Comments for December 18

v.6,7 - One wonders what can possibly have brought about this accusation. Job was clearly recognised as an upright man whilst he was prosperous, but now he is destitute the attitude towards him has changed. We really must recognise this fault in ourselves (I know I do). We despise people who we do not view as successful. This is very wrong, and must be stopped. The love of God, which should be in us, does not respect persons. Lev.19:15, Deut.1:17,16:19, Prov.24:23, 28:21, Acts 10:34

Eliphaz responds for the third time.

Eliphaz now is on the offensive. Whereas in his first speech he had been conciliatory he is now openly critical of and antagonistic to Job. See in particular Vs 4-9 where Eliphaz contradicts what he said in chapter 4.

We are given this extended argument between these men and Job in such detail that there must be a great deal for us to learn from examining it. There is much emotion involved here too. Job is in the depths of depression because of the chastening God has given him but can see beyond it to the lessons he needs to learn. His friends are angry because they are convinced he has deceived them and he must be a terrible sinner, even though they must know this not to be the case. We are, as human beings, so terribly inclined to condemn others. We must avoid this natural urge if we are to manifest God in our lives, as He does not wish us to possess this quality.

22:2 Job doubtless understood that a man cannot be profitable to God - He doubtless understood that 'we are all unprofitable servants' (Luke 17:10) But it does not follow from this that God does not have an interest in man or disregard his service to Him.

22:15-16 This indicates that Eliphaz was aware of the record of the flood and why it took place.

Job 22:21-30. Eliphaz ended as he began, with an exhortation to repentance in a tone of gentleness, but having demonstrated an inflexibility unable to receive new ideas or move to higher conceptions of truth.

Where did Eliphaz get his evidence from, for the terrible things he accuses Job of? (Job 22:5-7). It's a useful lesson also to us, that even though people might mention God as though they believe in Him, yet that doesn't automatically make them right (see Job 22:22-28). For example do we really believe that if we stop sinning God will give us lots of gold and silver?

Here, Eliphaz turns up the vitriol.  He continues to equate punishment with sin, but now he also equates righteousness (via repentance) with wealth (vs.23-25).  He obviously does not speak for the LORD since Job has already been deemed a righteous man (1:1).  By that reckoning, Job should still be wealthy.  Eliphaz does not know the mind of the LORD when he makes his assessment of what pleases (or does not please) Him (vs. 2,3).  He then mocks Job's piety (v.4).  Had he understood the LORD, then he would have known that the righteous and upright do please Him (Psa 11:7).

22:19 Having spoken of the reason for the flood and the ensuing suffering Eliphaz implies that Job, because he is suffering, is of the same mind as those who perished in the flood. So often the ‘friends’ of Job imply what he thinks rather than stating it openly. How often do we stop short of saying the thing that we think because we feel safer making innuendos?

22:3 Eliphaz’s questions whether God takes pleasure in the righteousness of Job. Implying that God does not care for His servants.

22:4-9  Eliphaz’s comments here directly contradict what he has already said about Job when he spoke for the first time –Job 4:3-9.

GIVE GOD PLEASURE

Until Eliphaz got personal, which was in less than the first ten percent of his reply to Job, he asked some very interesting questions. "Can a man be of benefit to God? Can even a wise man benefit him? What pleasure would it give the Almighty if you were righteous? What would he gain if your ways were blameless?" (Job 22:2-3)

The answer to these questions is that no matter how blameless or righteous we were, there is no way we can benefit him. He is, after all, God. Everything we have has been given to us by him, and because we sin there is nothing we can do or give that he is not able to have or do himself already.

But the other part of Eliphaz's question was about pleasure. "What pleasure would it give the Almighty if you were righteous?" Though Eliphaz dumps all these questions together in one heap, there is a difference between what benefits or gain we can give to God, and the pleasure we can give him. When Samuel rebuked Saul he spoke about God's pleasure, saying, "Does the LORD delight in burnt offering and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams." (1Sam 15:23) When Jesus obeyed God, God said that he loved him and that he was well pleased with him. (Mark 1:11)

So while we cannot give anything to God, we can give him pleasure by our obedience and love. Let us, by our way of life, give God pleasure.

Vs.6-9 Eliphaz' accusations are without proof.  It was common for rich men to abuse the poor. Later the Law of Moses would caution against these errors (Exo 22:26; Deut 24:10). And later again, the powerful Pharisees would be similarly cautioned by the Lord (Matt 23:14).  But, Eliphaz applies faulty logic to bring about his conclusion concerning Job.  He employs a syllogism.  In effect, he says: All rich men are abusers of the poor ---->Job is a rich man ---->Therefore, Job is an abuser of the poor. Eliphaz has taken a major premise, and a minor premise.  From those he has made his conclusion.  Job had an accusation levelled at him based upon erroneous logic. Clearly, we should be able to see the problem here.  We must be careful not to make the same mistake in our thinking.

At the end of the book of Job we find God's accusation against Eliphaz: "you have not said of me what was right "(42:7). I think God is referring to v4-5 and similar verses (use bible version other than AV), where Eliphaz claims that God only brings chastening on the unrighteous. In fact, his mocking question in v4 is spot on: "Is it because of your fear of Him that He corrects you?" (NKJV). Elsewhere in scripture we read that it is the privilege of the righteous to be corrected by God, because in doing so He is acting as a father, trying to build our Godly character (see Heb 12:8-10, Prov 3:11-12).

22:17-18 Eliphaz’s response to Job’s lament about the way in which the wicked prosper is to remind Job that God provides for those who do not acknowledge Him.

22:23-24 Eliphaz now commits the fundamental error of thinking that God will bless the faithful with material things.

Job 22:1-5 - Eliphaz says God is judging Job's wickedness: V3 - "Is it any pleasure to the Almighty, that thou art righteous?..." (Eliphaz thinks no but the Bible indicates yes Luke 17:10); V4 - Eliphaz infers God doesn't chasten Job's reverence.

Job 22:6-11 - Eliphaz describes Job's wickedness: V6-9 - no evidence for specific accusations (Job 13:23;4:3-9); V10 - "'snares' [Heb. "pach" (6341) means "spring net, bird trap",etc.] are round about..." reinforces what Bildad previously (Job 18:9) inferred about Job falling into the "gin" [Heb. "pach" (6341)] and various other snares/traps of his own making.

Job 22:12-20 - Eliphaz warns Job of arrogance before God: V17 - Job's true sentiments are far from what this verse depicts (Job 19:25-27;17:9;21:16); V18 - by repeating Job's words (Job 21:16) Eliphaz obviously believes he is not one of the wicked; V20 - KJV "substance" [Heb. "qiym" (7009) means "opponent, enemies, substance", etc.].

Job 22:21-30 - Eliphaz appeals to Job to make peace with God: V21-23 - encourages Job to make peace with God so he and his prosperity will be restored; V22 - putting God's word in our hearts is good but was misapplied to Job's circumstance; V24-25 - i.e. throw away your ill-gotten gains and make God your treasure; V27 - God heard Job's prayers (Job 1:1,8;2:3;James 5:16); V30  - "...delivered through the cleanness of your hands" (no reliance upon the grace of God).

There is a curious coincidence within two of today's readings. In Job, Eliphaz accuses Job of neglecting the poor and links this with God's punishment. In Haggai, God actually does punish Israel for their lack of service (Hag 1:7-11). So is Eliphaz correct? Well, if we take the situation in Haggai as the only example, then yes, he is correct. God does bring adversity on His servants when they need to be corrected. He is our Father and chastens us for our own good. If we told our own children to do something and they didn't do it, we would tell them off, wouldn't we?

Yet is Eliphaz correct in this particular case? Look at the list of accusations in Job 22:5-10. These are all things Job may have neglected to do, just as in Haggai, yet Job claims he wasn't guilty of any of these sins (see Job 29). In fact, his provision for the poor and needy was well above the call of duty, which is confirmed by God's estimation of him in 1:8. Eliphaz understood how God works, but hadn't correctly estimated Job's faithfulness.

The majority of the time when things go wrong in the life of a Godly person it is because God is trying to tell them something. Job 22:20-30 is an excellent guide when this is the case. How often we stray from truly serving God and have to be put back on the right path. But for Job, his suffering was not because of his sin but because God chose to afflict him for the reasons outlined in chapters 1 and 2.

22:10  Eliphaz’s use of ‘therefore’ implies that there is a direct link between Job’s supposed behaviour and the problems he was having. It is just that link that has not been established by any of Job’s friends. Of course such a link cannot be sustained because there is no such link. Though sometimes we behave as if we think there is.

22:13  I do not see anywhere in Job’s speeches where he has questioned God’s ability to know, see, and judge.

TO GIVE GOD PLEASURE

Eliphaz asked some interesting questions. "Can a man be of benefit to God? Can even a wise man benefit him? What pleasure would it give the Almighty if you were righteous? What would he gain if your ways were blameless?" (Job 22:2-3)

The answer to these questions is that there is no benefit to God whether we are righteous or wicked. His righteousness will shine from him regardless of us, and his will will be done whether we are here to help him or not. However, what our righteousness does for God is to give him pleasure. The psalmist wrote, "The LORD loves the righteous." (Psa 146:8) This is not the sort of love that God shows to everyone. It is a special affection, a friendship. It is the sort of love that Abraham had for his only son Isaac, Isaac had for his wife Rebekah, and David had for his friend Jonathan. It is a love that is over and above the love we might have for others who do not show the same qualities.

So let us be those who give God the pleasure of someone to love as we live righteous, blameless and forgiven lives for him.

22:17  Eliphaz makes assertions about what those before the flood thought, though there is no indication in the record in Genesis that this is what they thought.

22:21 The “him” that Eliphaz is speaking about is God – He is the subject  of this tirade – see verse :17

22:19  Do we think that the righteous rejoice over the destruction of the wicked? That is what Eliphaz says the righteous (and by implication Job) do.

22:5-9  We will see that later – Job 29:12-16 – Job asserts that these things spoken by Job are not true.

22:25  Eliphaz could say that God would be Job’s defence as He is of all faithful servants of Him. However he was not in a position to say that Job would be wealthy again. It seems that he fell into the common trap of thinking that Godliness produces riches – which it certainly not guaranteed.

22:7   Eliphaz makes an astonishing statement here. It is as if he is able to decide what God would do in response to Job’s prayers.

22:3    We should infer clearly that God does take pleasure in obedience for, by way of contrast, he does not take pleasure in the wicked and their death – Eze 33:11

22:12-13 Eliphaz’s observations are an attempt to belittle Job’s understanding of what God can know. Job never said that because God was in heaven He could not see.  Eliphaz is now clutching at straws in his attempt to belittle Job. This is not the way a godly “friend” would behave.

22:3 It would appear that Eliphaz is suggesting that Job tries to live a godly life so that he will get the praise of men – implying that it is of no consequence to God as to how Job – or anyone else for that matter – behaves.

22:2 in plain English Eliphaz is saying to Job that he is too full of his own importance. We might wrap up what we are saying to make it not to appear as it is but in reality those listening will be able to understand exactly what we are saying and maybe even totally disregard our comments because of our attitude.

23:10-12 There is no doubt that Job revered Gods words. If he did not he would not have been called “perfect” by God. But it seems that Job does not yet understand how God was working in his life.

We can be similar. We can have a reverence for His word and be able to explain it but still not appreciate how God works in our lives. So we might appeal to our “head knowledge” whilst not truly having that word in our hearts.

22:25  Eliphaz had no valid basis on which to promise Job wealth whatever source it was to come from. But notice that Eliphaz sees “silver” as the blessing from God. His mind is still on material things.

22:2-3  Do we ever give thought to whether what we are doing, thinking or saying has any impact of our Father? We certainly should “consider our ways” – Hag 1:5 because it is clear that they do impact on God.

1 v.6-9 - Where are our desires? Are we in a position where God might blow away our possessions, just to show us the way we should be thinking? God clearly blesses those who put Him first, but often not for many years, which is a great test of faith and patience. Let us all endure, that words like these might not be levelled against us.

Use of Old Testament Language

1:6 'ye have sown much and bring in little' Deuteronomy 28:38
1:6 'ye eat but ye have not enough' Leviticus 26:26
1:10 'heaven stayed from dew' Leviticus 26:19
1:11 'drought upon the land' Deuteronomy 28:24
2:6 'Yet once ... the earth Hebrews 12:26
2:17 'I smote you ... saith the Lord Amos 4:9
2:17 'blasting and mildew' Deuteronomy 28:22

1:2 'the time is not come ... ' The return from Babylon was in fulfilment of the 70 years prophecy of Jeremiah. There were three waves of captives taken away to Babylon. Therefore those in Jerusalem who did not want to involve themselves in the Lord's work were able to present an excuse for their idleness. The rebuilding of the temple was to be accomplished at the end of the 70 years captivity. They would reason that there had not been 70 years since the last wave of captives had been taken away so they should not build yet. In reality such an argument was an excuse based on miss applied Scripture. We can use similar arguments to justify our own inactivity if we are not careful.

2:4 'Be strong' as an exhortations mirrors the way that God spoke to Israel as they were about to enter into the land under Joshua. Deuteronomy 11:8 31:6 31:23 Joshua 1:6 1:9 1:18 10:25
2:5 'according to the word ... out of Egypt' The return from Babylon was another example of deliverance like the exodus from Egypt so much earlier.
2:23 Zerubbabel is to made a signet. In Zechariah 6:11 - 13 presents Joshua as the branch building the house. Thus we see Haggai and Zechariah complimenting each other in that they both speak of one of the two faithful men who were involved in the building.

1v.14 - When we read words like this it makes us stop and consider whether our decision to serve God is really our own or whether He has stirred us up to do it. The latter seems to be the case here and in many other places too. This is quite a humbling thought and we should thank God constantly for doing this.

Hag 1 The repeated use of the curses from Leviticus 26 / Deuteronomy 28 - see list above - was being used by the prophet to encourage the nation to re commence the work of re building. The curses were to show Israel that they were astray from Gods law.

2:3 The question 'who is left …' relies on the fact that here were some in Jerusalem who had survived the whole of the 70 year captivity and were old enough when they were taken captive to appreciate the magnificence of the temple - so they must have been at least 80 years old! - We know the reaction of these men (Ezra 3:12)

1:12 The way that Zerubbabel and Joshua and all the people responded to the preaching of Haggai is true repentance. It is difficult for us to respond to direct criticism and change - it requires that we acknowledge that we have not been doing the right things and as such hurts our pride. The example of these men and the people at this time of return from Babylon serves as a powerful example of the way that God will bless those who repent (1:13) 'I am with you …'

2:4 The assurance that God was 'with' them as he was when 'ye came out of Egypt' is designed to show that God is truly delivering the people even though at this time they are dealing with the opposition of the inhabitants of the land at that time.

The road to the kingdom is not always smooth and trouble free. The Exodus from Egypt was not, the return from Babylon was not so we should not expect that our journey to the kingdom will be trouble free either.

Hag 1:1, 2:1.We see the closeness of Haggai and Zechariah when we compare these two verses with the opening verse of Zechariah, The time difference between Haggai’s first prophesy and Zechariah’s was two months. When we go back to Ezra (5:1, 6:14 we see that Haggai and Zechariah worked together in the rebuilding of the temple. Zechariah was a young man.(Zech 2:4) Haggai we assume was an old man. He speaks as though he had seen the first temple in its glory. (Hag 2:3) Thus youth and experience worked side by side providing to the children of Israel, both young and old. Such co-operation is an exhortation for all ages.

1:11 When the prophet says 'I called for a drought' he is speaking like Elijah who prayed to God that it might not rain (James 5:17)

2:6  In speaking of the shaking of the heaven and earth Haggai  is reminding the returning exiles of the warning of Isaiah (13:13)

1:2 There is no indication in Scripture that representation was made to Darius during the first two years of his reign in the hope of annulling the decree of Artaxerxes. Rather, Israel had lapsed into a false sense of security; the opposition from the surrounding nations had caused them to begin making excuses. Rather than attempt to renew their efforts for building the temple, the people said that the time was inopportune.

We, like the men in Haggai's day, are charged with building a house for the LORD.  We, the ecclesia of Christ are that house, which not only must be built but maintained (1Pet 2:5).  The exhortation here is to put the LORD first.  If we do this, then all appropriate blessings will ensue (Matt 6:33). 

2:6 Here God is referring to the shaking of the Mosaic system as demonstrated by the writer to the Hebrews 12. In this chapter we see a contrast between the the two covenants. The old covenant entered into, in the midst of thunder, darkness and fire, causing fear and trembling (V.18-21). The new covenant founded on better promises offering a better hope because it was established by better sacrifices which speaketh better things than that of Abel (V.24). At Sinai, God had caused the earth to shake, but now he hath promised, saying "yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also the heavens"  V.26

Haggai, whose name means my feast, prophesied in 520 BC.  He urged the Jews of Babylon to complete re-building the temple.  The re-building of the temple had been started earlier, but no work had been done on it for the past 15 years.  During captivity, the Jews had prospered.  Now, they lived in luxuriously panelled houses (panelled with expensive, imported wood) (1:4).  They had taken care of heir own houses but had forgotten to take care of the House of the LORD.  In the midst of prosperity it is easy to forget the LORD.  We must be careful, especially those who live in the prosperous west, not to copy this attitude and neglect the LORD's house (ecclesia).  Under the urging of Haggai, the Jew's conscience was stirred; and through the leadership of Zerubbabel and Joshua, the temple was completed in 515 BC. 

Haggai looks to the future when Christ will return.  He will put down the opposing nations and establish a rule of peace and righteousness.  A new temple will be established in Jerusalem where all people will come to worship (2:6,7,21,22; Isa 56:7; Eze 40;41;42;43).

Haggai and Zechariah were the two prophets who encouraged the work of rebuilding the Temple, and the city walls of Jerusalem. Probably Malachi then came after them.  The history of the times is therefore in Ezra and Nehemiah. Haggai spoke forcefully, eg Hag 1:4. “Is this the right time to enjoy your warm and comfortable houses, while the House of God lies waste? God says, ‘Consider your ways’.”  The message worked, and the Lord stirred up Zerubbabel (the sort of “mayor” of Jerusalem), and Joshua the High Priest. They then took charge of the work of restoration and rebuilding.

1:4    The work had ceased – they were no longer allowed to build the temple – Ezra 4:24 – so the people started to build for themselves instead. Do we leave off the work of God because of difficulties and then turn to building for ourselves?

2:7       Solomon’s temple had been filled with the glory of God – 2Chron 5:14 – some would maybe even seen it. The current situation looked bleak in contrast to that. However the promise is there, whilst it was not fulfilled in their life time it will happen in the kingdom when ‘the Lord is there’ Eze 48:35

1:10 The comment ‘the heaven over you is stayed from dew’ quotes the curse from Lev 26:19. The introduction ‘therefore’ shows that the curse is a consequence of faithless behaviour. Israel agreed that the curses would come upon them if they were faithless. Hence God is fulfilling His word upon them – but they do not see it.

2:4-5 An important lesson for all is delivered here; "By grace are ye saved" Eph 2:8 "the just shall live by faith" Gal 3:11. Israel viewed their "works' in building God's house, as being necessary to the purpose of God being fulfilled, because their hope and faith had began to diminish. We see Haggai exhorting the people to be faithful, and to display courage and determination. "Be strong and work" Faith is demonstrated by works.

1:5    The recurring "consider" – 1:5, 2:15,18– was presented to men and women who had recently returned from Babylon in fulfilment of Scripture. One might have thought they would be filled with enthusiasm. However they needed to be encouraged to think! What about ourselves? We live in exciting times when Israel exists – proof that God is at work. Do we need to consider our ways?

1:1 Darius was a common name for Persian kings, as was Pharaoh for Egyptian kings, or Abimelech for Philistine kings. This Darius was Hystaspes. The sixth month refers to the Hebrew calendar and not to the reign of Darius. The sixth month was called Elul which relates to September (in part).

2:21-23 Zerubbabel represents a type of Christ. He has been chosen by the LORD. The symbol of power (the signet = the seal of authority) would be given to Zerubbabel as it would be to Jesus (1Cor 15:27).

1:6 Just as Amos had done – Amos 4:6-11– Haggai draws upon the curses of Deut 28:38 and Lev 26:26 to highlight to the returning Jews that they are not keeping the law of Moses.

v 22 First Principles>Kingdom of God>To be Everlasting and world-wide
The Kingdom of God will be a literal kingdom on the earth and last for ever. For more details go to Dan 2:44

THE TIME IS NOT RIGHT

God's timing and our timing often differ. Moses thought the time was right to deliver the children of Israel out of Egypt, but he was to be very disappointed and spent the next forty years looking after sheep for his father-in-law. Later, when God was ready for Moses to lead his people, Moses didn't feel ready.

Haggai had a similar message for those who had come back from captivity to live in Jerusalem. The people were saying, "The time has not yet come for the LORD's house to be built." (Hag 1:2) But God's plan was different. Through Haggai the LORD asked, "Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your panelled houses, while this house (the temple) remains a ruin?" (v.3)

Do we ever use the same excuse? "The time is not right!" I have heard it before when it comes to preaching and when there is opportunity to improve the way we worship. Will the time ever be right? "The time is not right," can also be heard in the common phrase, "I am too busy." To be busy is good, but with what priorities? The people of Haggai's day were busy but with their own things, not God's. Too busy is too often an excuse not to do the LORD's work. More often than not the time is right, but like the people of Jerusalem we are preoccupied with doing our own thing. Let's re prioritise and make sure the time is always right for doing the will of the LORD.

Have you ever felt like 1:6: your wages are put into a bag full of holes? I guess we all have. On this occasion God had been actively putting those holes in the bag. Does that happen to us too?

God had caused a remnant of Israel to return from captivity to rebuild His temple. They had been given plenty of money and building materials to do this by King Cyrus. Instead of finishing the temple, had those building materials found their way into their own houses? Verse 8 appears to suggest this: Go to the mountains and fetch wood to build the house, and v4: Why do you dwell in panelled houses?

So if we have been using God's materials to build our own house instead of His house, we can expect a similar situation to this. The call to us is the same as the call of the prophet: "consider your ways" (1:5).

2:1  The feast of tabernacles ran for seven days starting on the 15^th day of the 7th month. Lev 23:34. Haggai gave this part of his message on the 21st day of the 7th month. So this part of the message was given during that feast. When we realise that the feast of tabernacles was to remind Israel of how they had dwelt in ‘booths’ in the wilderness the comment in  2:5 about coming out of Egypt takes on a new meaning. Whilst the people were thinking about their time in the wilderness after they had come out of Egypt Haggai speaks to them about that very thing.

1:1   Ezra 5:1 speaks of this time in an historical setting. Cyrus had laid the foundations in fulfilment of Isa 44:28. 16 years had  elapsed since that time. Now the work was to re-commence and so Haggai and Zechariah are inspired to encourage that work.

Hag 2:7

“And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts.”

An in-depth study of the Book of Haggai reveals some intriguing questions of interpretation. This verse is one of the most interesting and perplexing. In the meaning of “the desire of all nations,” we have a single noun, desire, with a plural verb, come. It reads thus: “… the desire of all nations they shall come...” The singular noun with a plural verb is indicative of a collective sense, and refers to Christ coming with his saints.

In Hag 2:9 we read, “The glory of this latter house shall be greater than the former…” This refers to the immortalized saints, and thus greater than the former “house” (Heb 3:3-6). This ties in nicely with Hag 2:21-23, which describe the eschatological events of Messianic proportions as kingdoms and nations are overthrown.

2:3-4  The work of building the temple had been ‘on hold’ for 16 years. Cyrus, 16 years earlier, had done what God had said he would do – Isa 44:28. Now the next stage is to commence. God was now ready to progress the work. However the complacency of the people had to be overcome. It is all too easy to allow a setback to cause complacency to overtake our enthusiasm.

1:2    The argument by some of the returning exiles seemed to be saying that the 70 years had not been fulfilled. However Zech 4:9 states clearly that the one who laid the foundation would finish the work. Indeed it was the time to build the house.

1:9     ‘Ye run to your own house’ highlights the attitude of those who had returned from Babylon. Despite living in a time of the fulfilment of Bible prophecy they are more concerned with their own plans than the things of God. Surely an exhortation for us.

2:6        The way in which “Yet once I will shake the heavens and the earth” is quoted in Heb 12:26-27 helps us to understand that Haggai, though talking at the time of the return from Babylon, is looking right forward to the time when the kingdom of God is established with Jesus as king and Jerusalem as the world capital.

1:13  Against the background of the opposition of the inhabitants of the land who – as we would see form the book of Ezra – sought to prevent Israel repairing the city and building the temple God was with them.  Often we may think that we are on our won when things are not going well for us. However whether God is with us or not is not determined by how easy or difficult life is.

2:22       The way in which brother will fight brother is found also in the contemporary prophet – Zech 11:6

2:13   The question that the prophet asks the priests required a knowledge of Lev 7:19. The priests knew what the law said but did not apply the principle bound in the ordinance to daily life.

1:1     Whilst here we see that Zerubbabel is the son of Shealtiel it seems from 1Chron 3:17-19 that he was his grandson.

DOING GOD'S WILL

Doing God's will is not always easy for us. There is always our own will to compete with, and often our own wants, ideas, desires, and the things that seem urgent or important get in the way when we want to do God's will. But there are great rewards in doing God's will above our own.

God's people had just begun the good work of restoring the temple of the LORD that had been demolished by the Babylonians. They hadn't started out that way. They had only been rebuilding their own houses. Now it was different and they were willingly restoring the temple.

That was when God gave them an amazing message."Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, declares the LORD. Be strong, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the LORD. Work, for I am with you, declares the LORD of Hosts, according to the covenant that I made with you when you came out of Egypt. My Spirit remains in your midst. Fear not." (Hag 2:4-5).

So this is my message for you today. When you are doing God's will, be strong, do it well, keep at it, fear not. If we are doing God's will, He will be with us. Doing God's will is going to be so much more rewarding than doing our own.

1:8 They had received wood to build the house at the expense of the king who allowed them to return. However they had used that wood in their own houses – Hag 1:4 – so even if there was the desire to build there was no material for the work.

2:8      An obvious point, really. Everything belongs to God. But the question is do we always think and behave as if we believe this?

1:4   Their houses had been “ceiled” using the material that they had been given when they left Babylon – Ezra 3:7 – at the instruction of Cyrus. They miss appropriated material that was for the temple to make themselves houses.

1:4 Whilst we are not involved in building a physical building – a temple for God – we are certainly involved in building a spiritual house. That spiritual house is the company of fellow believers. But, like it was in the days of the prophet, it is not easy. Many things conspire to detract us from the work.

Against this background we might as “what are our ‘ceiled houses’ that we prefer above working with our fellow believers to become more like Jesus Christ?

Hag 2:23

“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.”

Was Zerubbabel a signet or a sign? The latter is often used to interpret “signet.” However, these are two very different Hebrew words. In the NIV, we read, “…. And I will make you like my signet ring, for I have chosen you….” In The Jerusalem Bible, it reads, “… it is Yahweh Sabaoth who speaks—and make you like a signet ring…”

*“Signet,” is # <2268>, cheber, “community, the name of a Kenite…” Strong’s is incorrect. It should be # <2368>, is chotham, “a signature ring: seal, signet.”

Seal, is # <2368>, chotham, “a signature ring: seal,signet.” A signet is a seal.

“Sign,” is # <4159>, mopheth, “in the sense of conspicuousness… by implication, a token, or omen: - miracle, sign, wonder.” An example of this may be read in Eze 12:6,11.

“Make,” is # <7760>, siym, “seem; a primary root; to put…” While this word has “a great variety of applications,” it further defines it further down as “put (on), set (on)” (cf. Jer 22:24).

The NIV Study Bible has the following note on signet ring, “… A kind of seal that functioned as a signature (see Est 8:8) and was worn on one’s finger (Est 3:10). Like other seals (see Gen 38:18 and note) it could be used as a pledge or guarantee of full payment… Zerubbabel would then be a guarantee that indeed the future glory of the temple will be realized (see Hag 2:6,7,9; Zech 4:6,7 and notes, chosen you. …”  See Isa 41:8,9; 42:1 and notes).

In modern parlance, this indicates that the deal is sealed; it is as good as done. Wax seals and rubber stamp seals were sometimes used in lieu of an actual signature authenticating official documents. * The History Press | A brief history of signet rings/

1:11  We look at the seasons, droughts, hot weather, and see things that we cannot change. However Israel’s experience was that their God was in control of the weather and used it to teach them the consequences of disobedience. Sadly they were not alert to His hand being at work in their lives. Do we believe that at a personal level God is at work in our lives?

Hag 2:9

“The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former house [Solomon’s Temple], saith Yahweh Almighty.  And in this place I will grant peace, declares Yahweh Almighty.”  NIV

THE FUTURE TEMPLE

“WHEN therefore Haggai said, ‘This house shall be filled with glory,’ he did not refer to the temple which Jesus frequented but to the temple to stand upon the same site which is described by Ezekiel, into which ‘the glory of the God of Israel,’ even the Son of Man in the glory of the Father, ‘shall come from the way of the east’ and cause the neighbouring earth itself to shine (Eze 43:2). This is the only interpretation the prophecy will admit of; for when Jesus came, he was neither ‘the desire of all nations,’ nor was he in glory. The glory of the God of Israel left the temple when the Chaldees were about to destroy it; and it will not return until Jesus shall sit upon the throne and bear the glory in the era of ‘the regeneration.’”

John Thomas, The Faith in the Last Days, p. 86

This also applies to the temple the present-day Christ-denying Pharisees are desiring to build on the temple Mount. It is taught that when the temple has been built then the Messiah will come! Clearly, this is not Biblical!

1:1  Whilst we do not know the age of Haggai at the time he started to prophesy we know that the Jews had returned from Babylon and that Haggai was an active prophet. So it is safe to conclude that he had been born in captivity and already knew the prophecies of Jeremiah which spoke of the return after seventy years of captivity. The thrill of being involved in that fulfilment must have been a great encouragement to him even though he was sent with condemnatory words to the people who did not seem to see the vitality of the time.

v.12 - This very black and white picture is presented throughout this book - light or darkness, as it were. We are assured over and over again that we walk in the light. Let us then throw out of our lives any doubt about that and consequently turn ourselves from the darkness that is around us. 1John 2:23-24 John 1:12. 3:36, 5:24. Gal.2:20 puts it in perspective for us.

5:4 In speaking of overcoming the world John again speak language Jesus has already used. John 16:33.

5:13 'Believe on me have eternal life' quotes John 3:16 So John is writing to reinforce the message of the gospel. That God is interested in men believing so that they might have everlasting life. We should not forget that God is not willing that we perish but that we come to repentance (2Pet 3:9)

:13 'believe' and 'eternal' life' quote John 3:16. This use of John's letter expands the words Jesus spoke to Nicodemus to explain that belief brings action.

v1 reads like this:

"Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him."
 

Which is rather a problematic verse. But I wonder whether it should read simply like this:

"Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ born of God, and every one that loveth him that begat; loveth him also that is begotten of him."

Verse 5 seems to back up the latter. What do you think?

V.6 speaks of the two elements that mark Jesus' authenticity - water and blood. Jesus was baptised (complete immersion in water) by John: to fulfil all righteousness (Matt 3:15). He set the pattern of baptism and salvation for all believers to follow (Mark 16:16). It was necessary for Jesus to die to crucify the flesh (sin). He was the perfect sacrifice through whose blood sins could be forgiven (Eph 1:7; 1John 2:2).  The pattern is for us to follow.  After baptism, we should crucify the flesh daily (1Pet 4:1,2).

V.21 John here urges the believers to abstain from any form of worship that draws them away from God. In our society, this can be a multitude of things, with materialism high on the list. Life in North America is built around material things.

(5:5)  When we are so tempted to think that we can ‘overcome’ by our own effort it is most encouraging to realise that what the Father requires of us is belief - like Abraham

Prayer that includes our enemies - 5:14-17; Matt 5:44; Luke 23:34; Acts 7:59-60; Num 14:10-20

5:12 So have we the son? Life, both now and in the kingdom, is driven by knowing Jesus and his Father.

5:1-2 In these two opening verses John brings out three essentials for the believer.

If any part of these verses is to be valid, it has to be part of the other two. (John 14:45, John 15:10)

5:9 The ‘witness of men’ is rather like the ‘praise of men’ and it the thing which the flesh loves. However it is the ‘witness (praise) of God’ which we should be seeking.

V.7 in the KJV was not in the original text but later inserted, when printing was used.

Adam Clarke writes: But it is likely this verse is not genuine. It is wanting in every MS. of this epistle written before the invention of printing, one excepted, the Codex Montfortii, in Trinity College, Dublin: the others which omit this verse amount to one hundred and twelve.

More modern versions of the Bible omit this verse altogether. Others, like the ESV, define it this way: For there are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree. This avoids the obvious temptation to erroneously prove the Trinity from the KJV.

4:12    In quoting John 1:18John explains that the way Jesus ‘declared’ God should be our behaviour also. By our actions others will see what God is like if we are faithful.

5:21  The  brother or sister who is able to ‘keep’ the commandments will, by the very nature of their focus keep themselves from idols.  Idol worship is self seeking. Keeping the commandments is God seeking.

ANSWERED PRAYER

Everyone wants to have their prayers answered. John said, "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us - whatever we ask - we know that we have what we asked of him." (1John 5:13-15)

It seems to me that people are not nearly so confident in answered prayer as we should be. How often have you heard people discuss their answered prayers recently? Perhaps one of the reasons for this is that we are not asking for things that are in the will of God. The context John writes in, for example, is that we know we have eternal life. Have we prayed that God will give us eternal life?

We could also pray that he would forgive our sins; that he would work in our lives to change us to live his way; to give us strength to resist temptation; to give us wisdom and love; to help us understand his word; to help us share his message with others. Maybe our spectacular prayers for a million dollars to fall out of the sky won't be answered in the way we would like them to be, but we can be sure that if we ask anything according to his will - and he wants us in his kingdom - that our prayers will be answered.

1John 5:13 -

Since many other verses testify that eternal life is something to be bestowed at the judgment seat of Christ, what does John mean when he says that those who believe in the name of the Son of God may know that they have (present tense verb) eternal life?

In trying to understand what John is saying here, it's important to know that all usages of "eternal life" in this sense are found in either John or 1 John - and they are, first of all, Jesus' words and secondly John's. The other similar passages are John 3:36; John 6:47,54;1John 5:11. The best explanation I have heard on this subject was that Jesus and John were speaking of a quality of life one can have now rather than a quantity of life one will have in the future (though the quantity is secure if the quality is maintained). This seems to fit the context here and in the other similar verses. The common denominator with all is one's ongoing belief in Jesus and therefore in God and His promises concerning Jesus. So if one enters into and abides in that good spiritual condition (and never falls away from it), then his "eternal life" in the future is secure and he can, in one sense, be said to have it now.

In other writings, the more natural usage of the phrase occurs where it is obviously equal to the state of immortality which is the hope of the true believer to be attained at a future point in time. Twice over in Paul's letter to Titus he speaks of the "hope of eternal life" (Titus 1:2; Titus 3:7). And as he says in his letter to the Romans - "hope that is seen is not hope, for what a man sees why does he yet hope for it?" (Rom. 8:24). And then in both Dan 12:2 and Matt 25:46, the phrase is used in connection with the resurrection and the judgment which is yet future. Similar points can be made for the term "saved" (and "salvation") which are used in the future tense (and, for that matter, also in both past and present).

It's also interesting to note that there are some pretty clear cut examples of Jesus and others saying that something has already happened when it has not actually occurred - but it is absolutely certain that it will, therefore the certainty of the wording. Here are a few examples of that.

John the Baptist - "The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand." (Jn. 3:35). Yet according to Heb. 2:8, "Now we do not see all things put under him (Christ)".

Jesus - "I have overcome the world." (Jn. 16:33) Yet Gethsemane and the cross lay ahead.

Jesus - "I have finished the work which you (Father) have given me to do." (Jn. 17:4) Same point as above.

Paul - "(As it is written, 'I have made you {Abraham} a father of many nations') in the presence of Him whom he believed - God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did." (Rom 4:17)Here is the classic example of this kind of thing - God's promise to Abraham that he would indeed be a father of many nations was so sure to happen that He could use the past tense ("have made you") even before he and Sarah even had Isaac.

A number of these points can be found in bro. Ron Abel's book, Wrested Scriptures.

5:18            Notice John’s confidence! This confidence is based on two things.

1 The righteousness of God and his forgiveness through our faith,

2 a realisation of the wickedness of that from which the believer has been saved.  We must always see both of these things is we are to keep ourselves from the wickedness of the ‘world’

5:16    We might debate and argue as to what is a “sin not unto death”. However we should reflect on how re react to a fellow believer who has done something wrong. Is our first objective to criticise him and tell others of his fault? Or is it to try and help that fellow believer to overcome the sorrow of their error and restore them to full fellowship with their God – and you?

5:11  The conjunction of “eternal life” and “this life is in His son” is teaching that unless we manifest Jesus’ character in this life we will not inherit his nature when the kingdom is established when Jesus returns.

5:16     The “sin unto death” is blasphemy against the holy spirit which, Jesus says, - Matt 12:31 – will not be forgiven.

1John 5:7

“For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.”

What John is simply saying here is that the Father is the Word and is the Holy Ghost/Spirit. In other words, when God speaks, it is done, and it is done by His Holy Spirit power. If the Holy Spirit is a third person, we would be hard pressed to explain Matt 1:18 with John 3:16!

“Towards the end of the 1st century, and during the 2nd, many learned men came over both from Judaism and paganism to Christianity. These brought with them into the Christian schools of theology their Platonic ideas and phraseology.” — (Cyclopaedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature, 1891, Vol. 10, “Trinity,” p. 553)

The word “Trinity” originated from Tertullian around 200 AD. The 3 in 1 god came from Athanasius in 325 AD, and the idea of the Holy Spirit as the third person came from three Cappadocian “fathers,” Basil, bishop of Caesarea, Gregory of Nyssa, and Gregory of Nazianzus in 381 AD at the Council of Constantinople.

The doctrine of the Trinity is a man-made doctrine borrowed from paganism and Greek philosophy. It has been a divisive issue throughout the history of Christianity. There is no perfect way to understand the Trinity: one God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in three co-equal persons, and at the same time completely understand it, yet it is one of the most difficult concepts for Christianity to let go of!

The Trinity was conceived from pagan and Greek philosophy and not from the Bible. It came about through much bloodshed and whoever had the most power. The Catholic Church, influenced by the doctrine of the Trinity, adopted it and patched together Greek and Roman philosophies snatching a handful of Bible verses out of context and interpolated them into their text hundreds of years after the death of all the apostles and long after the completion of the Bible (cf. Col 2:8-10). This dogma became the central dogma of Catholicism during the 4^th Century. It is not a Biblically inspired doctrine (cf. Eph 4:4-6).

To believe in the Trinity is to believe the following about Christ: Jesus is the immortal God, but died. Jesus is the invisible God, but was seen. Jesus is the omnipotent God, but was strengthened by an angel. Jesus is the omniscient God, but did not know the day of his return. Jesus is as great as his Father, but his Father is greater than he. Jesus is equal with the Father, and yet he is the Father. Jesus is the son, but the same age as the Father. Jesus is the son who has a Father and the God who has no Father. Jesus is the begotten son and the un-begotten God. Jesus is very God and very man, came out from himself, prayed to himself, gave power to himself, thanked himself, bore witness of himself, went back to himself, sits at the right hand of himself, is his own Father and his own son, left Heaven and yet was there all the time.

There are things which are hard to understand in the Bible, but you can be sure that God never expects us to believe such impossibilities!

5:9       John’s audience, like us, would often accept the testimony of men. They would have no reason to doubt it. However it follows that, as God is more credible than man, that we should always have confidence in His word.

5:4      Being “born of God” is not simply being baptised. The one who is “born of God” behaves like a true son of God. That is how the world is overcome.

1John 5:7,8

“For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness on earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.” (AV)