The Temporal Question
When does my passage take place within the whole of redemptive history?
Add two quotations from resources in the Covenantal Horizon section of your Five Horizons Bibliography. Choose quotations that help you see the book of Haggai’s place in redemptive history.
"While the ... overthrow of the Babylonians by the Persians in 539 BC eventually results in the temple being rebuilt in Jerusalem, the outcome falls short of all that the prophets anticipated Something greater was yet to occur, which would also involve the restoration of the Davidic monarchy" (T.D Alexander, "Temple," in the NIV Zondervan Study Bible, 2653).
"God is committed to fixing all that went wrong in the fall. He is working to restore his presence among his people. The temple also reminds us that God's intimate presence was not yet restored. It pointed back to the garden, but the limited presence of God in the temple pointed forward to ta greater experience of the presence of God still to come. ... Jesus [said] that God's special presence among his people is no longer limited to the temple," because in him "God himself came to live among his people. Wherever Jesus is present, God himself is present" (Chris Bruno, The Whole Message of the Bible in 16 Words, 66-67).
After the Exodus, "[w]hen God called Israel to account for their sin, words of hope came in the judgment God spoke through the prophets. Announcing that God would drive Israel from the land, the prophets also declared that God would save Israel again as he had done at the exodus—a new exodus (Isa. 11:11-16); that God would raise up for them a new David (Hos. 3:5); that Israel would enter into a new covenant with Yahweh (Jer. 31:31; Hos. 2:14-20); that as the Spirit was given to Moses and the seventy elders, he would be poured out on all flesh—a new experience of the Spirit (Joel 2:28-32); that there would be a new conquest of the land (Hos. 2:15), which itself would become a new Eden (Isa. 51:3; Ezek. 36:35)" (James Hamilton Jr., What is Biblical Theology?, Kindle ed., loc. 317-25).
Summarize the book of Haggai's place within redemptive history.
After the return from exile, God encouraged his people to rebuild the temple for his glory, so they could enjoy his presence. God will perfectly fulfill his promise to dwell among his people in Christ, who will be the king over his people, and will eventually rule over them in a perfect world.
The Thematic Question
What theme in my passage should I trace through the plotline of redemptive history?
Look in a Bible dictionary or encyclopedia from your Five Horizons Bibliography for more information about “The End.” (Look up terms like “eschatology,” “end times,” “return of Christ,” and “Second Coming.”) Copy and paste three quotations here that summarize the theme.
"Eschatology in the Old Testament may be said to begin with the garden of Eden, where God is in full presence with Adam and Eve. After the fall, humanity fell out of relationship with God. The remainder of the Old Testament and New Testament tell the story of God’s plan to restore His holiness among a holy people. For example, in Exod. 25:8, He commands the Israelites to build a sanctuary so that His presence may rest with them wherever they go. In the last chapter of Revelation, John the Apostle illustrates God walking once again with His people in holiness at the end of the age" (Page Brooks, "Eschatology," ed. John D. Barry et al., The Lexham Bible Dictionary).
"The coming of the kingdom of God begun with the ministry of Jesus finds its fulfillment in the restoration of God’s people, who live in God’s presence at the end of the age" (ibid.)
"The claim that Christ will return to bring about the dissolution of the present world and the commencement of the next is a central theme of the New Testament. New Testament writers typically assume this in eschatological contexts even when it is not explicitly cited, and they frequently employ this theme to motivate their audiences to diligence, hope, and patient endurance" (T.M. Derico, "Parousia," ed. John D. Barry et al., The Lexham Bible Dictionary).
"The expectation that God would vindicate the nation of Israel in a final, decisive act of judgment is well attested in Jewish literature prior to the New Testament period. The Old Testament prophets looked forward to the Day of Yahweh (יוֹם יְהוָה, yom yehwah; ἡ ἡμέρα κυρίου, hē hēmera kyriou, 'the Day of the Lord'), when God would ultimately purge Israel of wickedness, punish its enemies, and raise it to preeminence among the peoples of the earth" (ibid.).
In the New Testament, "the climactic redemptive action of God at the end of the present world is uniquely associated with the parousia of Jesus" (ibid.).
Look in commentaries on Haggai and biblical theology resources from your Five Horizons Bibliography for more information about "The End." Copy and paste three quotations here.
"From the very beginning, God was committed to stepping into history to change it, renew it, and make it better than we could ever imagine—for our good and his glory. And that, in a nutshell, is what we mean by eschatology" (Bruno, The Whole Message of the Bible in 16 Words, 19).
"[A] big part of God's work in history is reestablishing his perfect reign as King over all things. Throughout the Old Testament, we see God working to do just that. ... But ... [t]ime and again, God's people failed..." (ibid., 20). "When Jesus went to the cross and then rose from the grave, he decisively defeated sin and death. The victory has already been won. But the final consummation of that victory has not yet come" (ibid., 24). So today God's "Old Testament promises have been fulfilled in and through Christ," even while "there is still much more yet to come" (ibid.).
"The two oracles in 2:10–23 mark a turning point in the relationship between God and his people. After the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, what had been unclean and unacceptable was now clean and acceptable, and what had been cursed was now blessed (vv. 10-19); because of what happened on that day, the people could be sure the rejected kingship and ruined kingdom of Israel would be restored and renewed (vv. 20-23). This date was a crucial turning point as the day the foundations of the temple were established. Laying the foundations anticipated the day when God would dwell in the midst of his people, when sins would be forgiven and worshipers cleansed, their offerings made acceptable in his sight. Furthermore, restoring the temple in Jerusalem necessarily led to the restoration of God’s kingdom and the reign of his king" (Stead, "Haggai," 627).
"Only through the eyes of faith could Haggai’s contemporaries perceive Zerubbabel as the Lord’s signet ring, because continuation of the Davidic line through him remained hidden until the shaking of the heavens and the earth. Likewise, Jesus has already been crowned with all royal authority and power, but at present this reality is not in plain view. We need the eyes of faith to see the one who—right now—is already at the center of heaven’s throne, who is indeed worthy to 'receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing' (Rev. 5:12). We too should be longing for the day when God will shake the heavens and the earth once more, to establish forever a 'kingdom that cannot be shaken' (Heb. 12:28)" (ibid., 627-28).
Based on the above quotations, summarize how this theme develops through the Bible and finds its culmination in Jesus Christ.
God made people to dwell with him in fellowship, under his rule, but man sinned and was expelled from God's presence. God moved to restore this relationship in the nation of Israel, descended from Abraham through Isaac and Jacob; however, they too failed and were expelled from God's presence. But God sent his Son to live a perfect life in fellowship with him, then suffer spiritual exile in the place of his people, being punished for their sin by his death on the cross, and finally to rise again and ascend to God's right hand, the head of a new humanity rescued from sin and death. One day Christ will return and restore all things, so that his people will again dwell with him in fellowship, under God's rule—and they will enjoy his presence forever.
What is the significance of this theme in Haggai 2:20-23 in relation to its Bible-wide development?
Although God's people had suffered exile, God would restore his presence with them through Zerubbabel, and through a greater Zerubbabel to come. He would destroy all kingdoms and set up Jesus' kingdom, all through this small, weak beginning of a rebuilt temple in Jerusalem.