3:1-15) From Malachi to Matthew BC 300-30 Apocryphal books written 333 Alexander the Great conquered the Persians 323 Alexander the Great died 280-200 Septuagint (Greek translation of OT) translated ca. 200 Great Wall of China built 167 Antiochus Epiphanes defiled the Temple by offering swine flesh on the altar 165 The Temple was cleansed and restored to proper use by Judas Maccabees 63 Pompey entered Jerusalem 63 Julius Caesar assassinated 37 Herod the Great appointed to govern Palestine 20 Herod the Great began rebuilding the Temple in Jerusalem
Malachi: A Portrait of Spiritual Indifference When the prophet Malachi began preaching to the Israelites, he found that the people had cold hearts. They were indifferent and apathetic. When he confronted them with their sin, they asked a series of questions that reveal volumes about their spiritual condition. Question Significance Application In what way have You loved us? (1:2) In what way have we despised Your name? (1:6) In what way have we defiled You? (1:7) In what way shall we return? (3:7) In what way have we robbed You? (3:8) What have we spoken against You? (3:13) This question reveals an alarming lack of trust in God. The Israelites were implying that God had been unfaithful to His covenant. If You really love us, why are we still under foreign oppressors, waiting for the promised kingdom? This question shows the half-heartedness and the rationalizations of the nation s religious leaders. They were saying, in effect: We've been making the required sacrifices. What more do you want? But as Malachi pointed out, the sacrifices offered to God were unfit animals (1:8-10). This question reveals an appalling blindness to sin and an arrogant attempt to floss over wrongdoing. We don't know what You want us to do, because we don't see what we have done wrong. This question underscores the people s greed. They did not view their possessions as God s possessions to be used for His glory. This question displays the Israelites callousness. They had said it was useless to serve God (3:14). But they continued to think that their external observance of religious ceremonies would satisfy God s demands on their lives. Do we demand proof of God s love for us? Do we offer God our best in worship, or do we just go through the motions? When faced with our sin, do we make excuses? Do we gladly give to God? Do we wholeheartedly serve God? Source: The Nelson study Bible: New Kings James Version. Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers. 1997.