Sermon Tone Analysis

*Haggai 3**.*

Haggai* [P]* delivered five prophecies that are recorded in Scripture; they are all carefully dated – fixed to a specific historical time and setting.

Last time we looked at the first of them last time: a message of rebuke *[P]* in [Haggai 1:1-11].

It was given on the first day of the sixth month of the second year of king Darius.

You may recall that יְהוָה rebuked the returned exiles for sitting back in the luxury of their own homes while His house was in ruins.

This was the cause of all the frustration and trouble they were experiencing.

יְהוָה’s message to them was to get on and build His temple.

The second message was given on the 24th of the sixth month of Darius’ second year – just over three weeks later.

And what a different message!

This time it was not a message of rebuke but of commendation *[P]*.

Why the sudden turn around?

Because the people had turned around – they had repented: they had heeded יְהוָה’s rebuke, turned from what they doing, pursuing selfishness; and they set to and built the temple.

So let’s read that second message from יְהוָה to the returned exiles who heeded His word to them: [*Haggai 1:12-15* /Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of יְהוָה their God and the words of Haggai the prophet, as יְהוָה their God had sent him.

And the people showed reverence for יְהוָה.

Then Haggai, the messenger of יְהוָה, spoke by the commission of יְהוָה to the people saying, “‘I am with you,’ declares יְהוָה.”

So יְהוָה stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and worked on the house of יְהוָה of armies, their God, on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month in the second year of Darius the king/.]

– the Name “יְהוָה” 8x in 3 verses.

*Rebuke has desired effect [Hag 1:12]* – The first message that Haggai delivered was a harsh word of rebuke from יְהוָה; but, praise the LORD, the people listened and responded – In fact it is one of the few times in Israel’s history that the people have heeded a prophet’s message in his life-time.

And Oh what blessing flow when people heed the voice of יְהוָה, simply obey!

It was the leaders who responded – Zerubbabel, the civil governor and Joshua the high priest, the spiritual leader.

They were leaders, the people followed – all the remnant gladly responded (Hag 1:12) – and יְהוָה Himself responded He gave a word of encouragement through His prophet (Hag 1:13) and the people resumed construction on the 24th day of the same month that Haggai began his ministry (Hag 1:15 cf.

Hag 1:1) – their response was virtually immediate – rebuilding was under way in just over 3 weeks after the rebuke.

This is how it should be.

God’s disciplining hand, the hardship He sends and His stern message of rebuke by His prophets are not because He is mean and vindictive – they are intended for our good *[P]*, to turn us back to the right path.

If we respond in humble broken repentance and change our ways – then we are set on a path that is for our /good/.

God intends the best for us – His firm hand is only intended to set us foolish beings in the way that is good for us, stop us destroying ourselves in our folly [cf.

*Hebrews 12:5-13* /and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor faint when you are reproved by Him; for those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom He receives.”

It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?

But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.

Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live?

For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness.

All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.

Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble, and make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed./]

יְהוָה spoke His word of rebuke and here is the response: They did two things – and the two verbs (you know, doing words, things they did) can be translated two ways.

The very first word in the verse (in Hebrew) is the word “hear” *[P]* (NASB translates it “obey”).

They heard יְהוָה’s voice – it was Haggai’s words but יְהוָה’s voice.

They discerned the voice of יְהוָה in Haggai’s words.

They were not responding to Haggai but to יְהוָה.

They didn’t fear Haggai but יְהוָה!

It was יְהוָה!

The first step is hearing:/ /[cf.

*Romans 10:13-17* /for “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed?

How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard?

So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ/.].

Have you heard God’s voice?

That is the first step.

My Bible translates the word “hear”: “obey” *[P]*.

In the OT they are synonymous – like Aladdin’s genie: “to hear is to obey”.

You can translate it either way.

But if you don’t obey you just as well have not heard.

Hannah can get very involved when she is reading a book – I can say three times: “It is time to clean your teeth” – nothing happens!

I say: “What did I ask you to do?” Has she heard?

I’m not sure, perhaps she is so engrossed she didn’t hear, maybe she detected the sound, but there was no response: really she hadn’t heard because she didn’t obey.

But these people did obey, they realised that the word Haggai spoke had been sent by יְהוָה their God and their response was fear!

That is the second thing they did: they /feared/ יְהוָה *[P]* – this is the only true and appropriate response if one has truly heard יְהוָה and realizes that it is Him! (cf.

*Isaiah 66:1-2* /Thus says יְהוָה, “Heaven is My throne and the earth is My footstool.

Where then is a house you could build for Me?

And where is a place that I may rest?

“For My hand made all these things, thus all these things came into being,” declares יְהוָה.

“But to this one I will look, to him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word/.

*Isaiah 66:5* /Hear the word of יְהוָה, you who //tremble at His word//: “Your brothers who hate you, who exclude you for My name’s sake, Have said, ‘Let יְהוָה be glorified, that we may see your joy.’

But they will be put to shame./]

It is spiritually healthy to fear the LORD.

The word fear can also be translated “revere” *[P]* – again Hebrew doesn’t make much distinction between the two.

One thing that is sadly lacking in the church today is reverence, fear of the LORD.

We have been brought near, we are His sons, reconciled – wonderful and true; but sometimes with that we can have a pally attitude that loses the respect and reverence that is His due.

[*Psalm 86:10-11* /For You are great and do wondrous deeds; You alone are God.

Teach me Your way, O יְהוָה; I will walk in Your truth; //unite my heart to fear Your name./]

It makes a good study just to see the blessings in Scripture that are associated with the fear of the LORD.

[*Psalm 25:12-14* /Who is the man who fears יְהוָה?

He will instruct him in the way he should choose.

His soul will abide in prosperity, and his descendants will inherit the land.

The secret of YHWH is for those who fear Him, and He will make them know His covenant/.]/

/[*Psalm 112:1* /Praise יְהוָה!

How blessed is the man who fears יְהוָה, who greatly delights in His commandments/.]

We see that the “hearing” was in fact translated into obeying, doing/ /(Hag 1:14) – they worked on the house of the LORD.

/Hearing/ God’s voice causes us to /fear/ Him, and the fear and /reverence/ of the LORD causes us to /obey/ Him.

The response to truly hearing יְהוָה’s voice is OBEDIENCE.

Blessing follows.

There are two things that YHWH blesses: obedience and fear of the LORD *[P]*.

I know from experience – I have testified before: for years I resisted obeying the LORD in baptism.

What frustration, misery, emptiness and pointlessness there was in my life.

But when He /spoke/ to me in person, asked if I loved Him, enough to be baptized – when I /obeyed/ *[P]*, Oh the blessings that He immediately poured into my life.

It was like a pent up dam.

All that time He was waiting to inundate me with His blessing, but until I /repented/ and obeyed it was withheld.

*[P]* Disobedience had brought a curse on the remnant of Israel; /repentance/, which means obedience, turning around, brings blessing.

Repentance is humbling – it is saying “You are right LORD and I am wrong”, and changing your direction to go that right way instead of yours.

Oh to be a people that hear יְהוָה’s voice, recognise it as such and respond in reverence and obedience.

What blessings flow when we simply repent!

*At once Haggai receives a very short but most comforting message from יְהוָה [Hag 1:13]* The people heard יְהוָה’s voice and responded – then יְהוָה Himself responds to them.

If we respond to Him, then He responds to us.

They recognised that they had left God out of the equation and had been intent on themselves, thereby incurring the displeasure of יְהוָה.

They returned to Him in fear – an appropriate response of which יְהוָה approves.

He responds to their response with words of encouragement *[P]* – He speaks to them!

How wonderful!

What an encouragement to have God speak to you – His words encourage, He encourages us through His Word: [*Romans 15:4-5* /For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus/].

God is back on speaking terms – now they had begun to embark on the right path, He encouraged them – in contrast to the negative approach while they were going the wrong way.

Haggai, as a prophet, was יְהוָה’s messenger and he spoke יְהוָה’ s message – he was sent by Him (cf.